Galaxy S9 Hands-On: A Big Camera Leap with One Stumble

Compared to the other phones I've seen in recent years, the Galaxy S9 and S9 + are something completely different. While playing with Samsung's new flagship stores, I heard a lot of laughter in the demo area, and that was not at the expense of the phones. Samsung has designed its new phones for fun from a Super Slow-Mo video capture mode, which is smart enough to detect movement to very strange augmented reality emojis.
The Galaxy S9 and S9 + will be pre-orderable on March 2nd and will be available on the shelves on March 16th. They make Bixby even more useful, taking stereo sound to the next level and delivering a faster Snapdragon 845 processor. But are the unique talents of these mobile phones, almost identical to those of their predecessors, enough to force them to update?

Price and availability
Samsung says it will sell the unlocked Galaxy S9 for $ 719.99; It's $ 30 a month if you opt for 24 monthly payments. You can get the S9 + for $ 839.99 or $ 35 a month. Both prices are lower than the respective prices of $ 750 and $ 850, which launched the S8 and S8 +, questioning rumors of higher prices for new phones.

T-Mobile sells the Galaxy S9 and S9 + for 720 and 840 US dollars, respectively. However, as part of its next 30-month program, AT & T demands significantly higher prices of $ 790 and $ 915. The Verizon Prize is $ 799 and $ 929.

You can register if the Galaxy S9 is ordered in advance on March 2nd. Samsung claims that eligible phones qualify for a $ 350 discount, although it does not specify which models are eligible.

Design: more (really less) something good
The Galaxy S9 and S9 + seem dead ringtones for the Galaxy S8 and S8 +, and I'm not complaining. Samsung says that this has made the infinity display slants slightly narrower, while the iris scanner becomes more subtle. Quad OLED screens are also brighter than before, but Samsung did not specify how much.
Available in three colors - Midnight Black, Coral Blue, and Purple Purple - the three tones for the S9 and S9 + Look, but the purple appears more. Despite the reports that the phones would have a dimmer finish, I did not notice much difference and need to clean these phones regularly to avoid fingerprints.

Speaking of which, Samsung has repaired the worst part of the S8 and S8 + by moving the fingerprint sensor under the rear view camera rather than on the side. In this way, there is a much lower risk of discoloration of the lens than in the models of the last year.

Although Samsung has no direct answer to Apple's Face ID on the iPhone X, it has made it easier to unlock its phones with a new intelligent scanning feature. Intelligent Scan combines the ability to scan the iris with face detection to make sure you can connect without having to change the method. If the iris scan does not work and can be challenging in bright light, face detection will be activated. We'll have to test it thoroughly to see if it works well (and fast).

Camera: better in low light, well done super slow camera
If there is an area where the Galaxy S8 has pulled the iPhone X and Google Pixel 2 is the quality of the photo. And this is exactly where the new SuperSpeed Dual Pixel Camera from Samsung comes in. Although it has the same 12 megapixel resolution as the Galaxy S8, the camera now has a variable mechanical aperture that can change from 1: 1.5 to 1: 2.4.

The Galaxy S9 + will be the phone you get when you want a 2x optical zoom and enjoy features like Live Focus for capturing portraits since only the S9 + offers a second telephoto lens.
Similar to the human eye, Samsung says that the main camera of the S9 and S9 + can generally emit 28% more light than the Galaxy S8. In a side-by-side side with the S8 Galaxy demonstrating in a device capturing a muted atmosphere to simulate, a picture of the Galaxy S9 seemed clearer and brighter, while the S8 showed a fair amount of noise. (We were not allowed to use iPhone X during our training period with Galaxy phones, but we will soon be offering comparisons in the real world).

AR Emoji: No Animoji Killer
If you feel constrained by the iPhone X's limited selection of animal avatars for its Animoji, you’ll like the freedom the Galaxy S9's AR Emoji provides. That's because you can turn yourself into an animated 3D emoji. The problem is that the AR Emoji look a little wonky in practice.
Creating an AR Emoji is easy with the S9 front camera. Use the shooter before 8 MP to analyze 100 points on your face. After that, you will see a Nintendo Mii Avatar on your phone. From there, you can change everything from skin color and hairstyle to clothing. The Galaxy S9 automatically creates 18 AR emoji labels that you can share with other keyboard users in a variety of applications, including messaging.

Like the iPhone X, you can also create videos with sound using your Emoji AR facial expressions. Unfortunately, the Galaxy S9 hardware does not look as sophisticated as the TrueDepth sensor on the iPhone X, as eyebrows, smiles and other movements do not look as realistic as expected. The AR Emoji himself did not look like me; it's more of a caricature that does not fit

Bixby grows up (and wears make-up)
Samsung still does not plan to use its Bixby Assistant against Google Assistant Alexa or Siri but finds ways to make its software more comfortable. For example, with the Camera app, you can press a button to take photos of Bixby Vision and translate posters on the fly. Even more impressive are the translated words directly in any character or menu pointed to by the S9 camera.

The Bixby feature that gets the most Oohs and Ahs is virtual make-up. You can try a new tone of real-time lipstick or false eyelashes to see what they look like on your face and then order the makeup directly from a partner like Sephora. My colleague, Caitlin, tested the new Bixby lens and was impressed with the camera's ability to capture its features and apply false eyelashes and coral lipstick, just like a professional make-up artist. Especially the eyelashes wanted to touch him, to buy him immediately. The new feature could be more ingenious than useful, but Sephora has a dedicated clientele that could be tempted by the beauty link of the S9.


Bixby Vision's other new talents include locating locations and estimating calories in food, though Pixel 2's Google Lens feature seems to be more sophisticated in terms of automatically displaying business reviews. ,

Stereo speakers: more than just extra volume
The Galaxy S8 and S8 + seemed a bit flat, but the Galaxy S9 and S9 + have stereo speakers that pump 1.4 times more volume. In a quick demo, it immediately became clear that the new phones were producing a more complete sound. As an added benefit, these Dolby Atmos compatible phones that fool your brain believe that you hear sounds in specific locations around you. For example, I thought a helicopter would go through my mind.

Dex Pad: One step closer to replacing your PC
We liked the concept of the original DeX, but the execution was a bit embarrassing.
The new accessory Dex Pad (price to be determined) can turn your phone into a mini PC a little more attractive. And it works with the Galaxy S9 and S9 +, as well as with the S8, S8 + and Note 8.

On the one hand, Dex Pad now supports a resolution of up to 2K on a larger monitor, compared to 1080p on the DeX. The flat design of the Dex Pad also makes it easy to use your Galaxy S9 as a connected touchpad, even if you can still connect a full-size keyboard and mouse. In terms of applications, Samsung claims to have up to 40 partners optimizing their Android apps for this accessory, including the Final Fantasy XV Pocket Edition game.

Galaxy S9 Vs. S9 +: What is different?
The main differences between the Galaxy S9 and the S9 + are a bigger screen, more RAM, and more cameras. The S9 has a 5.8-inch display, while the S9 measures up to 6.2 inches. The S9 + also offers more RAM at 6GB, against 4GB at the S9. But the biggest improvement for the S9 + is its dual camera, which allows 2x optical zoom and live focus. Last, but not least, the S9 + has a more rugged battery (3500 mAh vs. 3000 mAh, the same sizes as the Galaxy S8 + or S8).
The price difference between the phones should be around $ 100, but this is not confirmed.

If you have an Android Galaxy S7 phone or earlier, the Galaxy S9 and S9 + should meet it. But we'll have to thoroughly test the camera, the new Snapdragon 845 processor, and battery life before we can see how the new Samsung hot plugs can compete with other flagship products.