The Galaxy S9 and S9+ have received several new features compared to their predecessors, and are set to take on Apple’s iPhone X, and iPhone 8 and 8 Plus.
Among these features is a new dual-aperture camera system, which lets the camera automatically adapt to various lighting conditions, said Samsung.
Samsung has also added a dual-camera setup to the Galaxy S9+, after introducing the feature with the Galaxy Note 8.
The camera innovations do not stop there, with super slow-motion video recording (960fps at 720p), Live Translation, and Intelligent Scan – a combination of iris and facial recognition – implemented.
Like the iPhone X and iPhone 8, the Galaxy S9 range also supports 1080p video recording at 240fps.
Animoji and AR Emoji
Following Apple’s introduction of Animojis with the iPhone X in 2017, Samsung has added augmented reality emoji stickers and videos called AR Emoji.
An initial hands-on of AR Emoji by Tom’s Hardware stated that “Samsung’s animated emoji are more lifelike than Apple’s”.
“Your face and voice are used to animate what is supposed to look like a three-dimensional cartoon version of yourself,” stated the publication.
The way the Apple and Samsung systems work is slightly different. Animoji reacts to a 3D wireframe of your face and overlays animated characters on top of that.
AR Emoji aims to create a cartoon 3D model of your face from which to generate animated GIFs, stickers, and videos.
Performance
Predicting device performance based on spec sheets is never a good idea, as the hardware and software combining in a smartphone is a complex experience.
AnandTech obtained a Samsung Galaxy S9 test device powered by Samsung’s new Exynos 9810 chip, however, and put it through a few benchmarks.
It is worth noting that South Africa receives Exynos-based flagship smartphones from Samsung.
Results from Geekbench 4 indicate a significant performance boost between the Exynos 8890 processor in the Galaxy S8 compared to the Exynos 9810 in the S9 and S9+.
Specifications
The table below details the hardware and pricing of the Galaxy S9 range and the iPhone X.
The Galaxy S9 and S9+ are available with various storage capacities, but South African retailers are predominantly selling the 64GB Galaxy S9 and 128GB Galaxy S9+.
|
Specifications |
Galaxy S9 |
Galaxy S9+ |
iPhone X |
|
Dimensions |
147.7 x 68.7 x 8.5 mm |
158.1 x 73.8 x 8.5 mm |
143.6 x 70.9 x 7.7 mm |
|
Weight |
163g |
189g |
174g |
|
OS |
Android 8 |
Android 8 |
iOS 11 |
|
Display |
5.8-inch QHD+ Super AMOLED |
6.2-inch QHD+ Super AMOLED |
5.8″ Super Retina HD OLED HDR |
|
Rear camera |
12MP f/1.5 and f/2.4 |
Dual 12MP: f/1.5 and f/2.4 wide-angle f/2.4 telephoto |
Dual 12MP: f/1.8 wide-angle f/2.4 telephoto |
|
Front camera |
8MP f/1.7 |
8MP f/1.7 |
7MP f/2.2 |
|
Storage |
64GB, MicroSD |
128GB, MicroSD |
64GB |
|
RAM |
4GB |
6GB |
3GB* |
|
Processor |
2.7GHz + 1.7GHz Octo-core Exynos 9810 |
2.7GHz + 1.7GHz Octo-core Exynos 9810 |
A11 Bionic |
|
Battery |
3,000mAh |
3,500mAh |
2,716mAh* |
|
Cellular |
LTE Cat. 18 |
LTE Cat. 18 |
LTE-A Cat. 16* |
|
SIM |
Nano (Single/Dual) |
Nano (Single/Dual) |
Nano |
|
Durability |
IP68 |
IP68 |
IP67 |
|
Biometrics |
Fingerprint, iris, face |
Fingerprint, iris, face |
Face ID |
|
RRP |
R15,499 |
R17,999 |
R18,999 |
|
*Certain iPhone specifications are from third-party sources. |
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