Update: December 30, 2019 (03:38 PM ET): The article below has new information regarding how the Samsung Galaxy S11 series might not even be called the S11 series. We've also got new rumors about telephoto lenses, optical zoom, and (hopefully) the real rear camera setup.
Read on for all the details!
Original Article: December 5, 2019 (10:37 AM ET): We're coming up fast on Mobile World Congress 2020, which will happen towards the end of February. At or around that event, we fully expect to find out the Samsung Galaxy S11 release date as well as see its final design and included features.
So far, we've seen more than a few rumors pertaining to the S11 lineup, including professional renders of what the Galaxy S11, Galaxy S11 Plus, and Galaxy S11e could look like. We also have a few rumors related to possible specs, and some of the internals of the device we can infer based on past models.
Related: We asked, you told us: Most people think the Galaxy S11 lineup is hot
For the most up-to-date and well-rounded look at what we will very likely see from the Galaxy S11 family, continue on below! As soon as we know for certain what the Samsung Galaxy S11 release date, price, specs, design, and other features are, we will update this post.
Samsung Galaxy S11 series: Name and launch date
Last year, Samsung released the Galaxy S10 series so it would make sense to expect that 2020 will contain the launch of the Samsung Galaxy S11 series.
However, there is a rumor that that might not be the case. The rumor is shaky for sure, but frequent tipster Ice Universe says the Galaxy S11 could be known as the Galaxy S20 instead, claiming that next year marks a "new beginning" for Samsung and the brand.
Huawei did a similar thing with its own flagships, jumping from the P10 to the P20 and the Mate 10 to the Mate 20, so it's not unheard of for a name change this significant to be possible. Samsung also skipped a device version once when it jumped from the Samsung Galaxy Note 5 to the Samsung Galaxy Note 7 in an effort to keep the S-series and Note series in sync.
However, Ice Universe isn't the most reliable of tipsters out there, so take this rumor with a massive grain of salt. Until we hear something more solid, we are going to operate under the assumption that Samsung is launching the Galaxy S11 series in 2020, not the Galaxy S20 series.
As for the launch date of the Samsung Galaxy S11 series, it's a safe bet to assume we'll see the new devices at or around Mobile World Congress in late February 2020.
Design
Thanks to reliable leaker @OnLeaks, we already have renders of the Samsung Galaxy S11 family that are likely pretty accurate.
According to the renders, you can expect four major design changes with every device in the 2020 Galaxy S lineup:
- A rectangular rear camera module: The center-aligned, horizontally configured camera module featured on the Samsung Galaxy S10 family likely won't carry over to the S11 group. Instead, a vertically aligned, left-of-center rectangular module will likely be the format.
- A single, centered punch-hole selfie camera: The right-aligned punch-hole cameras in the displays of the Galaxy S10 family likely won't carry over to the S11 line, either. Instead, the S11 line could adopt the look of the Samsung Galaxy Note 10 line and integrate a single, centered punch-hole camera.
- No Bixby button: The renders we've seen so far suggest that all the physical buttons of the Galaxy S11 family will be on the right side of the device: a power button and a volume rocker. The Bixby button that usually appears on the left seems to have been axed.
- No headphone jack: From what we know so far, the Galaxy S11 family will be the first entries in Samsung's much-loved "S" line without 3.5mm headphone jacks.
With those big changes out of the way, let's take a look at each of the devices in the Galaxy S11 family and what their renders tell us.
Samsung Galaxy S11e
As with the Samsung Galaxy S10e, we expect the Galaxy S11e to be the cheapest entry in the S11 family. It will likely cut a few corners design-wise to keep the price down as compared to the Galaxy S11 and S11 Plus.
However, the 2020 entries in the Galaxy S family could all be more similar to each other than we saw in the 2019 models.
Related: Here's our first look at the Samsung Galaxy S11e
One of the more significant changes that the renders above suggest is that the Galaxy S11e could have a curved display. The Galaxy S10e was the only device in the S10 lineup with a flat display, but it appears Samsung is going all-in on curves this time around.
