Three Significant Features That Sell The Galaxy S9
The real step forward for Samsung’s camera belongs to the Galaxy S9 Plus. The larger of the two flagships features the first dual-lens camera on a Samsung smartphone (as opposed to the Note range, which count as a phablet). Does that leave the Galaxy S9’s single lens as an afterthought?
Far from it. Thanks to the team at mobiles.co.uk, I’ve been able to spend some time with the smaller Samsung, and here are three stand-out features of the camera on the Galaxy S9.
Samsung Galaxy S9 (Ewan Spence)
The Variable Aperture
Given the small physical size of the camera assembly, pretty much every smartphone has a fixed aperture lens (unlike your larger digital SLR cameras). The Galaxy S9 brings a variable aperture to the modern-day smartphone. With the ability to shift between f/2.4 and /1.5, the camera software will widen the aperture to allow in more light as required at night or in dark areas, while the narrower aperture will help ensure that daytime shots in bright environments will not be over exposed.
In the past limiting light has been down to ISO (the sensitivity of the sensor) and the shutter time (the amount of time the light has to land on the sensor). Now Samsung has a tool widely used in larger cameras, but in the smartphone form factor.
The variable aperture can be controlled automatically or manually. For most users this is another area where Samsung’s automatic mode can be left alone, but for those looking to have more control over their pictures, the option is there.
The Camera’s Own Memory
Sitting apart from the 4GB of RAM listed on the Galaxy S9 specifications is the camera’s own dedicated memory. This allows for multiple ‘shots’ to be taken by the camera unit and processed into the single image that is presented to the user. The slight changes in circumstances coupled with Samsung’s processing software allows for more detail and contrast to be discovered while reducing noise and shake.
Samsung has also dialled back the color settings in its processing algorithms. The S9 pictures now look a little bit more natural than has been seen on previous handset from the South Korean company. That said you can edit the images yourself and boost the colour back up to get the vibrant colors for historical familiarity. I’ve always preferred a more natural look to my images, so I consider this processing choice to be another win for Samsung, although it still has far more saturation than other handsets.
Super Slo-Mo
It is pretty self-explanatory, it looks absolutely fantastic, and in the right creative hands the ability to scale up to 4K video at 60 fps, 1080p at 240 fps, or 960 fps at 720p is ridiculously impressive. The extra memory in the camera hardware allows for more footage to be processed, but you still have a limited window where the mode can be activated.
Once more Samsung’s automatic software kicks in, allowing you to tell the S9 you’re ready to recording something in Super Slo-mo, but the phone will not start recording until it senses the motion has started. It’s another nice touch that works well. You do need to be in a well-lit environment for the higher frame rates to work (there’s much less light per frame hitting the camera) and it’s going tone a really used feature for most people - but it does help draw attention to the camera and the other features.
Samsung Galaxy S9 (Ewan Spence)
All told the Galaxy S9 camera is an improvement on that in the S8. Yes it’s missing the extra lens that allows for optical zoom and the bokeh effect (although the latter can be replicated in part in software) and the discussions of the ‘best’ camera will continue. For me at this level of quality personal preference plays just as much a role in the measurements as the specifications. Samsung has a camera you can be proud of in the Galaxy S9
Disclaimer: A Samsung Galaxy S9 was supplied by mobiles.co.uk for review purposes…
">As Samsung launched 2018’s flagship smartphone, a lot of emphasis was placed on the optical capability of the Galaxy S9 and S9 Plus hardware. It may look like an iteration of the Galaxy S8 range, but the software and hardware have been updated with another year of knowledge and expertise.
The real step forward for Samsung’s camera belongs to the Galaxy S9 Plus. The larger of the two flagships features the first dual-lens camera on a Samsung smartphone (as opposed to the Note range, which count as a phablet). Does that leave the Galaxy S9’s single lens as an afterthought?
Far from it. Thanks to the team at mobiles.co.uk, I’ve been able to spend some time with the smaller Samsung, and here are three stand-out features of the camera on the Galaxy S9.
Samsung Galaxy S9 (Ewan Spence)
The Variable Aperture
Given the small physical size of the camera assembly, pretty much every smartphone has a fixed aperture lens (unlike your larger digital SLR cameras). The Galaxy S9 brings a variable aperture to the modern-day smartphone. With the ability to shift between f/2.4 and /1.5, the camera software will widen the aperture to allow in more light as required at night or in dark areas, while the narrower aperture will help ensure that daytime shots in bright environments will not be over exposed.
In the past limiting light has been down to ISO (the sensitivity of the sensor) and the shutter time (the amount of time the light has to land on the sensor). Now Samsung has a tool widely used in larger cameras, but in the smartphone form factor.
The variable aperture can be controlled automatically or manually. For most users this is another area where Samsung’s automatic mode can be left alone, but for those looking to have more control over their pictures, the option is there.
The Camera’s Own Memory
Sitting apart from the 4GB of RAM listed on the Galaxy S9 specifications is the camera’s own dedicated memory. This allows for multiple ‘shots’ to be taken by the camera unit and processed into the single image that is presented to the user. The slight changes in circumstances coupled with Samsung’s processing software allows for more detail and contrast to be discovered while reducing noise and shake.
Samsung has also dialled back the color settings in its processing algorithms. The S9 pictures now look a little bit more natural than has been seen on previous handset from the South Korean company. That said you can edit the images yourself and boost the colour back up to get the vibrant colors for historical familiarity. I’ve always preferred a more natural look to my images, so I consider this processing choice to be another win for Samsung, although it still has far more saturation than other handsets.
Super Slo-Mo
It is pretty self-explanatory, it looks absolutely fantastic, and in the right creative hands the ability to scale up to 4K video at 60 fps, 1080p at 240 fps, or 960 fps at 720p is ridiculously impressive. The extra memory in the camera hardware allows for more footage to be processed, but you still have a limited window where the mode can be activated.
Once more Samsung’s automatic software kicks in, allowing you to tell the S9 you’re ready to recording something in Super Slo-mo, but the phone will not start recording until it senses the motion has started. It’s another nice touch that works well. You do need to be in a well-lit environment for the higher frame rates to work (there’s much less light per frame hitting the camera) and it’s going tone a really used feature for most people - but it does help draw attention to the camera and the other features.
Samsung Galaxy S9 (Ewan Spence)
All told the Galaxy S9 camera is an improvement on that in the S8. Yes it’s missing the extra lens that allows for optical zoom and the bokeh effect (although the latter can be replicated in part in software) and the discussions of the ‘best’ camera will continue. For me at this level of quality personal preference plays just as much a role in the measurements as the specifications. Samsung has a camera you can be proud of in the Galaxy S9
Disclaimer: A Samsung Galaxy S9 was supplied by mobiles.co.uk for review purposes…
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