Five reasons the Samsung Galaxy S9 will blow the iPhone X out of the water

Samsung has officially confirmed it will unveil the new Galaxy S9 at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona on 25 February.

A teasers suggested big changes are coming for the camera and several leaks reveal minor design switches from the Galaxy S8. Luckily for Samsung it doesn't need to make major changes to embarrass Apple and the iPhone X.

Here are five reasons the Galaxy S9 will triumph over the iPhone X and iPhone 8*:

1. The camera

Samsung teasing an improved camera is great news for potential buyers. It's not that the Galaxy S8 has a bad camera, but compared to the iPhone 8 and iPhone X, it's pretty mediocre. For a phone that leads the way in design and screen quality, the camera has always been a glaring weak spot.

"The Camera. Reimagined" the teaser promises. Given no other feature is mentioned, the camera has to be the major upgrade of the Galaxy S9. There's also rumours that the Galaxy S9+ will have a second lens, much like the Note 8. Until we see it for sure, all we can do is get our hopes up.

2. The design is already better

So here's the thing, Samsung probably won't change the design of the Galaxy S9 too much from the S8. But who cares? The Galaxy S8 is the most visually appealing smart phone on the market by a long way. Centred around the remarkable "Infinity Display", it should be the envy of every phone manufacturer.

The iPhone X is a fantastic looking device, sure, but does anyone really think it looks better than the S8? All Samsung has to do is release the Galaxy S9 with some bumped up specs and the design will do the rest. Compare it to the 8 and 8 Plus, and Apple looks like it's stuck in 2014.

3. The bells and whistles

When it comes to new tech, Samsung doesn't usually hesitate. Even better, Samsung doesn't retreat. We're, of course, talking about the headphone jack. Apple ditched the jack in favour of making the iPhone 7 model waterproof. Every model since – the 8, 8 Plus and the X – has shipped without a jack. Even Google, after mocking Apple a year earlier, has ditched the input for waterproofing.

Here's the thing though, Samsung has been waterproofing Samsung Galaxy phones for years. How is it that they manage to waterproof with a headphone jack but for some reason no-one else can? Strange. To take a line straight from OnePlus: "Never Settle".

4. It's a refinement, not a revolution

When the iPhone X was launched, it had teething issues. There's absolutely no shame in this, new models of phones always do. No home button, a weird notch, Face ID, etc. All seem to be running pretty smoothly now. When the Galaxy S9 launches there likely won't be any such problems given its likeness to the Galaxy S8.

Yes you can make the argument that consumers want something new, and we do. But taking the best designed phone and boosting it with new internals and a better camera sounds pretty damn good. Don't forget, Apple spent four years (!) refining the iPhone 6 into the iPhone 8.

5. The price

This one is very speculative and all depends what Samsung set the cost at. As long as they don't fall into Apple's self-indulgent trap of the extortionate £999 price, Samsung should be fine. They also don't have to source parts from Apple (like Apple sources OLED screens from them).

Launch with a price similar to the Galaxy S8 (£689) and S8+ (£779), that is all we ask of you Samsung. Then come launch day, Samsung could offer a 5.8-inch display phone with wireless charging, top-end specs and the best camera on the market, all for £311 pounds less than the iPhone X. Come on, who wouldn't but that?

*Although rumours and leaks are almost always accurate, nothing is 100% confirmed until the Samsung launch event.