Samsung Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9+ will focus on the camera experience with Samsung introducing a new dual aperture feature on both phones. Here’s our first impression of the phones.
Samsung’s Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9+ are now official, though thanks to a spate of leaks, most details about the upcoming phones were seen as a given. The Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9+ will focus on the camera experience with Samsung introducing a new dual aperture feature on both phones. However, this time it is only the Plus variant of the Galaxy S9 which has dual cameras along with the ‘Bokeh’ Mode option.
Samsung is also making additions like AR Emoji and new live translation feature for its Bixby voice-assistant. The Galaxy S9 phones also come with dual stereo speakers tuned by AKG, and Dolby Atmos 360 sound experience. We managed to spend some time with the Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9+ ahead of the official launch and here’s our first impression of the phones.
Samsung Galaxy S9, Galaxy S9+: When will they come to India, what’s the price?
Samsung Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9+ are officially going on sale in international markets like US, etc on March 16. The India launch should take place after this, though Samsung is also accepting pre-bookings on its online store for an amount of Rs 2000. Samsung will likely launch this phone in India by March given that pre-bookings are open.
Samsung Galaxy S9 starts at a price of $720 in the US which is Rs 46,000 plus on conversion in India. The Galaxy S9+ starts at a price of $840 in the US, which is Rs 54,000. Of course the final pricing in India could be higher.
Samsung Galaxy S9, Galaxy S9+: So what’s the deal with the camera?
The Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9+ might not look so different from their predecessors if one goes purely by design, but Samsung is making important changes to the camera. The first is the introduction of dual aperture on both phones. Samsung Galaxy S9 has a 12MP rear camera with OIS and f/1.5 and f/2.4 aperture. The same aperture settings applies to the wide-angle lens on the Galaxy S9+ which is also 12MP with OIS. What this means is that depending on the light conditions, Samsung’s rear camera will automatically adjust the aperture.
So in really low-light conditions, the aperture will be f/1.5 in order to allow more light to enter the camera sensor and ensure better images. In normal lighting, the aperture remains f/2.4. With the Galaxy S9+, there’s also another 12MP telephoto lens with f/2.4 aperture. The bigger Plus variant will get the option of shooting ‘Bokeh’ photos.
Both the Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9+ also offer 960FPS slow-motion video at 720p resolution. Seeing this in action in the well-lit demo zone that Samsung had set up, this feature looks quite promising. Previously, Sony Xperia XZ Premium had offered something like this. In Samsung Galaxy S9’s case, the slow-motion looks really impressive for now. Of course, the real test for Samsung Galaxy S9’s camera will be on whether it can beat the Google Pixel 2 and iPhone X in terms of performance. That we can only say once we have the phone for review.
Samsung Galaxy S9, Galaxy S9+: Design, Display and what’s changed?
Samsung Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9+ both continue with the similar design and display like their previous variants. The glass, metal body is still prone to picking up smudges and fingerprints, and this time around Samsung has introduced a Lilac Purple version of the phones as well. This version does stand out and I think it looks stunning, though not everyone will find a purple phone appealing.
While the design might not have changed, that does not mean the Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9+ look outdated. In fact, the Infinity Display with its 18.5:9 aspect ratio still looks great, and Samsung says it has reduced the bezels further on the top and bottom. Display resolution is still 2K and the size is 5.8-inches for the Galaxy S9 and 6.2-inches for the Galaxy S9+. When it comes to the display, the Galaxy S9 series still remains premium and the quality is ahead of the competition.
Samsung Galaxy S9, Galaxy S9+: Processor, storage, battery
Samsung has gone with the same battery size as the S8 series: 3000 mAh for the S9 and 3500 mAh for the S9+. It is also promising faster wireless charging this time. On the processor front, Samsung Galaxy S9’s international variant will be powered by the 10nm design Exynos 9810 octa-core processor. The Galaxy S9 in the US will be powered by the 10nm design Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 processor.
What is interesting is that with Galaxy S9 series, there will be a difference in RAM seen on the regular and Plus variant. Galaxy S9 will come with 4GB RAM and 64GB/128GB/256GB storage options, while the Galaxy S9+ will have 6GB RAM and 64GB/128GB/256GB storage. Both phones will now support 400GB microSD card slots.
Samsung Galaxy S9, Galaxy S9+ :What is the is AR Emoji, and what’s new on Bixby?
AR Emoji is Samsung tapping into the augmented reality capabilities of the Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9+ to create new customised emojis for the users. Think of these as Bitmoji from Snapchat meeting Animoji from the iPhone X. For this feature to work, the Samsung Galaxy S9 front camera is used to scan the user’s face and expressions and then a cartoon avatar is created with resemblance to them. The user can customise their avataar further and the AR Emoji can create 18 kinds of expressions from the user. The AR Emoji can capture these emotions for a more accurate representation and these can also be shared on other third-party apps.
The option for creating AR Emoji appears in the camera and we did try it briefly during the demo. It does work accurately in detecting the face and creating the cartoon version of the user.
Coming to Bixby, Samsung has added features like Live Translation. Indian languages like Hindi, Punjabi, Bengali, Gujarati, etc are all supported. The user can simply point the camera to a sign or text written in a different language and ask Bixby vision for a translation. In the demo zone, the feature worked accurately translating a menu in Spanish to Hindi, though this is dependent on internet connectivity. Samsung’s Bixby will now also alert users about the number of calories in their food, when the camera is pointed towards the meal. This calorie data can also be logged into the Samsung health app. Whether this can actually convince people to give up their dessert, simply because of high calories is another matter.
Disclaimer: The author is in Barcelona, attending MWC 2018 at the invite of Samsung India.
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