After much speculations, the Samsung Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9 Plus are finally here as the Korean manufacturer’s 2018 flagships and as far as the competition is concerned, the Samsung Galaxy S9-duo will be competing directly with Apple’s iPhone trio, namely iPhone X, iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus.
A powerful new camera, high-end processing power with Snapdragon 845 SoC and Android Oreo out of the box, all this makes for the upgraded Samsung Galaxy S9 which will succeed the ever so popular Galaxy S8.
But is it worth an upgrade because interested buyers are finding it hard shell out almost $1000 for the Samsung Galaxy S9 which essentially seems to be a minor upgrade over its predecessor but with a higher price tag? Let’s see.
Samsung Galaxy S9 Specifications
Samsung Galaxy S9 Specifications- 5.8-inch (2960 × 1440 pixels) Quad HD+ Super AMOLED Infinity display with 18:9 aspect ratio, 570ppi, and Corning Gorilla Glass 5 protection
- Octa-Core Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 processor coupled with Adreno 630 GPU (for the US) / Octa-Core Samsung Exynos 9 Series 9810 chipset coupled with Mali G72MP18 GPU
- 4GB LPDDR4x RAM and 64GB/128GB/256GB of internal storage (UFS 2.1), expandable via microSD
- Android 8.0 (Oreo) out of the box
- Single / Hybrid Dual SIM support and fingerprint scanner at the rear.
- 12MP Dual Pixel rear camera with f/2.4-f/1.5 variable aperture, LED Flash and 960fps super slo-mo videos.
- 8MP auto focus front camera with wide-angle lens and f/1.7 aperture
- Water and dust resistant (IP68 rating)
- Stereo speakers tuned by AKG and Dolby Atmos support.
- Sensors – Accelerometer, Barometer, Gyro Sensor, Geomagnetic Sensor, Heart Rate Sensor, Hall Sensor, RGB Light Sensor, Proximity Sensor, Iris Sensor and Pressure Sensor.
- 3000mAh battery with fast Charging support both on wired as well as wireless charging (WPC and PMA).
- Dimensions: 147.7mm x 68.7mm x 8.5mm and Weight: 163g
- 4G VoLTE, Wi-Fi 802.11ac (2.4/5GHz), Bluetooth 5 (LE up to 2Mbps), VHT80 MU-MIMO, GPS/GLONASS, USB 3.1, NFC and MST.
Samsung Galaxy S9 Plus Specifications (What’s The Difference?)
- 6.2-inch (2960 × 1440 pixels) Quad HD+ Super AMOLED Infinity display with 18:9 aspect ratio, 529ppi, and Corning Gorilla Glass 5 protection
- 6GB LPDDR4x RAM and 64GB/128GB/256GB of internal storage (UFS 2.1), expandable up to 400GB via microSD
- 12MP primary rear camera with LED Flash, f/2.4-f/1.5 variable aperture, 960fps super slo-mo and 12MP secondary rear camera coupled with f/2.4 aperture.
- Dimensions: 158.1mm x 73.8mm x 8.5mm and Weight: 189g
- 3500mAh battery with fast Charging support both on wired as well as wireless (WPC and PMA) charging.
Samsung Galaxy S9 And Galaxy S9 Plus Price And Availability
USA (Pre-orders begin March 2, 2018)
Samsung Galaxy S9 – $719.99 (Rs. 46,590 approx.) unlocked
Samsung Galaxy S9+ – 839.99 (Rs. 54,355 approx.) unlocked
United Kingdom (Pre-orders begin 25th February 2018)
S9 – £739 (US$ 1032 / Rs. 66,795 approx.)
S9 Plus – £869 (US$ 1213 / Rs. 78545 approx.)
Europe (Germany, Netherlands, and France)
S9 – 849 euros (US$ 1043 / Rs. 67,545 approx.)
S9 Plus – 949 euros (US$ 1166 / Rs. 75634 approx.)
