For the first time since creating the S series, Samsung releases a phone that bears minute physical alterations to the previous generation. Let’s see upgrades and new tech this model brings to the table.

Table of Contents

Galaxy S9 Full Review

What’s in the box?

The phone is shipped with the classic accessories: hands-free headphones, fast charger and a USB-C cable. The power adapter allows for faster charging and at the same time it’s usable to all other models ranging from the S6 and upwards.

Galaxy S9 – overview

We have the same Infinity Display used by Samsung on Galaxy S8 and S8+.

The real changes are on the back of the phone, there the fingerprint sensor was moved under the camera lens. Yes, this is a great change as you don’t need to reach out with your finger for it anymore.

Samsung added two cameras on Galaxy S9+ and just one camera in the case of the S9 standard model.

The S9+’s shape feels a bit more angular, the joining of the screen and the case has a different shape than that of the S8.

The joining is actually surprisingly well done, the buttons have a longer stroke and they are more responsive when you press them. As far as available colors, blue and mauve are the new choices which will surely be to the liking of many users.

Screen

The screen is excellent, it’s bright and it has vivid colors which are easy on the eyes. Not much different from Galaxy S8.

Hardware

Users will be pleased to hear that the chipset is also fast. For the European version, the phone uses a brand new Exynos 9810 eight-cores chipset. Instead, US buyers will get a SnapDragon 845 processor.

Exynos’ performances almost match that of the Snapdragon and also comes together with 4 GB RAM on the S9 version and 6 GB RAM for the S9+ version.

Sound

The sound system is top notch and uses will be pleased to hear that the phone is compatible with Dolby Atmos. Also, Dolby Atmos combined with the HDR screen compatibility makes the phone perfect for watching your favorite movies on Netflix or Amazon Prime.

S9 Battery

The battery on the S9+ model has a charge of 3500 mAh and on average allows for 10hs of continuous use.

Other hardware

Another plus is that the phone rarely heats up. It also has great signal range in all situations, the LTE modem that it uses is a Cat 18 type which is quite fast, and it also includes Bluetooth 5 technology and NFC for mobile payments.

The fingerprint sensor in faster than the one on the S8 model. Facial recognition is fast regardless of light levels.

S9 Plus vs S9 – hands on video

S9 – Camera review

The S9 and S9+ have a primary camera of 12 MP with an optical stabilization system. S9+ also has a secondary 12 MP camera with optical stabilization, F2.4, however its zoom is twice as far as the first one. This system was seen on the Note 8 last year and comes with the bonus of higher clarity at greater distances.

Samsung introduced with the S9 a variable aperture, the main lens possessing the ability to switch between F1.5 to F2.4.

A smaller F-number means that more light reaches the sensor, a very desirable effect for people looking to make the best pictures, and thus it’s easier to create depth effects (defocusing the background). F2.4 is useful in situations where there is intense light and we wish to capture more details into our photo. The software automatically switches between the 2 cameras.

Apart from this bit of new tech, the photos made during daylight have natural colors while the textures and details are greatly rendered, the HDR mode is very useful for this.

There’s no need to worry about nighttime photos as their quality remains just as high, the phone manages to capture exceptional images. The lights have a reduced bloom effect and the colors don’t fade.

Another novelty about this phone is it’s ability to record videos in slow-motion at 960 fps.

What’s the drawbacks of the slow-motion mode? It requires a lot of light for the 960 fps recording rate and you must pick the perfect moment to start recording.

S9 Android and UI

Galaxy S9 and S9+ come pre-installed with Android 8 and utilize the Samsung Experience 9 interface.

The Android 8 OS comes with a few nice changes however it will also be available on the S8/S8+ models this week due to the fact that the rollout on a global scale has been going on for a while.

Users will be pleased to hear that the OS comes with a few apps already installed, most of them are useful: Health is an app that measures the distance you travel and the number of steps taken, all the floors you’ve climbed and even monitors the heart’s pulse using the sensors in the phone.

My files, Voice Recorder and maybe the Samsung browser are useful as well. Other installed programs are Office, Onedrive and Facebook.

The Edge functions are also available which facilitates quick access to contacts, apps, news and other options or information all of which are listed at the side of the screen.

Bixby isn’t something new from last year, unfortunately. The text translation function utilizes Google Translate, which is already available through the Google app.

AR Emoji

The most significant modification to the software is the introduction of the AR Emoji system, this refers to the animated emoji that use your face, which is found in the photo device menu.

The system works as advertised: the main camera uses facial recognition and creates an emoji that slightly resembles you. However, you can customize it with the hair and clothes you desire, after which the camera pinpoints the way you smile or the way your eyes move and animates the AR Emoji the same way.