First Hands-On On The Samsung Galaxy S9 Series
March 06, 2018 • Android • New Launch • Reviews • Samsung
Samsung Galaxy S9 series has been unveiled. The new series offers nothing new in terms of looks. Notwithstanding that, the phones are pretty amazing – the hardware is commendable – with new blazing fast chipsets.
Some of the key features of the S9 is the Xperia-like super slow motion automatic video capturing at 960 fps, high quality stereo speakers - AKG by Harman speakers with Dolby Atmos support & Samsung's first camera with variable aperture.
Galaxy S9 sports the same futuristic design as S8. The only notable difference is the placement of the fingerprint reader and the LED flash, and the larger power key.
For the S9 model, the 5.8" Infinity AMOLED screen occupies most of the front with tinier bezels than S8’s. The S9+ phone is also as chic and big as its predecessor S8+. S9+’s 6.2" Infinity AMOLED screen like its smaller counterpart S9, comes with reduced bezels. Home key is beneath the screen as usual.
The iris scanner is now invisible; under the black glass and this contributes towards a more flawless design. Despite having the same design as S8, it is seemingly easier to pick up the S9 and it also stay more securely in hand. These same improvements can be said for S9+.
Samsung has upgraded the camera a lot; OIS, dual-pixel autofocus, and is capable of stacking images. That said the sensor is still a 12MP. The new 4-frame noise reduction feature results in 30% less noise in pictures as compared to S8 ones. New primary camera has a variable aperture that you can switch between f/1.5 or f/2.4 and nothing in-between. It is also capable to record 4K videos in the new HEVC format at 60fps, 1080p ones at 240fps and 720p at 960fps. S9+ has the same 12MP primary snapper as S9 but that is accompanied by a secondary 12MP sensor with telephoto lens and OIS which is not available on S9.
The S9 series runs on the latest Android Oreo 8.1 and showcases the latest version of the Samsung Experience. Even though the UX looks the same as the Galaxy S8 and Note 8, it has new features that include AR Emojis, Intelligent Scan unlock, better KNOX, Bixby real-tile translation etc. Biometric security has been improved with fingerprint scanner positioned right. It is now fast and precise needing just a swipe of your finger over the sensor to setup the fingerprint unlock. Besides that, you can now dedicate different fingerprints for your locked folders - each finger to unlock a specific folder or folders.
The Intelligent Scan unlock is fundamentally both Face Unlock and Iris Recognition in one. The phone runs both concurrently in order to unlock your phone faster than the predecessors. This scan is also used for the more secured KNOX mode as an enhanced security measure.
Now we come to the fun side of things. The AR Emojis that are coming with the new S9 phones, appears to be pretty cool. Like Apple’s Animojis, the phone takes a picture of you and then creates a 3D approximation of you, tracks your face and uses your face render as a template for emojis. The AR Emojis can also make 18 different static stickers from your face that you can use on Facebook, Twitter, as well as many other social networks and apps.
Samsung Galaxy S9 and S9+, will be available in two variants just like the previous S and Note models. The Exynos 9810 version will be available around the globe, whereas the Snapdragon 845 one will be in the S9 handsets sold in North America and China.
Galaxy S9 will be available in 64, 128, and 256 GB versions - all of them comes with a microSD slot – in 4 different colours of Midnight Black, Coral Blue, Lilac Purple, Titanium Grey.