Update: we've now reviewed both of Samsung's latest handsets: check out our Galaxy S9 review and Galaxy S9+ review.

Samsung has officially announced the Samsung Galaxy S9 and S9+ at Mobile World Congress, revealing the most anticipated new smartphones of 2018.

Externally, the new Galaxy S9 and S9+ look like the 2017 S8 and S8+, but this year there's more than just a size difference between these two handsets, with the larger Galaxy S9+ model getting an secondary camera for 2x optical zoom.

The camera is the main focus point for the Galaxy S9 models, with both handsets offering a new dual aperture main camera. This integrates a mechanical aperture, giving you f/1.5 for low light and f/2.4 for brighter conditions.

This should result in better photos in all conditions, with a new 12-megapixel sensor design that sits on top of DRAM so it has more immediate processing power. That also unlocks motion-activated 960fps super slow-motion, as well as enhanced noise reduction.

Elsewhere, this pair of phones still offer that curved edge design and comes in 5.8 and 6.2-inch OLED screen sizes and both offering waterproofing. 

Samsung has managed to hold onto the 3.5mm headphone socket, while also enhancing the AGK-tuned speakers to provide a Dolby Atmos effect - which can be applied to any content you choose.

Powered by the latest generation of 10nm hardware, there's 64GB of storage with microSD card support, while the batteries sit at 3000mAh for the Galaxy S9 and 3500mAh for the S9+. 

Looking to take down Apple's iPhone X animoji, the Galaxy S9 will offer AR emoji, where the phone will create a 3D avatar by scanning your face and create a range of custom emoji for you. These can be used when chatting in WhatsApp or Facebook Messenger, for example, rather than using basic emoji. 

Bixby, Samsung's AI assistant also gets smarter, with Bixby Vision now being able to translate in real time - so all you have to do is point the phone at a restaurant menu for example and it will be instantly translated into a language you can read.

Iris and face scanning provide security along with a repositioned fingerprint sensor on the rear of the handset, rounding out a pair of phones that are absolutely packed full of features. 

Pre-orders for the Samsung Galaxy S9 and S9+ open immediate with the handset on sale from 16 March 2018.

The Samsung Galaxy S9 price has been set at £739; the Samsung Galaxy S9+ price is £869.