Recently Samsung announced the all-new Samsung Galaxy S9. This is an update to S series flagships after S8. S8 and S8+ received a huge hit due to its amazing camera and infinity display. Samsung continued this while playing a safer side keeping the same design language with improved software optimization and an all-new camera sensor.
The displays in the S9 and S9 Plus are just as you’d expect them to be on a Samsung flagship, and they remain the best screens you can get on any Android phone. The S9 has a 5.8-inch screen, while the S9 Plus has a spacious 6.2-inch display. Both are high resolution, both are OLED panels with vibrant (sometimes too vibrant) colors, and both have great viewing angles. The screens are also slightly brighter this year, which is always appreciated on sunny days.
Specifications
The S8’s fingerprint scanner was a frustrating experience: it was small, hard to reach, and right next to the camera, which meant most of the time, we ended up with fingerprints on the camera lens. The S9’s scanner has been moved to just below the camera, which makes it much easier to reach, especially on the larger S9 Plus. It’s still small, especially compared to scanners on other phones, and it’s still too close to the camera.
The big new thing that Samsung wants everyone to know about is the S9’s new rear camera. The 12-megapixel image sensor is new and improved, with better image processing, but the major change is found in the lens, which can now physically switch between a very bright f/1.5 aperture and a smaller f/2.4 aperture, similar to how larger cameras work. The S9 Plus model gains a second camera for zooming and portrait mode effects, much like Samsung released with the Note 8 last year.
There are even more tweaks which may not be as apparent, but you would appreciate them once you start using the Galaxy S9. The loud stereo speakers tuned by Harman - a first for the Galaxy S lineup - promise immersive sound with Dolby Atmos support.
The Galaxy S9 most formidable rival is the iPhone X, no doubt about this. It has never been Android vs.. iOS with Samsung and Apple, it's been an all-out war between companies.
Apple might have joined the bezel-less class late, but it did that in the typical Cupertino-controversial way - changing everything and making it Apple's with the infamous notch. And while those two battle in their own way, it still boils down to Android vs. iOS for you, unless a second telephoto cam and small footprint are of utmost importance.
Google has its own Pixel 2 to show off the true power of Pure Android. It's not as pretty, or powerful, but is cheaper, has some cool proprietary features, snaps better selfies, and does bokeh with one camera unlike anyone else.
Verdict
The Samsung Galaxy S9 and S9+ is a great flagship of 2018 with all new camera technology in the mobile world with all the essentials like wireless charging, headphone jack, and the improved fingerprint sensor placement. The problem with the device is smaller battery and Samsung UI with lots of additional software. Still, it is great value for money if you are looking for an essential flagship of 2018.
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The displays in the S9 and S9 Plus are just as you’d expect them to be on a Samsung flagship, and they remain the best screens you can get on any Android phone. The S9 has a 5.8-inch screen, while the S9 Plus has a spacious 6.2-inch display. Both are high resolution, both are OLED panels with vibrant (sometimes too vibrant) colors, and both have great viewing angles. The screens are also slightly brighter this year, which is always appreciated on sunny days.
Specifications
| BODY | Dimensions | 147.7 x 68.7 x 8.5 mm (5.81 x 2.70 x 0.33 in) |
|---|---|---|
| Weight | 163 g (5.75 oz) | |
| Build | Front/back glass (Gorilla Glass 5), aluminum frame | |
| SIM | Single SIM (Nano-SIM) or Hybrid Dual SIM (Nano-SIM, dual stand-by) | |
| - Samsung Pay (Visa, MasterCard certified) - IP68 certified - dust/waterproof over 1.5 meters and 30 minutes |
| DISPLAY | Type | Super AMOLED capacitive touchscreen, 16M colors |
|---|---|---|
| Size | 5.8 inches, 84.8 cm2 (~83.6% screen-to-body ratio) | |
| Resolution | 1440 x 2960 pixels, 18.5:9 ratio (~570 ppi density) | |
| Multitouch | Yes | |
| Protection | Corning Gorilla Glass 5 | |
| - HDR10 compliant - 3D Touch (home button only) - Always-on display |
| PLATFORM | OS | Android 8.0 (Oreo) |
|---|---|---|
| Chipset | Exynos 9810 Octa - EMEA Qualcomm SDM845 Snapdragon 845 - USA & China | |
