At an event in Barcelona ahead of MWC 2018, South Korean giant Samsung has launched much awaited Samsung Galaxy S9 and S9+ smartphones. The major highlights of these phones are its improved rear camera which comes with features of a new Dual Variable Aperture lens for capturing bright images even in low light, Super Slow-mo video capabilities and personalized AR Emoji.
The S9 is mounted with a 12-megapixel rear camera with variable f/1.5 aperture for capturing bright images in dark and f/2.4 aperture for clicking images in daytime. The S9+ has 12MP telephoto and 12MP wide-angle lenses with f/2.4 and f/1.5 apertures with features of live focus for bokeh effect with background blur. The cameras of both the phones have features of autofocus and Optical Image Stabilisation. According to Samsung, the camera will select automatically f/1.5 aperture when it’s dark and less light and f/2.4 when it’s too bright for crisp and clear photos. For selfies, both the phones have 8MP AF front camera with f/1.7 aperture.
The camera on S9 and S9+ has slow-motion video capability which captures 960 frames per second. With its Motion Detection and an intelligent feature, the camera detects movement in the frame and automatically begins to record. After capturing the Super Slow-mo video, users can select background music from 35 different options or add a tune from their favorite playlist.
Both the phones also incorporate Augmented Reality (AR) emojis similar to Animoji on iPhone X. According o Samsung, AR Emoji uses a data-based machine learning algorithm which analyzes a 2D image of the user and maps out more than 100 facial features to create a 3D model that reflects and imitates expressions, like winks and nods, for true personalization. You can send these Emojis in video and stickers and uses a standard AGIF file format to share across most third-party messaging platforms.
Both the phones come integrated with Bixby which instantly generates information directly on top of the image that the camera is pointing at. Users can translate foreign languages and currency in real time with Live Translation, learn about their surroundings, purchase products seen in the real world and track calories throughout the day.
The Galaxy S9+ flaunts a 6.2-inch Quad HD+ curved display with an aspect ratio of 18:5:9 (Infinity Display) with 529ppi. The S9 has a 5.8-inch Quad HD+ curved display with an aspect ratio of 18:5:9 (Infinity Display) with 570ppi. The displays on these phones have adaptive contrast enhancement and can be used even in direct sunlight as claimed by Samsung. These phones have thinner bezels to give it bezel-less feel.
Both the phones are powered by Octa-Core Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 processor with Adreno 630 GPU for Western markets and with Octa-Core Samsung Exynos 9 Series 9810 processor with Mali G72MP18 GPU for India. The S9 comes with 4GB LPDDR4x RAM with 64GB/128GB/256GB storage options and S9+ with 6GB LPDDR4x RAM with 64GB/128GB/256GB storage which can be further extended upto 400GB on both the phones via microSD card.
Both the phones are packed with Dual Stereo Speakers tuned by AKG and supported by Dolby Digital 360 surround sound experience. For security, the Galaxy S9 and S9+ is protected by Knox 3.1 and comes with three biometric authentication options – iris, fingerprint sensor below the camera module, and facial recognition. These phones are IP68 water and dust resistant and offers connectivity options of 4G VoLTE, Bluetooth 5, Hybrid Dual-SIM card slot, NFC, Samsung Pay, DeX support, USB Type-C port, GPS with GLONASS. The phones also has Accelerometer, Barometer, Gyro Sensor, Geomagnetic Sensor, Hall Sensor, Heart Rate Sensor, Proximity Sensor, RGB Light Sensor and Pressure Sensor.
Both the flagship devices run Android 8.0 Oreo OS. The Galaxy S9 gets its juice from 3,000 mAh battery wheras the Galaxy S9+ comes with 3,500 mAh battery with fast wired charging compatible with QC 2.0 and wireless charging compatible with WPC and PMA.
The S9 has dimensions of 147.7mm x 68.7mm x 8.5mm and weighs 163g whereas the S9+ measures 158.1mm x 73.8mm x 8.5mm and has weight of 189g.
The Galaxy S9 and S9+ will be available starting March 16, 2018 in select markets and will be available in Midnight Black, Titanium Gray, Coral Blue and Lilac Purple colors. The S9 is priced $719.99 and S9+ is priced $839.99. We expect it to be launched in India in the first week of March.
