Why you shouldn't expect anything crazy from the new Samsung Galaxy S9

Rumours are circulating Samsung will announce its next flagship phone, the Galaxy S9, as early as January at CES in Las Vegas.

But fans holding out for another groundbreaking change may need to wait for at least another year. According to VentureBeat, which claims to have acquired information from someone briefed on the company's plans, the Galaxy S9 and S9+ will be identical to the S8 and S8+ in design. Samsung made a similar move between the S6 and S7. Apple has been using this method since 2008.

The South Korean tech giant is also reportedly making changes between the standard and plus variants of the phone. It is rumoured the S9+ will have more RAM (6 GB) and a second camera on the back. Both will keep the headphone jack, despite industry pressure to ditch the aging port.

Buyers will also be pleased to hear the finger print scanner could be shifting. The Samsung Galaxy S8 and S8+ copped a lot of flak for placing the scanner next to the camera, causing grubby finger prints to be left on the lens when people misplaced their finger. The new location would be below the camera, similar to other high-end Android phones such as the Google Pixel 2 and OnePlus 5/5T.

The "Infinity Display" introduced on the current-gen Galaxy phones, which extends the display across the entire front, will remain. Sound will improve with the introduction of AKG stereo speakers and Samsung is reportedly working on an upgrade to its DeX dock, which lets owners use their phone as a desktop computer.

Although VentureBeat believes the new phones will make an appearance at CES, it is unknown in what capacity that will be. An official launch of the Galaxy S9 and S9+ is expected for March.