The Galaxy S9 is the next major smartphone on Samsung’s roadmap, but that hasn’t stopped it from commencing development of the Galaxy Note 9 – the handset that should steal its next flagship’s thunder. Here’s everything we know about it to date.

Our first credible hint at the direction Samsung’s headed in for the Galaxy Note 9 comes from esteemed KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, who has reason to believe that it will sport a similar design to the Galaxy Note 8, while the firm focuses its attention on improving the unit’s dual-camera and S Pen.

That’s not to mean it won’t have a trump card, though – because it will.

In a note sent to investors back in September, Kuo – who has an unrivalled track record when it comes to predictions – revealed that the Galaxy Note 9 will come with an “under-display optical fingerprint scanner,” as corroborated by a recent patent filing, allowing users to unlock their handset by resting a finger on its Infinity Display.

Such a feature is likely, he adds, because two of the three main companies competing for the contract to make the 6.3-inch high-resolution panel for Samsung’s next Galaxy Note have already shipped sample parts to the South Korean chaebol – one of which is thought to be Samsung subsidiary Samsung LSI.

A number of far-fetched patent applications suggest that the Galaxy Note 9 – codenamed Crown – will also come with an enhanced facial recognition feature, designed to rival Apple’s Face ID. But there’s a chance it will debut on the upcoming Galaxy S9 to compensate for its supposed lack of an optical fingerprint reader.

Related: MWC 2018

The rest of the chatter we’ve caught wind of indicates that the device will be an iterative upgrade, so most of the internals will be similar to those found on the Galaxy Note 8, save for a more modern processor (Exynos 9810/Snapdragon 845) and a slightly beefier battery – no word on the capacity just yet.

What feature are you hoping to see on the Galaxy Note 9? Let us know over on Facebook or Twitter @TrustedReviews.