Samsung Galaxy S9 and S9+ review: An evolutionary step up

What's new with Samsung's latest smartphones?

Samsung's latest smartphones, the Galaxy S9 and S9+, were unveiled on 26th February at Samsung's Unpacked 2018 event the day before MWC this year. Here's a quick rundown of everything that's new:

• Samsung Exynos 9810 processor
• 12-megapixel main camera with dual aperture f/2.4 and f/1.5 lens and "Super Speed" Dual Pixel sensor
• On the S9+ only: Secondary 12-megapixel, f/2.4 camera
• On the S9+ only: Option for 256GB internal storage capacity
• Upgraded Bixby Vision
• Super slow motion recording at 960fps
• AR Emoji
• Intelligent Scan biometric security that combines Iris and Face scanning
• Re-positioned fingerprint scanner
• Stereo speakers

Here's a detailed look at the specs:

But first, let's unbox one!

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So, they look the same as last year's models?

Yes, design-wise, the S9 and S9+ look almost identical to the S8 and S8+, right down to the antenna bars, buttons and ports, which are all in the same places. That means the power button is on the right, and the volume rocker is on the left, with a dedicated Bixby button (which you still can't remap) below it. The phones are still IP68 rated, and yes, unlike a lot of phones out there, you still get a 3.5mm headphone port on the bottom.

The phones use the same Infinity Display design that was first introduced on the S8 and S8+, with the same screen sizes (5.8-inch on the S9 and 6.2-inch on the S9+), 18.5:9 aspect ratio, QHD+ 2,560 x 1,440 pixels resolution and dual-curved edges.

Technically, there are some differences, although you almost certainly won't notice them. Both the S9 and S9+ are actually ever so slightly shorter then their predecessors, with marginally reduced top and bottom bezels. The S9 is 1.2mm shorter than the S8, and the S9+ is 1.3mm shorter than the S8+. However both phones are also about 0.5mm wider and thicker than their predecessors.

Both phones are also slightly heavier, with the S9 coming in at 163g (8g heavier) - you won't notice this - and the S9+ coming in at 189g (16g heavier) - you will notice this. The S9+'s extra weight is mainly due to the addition of a secondary camera on the rear.

Speaking of the rear, the back of both phones is once again glass, which allows for wireless charging, and curved at both edges, which mirrors the curved display on the front. There's a glossy metallic finish underneath (except for the Midnight Black color, which is just as glossy, but not metallic).

On the S9, there's a single 12-megapixel rear camera, with Samsung's new variable aperture lens that adjusts between f/2.4 and f/1.5. The S9+ adds a secondary 12-megapixel, f/2.4 camera camera, which appears to be identical to the one used in the Galaxy Note8. Unlike the Note8, the S9+'s camera array is in a vertical orientation (which seems to be a new trend started by the iPhone X). 

Samsung has also made the smart decision to relocate the fingerprint scanner on both phones to below the camera module. The new position is instantly more user-friendly, and the centered alignment looks more aesthetically pleasing too.

What if I want to make sure people know I have one of the new models?

Both models are available in four colors: Midnight Black, Coral Blue, Titanium Gray and a new color exclusive to the S9 and S9+, Lilac Purple. Unfortunately, Titanium Gray will not be available in Singapore at launch. By the way, Lilac Purple wasn't just some color chosen at random. It was actually created in the spirit of Pantone's Color of the Year 2018 (specifically Pantone 18-3838 Ultra Violet), which means the S9 could very well end up complementing many of 2018's fashion and lifestyle trends. 

These are the best displays Samsung has ever made

While the Infinity Displays on the S9 and S9+ appear to be identical to their predecessors, Samsung has actually made some notable improvements to them. For starters, the new displays have an enhanced High Brightness mode that lets them achieve a staggering 1,130 nits, which is 20 percent higher than the peak brightness capable on the S8 and S8+. This High Brightness mode is very useful when using your phone under bright sunlight.

