Business Insider/Antonio Villas-Boas

• A recent components leak suggests the Samsung Galaxy S9 may retain its 3.5mm headphone jack.
• Rumors of whether or not the Galaxy S9 would include a headphone jack have been conflicting for months.
• In 2017, Samsung released both the Galaxy S8 and Galaxy Note 8 with headphone jacks, while several competitors removed the port from their flagships. 

Rumors have flip-flopped as to whether the Samsung Galaxy S9 would include a 3.5mm headphone jack, but a recent leak suggests that the 2018 flagship may retain the feature.

Tech informants on Slashleaks shared an image of what they claim are circuit boards for the Galaxy S9, which reveal 3.5mm headphone jack and USB-C placements. The components include the model number, SM-G965F, which is associated with the Galaxy S9+. If true, it is likely both rumored models of the Galaxy S9 would include headphone jacks. 

Several smartphone makers jumped onto the no-headphone-jack bandwagon in 2017, but Samsung is among the few premium manufacturers to retain the feature. Both the Galaxy S8 and Galaxy Note 8 are currently on the market, and both feature headphone jacks. Additionally, Samsung includes AKG-branded earbuds with the devices, which require a headphone jack to work. 

Rumors about whether or not the Galaxy S9 would include a headphone jack have been conflicting for months, but there have been several indications leaning toward a headphone jack. While an October rumor claimed the Galaxy S9 would not include a headphone jack, another tech informant on Twitter known as @UniverseIce suggested the feature would stay. Additionally, there been several leaks of protective cases for the Galaxy S9 that show cut-outs for the headphone jack.   

Samsung may have also hinted at it retaining the headphone jack on future devices by way of an advertisement, where it makes fun of Apple for removing the headphone jack from iPhones. 

It is possible that we're hearing conflicting rumors due to Samsung testing different prototypes of the Galaxy S9 with and without a headphone jack. At this time, however, all of these claims are just rumors until Samsung officially announces the phones early next year.

Other recent Samsung Galaxy S9 rumors 

• The Galaxy S9 may be announced in late February, during Mobile World Congress (MWC). The Galaxy S8 was unveiled in late March 2017, but a late-February announcement would actually more in step with Samsung's usual launch cycle for its Galaxy S devices. 
• Several leaks have indicated that the Galaxy S9 likely won't feature an in-display fingerprint scanner, but Samsung may move the rear fingerprint scanner to a more accessible area: on the center of the phone's back, below the camera module, rather than to the right of the of the camera.
• Rumors also suggest Samsung may include a dual-lens rear camera configuration on only the Galaxy S9+ model, while the standard Galaxy S9 may have a single-lens camera. 
• There have been reports of the smaller Galaxy S9 model featuring a 3,200 mAh battery, which is a small power bump, in comparison to the 3,000 mAh battery in the Galaxy S8. It is likely the Galaxy S9+ could have an even larger battery than the 3,500 mAh cell in the Galaxy S8+, but there have been no claims about what kind of battery the larger device might include. 
• Benchmarks indicate the Galaxy S9 may come in 4GB and 6GB RAM options, while the Galaxy S9+ may come only in a 6GB option.
• Both Galaxy S9 models are expected to run the Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 chip and run on Android 8.0 Oreo. 
• Leaks have suggested the overall Galaxy S9 design will likely be very similar to the Galaxy S8, with an "Infinity Display" and no home button. Bezels on the Galaxy S9 may be slightly smaller than on its predecessors, providing slightly more screen real estate.