| CPU | Octa-core (4x2.7 GHz Mongoose M3 & 4x1.8 GHz Cortex-A55) - EMEA Octa-core (4x2.7 GHz Kryo 385 Gold & 4x1.7 GHz Kryo 385 Silver) - USA & China | |
| GPU | Mali-G72 MP18 - EMEA Adreno 630 - USA & China |
| MEMORY | Card slot | microSD, up to 400 GB (uses SIM 2 slot) - dual SIM model only |
|---|---|---|
| Internal | 64/128/256 GB, 4 GB RAM |
| CAMERA | Primary | 12 MP (f/1.5-2.4, 26mm, 1/2.5", 1.4 µm, Dual Pixel PDAF), phase detection autofocus, OIS, LED flash, check the quality |
|---|---|---|
| Features | Geo-tagging, simultaneous 4K video, and 9MP image recording touch focus, face/smile detection, Auto HDR, panorama | |
| Video | 2160p@60fps, 1080p@240fps, 720p@960fps, HDR, dual-video rec., check quality | |
| Secondary | 8 MP (f/1.7, 25mm, 1/3.6", 1.22 µm), autofocus, 1440p@30fps, dual video call, Auto HDR |
| SOUND | Alert types | Vibration; MP3, WAV ringtones |
|---|---|---|
| Loudspeaker | Yes, with stereo speakers | |
| 3.5mm jack | Yes | |
| - 32-bit/384kHz audio - Active noise cancellation with dedicated mic |
| COMMS | WLAN | Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, dual-band, Wi-Fi Direct, hotspot |
|---|---|---|
| Bluetooth | 5.0, A2DP, LE, aptX | |
| GPS | Yes, with A-GPS, GLONASS, BDS, GALILEO | |
| NFC | Yes | |
| Radio | FM radio (USA & Canada only) - To be confirmed | |
| USB | 3.1, Type-C 1.0 reversible connector |
| FEATURES | Sensors | Iris scanner, fingerprint (rear-mounted), accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass, barometer, heart rate, SpO2 |
|---|---|---|
| Messaging | SMS(threaded view), MMS, Email, Push Email, IM | |
| Browser | HTML5 | |
| - Samsung DeX (desktop experience support) - Fast battery charging (Quick Charge 2.0) - Qi/PMA wireless charging (market dependent) - ANT+ support - Bixby natural language commands and dictation - MP4/DivX/XviD/H.265 player - MP3/WAV/eAAC+/FLAC player - Photo/video editor - Document editor |
| BATTERY | Non-removable Li-Ion 3000 mAh battery (11.55 Wh) |
|---|
The S8’s fingerprint scanner was a frustrating experience: it was small, hard to reach, and right next to the camera, which meant most of the time, we ended up with fingerprints on the camera lens. The S9’s scanner has been moved to just below the camera, which makes it much easier to reach, especially on the larger S9 Plus. It’s still small, especially compared to scanners on other phones, and it’s still too close to the camera.
The big new thing that Samsung wants everyone to know about is the S9’s new rear camera. The 12-megapixel image sensor is new and improved, with better image processing, but the major change is found in the lens, which can now physically switch between a very bright f/1.5 aperture and a smaller f/2.4 aperture, similar to how larger cameras work. The S9 Plus model gains a second camera for zooming and portrait mode effects, much like Samsung released with the Note 8 last year.
There are even more tweaks which may not be as apparent, but you would appreciate them once you start using the Galaxy S9. The loud stereo speakers tuned by Harman - a first for the Galaxy S lineup - promise immersive sound with Dolby Atmos support.
The Galaxy S9 most formidable rival is the iPhone X, no doubt about this. It has never been Android vs.. iOS with Samsung and Apple, it's been an all-out war between companies.
Apple might have joined the bezel-less class late, but it did that in the typical Cupertino-controversial way - changing everything and making it Apple's with the infamous notch. And while those two battle in their own way, it still boils down to Android vs. iOS for you, unless a second telephoto cam and small footprint are of utmost importance.
Google has its own Pixel 2 to show off the true power of Pure Android. It's not as pretty, or powerful, but is cheaper, has some cool proprietary features, snaps better selfies, and does bokeh with one camera unlike anyone else.
Verdict
The Samsung Galaxy S9 and S9+ is a great flagship of 2018 with all new camera technology in the mobile world with all the essentials like wireless charging, headphone jack, and the improved fingerprint sensor placement. The problem with the device is smaller battery and Samsung UI with lots of additional software. Still, it is great value for money if you are looking for an essential flagship of 2018.
Buy / Pre-Order - Take me to Samsung Store
Shop Similar Products On Tech Store
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