The displays also boast significantly improved color accuracy. Display calibration and benchmarking experts DisplayMate praised the S9's color accuracy on multiple color gamut standards, including DCI-P3, Adobe RGB, and sRGB / Rec.709, and declared the display to be “Visually Indistinguishable from Perfect” in absolute color accuracy. In fact, DisplayMate went as far to say that the S9 screen is “almost certainly considerably better than your existing living room 4K Ultra HD TV”. These aren't just the best displays Samsung has ever made, they're probably the best displays on any device, ever.

Everything sounds better in stereo

Prior to the S9, Samsung had been lagging behind in the onboard audio department, but no longer, as both the S9 and S9+ are armed with stereo speakers. The speaker setup you'll find on the S9 and S9+ is the same kind you'll find on the iPhone 8 and X, which means you get one speaker on the bottom of the phone, and the earpiece actually doubles up as the second speaker. The speakers are tuned by AKG and, according to Samsung, are 40 percent louder than the single speaker on the S8. Compared to my iPhone X, the S9's speakers are definitely louder, and boast a richer, more full sound. Despite the larger size, the S9+ wasn't any louder or better than the S9 - stereo separation from both models was also about the same.

Along with more volume, the speakers on the S9 and S9+ also support Dolby Atmos surround sound imaging. I'm a big fan of Dolby Atmos surround sound when paired with headphones (and the surround sound works perfectly when you have headphones plugged into the S9/S9+) but I wasn't as convinced with it when listening to the onboard speakers. For starters, the maximum volume is noticeably lower with Dolby Atmos turned on, and I wouldn't really describe the sound stage as '360 degree surround sound'. There's definitely more left-right separation, but I didn't feel that it was more immersive. Personally, I would recommend turning Dolby Atmos off if you're using the onboard speakers, and only switching it on when you have headphones plugged in.

Finally, if you prefer wireless audio, you'll be pleased to know that the S9 has added more support for high-quality Bluetooth audio codecs, including SBC, AAC, aptX, LDAC, and Samsung HD.

Are AR Emoji just a rip off of Animoji?

Well... the premise is essentially the same: animated emoji that can imitate your facial expressions. One big difference is that Samsung also has a create your own emoji option that lets you use a cartoon version of your own face.

You set up your custom emoji by taking a selfie, or by asking someone to take a picture of you with the rear camera - as far as I can tell, there's no difference in the quality or accuracy of the emoji so either is fine. 

With the help of machine learning and the captured data, the phone will then create an animated cartoon character that closely resembles you. You can then customize your character's hair, glasses, and clothes. The custom emoji is pretty good, but it definitely helps if you have some distinguishing features, like a distinctive mole, or a mustache like my editor-in-chief - it didn't work so well with my wife, as her custom emoji sort of resembled her, but ultimately looked pretty generic.

Here's my AR Emoji next to actual me:

Not bad right? It even captured my I-overslept-and-didn't-have-time-to-shave-stubble quite well. Here's my editor giving it a go:

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You can quickly access the created AR Emoji using the stock keyboard or within the messages app. It can also be shared in GIF or PNG format, and it is also possible to use AR Emoji as stickers with compatible apps.

So what's the difference between AR Emoji and Animoji? Apple's Animoji uses its highly complex TrueDepth camera system to map your facial expressions, while AR Emoji uses the S9's 8-megapixel front-facing camera. While it generally works fine and it's still pretty fun to use, AR Emoji is not as expressive as Apple's version, and it tends to work better on big exaggerated facial expressions. It also occasionally glitches out, especially if the lighting isn't good, leaving your character stuck in a weird facial pose.

If you're not keen on using your own custom emoji, Samsung's choices for default characters aren't as good either. Right now, your only options are a bunny, a weird blue block thing (that might be a dog?), and a pink cat - there are also some AR masks so you can add sunglasses, funny hats, or an actual mask (it's a kabuki mask) to your face.

