Samsung Galaxy S9 and S9+
By Rio, Technology Staff Writer
The S series has been the most popular line of smartphones in Samsung’s recent history. A new instalment of the line has always meant new and more innovative technology hitting the smartphone market. Last year’s phone, the Samsung Galaxy S8, introduced a new kind of display. The infinity display that took up nearly all of the front end of the display and popularising the bezel-less display which can be found on nearly all new phones.
When smartphone enthusiasts heard about the release of the S9, it created a lot of hype. What new features would it bring? Could it possibly rival its competitor, the iPhone X? The S9 gets released on the 16th of March but we already know a lot about the phone. Did it live up to the hype?
For starters the overall design has really not changed since the Samsung S8. It is composed of the same glass and metal with curved glass on the front and back. It also still has a super wide 18:5 aspect ratio, same as the S8. The S9 has an expected good build quality but due to the glass back it has become a fingerprint magnet and slippery. Both phones have a super AMOLED panels that produce vibrant colours with sharp resolution. The S9 will receive a 5.8-inch display and the S9+, a larger 6.2-inch display. Both will have the best display on any android phone on the market.
The S9 and S9+ have the standard IP68 water resistance, wireless charging, headphone jack, and the rather annoying and controversial bixby button (but now has the option to be disabled). There are a few new changes on the outside such as stereo speakers and a new camera on the S9 and on the S9+ on top of the new camera: another telephoto lens. Also, the fingerprint sensor has been moved from the side and moved under the camera. It is easier than before but still hard to use.
Both phones will also receive the brand new 845 qualcomm processor with up to 6GB of RAM. The S9 has a 3000 mAh battery and the S9+ with a 3500 mAh battery. For storage, they will receive a 64GB storage and with SD card support.
The new rear camera has an improved sensor from last year and has the capability to change the aperture of the lens from F1.5- F2. Due to the F1.5 it is amazing in low light. The S9+ has a 2nd telephoto lens with image stabilization and can record 4k video in 60fps.
The front camera has not changed since last year and still has an 8 megapixel but it is the only phone that has autofocusing front camera but its portrait mode is still bad compared to Apple and Google’s portrait. Samsung is also introducing AR emoji. Basically the phone scans your face and produces an animated version of you, much like a moving 3D bitmoji (you can also turn your AR emoji into gifs).
Another new feature is intelligence scan which is direct competition to the face ID, although it is a start you might as well use the fingerprint scanner since it is more secure and faster. Intelligence scan uses iris scanning and face detection to lock the phone, but it is still slow.
So should you buy it?
If you have a Samsung S8, you should probably skip this instalment. You get about 90% of the features on the Samsung S9 on the S8 but at a much lower price. If you are just looking to buy a phone you should probably go for the Google pixel 2 or an iPhone X. The S9 is in no way a bad phone but at this moment there are much better phones or better cost-effective ones. Also, the Samsung software updates are the worst. Samsung has a reputation for inconsistent updates and this affects the product. The S9 will be priced at $719.99 and the S9+ at $839.99. If you are willing to pay the price then it will offer some of the best performance on a smartphone, with a stunning display and excellent camera.