Galaxy S9 vs. Galaxy S8: Go New or Save Money?

Launching later this month, the Galaxy S9 offers more advanced cameras, a more powerful and efficient processor ... and good value for money. While Samsung has not announced any official details about its next smartphone, except that a launch event is scheduled for Feb. 25, rumors about the S9 indicate that a price hike is being prepared.

Specifically, the Galaxy S9 could even cost $ 100 more than its predecessor, according to a tech radar report. That would mean that I would need $ 850 to get the last and best hands from Samsung.

But you do not necessarily have to give up a large amount of cash just to get a high-end flagship phone. There's a perfect smartphone on the market right now, and you're likely to see a big price cut in the coming weeks.

That would be the Galaxy S8, the model that the next S9 wants to put aside.

It seems counterproductive for the phone year last year, when the S9 promises improved specifications, especially when it comes to the cameras of the device. But the S8 is a pretty impressive phone in itself, as it was our best-placed smartphone for most of 2017. And soon you can buy one for a lot less than you had to pay a few weeks ago.

Here is a closer look at what you can save by choosing a newer S9 for a Galaxy S8, along with what you can possibly do for a lower price.

Galaxy S8 Price: go down
Nobody can say for sure how much the Galaxy S8 will cost as soon as the S9 makes its debut. However, if the previous prices for previous product launches are an indicator, this S8 price could be quickly reduced.

This happened a year ago when the Galaxy S8 debuted and the Galaxy S7 suddenly became a less hot commodity, said Lindsay Sakraida, Director of Content Marketing at Deal DealNews. "Last year, after the S8 was announced, we found offers on the 32G S7 that were unlocked for only $ 380, which was $ 370 off the list price," said Sakraida Tom's Guide. "We also saw the 128 GB version for $ 570. So before [S8] was available in stores, we could only see discounts on the unlocked S7."



That changed when the S8 came on the market in April 2017. At the time, according to Sakraida, mobile operators reduced the monthly payment of the S7 purchased in the payment plans. The S7, which had a starting price of $ 670, fell to about $ 575- $ 600 in the months following the launch of S8, according to DealNews. These days you can find the S7 for $ 449 on Amazon.

The CamelCamelCamel price tracking website supports this data and shows the price of the third-party Galaxy S7, which suffered a noticeable decline (see below) in the spring of 2017 when the S8 hit the market. The prices of even older models like the Galaxy S6 follow a similar trend.

Overall, phone prices fall 15 percent in 12 months, said Christine Gallup, associate publisher on the whistle out cellphone comparison site.

The price decline in the S8 had been somewhat atypical, Sakraida told DealNews. "The S7 was an excellent phone, but for many buyers, the Note 7 fiasco was a bit stuck, so it was possible that the S7 was lowered more aggressively than the S8 when the S9 was announced," he added.

According to Sakraida, after the S9 announcement, you should look for discounts on the S8, with lower monthly payments on the old phone coming from the operators as soon as the S9 sends off.

What you give up
So, if you choose the Galaxy S8, you'll get a less expensive phone than the newer S9, potentially $ 200 cheaper, depending on what Samsung calculates for the S9 and what the discounts on the S8 are. What qualities do you sacrifice in the name of lesser costs?

After Samsung's invitation to his February 25th, which promises a newly invented the camera, you can expect the main improvements to focus on photography. The Galaxy S9 features a 12-megapixel rear trigger with an adjustable iris: in low-light environments, the iris is expanded to f / 1.5, while it can be reduced to f / 2.4 in wide-angle shots. It is expected that the S9 still has a unique reversing camera, with twin lenses on the larger Galaxy S9 + (and more expensive). "

The alleged leaked photo samples for the Galaxy S9 look pretty impressive, and Samsung has released some videos that tease the camera’s improved performance.


It's almost certain that the Galaxy S9 will be equipped with Qualcomm's new Snapdragon 845 platform. We compared the Snapdragon 845, which will certainly provide more thrust than the Snapdragon 835 Galaxy S8. It also has better results in graphics testing and, perhaps most importantly, it's more energy efficient, which will help the S9 improve the battery life of the S8.

Finally, the Galaxy S9 will run the latest version of Android. While Android Oreo has been available since last fall, it has not yet found its way to the Galaxy S8, Samsung has released a beta version of the planned update for its flagship.

But should the S9 mimic the look of the Galaxy S8 on its extra-large infinity screen, is it enough to pay for the new phone? Whistleout's Gallup is not so sure.

"I really think people should consider the S8 as soon as the S9 is available, especially because the operators are offering deals and there seems to be little difference between the two," he said.

While people who want the latest camera technology find that the changes promised by the S9 are too convincing, the S8 cameras still produce high-quality photos. iPhone X and Google Pixel 2 outperform these S8 in-camera allusions we've done, but that does not change the fact that the S8 is still one of the best Android phone cameras, even a year after its first release.

The S9 will undoubtedly exceed S8, not just for its Snapdragon 845 processor, but also because Samsung is reported to have 6GB of RAM on the new phone. Even so, the Snapdragon 835 is still a high-performance processor that can handle anything it offers.


Also keep in mind that there is already a healthy accessories market for the Galaxy S8, while there may be some delays before housing manufacturers and other new offers for the latest Samsung phone can be obtained. Even the DeX Pad, a rumored accessory for Samsung that turns your phone into a mobile PC, should be compatible with older versions of older phones like the S8.

Bottom line
The launch of a new flagship for last year's model largely depends on the features it values. If you trust that your smartphone will capture a lot of photos, the supposed improvements to the Galaxy S9 may be worth the extra cost. Also, consider how long you want to stay on your next phone. While the S8 can now support most applications, this may not be the case in 18 months, with the arrival of updated versions of Android and application providers launching more auctions with a lot of processors.

Still, the S9 does not seem to be a radical change from last year's major update, according to the specifications and features announced for the upcoming Samsung phone. If you can live without a few alarms, the current Galaxy S8 should be more than enough to meet your needs, especially with the price cuts ahead.