While the current selection isn't that exciting, Samsung has also announced a partnership with Disney to bring Mickey and Minnie Mouse, as well as characters from the Incredibles, to AR emoji, which sounds a lot more fun than pink cat and blue-box-possibly-a-dog character. On that note, kudos to whoever at Samsung that managed to steal Disney away from Apple. Disney has been longtime collaborators with Apple, and I'm sure Apple wanted Disney faces for its Animoji to go alongside its Disney watch faces on the Apple Watch. Seriously, how did Samsung manage that? Disney CEO, Bob Iger, even sits on Apple's Board of Directors.

What's so smart about Intelligent Scan?

Intelligent Scan is a new biometric security feature that combines two of Samsung's previous technologies: Face Unlock and Iris Scan. 

When you unlock your phone, the front-facing camera will first scan your face. If that fails to unlock your phone (which might happen if there's insufficient light), the device will then check your irises. If both fail, Intelligent Scan will try to authenticate your identity using a combination of the two. This all happens almost instantaneously. At each step, Intelligent Scan also checks for spoofing, for example, if someone is trying to fool the phone with a picture of you. 

So is Intelligent Scan more secure than just using Iris Scan? According to Samsung, no. The most secure biometric authentication on the S9 and S9+ is still Iris Scan. Intelligent scan is more of a compromise between the more secure, but slower Iris Scan, and the less secure, but more convenient Face Unlock. By combining the two, it just ensures that no matter what conditions you're in, some form of biometric security should unlock your phone. It's also worth noting that, as far as I can tell, there's no way to use Intelligent Scan for Samsung Pay - you still need to use Iris Scan or Fingerprint unlock for that.

What does Oreo bring to the S9?

The S9 and S9+ are the first Samsung smartphones running on Android 8.0 Oreo. Oreo brings some big updates to the S9, mostly centered around the home screen.

By default, the home screen on both the S9 and S9+ will now automatically rotate into landscape mode when you're holding your phone sideways. Custom home screen launchers like Nova have had this feature for years, so it's nice to see it finally make its way to Samsung's default home screen.





Folders on your home screen can now be customized with a variety of color options. This option can be accessed through an icon on the top-right once a folder is expanded. You can even change the opacity of the color, view a history of your selections, and see a list of recommended colors for your theme.



You can now also customize apps on your home screen with App Shortcuts, which is quite similar to how 3D Touch works on the iPhone. Each app is allowed up to five shortcuts, accessible by long-pressing on the icon. So for example, if you want your camera app to load straight into Selfie mode, you can long tap it, then select Selfie, or you can setup Twitter to launch directly into composing a new tweet, direct message, or search.



Bixby, Samsung's virtual assistant, has also received a handful of updates with Oreo. For starters, Bixby Vision can now translate signs and other text in real time, similar to the Google Translate app. One big difference though is that Bixby requires an internet connection to work, whereas the Google Translate app works offline.

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Bixby Vision is also smarter at recognizing objects, and now gives more information based on what you're looking at. For example, show it some food and it can tell you how many calories you're about to consume. Point it at the sky and it gives you the current temperature and weather report. Again though, you'll need an internet connection for any of this to work.

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How’s the camera?

Edited 13/3/18: Changed the words ‘variable aperture’ to ‘dual aperture’ instead, which is more accurate. Added a mention about the S8 series and Note8’s f/1.7 apertures. Added a short comparison between super slow-motion resolutions.

The headline feature for the S9 and S9+ camera is its lens, which switches between f/1.5 and f/2.4. The S9 and S9+ share the same wide-angle main camera, which is the one with the dual apertures. This main camera captures 12MP images using a 1/2.55-inch sensor, with a pixel size of 1.4 microns. The S9 comes with this main camera only, but the S9+ also comes with a second camera for zoom.

