Galaxy S9 Chinese certification reveals fast charging isn’t getting an upgrade

The Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9+ went through the FCC's certification process much earlier than expected, but it looks like it's business as usual for 3C, one of China's certification authorities. The dual SIM S9 and S9+ have been spotted on the 3C database with model numbers SM-G9600/DS, SM-G9608/DS, and SM-G9605/DS. The first two are the Galaxy S9 variants for China and Taiwan respectively, while the last one is the S9+ for China.

Galaxy S9 will have same fast charging support as current Samsung phones

Unlike the FCC, 3C has revealed one minor yet notable spec: The Galaxy S9 and S9+ will have support for standard 5V/2A charging and 9V/1.67A (15W) fast charging. If those values look similar, it's because they are the same as those supported by all of Samsung's current devices with fast charging support. Not a bad thing per se, as Quick Charge 2.0 (or Fast Charge, as Samsung calls its own implementation) is quick, dependable, and widely supported. But it might disappoint those who have been waiting for the company to implement faster charging on its devices, as some Android manufacturers have in recent years.

If recent rumors and leaks are to be believed, the battery capacities on the S9 and S9+ may be the same as their predecessors: 3,000 mAh and 3,500 mAh respectively. Whether battery life gets a boost thanks to the more efficient Snapdragon 845 and Exynos 9810 remains to be seen. If it does, the gains over the S8 and S8+ are likely to be minimal, especially once the 2017 flagships are updated to Android 8.0 Oreo.

The Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9+ will be launched at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona next month, and sales are rumored to commence in slightly over two weeks after the phones go official.