The 3 Best And Worst Things About The Samsung Galaxy S9 and S9 Plus
The Samsung Galaxy S9 and S9 Plus are now heading out to buyers, and they'll find these devices look and feel a lot like last year's Galaxy S8. However, there are some important improvements over the GS8. Samsung has listened to feedback and fixed several of the issues with that phone. The Galaxy S9 and S9 Plus aren't without issues, though. If you're on the fence, here are the best and worst things about Samsung's latest.
The Best
- The Display: Samsung's OLED panels are absolutely unmatched, so most device makers buy them. However, Samsung always uses the best screens for its own phones. The Galaxy S9 sports a 5.8-inch 1440p OLED, and the S9 Plus has a 6.2-inch OLED. These panels fill almost the entire face of the phones thanks to a taller 18.5:9 aspect ratio, and they're curved on the left and right edges. Thus, they aren't too wide to comfortably hold. The colors, brightness, and viewing angles are also best-in-class.
- The Camera: Samsung's main 12MP camera sensor on the S9 and S9 Plus has an adjustable aperture. it operates in either f/2.4 or f/1.5 mode. It produces crisp outdoor images in f/2.4 and bright low-light shots with f/1.5. This is without a doubt one of the finest mobile cameras available. I think it's second only to the Pixel 2's camera, but it's a close call. There are situations, like stationary objects in low-light, where the Galaxy S9 will trounce the Pixel.
- The Performance: The GS9 isn't the fastest phone, but it's much faster than the Galaxy S8. The new Snapdragon 845 is probably part of this, but I suspect Samsung also tuned this phone to be faster after complaints of how pokey the GS8 could be. App switching is quick, and animations are smooth. I've been using the GS9 Plus as my main phone for several weeks now, and I'm not seeing any of the slowdowns I saw on the Galaxy S8. The improved performance makes the GS9 feel much more worth the price.
The Worst
- The Biometrics: Samsung moved the fingerprint sensor to a more reasonable place, and it deserves credit for that. However, it's still not a great sensor. It's slower and less accurate than the sensors on phones like the Pixel 2, LG V30, and OnePlus 5T. Samsung's facial recognition, which is now mashed up with the iris scanner as "Intelligent Unlock," is also slower than other phones. The OnePlus 5T's face unlock is lightning fast by comparison. A phone that costs this much should not be playing second fiddle to a phone that retails for $499.
- The AR Emoji: There no nice way to say this—AR Emoji are terrible. This feature uses the front-facing camera to animate a character that's supposed to look like you, but it doesn't. The animation is also incredibly janky and does not match real life. This is just a crude imitation of Apple's Animoji.
- The Glass Everywhere: The Galaxy S9 is a beautiful phone—until you touch it. The glass frame picks up fingerprints like mad, and it's slippery. I feel like it's going to leap out of my hand every time I touch it. You can (and should) get a case for this phone, which is a shame. It's so pretty, and you'll have to cover it up with an ugly case.
So, is the Galaxy S9 worth getting? It's better than the GS8, but not hugely better. If you're a Samsung fan who didn't pick up a Galaxy S8, this is definitely the phone to get. For everyone else, it's at least an excellent option that's right up there with the iPhone and Google Pixel.
">The Samsung Galaxy S9 and S9 Plus are now heading out to buyers, and they'll find these devices look and feel a lot like last year's Galaxy S8. However, there are some important improvements over the GS8. Samsung has listened to feedback and fixed several of the issues with that phone. The Galaxy S9 and S9 Plus aren't without issues, though. If you're on the fence, here are the best and worst things about Samsung's latest.
The Best
- The Display: Samsung's OLED panels are absolutely unmatched, so most device makers buy them. However, Samsung always uses the best screens for its own phones. The Galaxy S9 sports a 5.8-inch 1440p OLED, and the S9 Plus has a 6.2-inch OLED. These panels fill almost the entire face of the phones thanks to a taller 18.5:9 aspect ratio, and they're curved on the left and right edges. Thus, they aren't too wide to comfortably hold. The colors, brightness, and viewing angles are also best-in-class.
- The Camera: Samsung's main 12MP camera sensor on the S9 and S9 Plus has an adjustable aperture. it operates in either f/2.4 or f/1.5 mode. It produces crisp outdoor images in f/2.4 and bright low-light shots with f/1.5. This is without a doubt one of the finest mobile cameras available. I think it's second only to the Pixel 2's camera, but it's a close call. There are situations, like stationary objects in low-light, where the Galaxy S9 will trounce the Pixel.
- The Performance: The GS9 isn't the fastest phone, but it's much faster than the Galaxy S8. The new Snapdragon 845 is probably part of this, but I suspect Samsung also tuned this phone to be faster after complaints of how pokey the GS8 could be. App switching is quick, and animations are smooth. I've been using the GS9 Plus as my main phone for several weeks now, and I'm not seeing any of the slowdowns I saw on the Galaxy S8. The improved performance makes the GS9 feel much more worth the price.
The Worst
- The Biometrics: Samsung moved the fingerprint sensor to a more reasonable place, and it deserves credit for that. However, it's still not a great sensor. It's slower and less accurate than the sensors on phones like the Pixel 2, LG V30, and OnePlus 5T. Samsung's facial recognition, which is now mashed up with the iris scanner as "Intelligent Unlock," is also slower than other phones. The OnePlus 5T's face unlock is lightning fast by comparison. A phone that costs this much should not be playing second fiddle to a phone that retails for $499.
- The AR Emoji: There no nice way to say this—AR Emoji are terrible. This feature uses the front-facing camera to animate a character that's supposed to look like you, but it doesn't. The animation is also incredibly janky and does not match real life. This is just a crude imitation of Apple's Animoji.
- The Glass Everywhere: The Galaxy S9 is a beautiful phone—until you touch it. The glass frame picks up fingerprints like mad, and it's slippery. I feel like it's going to leap out of my hand every time I touch it. You can (and should) get a case for this phone, which is a shame. It's so pretty, and you'll have to cover it up with an ugly case.
So, is the Galaxy S9 worth getting? It's better than the GS8, but not hugely better. If you're a Samsung fan who didn't pick up a Galaxy S8, this is definitely the phone to get. For everyone else, it's at least an excellent option that's right up there with the iPhone and Google Pixel.
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