Samsung brings back the most popular smartphone lineup for a ninth iteration in 2018. The Samsung Galaxy S9 and S9 Plus hit the market on March 16 with iterative upgrades over the previous Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8 Plus. The Galaxy S9 comes with a 5.8-inch screen, while the S9 Plus packs a massive 6.2-inch display. Both devices keep the 18:9 display ratio that was introduced last year and caught fire in the mobile world.
The Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S9 have many of the same specs. The devices share the same battery capacity (3,000 mAh), RAM (4 GB), storage (64 GB, expandable via microSD), and display resolution (2960 x 1440). The biggest upgrade this year comes in the camera department.
While the Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8 Plus had fantastic cameras, Samsung really upped its game this year. The Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9 Plus feature a brand new mechanical aperture that will allow the devices to switch between a tight f/2.4 aperture for bright scenes and a wider f/1.5 aperture for low light shots. The f/1.5 aperture lets in 28 percent more light in than the Galaxy S8.
Another camera-centric feature is the ability to record in ultra slow motion. The Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9 Plus can record up to 960 fps at 720p resolution. The camera records 0.2 seconds of real-time action and can stretch that out to six seconds of video. Additionally, the phone is always recording in this mode while you’re recording so you can go back in later and pull out slow motion video when something amazing happens. The Galaxy S9 records the super slow motion video to your camera roll and as sharable gifs. The gifs come with preset effects like looping or reversing the clip.
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Specs
- Processor: Qualcomm Snapdragon 845
- RAM: 4 GB
- Storage: 64GB base, expandable through microSD (256GB max)
- Display: 5.8-inch, dual-curved AMOLED, 2960 x 1440p (570 PPI)
- Battery: 3000mAh non-removable
- Camera: 12MP, f/1.5 + f/2.4 main camera, 8MP f/1.7 front-facing camera
- Operating System: Android 8.0 Oreo
- Dimensions: 5.81 x 2.70 x 0.33 inches
- Weight: 163 g
- Other key features: IP68 certified, USB type-C, Bluetooth 5.0, Fast Charging (QuickCharge 2.0), Wireless Charging, Fast Wireless Charging, Bixby Voice Assistant, Iris Scanner