It’s that time of the year again when smartphone makers go head to head in one convention. Today, two of the most anticipated devices at MWC have finally been revealed. Behold, Samsung’s newest crown jewels, the Galaxy S9 and S9+.
For the past months, a lot of information about these devices have been floating around the web – from benchmark scores to leaked press renders, even the official promo video leaked out a day before the launch. Still, nothing beats the real news, right?
Curved Super AMOLED Displays
As with their latest devices, the S9 and S9+ are both equipped with 18.5:9 Displays with WQHD+ resolution similar to the Note 8, with the curved glass meeting the rear panel in a seamless and flowing design. The S9 at 5.8-inches, and the S9+ with 6.2-inches of real-estate. As always, these curved Super AMOLED panels distinguish themselves with rich and vibrant colors.
In terms of looks, the only striking difference between the two is in the camera module at the back. The S9 has a single camera, while the S9+ sports dual rear cameras. The volume rocker is located on the left side, while the power button stays on the right. Both devices come with a USB Type-C port.
No Compromise Performance
Under the hood of both devices is the new Exynos 9810 Octa-core processor, built on a 10nm process. The S9 has 4GB of RAM and 64GB of storage, while the S9+ has 6GB of RAM up to 256GB of storage, both expandable via microSD card. Both are also IP68 certified for water and dust resistance. The S9 and S9+’s Stereo Speaker has been engineered by AKG to perfection, and is now 1.4 times louder.
More Powerful Cameras
The Galaxy S9 sports a single 12MP sensor, while the S9+ has two. Both come with OIS, Super Speed Dual Pixel PDAF, Optical Zoom, and are capable of Super Slow Motion video recording at 960fps. There’s also Auto-Take, which involves automatically recording a super slow motion video of a moving subject. Now, users can use short videos to decorate their lock screens, and add music to slow motion videos.
There’s dual aperture, which gives the user freedom to adjust the aperture value depending on the lighting condition (f/1.5 for low-light, and f/2.4 for bright conditions). The shape of the bokeh effect can now also be changed using the Art Bokeh feature. With AR Emoji, you can now create a 3D avatar that looks just like you.
Bixby Made Even Better
Bixby, Samsung’s digital assistance returns on the S9 and S9+, with a number of improvements, such as Bixby Vision 2.0 that lets you learn about anything just by pointing the device’s camera on it. Now, it can also do translations live.
Samsung Galaxy S9 Specs
- 2.9GHz Exynos 9810 octa-core processor
- 4GB of RAM, 64GB of storage expandable via microSD card (Up to 256GB)
- 5.8-inch 18.5:9 WQHD+ Curved Super AMOLED display, 1440 x 2960 pixels, Gorilla Glass 5
- 12MP rear camera, (f/1.5, f/2.4)
- Super Speed Dual Pixel PDAF, OIS, Super Slow Motion, Dual Aperture, Art Bokeh, 8x Digital Zoom
- 8MP front camera, f/1.7
- IP68 Certification for Water and Dust Resistance
- Fingeprint Sensor, Iris Scanning, Face Recognition
- USB Type-C
- Samsung Experience UI on top of Android Oreo
- 3,000mAh battery, Wireless Charging
- Colors: Midnight Black and Lilac Purple
Samsung Galaxy S9+ Specs
- 2.9GHz Exynos 9810 octa-core processor
- 6GB of RAM, 64GB/128GB/256GB of storage expandable via microSD card (Up to 256GB)
- 6.2-inch 18.5:9 WQHD+ Curved Super AMOLED display, 1440 x 2960 pixels, Gorilla Glass 5
- 12MP (f/1.5, f/2.4) + 12MP (f/2.4) rear cameras
- Super Speed Dual Pixel PDAF, Dual OIS, Super Slow Motion, Dual Aperture, Art Bokeh, 2x Optical Zoom, 10x Digital Zoom
- 8MP front camera, f/1.7
- IP68 Certification for Water and Dust Resistance
- Fingeprint Sensor, Iris Scanning, Face Recognition
- USB Type-C
- Samsung Experience UI on top of Android Oreo
- 3,500mAh battery, Wireless Charging
- Colors: Midnight Black, Lilac Purple, Coral Blue
The Samsung Galaxy S9 will retail for PhP45,990, while the S9+ will be priced at PhP52,990 for the 64GB variant, PhP55,990 for the 128GB variant, and PhP60,990 for the 256GB variant.
Both devices will be available for pre-order from Feb. 27 to March 6, 2018 from Smart, Lazada, and Abenson Online. Those who will pre-order can choose to take home one of the following, along with a free AKG headphone, Clear Case, Screen Warranty, discounts from Zalora and Honestbee, plus a 10% discount on Samsung wearables.
- AKG S30 Bluetooth Speaker
- Wireless Charger Convertible
- PhP1,500 discount on accessories
Founded in 2009 by Gian Viterbo, Gadget Pilipinas is one of Philippines’ top sources for news, tutorials, reviews and tips about the latest trends in technology, gadgets, games, social and digital media and cyber culture.
