We have heard rumors of Samsung bringing its Galaxy S flagships to market ahead of its regular schedule quite a few times before, but those rumors have never panned out. Now, Korean publication The Bell, which had earlier reported that development on the Galaxy S9 had begun ahead of schedule under the codename Project Star, is saying that Samsung's next flagship could be launched in January. The Bell believes the early Galaxy S9 launch can be chalked up to the fact that a device is usually assembled and launched two to three months after its display panels are shipped to Samsung, which, for the S9, is set to happen in November.
Quicker shipment of a phone's parts doesn't necessarily mean Samsung will unveil the Galaxy S9 in January. The company could be planning on putting a couple of months of extra work on its next flagship, perhaps to make the rumored move to SLP technology, which should theoretically allow the company to fit in a larger battery inside the phone. But The Bell thinks Samsung is accelerating the launch to combat sales of the iPhone 8, and that does make sense. The iPhone 8 is expected to sport a bezel-less display like the Galaxy S8 (without the curves), and the resultant increase in consumer demand for the upcoming iPhone could eat into Samsung's sales of the Galaxy Note 8. The company also did start launching Galaxy Note flagships a month earlier with the Galaxy Note 5, and we might just see the same happen to the Galaxy S lineup with the S9.
The rumor mill has only just begun churning out information about the Galaxy S9, and it's too early to take anything seriously. Not a lot is known about the handset at this point; a rumor suggested the S9 could have a modular design, and obvious reports that the phone will feature an Infinity Display and Qualcomm's Snapdragon 845 SoC are also floating around.