The S9+ is Samsung’s first ‘S’ series smartphone with a dual camera system, but it’s not the company’s first. That would be last year’s Note8. The S9+’s zoom, or telephoto, camera also captures 12MP photos. But it has a smaller sensor that measures 1/3.4“, with a pixel size of 1 micron. Its lens has a fixed aperture of f/2.4. The sensor and pixel sizes for both cameras are similar to the Galaxy S8 and Note8 cameras. 

Samsung steps forward with computational photography on the S9 and S9+

But beyond dual apertures, the S9 series’ images reveal how Samsung is taking steps forward on computational photography.

An integrated DRAM module on the new 12MP sensor provides extra processing power for the S9 cameras. This allows Samsung to combine up to 12 images per shot for a final composite, up from three images before. It’s an ambitious number — the Google Pixel 2 XL, likely the most computationally advanced smartphone so far, combines up to 10 images per shot.

The processing is likely why the S9 produces JPEGs with an impressive dynamic range, more so than previous Samsung smartphones. It also shoots better HDR images, fixing a long-standing weakness for Samsung cameras.

The amount of processing becomes evident when comparing raw and JPEGs. In Pro Mode, the S9 series can save in both raw and JPEG, but only for the main camera. Raw files, saved in DNG, are softer and noisier than their JPEG counterparts. This points to significant edge sharpening and noise reduction for the S9 series’ JPEGs. The raw files are also more exposed while the JPEGs are darker, likely because the S9 is taking a range of exposures and merging them into the final composite.

But the JPEGs’ liberal sharpening makes some details look unrealistic. The sharpening can also produce edge halos at times. You likely won’t see these effects, though, if you don’t zoom into your files on a PC or print them at large sizes. The S9’s generous sharpening makes these images pop on small screens and web resolutions, which is how most people view their photos these days.

The f/1.5 lens shines in low light

In Auto Mode, the main camera switches automatically between f/1.5 and f/2.4, depending on the amount of light. You can only toggle the aperture in Pro Mode. The lower a lens’ aperture value, the wider it can open, and the more light it lets in. f/1.5 is especially useful in low light, but it can be too much in bright daylight. That’s when the main camera will switch to f/2.4 to let less light in.

On cameras with bigger sensors, like a mirrorless or DSLR camera, a lens with a large aperture can create blurrier backgrounds. But on cameras with miniature sensors, like smartphones, the effect is negligible. You can use the S9+’s Live Focus Mode to simulate background blur, which works well most of the time.

It’s in low light that the S9’s f/1.5 lens shines. Because of its wide aperture, the S9 can capture more light in dark situations. It can also let you shoot at lower ISO, resulting in a cleaner photo with more detail. At f/1.5, the S9 has the fastest smartphone lens today. To be sure, it’s only marginally faster than the Huawei Mate Pro 10 and LGV30+, both of which have f/1.6 lenses, as well as the S8 series and Note8, which had f/1.7 lenses.

Low-light photography has always been Samsung’s strong point, and it gets even better with the S9’s main camera. Autofocus is excellent both in good light and in low light. However, the S9’s enthusiastic noise reduction also dampens color saturation in low light. With its slower lens and smaller sensor, the S9+’s secondary camera doesn’t do as well in low light. Its shots are noisier, with smudgy details.

Video quality is better than before

Video performance is the best I’ve seen so far from a Samsung smartphone, with some caveats. The optical image stabilization (OIS) on both the wide-angle and telephoto cameras is excellent. Rolling shutter occasionally surfaces but is mostly reduced.

But in videos with abundant detail, like shots of foliage, sharpening artifacts rear their head. Zooming transitions are jerky. OIS is not available for 4K video at 60 frames per second. The f/1.5 lens doesn’t help as much for videos in low light, as image noise is prevalent.