Another significant potential change is the removal of a physical, side-mounted fingerprint scanner. These renders don't depict the sensor we found on the Galaxy S10e, suggesting the S11e could have an in-display fingerprint sensor, as featured on the S10 and S10 Plus. It's also possible that the S11e will have an optical fingerprint scanner rather than the ultrasonic scanners we expect in the higher-end models.
Samsung Galaxy S11
The Samsung Galaxy S11 renders look very similar to the Galaxy S11e. The Galaxy S11 will likely be slightly bigger and feature a more advanced rear camera system.
Interestingly, Samsung appears to be dialing back on the curved display with the Galaxy S11. The curve of the Galaxy S11 as depicted in these renders is less extreme than the display we saw on the Galaxy S10, S10 Plus, and S10 5G.
Samsung Galaxy S11 Plus
The Samsung Galaxy S11 Plus appears to be much the same as the Galaxy S11 with a less-curved display when compared to the S10 Plus. However, there is one major difference: the alignment of the lenses in the rear camera module. The lenses on both the S11 and S11e appear to be arranged in a symmetrical and organized fashion, while the lenses on the S11 Plus appear scattered around for no apparent reason.
Sometime after those images leaked, a few new renders popped up that suggest the previously leaked renders are incorrect.
The first renders to dispute the original batch come again from Ice Universe. See for yourself below:
This is the real Galaxy S11+ camera. On the left is the ultra-wide-angle, main camera, and periscope zoom lens. I don't know the exact distribution on the right. It is expected to include flash and ToF. pic.twitter.com/98exPMSqgf
— Ice universe (@UniverseIce) December 16, 2019
Shortly after that image leaked, @OnLeaks — the source of the original renders — updated his own information. He tweeted out this new version of the Samsung Galaxy S11 Plus camera module which seems much more realistic:
Samsung Galaxy S11: Specs
Although we are pretty far away right now from knowing for sure about the Samsung Galaxy S11 release date, price, design, etc., we can make some solid guesses as to some of the specs in the devices. We can do this simply by examining previous models as well as focusing on Samsung's most recent flagship, the Galaxy Note 10.
For example, the inclusion of the Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 chipset in the US versions of the Galaxy S11, S11 Plus, and S11e is pretty much a given. It's been a long time since a Galaxy S device wasn't among the first to market with Qualcomm's latest mobile chip, and we see no reason to think that 2020 will be any different. It's expected that European models and a few other variants will sport the Exynos 990 chipset.
It's basically a given that every Galaxy S11 device will launch with the Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 chipset in the US.
We can also infer that no device in the Galaxy S11 lineup will have less than 6GB of RAM. The only device in the S10 lineup with 6GB of RAM was the 128GB version of the S10e, with every other S10 smartphone having 8GB or more. It's very possible even the S11e will start with 8GB of RAM, although sticking with 6GB is more likely so Samsung can keep the price down.
The latest rumors even suggest that next year's lineup could come with some hefty battery upgrades. As it stands, the Galaxy S11 and S11 Plus are rumored to tout 4,500mAh and 5,000mAh battery capacities, respectively. If that plays out, that means the Galaxy S11 Plus will have the biggest battery Samsung has ever put into a flagship, while the standard Galaxy S11 will sport a bigger battery than both the S10 and Note 10.
Meanwhile, we haven't heard anything about the battery on the S11e, except that it might support 25W fast charging. This would be a leap from the S10e's 15W fast charging.
It's also pretty much a given that the Galaxy S11 family will feature wireless charging, an IP68 rating against water and dust, and in-display fingerprint sensors. These are all features included with the S10 and Note 10 lineups (save the S10e in the case of the latter) and there's nothing in the rumors we've heard to suggest Samsung will change them.
Features
Samsung is currently hard at work delivering Android 10 to its various 2019 devices. However, it's practically guaranteed that the Galaxy S11 series will launch with Android 10 right out of the box.
Samsung's Android skin, known as One UI, will also likely be present. We already have a good idea of what One UI 2.0 looks like and how it works, so you can read more about what kinds of software features you'll see on the devices in our roundup.
