WE’RE only a couple of weeks away from Samsung launching the next Galaxy S handset at its annual Unpacked event in New York March 29th. And weeks after that, the Samsung Galaxy S8 will launch in the Philippines.

We received word today that the Korean giant will announce the S8 for the local market on April 18. Registrations are already open, and the company is even extending VIP invites to five lucky registrants (just sign up here) who will get to attend the media launch and “be the first to glimpse the incredible future of smartphones.”

Registrations for the Philippine event are already open, and the company is even extending VIP invites to five lucky registrants who will get to attend the Samsung Galaxy S8 media launch.

That “future” remains uncertain at the moment, but countless leaks over the past several months may have already spoiled all but the latest of changes.

Previous reports have suggested two devices (in iPhone fashion, one is larger than the other) with a high screen-to-body ratio and dual-curved AMOLED displays; on-screen keys as opposed to physical and capacitive buttons; a new AI assistant developed by the founder of the iPhone’s Siri; and Samsung’s custom Exynos 8895 processor or Qualcomm’s latest Snapdragon 835 powerhouse, depending on where you get it.

SEE ALSO: This could be the Samsung Galaxy S8

It’s almost guaranteed that both Samsung Galaxy S8 phone variants will be highly water-resistant and come with USB-C charging and Android 7.0 Nougat. It should be able to support VR content at higher resolutions as well. Black, gold, silver, or violet (?), the smartphone is tipped to cost around $950 (approximately P47,700) when it hits Philippine stores towards the end of April.

READ ALSO: Samsung Galaxy S8 benchmark scores leak out

As to why it opted to delay the local announcement, our guess is that it wants to keep the launch date as close as possible to the release, which makes sense, as companies know better than to make consumers wait longer than necessary.

We’ll be there to cover the April event on the ground, as well as bring you the latest from New York on March 29 (March 30 in the Philippines).

Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge main image via BGR

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