Samsung unveiled the Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9+ flagship phones through the Galaxy Unpacked press event at the ongoing Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2018 in Barcelona, Spain yesterday. Appearance-wise there are only few changes on the Galaxy S9 and S9+ compared to last year’s Galaxy S8 and S8+. However, the Galaxy S9 duo are packed with improved internals and topnotch cameras.
Design and Display
The Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9+ feature IP68 certified chassis that comprises of Gorilla Glass 5 panels on their front and rear sides with an aluminum frame flanked in between. Samsung has cut down the bezels slightly on the Galaxy S9 and S9+ compared to their predecessor models for better viewing experience. Also, the company has repositioned the fingerprint scanner below the rear camera on the S9 duo in order to prevent Galaxy S8’s issue of accidentally touching the lens while accessing the fingerprint sensor. The S9 duo comes in attractive colors: Midnight Black, Coral Blue, Titanium Gray and the all new Lilac Purple.
Like last year’s models, the Galaxy S9 and S9+ are respectively equipped with 5.8-inch and 6.2-inch S-AMOLED display that offer 18.5:9 aspect ratio and QHD+ resolution of 2,960 x 1,440 pixels. Samsung claims that the Galaxy S9 and S9+ offer deeper blacks than the S8 and S8+.
Cameras and Software
According to Samsung’s mobile business CEO DJ Koh, camera is the best feature among many others on the Galaxy S9 and S9+. A 12-megapixel camera with variable aperture lens enabled with dual-pixel autofocus and OIS sits on the backside of the S9. The dual camera setup on the Galaxy S9+ features the same 12-megapixel variable aperture lens and a secondary f/2.4 aperture telephoto lens with OIS and dual-pixel autofocus. The variable aperture lens on both phones will let the user to switch between f/1.5 and f/2.4 to shoot stellar photos in low-light and bright conditions.
The other amazing camera feature available on the S9 duo is that they support HD quality slow-motion video capturing at 960 fps. The S9 and S9+ have inherited the same 8-megapixel selfie camera enabled with f/1.7 aperture lens and autofocus from their predecessor.
The new Galaxies are loaded with Android 8.0 Oreo that is customized with the newest Grace UX. The AR Emoji feature can be used to transform the image of a face into a 3D avatar. The 3D character can be used to make animated emoji sticker that can be used while sending messages.
Performance and Other Features
The Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9+ are the first smartphones to feature Snapdragon 845. The SD845 powered S9 and S9+ will be available in the North America and China. The Galaxy S9 duo fueled by Exynos 9810 will available in the remaining markets.
The Galaxy S9 has 4 GB of RAM and 64 GB of storage whereas the S9+ includes 6 GB of RAM and same sized storage. Users can make use of microSD card slot on both phones for additional storage. There is a 3,000mAh battery inside the Galaxy S9 whereas the S9+ has a larger 3,500mAh battery. Both phones support Quick Charge 2.0 through USB-C as well as wireless charging.
Samsung has introduced Intelligent Scan feature on S9 and S9+ which combines the iris scanner and facial recognition for added security. The company has included AKG tuned stereo speakers along with Dolby Atmos surround technology for enriched audio experience. The connectivity features available on the S9 and S9+ include 4G VoLTE, Wi-Fi 802.11ac, Bluetooth 5.0 LE, ANT+ and NFC.
Pricing and Availability
The Galaxy S9 and S9+ will be available with respective price tag of $719 (~Rs, 46,550) and $839 (~Rs. 54,350). Both phones are expected to release in the U.S. and other select markets on March 16. As far as Indian launch is concerned, the Galaxy S9 and S9+ may arrive in the country sometime in April.
What do you think about the specs and design of the Samsung Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9+? Share us your views by posting your comments below.