Samsung Galaxy S9: 5 Reasons Why It’s Not Worth An Upgrade
- Same Display As That Of Samsung Galaxy S8
Users won’t be getting an upgrade in the display size or resolution. Samsung Galaxy S9 has a 5.8-inch AMOLED panel with 18:9 aspect ratio, just like its predecessor. The Galaxy S9 Plus, on the other hand, comes with a 6.2-inch AMOLED display which is also similar to the S8 Plus. Visually, users will not experience any difference between these two smartphones.
2. Nearly Identical Design
When it comes to design upgrades from the Galaxy S8 to the Samsung Galaxy S9, there are not many major changes in the 2018 flagship. Both phones come with a reflective glass back and an aluminum strip along the edge, however, the rear fingerprint sensor has been shifted below the camera module rather than next to it.
There are also a few slight changes in size as well as the weight of the two smartphones as the standard-sized Samsung Galaxy S9 is heavier than the S8 (163 grams instated of 155 grams) and the successor is a bit shorter as well as a bit wider.
3. Galaxy S8 Also Has Wireless Charging And Fast Charging.
Both the smartphones support wireless charging, and can also handle fast charging with wired as well as wireless chargers. While Samsung has made a few changes in the wireless charging stands, which now work with any phone capable of wireless charging, the downside is that these charging stands cost anywhere between $40 and $70.
4. Almost Identical Battery
When it comes to battery life, there’s not much difference either. While the Galaxy S8 offers 20 hours of talk time, Samsung Galaxy S9 offers 22 hours. Oth the other hand, there is 44 hours of MP3 audio playback as compared to the 48 hours in the 2018 flagship. In terms of video playback as well as WiFi use, the two smartphones are almost identical with 16 hours and 14 hours, respectively.
5. Samsung Galaxy S9 Plus Is More Expensive
Interestingly, while its slightly cheaper to buy the Samsung Galaxy S9 which comes with a $720 price tag as compared to $725 of the S8, if you want the ‘Plus’ model, it’s the other way around. The Samsung Galaxy S9 Plus starts at $840, while the Galaxy S8 Plus starts at $825. For that extra money, users will get an upgraded camera with a variable aperture for low lighting capabilities, a slightly bigger battery, and an increased RAM.
Technical Specifications:
Category |
Samsung Galaxy S9 |
Samsung Galaxy S9+ |
| Operating system | Android 8.0 Oreo | Android 8.0 Oreo |
| Display | 5.8-inch AMOLED, 2960×1440 (18.5:9) | 6.2-inch AMOLED, 2960×1440 (18.5:9) |
| Processor | Snapdragon 845 or 10nm 64-bit Samsung Exynos |
Snapdragon 845 or 10nm 64-bit Samsung Exynos |
| Storage | 64GB | 64GB |
| Expandable | microSD | microSD |
| RAM | 4GB | 6GB |
| Primary rear camera | 12MP Super SpeedDualPixel, OIS, f/1.5 or f/2.4 | 12MP Super SpeedDualPixel, OIS, f/1.5 or f/2.4 |
| Secondary rear camera | NA | 12MP, OIS, f/2.4 |
| Front camera | 8MP, f/1.7, auto focus | 8MP, f/1.7, auto focus |
| Connectivity | Wi-Fi 802.11ac MIMO, 1.2Gbps (Cat-18) LTE, Bluetooth 5.0 LE ANT+, NFC, GPS, Glonass |
Wi-Fi 802.11ac MIMO, 1.2 Gbps (Cat-18) LTE,
Bluetooth5.0 LE |
| Audio | Stereo speakers Dolby Atmos 3.5mm headphone |
Stereo speakers Dolby Atmos 3.5mm headphone |
| Battery | 3000mAh | 3500mAh |
| Charging | Quick Charge 2.0 Fast Wireless Charging |
Quick Charge 2.0 Fast Wireless Charging |
| Water resistance | IP68 | IP68 |
| Security | Fingerprint Scanner Iris scanner |
Fingerprint Scanner Iris scanner |
| Dimensions | 147.7 x 68.7 x 8.5 mm 163 g |
158.1 x 73.8 x 8.5 mm 189 g |
| Colors | Midnight Black,
Lilac Purple |
Midnight Black,
Lilac Purple |
In nutshell, while It’s not a huge difference in price tags, you can still save a bit while getting a near-identical experience with last year’s model.