One of the star features of any Galaxy S device is the camera. Although we don't have any full confirmation yet on specific camera features, we've heard a few rumors that seem very solid. For instance, we know that Samsung has a 108MP camera sensor ready to go, so it's a fair bet we'll see that as the primary sensor on most or even all of the Galaxy S11 devices.
Tipster Ice Universe has suggested that the 108MP sensor on the Galaxy S11 series might be different from the one on the Mi Note 10. They say that Samsung could use a custom sensor with superior quality when compared to the ISOCELL Bright HMX sensor used on the Xiaomi phone.
Ice Universe also claims that the camera on the S11 series will use nine-in-one pixel binning over four-in-one used by everyone else in the industry. The tipster notes that the 108MP camera will produce pixel-binned images equivalent to a 12MP 2.4-micron pixel camera. Larger pixels capture more light and result in better low-light images. So Samsung's 108MP camera might be the best in the industry when it's released.
We've also heard a rumor that the Galaxy S11 series could be capable of recording 8K video. The Exynos 990 processor — which will likely power some Galaxy S11 devices released outside of the United States — is capable of 8K video recording and so is the Qualcomm Snapdragon 865. However, the 108MP ISOCELL Bright HMX tops out at 6K/30fps video recording so if Samsung has to offer 8K recording, it's possible that the company will use the rumored custom sensor instead.
If even half of these rumors are true, the Galaxy S11 series will be photography and videography monsters.
Some patent filings also suggest that the higher-end versions of the Galaxy S11 could feature 5x optical zoom paired with optical image stabilization (OIS). Additionally, there's a rumor that the telephoto lens included with all three of the Samsung Galaxy S11 phones could feature a 48MP resolution.
If all of these camera features do land on the Galaxy S11 series, they will be photography and videography monsters.
Outside of the camera, there are also rumors that the Samsung Galaxy S11 series will feature a 120Hz display refresh rate. This would one-up the 90Hz display refresh rates on 2019 flagships such as the OnePlus 7 Pro and the Google Pixel 4.
Finally, we can also expect Samsung to continue to offer 5G and 4G models of the devices separately. Earlier on in the rumor cycle, we expected Samsung to push out only 5G-capable versions of all the S11 devices aside from the S11e, but those hopes were dashed. Even the S11e is now rumored to sport 5G. You'll more than likely need to choose whether you want a 4G model or spend the extra cash to get a 5G model.
One obstacle to a 4G model is Qualcomm, as its Snapdragon 865 is bundled with a 5G modem as a package deal. That means Samsung might have to disable the 5G functionality in LTE devices with the Qualcomm chip, use the Exynos 990 for 4G variants, or work out a deal with Qualcomm to bundle legacy LTE modems.
Samsung Galaxy S11: Release date and price
The Samsung Galaxy S11 release date will almost certainly be in the latter half of February 2020. As usual, Samsung will likely reveal the devices in full at the end of February and then release the devices online and in stores in early March.
As far as pricing goes, it is very unlikely that Samsung will offer lower or even the same pricing as compared to the Galaxy S10 lineup. With the spec and feature rumors laid out above, it is far more likely that these devices will be even more expensive than the Galaxy S10 family.
For the sake of comparison, here are the launch prices for the Galaxy S10 devices:
- Samsung Galaxy S10e – $749.99 (6GB/128GB), $849.99 (8GB/256GB)
- Samsung Galaxy S10 – $899.99 (8GB/128GB), $1149.99 (8GB/512GB)
- Samsung Galaxy S10 Plus – $999.99 (8GB/128GB), $1249.99 (8GB/512GB), $1599.99 (12GB/1TB)
It's totally possible Samsung will defy expectations and keep pricing for the S11 lineup the same as those prices above, but you should probably anticipate higher pricing.
In terms of availability, a report from a Korean publication notes that Samsung might release the Snapdragon 865 version of the S11 phones in more countries. Samsung's home market, Korea, is expected to join North America, China, and Japan in getting a Galaxy S-series flagship with a Snapdragon processor. The report notes that Samsung might bring Snapdragon variants to more regions, with the exception of Europe.
That's all we've got when it comes to rumors related to the Samsung Galaxy S11 release date, specs, features, and pricing. Be sure to bookmark this page as we will update it often with new rumors as they pop up.
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