Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.’s latest flagship smartphone was supposed to debut at the Consumer Electronics Show in early January, but these claims were later denied by the company. Now, the latest reports peg the launch of the Galaxy S9 in February.

Speaking to sources familiar with the matter, Bloomberg Friday reported that the Galaxy S9 and S9+ will launch in late February and go on sale in March. The launch date will likely coincide with Mobile World Congress, which kicks off on Feb. 26. That would put it a month earlier in the year than the Galaxy S8 (pictured), which was delayed for extended testing following the Note7 disaster.

It was previously reported that the Galaxy S9 and S9+ will receive iterative updates and look very much like its predecessors, which has been confirmed by Bloomberg’s sources. But the devices will also receive updated cameras. Previous reports have suggested a dual rear-facing camera for the S9+ and increased aperture for both models.

The latest leaked images from Steve Hemmerstoffer has further confirmed that Samsung plans to play it safe with its 2018 flagship device.

Leaked images of the Samsung Galaxy S9 via Steve Hemmerstoffer (@OnLeaks)

Global sales of smartphones totaled 383 million units in the third quarter of 2017, a 3 percent increase over the same period in 2016, according to Gartner Inc. Samsung also achieved its highest growth rate in almost two years, recording growth of 19.3 percent.

As anticipation grew for the release of the iPhone X, Apple Inc. reported only a 5.7 percent increase. Although one analyst reported that the iPhone X isn’t selling as well as investors originally expected, other reports suggest Samsung will actually see a decline in shipments next year thanks to continued demand for the iPhone X. Apple has yet to reveal the number of iPhone X units sold so far.

While Samsung and Apple continue their rivalry, both companies also face strong competition from Chinese smartphone makers: Huawei Technologies Co. Ltd., Oppo Electronics Corp. and Xiaomi Inc. Xiaomi achieved the strongest growth in the third quarter of 2017, according to Gartner, with an 80 percent increase. Huawei, currently in the third spot with a 9.5 percent market share, will also reportedly unveil its flagship, the P11, at MWC 2018.

Samsung will also reportedly launch a Bixby-enabled smart home speaker, to rival Amazon.com Inc.’s and Google LLC’s, in the first half of 2018, as well as a foldable phone.

The niche market of foldable devices has reportedly attracted interest from various smartphone makers, including Samsung, Apple, Oppo and Huawei. Samsung itself has said it plans to launch its foldable device next year after years of development.      

Image: Samsung