Samsung Galaxy S9 and S9+ hands-on review

25 February 2018
The Samsung Galaxy S9 and S9+ are here, official, unwrapped, and we go in full hands-on mode. We might be sending off another UNPACKED event preceded by weeks of overwhelming leaks, but we are surely heading towards a new chapter in the smartphone photography.

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  • D
  • AnonD-348421
  • AeI
  • 26 Feb 2018

My note 8 can go for another year and my xz premium in another pocket means that am not missing 980fps video as well.

    • ?
    • Anonymous
    • IsY
    • 26 Feb 2018

    [deleted post]Still overpriced.

      • ?
      • Anonymous
      • 6p$
      • 26 Feb 2018

      Anonymous, 25 Feb 2018Well, to respond you are seeming to overrate this phone. Wh... moreYour comment makes me laugh. This is the best phone ever produced on planet earth. Front facing speakers are nothing if they produce very tiny sound like xperia flagships. No phone cameras are great? Huh? You live in previous era or only using sony phones, so you don't know what todays phones cameras are capable of. Buy a camera if you want to take great pictures? Who carries a camera all the time?

        • ?
        • Anonymous
        • 6p$
        • 26 Feb 2018

        -. -, 26 Feb 2018Well, where those people who mock sony for 960fps at lousy ... moreThere are many differences
        1. Although both are in 720p, samsung's videos are very very very much better in quality. Sony's clips are like VGA quality(I have XZ premium).
        2. Auto shot slow mo
        Where sony phones will miss 99% of occasions because it is very hard to time it right
        3. Able to edit and save as gif
        Pretty great features

          • ?
          • Anonymous
          • 6p$
          • 26 Feb 2018

          That slow mo in auto is pretty neat trick and practical(unlike sony's implementation). What an innovation!

            • ?
            • Anonymous
            • 6p$
            • 26 Feb 2018

            DLLM, 26 Feb 2018Though the smartphone flagships are beyond saturated in ter... moreYou should know one thing.
            More frequent updates=more bugs
            Both pixels and iphones suffers from this

              • -
              • -. -
              • tu6
              • 26 Feb 2018

              Well, where those people who mock sony for 960fps at lousy 720p? Well even samsung can't do higher resolution,
              For the extra features in slow mo, well sony already done the heavy lifting so samsung just need to copy it & "reimagined" it.
              Well, that aside, disappointed with the so call variable aperture, it still fixed, only switchable between 2, so variable is a bit of understatement

                • D
                • DLLM
                • 5Mb
                • 26 Feb 2018

                Though the smartphone flagships are beyond saturated in terms of possible innovations/surprises, excluding expected standard yearly improvements (such as improve camera, increase ram, use latest processor, etc), the S9 duos are definitely the most refined non-pixel android flagships out there. There are, however, still two big problems for me 1) stupid dual edge 2) horrendous software updates, which means that I still stay with pixels and iPhones for the foreseeable future.

                  Shadow Snypa786, 25 Feb 2018Now name me a phone that has all those features in 1 awesom... moreI would really like to know if the 'intergration of Harman AKG' goes as far as earphones set up ALSO... And does it come with Quad DAC like LG V30?

                  If it is then Samsung here I come

                    • D
                    • AnonD-669130
                    • LqH
                    • 26 Feb 2018

                    Cassy O, 26 Feb 2018Even with higher ISO the XZ1 is a bit darker than the S8, i... morea higher ISO doesnt make the image much brighter, that is the reason of increase Shutter Speed instead ISO, setting both phones to the same shutter speed will not cause enough shutter lag to make the image blurry. Even taking into account that the size of the pixel is smaller in the XZ1 can produce the same results.

                      A Note 4 user, 25 Feb 2018I'm upset... The same super FRAGILE curved screen with Extr... moreThe Galaxy S9 are CHEAPER than the Galaxy S8

                      Galaxy S8 = $749
                      Galaxy S9 = $719

                      Galaxy S8+ = $849
                      Galaxy S9+ = $839

                        The most powerful and feature packed smartphone is here. Kudos Samsung!

                          • ?
                          • Anonymous
                          • vV5
                          • 26 Feb 2018

                          We don't care what Sony has done before because this is a Samsung article. Now run along, Xperia fans.

                            • ?
                            • Anonymous
                            • thf
                            • 26 Feb 2018

                            still gonna keep my S7 Edge...

                              • D
                              • AnonD-307716
                              • Kg{
                              • 26 Feb 2018

                              Shui8, 25 Feb 2018Now I understand the word 'reimagined' from the S9 camera a... moreLOL. This is the best comment of the day.

                                • M
                                • MdN8
                                • B}Q
                                • 26 Feb 2018

                                AnonD-669130, 26 Feb 2018and your point is? the pic os the XZ1 has higher ISO and lo... moreYou do realize that you can also click on three different samples, the first one shot with the same ISO, right? For example, the "good light" sample shows that both have aggressive processing, however, with similar oversharpening artifacts Sony still comes up as noisy and grainy. And the one you're talking about is in Auto mode - again, Sony's processing. And that's good light. In low light, you still don't have OIS, which explains the higher ISO. Look at the numbers on the banknote, Sony makes them look like oil painting. At least the S8 made them readable.

                                  AnonD-669130, 26 Feb 2018and your point is? the pic os the XZ1 has higher ISO and lo... moreEven with higher ISO the XZ1 is a bit darker than the S8, imagine if both phone set to same ISO, i bet the XZ1 is even darker. And you said Sony has that MultiFrame noise reduction since the XZ but why the XZ1 still looks noisy, and you do realize why XZ1 has higher ISO and slower shutter speed than Galaxy right? If not let me tell you, because Sony camera hardware isn't capable like Galaxy did or in the other words S8 has a better hardware, so they have to balance it with the software.

                                    • D
                                    • DARS
                                    • vx4
                                    • 26 Feb 2018

                                    I was hoping the top and bottom bezel were more slim

                                      • D
                                      • AnonD-669130
                                      • LqH
                                      • 26 Feb 2018

                                      Cassy O, 26 Feb 2018Never interested to use Sony phone anymore, i know if i use... moreand your point is? the pic os the XZ1 has higher ISO and lower shutter speed and the S8 photo has agressive chroma noise reduction and halos on every edge

                                        • D
                                        • AnonD-725486
                                        • tEZ
                                        • 26 Feb 2018

                                        Hayaan Mo Sila, 25 Feb 2018They take pictures at insane ISO 3200 in low light. I'd con... moreSorry to say this, but... Z2 or Z5 maybe they are good enough. But the lack of OIS make us to bring a tripod at low light.I can't say much anyway