We're still a few days away from the Galaxy S9's big unveiling in Barcelona on Sunday, Feb. 25, which means you've got some extra time to start setting aside money to pay for Samsung's new phone. And you're going to need to start saving if a prominent leaker's revelation about S9 pricing pans out.
Evan Blass, who's been all over the rumored details of the upcoming S9, took to Twitter today to post about the new phone's price tag. According to Blass, the Galaxy S9 will cost €841 while the larger S9+ will go for €997. That's substantially higher than the respective €799 and €899 debut prices for the Galaxy S8 and S8+.
U.S. customers can take some comfort in the fact that a straight currency conversion of euros to dollars won't necessarily give you the S9's expect price tag in this country. Samsung tends to price its phones lower in the U.S. than in Europe, with last year's Galaxy S8 and S8+ debuting for $750 and $850, respectively.
Still, Blass's posted pricing for the S9 would likely translate to a price hike for U.S. consumers. That would be in line with earlier rumors about the S9's price, which predicted a $100 hike for the new phone over last year's models. That means we're potentially looking at an $850 Galaxy S9 and a $950 Galaxy S9+. For context, the Galaxy Note 8 debuted at between $930 and $960, depending on wireless carrier.
MORE: Galaxy S9 Leaked Specs: Here's What to Expect
We'll have to wait until Samsung unveils the Galaxy S9 to see if the new features justify the rumored price tag. For its part, Samsung seems to be placing the focus on the new phones' cameras, promising that the camera will be "reimagined" with this release. Among the expected features are a rear camera with a variable aperture that will adjusts depending on the setting and super slow motion video improvements. The S9+ is also expected to add a second rear camera, just like the Note 8.
Even if the expected price hike comes to pass, the Galaxy S9 still wouldn't be the most expensive smartphone. That nod still goes to the iPhone X, and that phone's $999 asking price hasn't exactly scared away buyers. Still, expect would-be S9 customers to take a good long look at the S9's new feature set, especially with the price of the still-capable Galaxy S8 likely to drop after the S9 arrives.
