Samsung Galaxy S11, S11 Plus, and S11e: Everything we know so far -

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.

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: Design

Cash Karo

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.

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 sensor. 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.

It’s possible Samsung did this intentionally for reasons we don’t yet know or it’s possible these renders are in error. Either way, the camera module as depicted in the renders above looks very unusual.

Samsung Galaxy S11: Specs

Although we are pretty far away right now from knowing for certain 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 Galaxy S11, S11 Plus, and S11e is pretty much a given. It’s been a long time since a Galaxy S device wasn’t 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 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.

It’s also pretty much a given that the Galaxy S11 family will feature wireless charging, an IP68 rating against water and dust, hefty batteries, and in-display fingerprint sensors. These are all features included with the S10 and Note 10 lineups and there’s nothing in the rumors we’ve heard to suggest Samsung will change them.

Samsung Galaxy S11: 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 and works like, 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 confirmations 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.

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 Galaxy S11 devices released outside of the United States — is capable of 8K video recording and so is the Qualcomm Snapdragon 865.

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). 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. Instead, you’ll more than likely need to choose whether you want a 4G model or spend the extra cash to get a 5G model.

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.

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.