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The pros, however, outweigh the cons. Solid OIS and minimal rolling shutter produce higher-quality videos than shaky footage with wobbly subjects. And to Samsung’s credit, the S9 and S9+ can save videos in the HEVC (High Efficiency Video Coding) format. Saving in HEVC can cut video file sizes by as much as half, which is a relief when you’re shooting 4K videos. But only the latest versions of macOS and Windows 10 support HEVC natively, so you’ll want to check your system before you enable this codec.

The DRAM processor also unlocks super slow-motion HD video at up to 960 frames per second for 0.2 seconds. That doesn’t sound like a lot. But 0.2 seconds capture at that frame-rate equals six seconds of playback at 30 frames per second. It captures this video at 720p, which matches the Sony Xperia XZ Premium’s super slow-motion capabilities. At the same time, the iPhone X can shoot slow-motion video at 1080/240fps, so it depends on how slow you want to go at what resolution.

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The S9 series come with a smart way to shoot super slow-motion video. Position subjects within a square frame and the camera will activate slow-motion mode when it detects movement. You can even capture multi-take super slow-motion video in one long shot, with multiple slow-motion videos interspersed with videos at normal speed. It’s an easy way for most people to shoot slow-motion video, which can be challenging to pull off. You can also switch to manual mode to dictate when to start super slow-motion capture.

My apologies to the Note8

Samsung’s forays into computational photography have created a winner. The S9 series’ photos are richer and more vivid than previous Samsung cameras. HDR images are much improved. Low-light performance has always been Samsung’s strong suit, and the wider f/1.5 lens nets brighter photos in dim places. 

It’s not perfect. Copious sharpening leads to unrealistic details in some images. It’s too bad that you can save raw files from the S9+’s main camera but not its secondary. And the UI needs polish. Bixby, for example, remains stubbornly engraved on the screen whether you use it or not. I would love to swap it out for a custom command, like a shortcut to trigger HDR.

Optical image stabilization for videography is far improved. Even the rolling shutter effect, which has long been Samsung’s bugbear, is greatly reduced. Once again, however, excessive sharpening leads to artifacts in shots with fine detail. It feels like someone’s taking needles to my eyes when I watch them on my Mac.

Somebody at Samsung needs to chill on the sharpening slider, for both photos and videos. But it appears to be necessary, as raw files reveal details that are noticeably softer. And to be honest, I suspect that people wouldn’t notice the zealous sharpening anyway. The effect has likely been tuned for how most people view their images these days — on small screens and at web resolutions. Whereas extreme sharpening looks garish on large screens and prints, it pops on small displays.

Last year’s Samsung Note8 cameras provided leading performance, enough to tie with the Apple iPhone X for our best smartphone camera of the year. The Galaxy S9 and S9+ elevate many of its strengths, as well as plow ahead with its habitual sins. These faults, however, are eclipsed by its strengths. The S9 and S9+ are better cameras than even the Note8, which is only six months old.

Just how powerful is that new Exynos 9810 chip?

As usual, there are two variants of the S9 and S9+, each using different processors. The US and China get Qualcomm's Snapdragon 845 processor, while everyone else gets Samsung's own Exynos 9810.

Like the 845, the Exynos 9810 is a 10nm 64-bit octa-core processor running on a 4x4 big.LITTLE configuration. It uses four high-power Mongoose M3 cores clocked at 2.7GHz, and four high-efficieny Cortex-A55One cores, clocked at 1.8GHz. The 9810 uses a Mali-G72 MP18 GPU. The S9 has 4GB RAM, while the S9+ has 6GB RAM.

Sunspider Javascript

SunSpider JavaScript measures the browsing performance of a device when processing JavaScript. It not only takes into consideration the underlying hardware performance, but also assesses how optimized a particular platform is for delivering a high-speed web browsing experience. 

The S9 and S9+ were marginally faster than their predecessors in this benchmark, but the difference is so negligible you won't notice. In actual browsing performance, the S9 is just as snappy as any other smartphone (iPhone X included).

