Samsung Galaxy S9
Samsung’s Galaxy S9 release was expected to be a highlight when it launched World Mobile Congress, but new features were more incremental than revolutionary.
With any wow factor eliminated by pre-show leaks, Samsung went to town on the quality of the camera in the handset and the tools that make on-camera imaging increasingly interesting. The camera takes a far more prominent place within the software than in previous iterations and there are further improvements to the optics – a throwback to Samsung’s time as a camera maker.
The cameras in both the 5.8in S9 and 6.2in S9+ boast a variable mechanical aperture that switches between f1.5 in low light and f2.4 in brighter conditions. This is most useful in the cameras’ “Pro” shooting modes as it means users can manually set the aperture to manipulate the depth of field.
Samsung has included two rearfacing lenses, with the second offering a 2x optical zoom, and although the extra lens has a fixed aperture, both of them feature 12-megapixel sensors.
Samsung also showed off improvements for shooting in low light, made possible by tweaks in the sensors that reduce digital noise. Plus, the company has boosted the camera’s Super Slow-mo credentials.
Elsewhere, the S9 uses the samesized battery as its predecessor, although the OS moves from Android 7 to Android 8 and the company has introduced a pair of AKG stereo speakers.
The S9 is powered by the new 2.8GHz Snapdragon 845, which chipmaker Qualcomm claims is 25% faster in general performance compared to the Snapdragon 835.
According to analysts, the lack of huge improvements over the S8 won’t impact sales dramatically – a fact that’s probably not lost on Samsung. “Despite the striking similarities between the Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S9, it’s worth remembering that most people buying this device will be upgrading from a two- or three-yearold phone,” said Ben Wood, an analyst at CCS Insight. “For them it will be a significant upgrade.”
KEY DIGITS AND DETAILS
Price S9 £739/S9+ £869 Availability Now OS Android 8 (Oreo) Memory 4GB RAM Storage 64GB and a microSD slot (up to 400GB) Connectivity 802.11ac Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 5, ANT+, USB-C, NFC Display 5.8in 1,440 x 2,960 (S9)/ 6.2in 1,440 x 2,960 (S9+) Cameras Rear Super Speed Dual Pixel 12MP AF sensor, front 8MP sensor