SAMSUNG GALAXY S11, SPEC RUMOURS, RELEASE DATE AND PRICE

Forget the new Note 10 and Note 10 Plus - here's what to expect from Samsung's next flagship phone, the Samsung Galaxy S11

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Samsung's upcoming Galaxy S11, Arriving in February 2020, (what it is called if that is indeed) will improve on the already high standards set by this year's flagship quartet, which comprises 

Samsung Galaxy S10, S10 Plus, S10 5G and S10e.

Galaxy S11 Samsung will almost certainly also borrow some features from the Samsung Note 10 and Samsung Note 10 Plus, which were announced on 7 August, including its new Aura Glow, Aura Black, Aura Pink and Aura White colour options, 45W fast charging and enhanced cameras. It will probably also lose its headphone jack, dedicated Bixby button and heart-rate sensor.

We should see a new processor in the form of the Snapdragon 865 (at least in some markets, with others favouring Samsung's own Exynos chips which could be down to 5nm in time for the S11 launch). Interestingly, one of two variants of this chip will integrate a 5G modem, which could mean there is no need for a separate 5G model of the Galaxy Samsung S11. Both versions of the Snapdragon 865 include support for LPDDR5X memory and UFS 3.0.

Whether we will once again see a cheaper 'e' variant remains to be seen, but our money is on at least two variants in the Samsung Galaxy S11 and Samsung S11 Plus, differentiated once again by the size of their screens (currently 6.1in and 6.4in respectively), battery capacities (3,400mAh and 4,100mAh) and camera capabilities (single/dual-lens selfie cameras).

It's still six months from launch but already some rumours are appearing online. Most relate to the Samsung Galaxy S11's display, with Samsung either moving away from the Infinity-O panel with punch-hole selfie camera altogether - potentially also using the screen as a speaker, as alluded to buy Yang Byung-duk, vice-president of Samsung's R&D group - or at least using a smaller hole than in Note 10.

That's what renowned leakster Ice Universe believes to be true in any case. He also claims Samsung Galaxy S11, apparently codenamed Picasso, will see a "substantial" camera upgrade. Perhaps we'll see the inclusion of Samsung's 64Mp Isocell Bright GW1 sensor, which combines four pixels into one higher-quality pixel for a significantly enhanced 16Mp final image.

We can also expect the Samsung Galaxy S11 to run Android 10 Q, which should be released in August, alongside the company's own OneUI.

An early concept of Samsung Galaxy S11 has been published by Tech Configurations and is used to illustrate this article, but please note it is no more than a fabrication based on rumours. It borrows from Samsung's Galaxy A80 with a triple-lens rotating camera, but we have no other reason to think this will end up a feature of the S series. We'll also be waiting a few more months yet before we start seeing leaked images of the real deal.

What will Samsung's next flagship be called?

There is some talk in Korea that Samsung's next flagship may not be called the S11 Galaxy Samsung at all. We've seen plenty of companies that use this simple numeric naming system switch things up when they get to 10 - think Huawei, Microsoft, Apple to name a few - because it starts to get a bit confusing.

Samsung has neither confirmed nor denied the claim, but it wouldn't be a surprise to see it ditch the numbers altogether and revert to something simpler such as Samsung Galaxy S (2020).

When is the Samsung Galaxy S11 coming out?

Expect Samsung to make a Samsung Galaxy S11 announcement in an Unpacked press conference ahead of MWC, which in 2020 takes place 24-27 February. We're likely to see a new LG G9 and Xiaomi Mi 10 at the same show.

As in previous years, the Samsung Galaxy S11 will almost certainly be available to pre-order immediately, but actually on sale in March of that year - at which point we may have a new contender for our best phones chart.

How much will the Galaxy S11 cost?

For now, we have no reason to expect Samsung will hike its prices up any further than it has with the Galaxy S10 lineup. It's possible we could see some variation if 5G is indeed included on all versions of the phone, but remember that at some stage 5G is going to become the new normal, and the technology is expected to become widespread next year.

Right now Samsung Galaxy S10 starts at £799 and the Plus model at £899, direct from Samsung. A cheaper option is also found in the £569 Samsung Galaxy S10e, while you're looking at £1,099 for the 5G model. Do check out the best Galaxy S10 Samsung deals if you're looking to buy on a contract rather than SIM-free.