Basemark OS II

Basemark OS II is an all-in-one benchmarking tool that measures overall performance through a comprehensive suite of tests including system, internal and external memory, graphics, web browsing, and CPU consumption.

Surprisingly, the S9 and S9+ also showed only small gains on this benchmark, and still trail quite far behind Apple's iPhone X.

3DMark Sling Shot Unlimited

3DMark Sling Shot is an advanced 3D graphics benchmark that tests the full range of OpenGL ES 3.1 and ES 3.0 API features including multiple render targets, instanced rendering, uniform buffers and transform feedback. The test also includes impressive volumetric lighting and post-processing effects. We're running this benchmark in Unlimited mode, which ignores screen resolutions.

Again, we only saw marginal performance gains on this benchmark, and Samsung's Exynos processors still trail far behind not just the iPhone X, but also the Qualcomm Snapdragon 835.

Battery Life

Our standard battery test for mobile phones has the following parameters:

• Looping a 720p video with screen brightness and volume at 100%
• Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity turned on
• Constant data streaming through email and Twitter

Like last year, the S9 uses a 3,000mAh battery, while the A9+ has a 3,500mAh battery. Battery life on both models remains excellent, although we didn't see much improvement from last year. In fact, the S9+ was a little worse than last year's S8+.

So should you buy the Samsung Galaxy S9/S9+?

Yes, but only if you're not already using an S8, S8+ or Note8.

Last year's S8 and S8+ were huge jumps forward for Samsung. Those phones introduced us to an exciting new design, and new features like the Infinity Display and Bixby.

This year, it's hard to feel the same level of enthusiasm for the S9 and S9+. These phones feel more like refinements to an already stellar package than anything genuinely new and exciting. The stereo speakers are great, but they're a feature that's been long overdue for Samsung. New software features like AR Emoji and Intelligent Scan work well too, but it's hard to get too excited about them when they just feel like Samsung's versions of Apple's Animoji and Face ID. Creating your own personalized AR emoji is great, but it's not exactly new either - the Bitmoji app offers something similar and has been around forever. The one difference could be that AR emoji does it faster from mapping your face. The new Bixby features are also nice, but they don't do anything you can't already do with Google Translate and Google Assistant, and unlike Google, you need an Internet connection for them to work.

The best new feature in the S9 and S9+ is its dual aperture rear camera. But does it fundamentally change what you can do with your smartphone camera? Not really, but it does let you take better low light pictures, which many users will appreciate.

The same is true with benchmark performance, the S9 and S9+ score better in every test, but not by much, and it's worth noting that they're still trailing Apple's A11 Bionic chip in every test.

Ultimately, that's the story of the S9 and S9+: slightly better, but not a lot better. The S9 and S9+ don't re-invent anything, they're evolutionary, not revolutionary, and they mainly build upon the foundation laid last year.

Finally, it's worth noting that the price of Samsung's S range is slowly creeping up. Last year, the S8 retailed for S$1,148, while the S8+ was S$1,298. This year, the S9 is S$1,198, and the S9+ starts at $1,348 for the 64GB model, and goes up to S$1,498 for the 256GB model. That's S$100 more than last year's Note8 (albeit it was only made available with 64GB internal storage).

These are still the best phones Samsung has ever made, and by far the best Android phones available right now, but they're getting really pricey.

	Click for detailed results break-down.
	Click for detailed results break-down.

What should you do next?

• Still not sure if the Galaxy S9 or S9+ is the phone for you?
  
  
  Drop by Samsung's many experience centers (dubbed Galaxy Studio) around the island.
  How much better is the S9 over your older Samsung device? We have got a comparison matrix.
  
   
• You've made up your mind to get one? That's great, so here's what you'll need to know next:-
  Check out our telco price plan comparison to get the ideal plan and service provider with the S9.
  Wonder which telco offers the best 'unlimited data' plan? We have you covered here.
  
  Trade in your older device with Samsung directly and get more savings!