Samsung Galaxy S9

Samsung Galaxy S9 Review

Design

The Samsung Galaxy S9, launched in March 2018, features a premium build with a glass front and back, held together by an aluminum frame. It measures 147.7 mm in height, 68.7 mm in width, and 8.5 mm in depth, weighing 163 grams. The device is not foldable and maintains a traditional smartphone form factor. The phone includes a rear-mounted fingerprint sensor. Color options include Midnight Black, Coral Blue, Titanium Gray, Lilac Purple, Burgundy Red, Sunrise Gold, and Ice Blue.

Display

The Galaxy S9 boasts a 5.8-inch Super AMOLED display with a resolution of 1440 x 2960 pixels, resulting in a pixel density of 570 ppi. The display supports HDR10 and has a 18:9 aspect ratio, contributing to an immersive viewing experience. The display features dual edge curves and is protected by Corning Gorilla Glass 5. It incorporates features such as an Always-On display, color LED notifications, and support for VR headsets. The display is frameless and utilizes capacitive multi-touch technology.

Performance

The EMEA version of the Samsung Galaxy S9 utilizes the Exynos 9810 (10 nm) chipset. The CPU is an octa-core configuration (4x2.7 GHz Mongoose M3 & 4x1.8 GHz Cortex-A55), paired with a Mali-G72 MP18 GPU. The North American variant uses the Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 chipset with an Octa-Core configuration (max frequency of 2.8 GHz). The GPU for the North American version is the Adreno 630 clocked at 710MHz. Both versions are equipped with 4GB of LPDDR4X RAM. Storage options include 64GB, 128GB, and 256GB UFS 2.1 internal storage. There is no SD card slot for expansion. The phone scores 315,465 on the Antutu v8 benchmark (for the Qualcomm variant) and has a cooling system.

Camera

The rear camera of the Galaxy S9 features a single 12MP sensor (Sony IMX345 Exmor RS CMOS BSI) with an f/1.5 aperture, 1.40 µm pixel size and a 1/2.55" sensor size. It has PDAF Dual Pixel autofocus and includes optical image stabilization (OIS). The camera supports 4K video recording at 30fps and 60fps, as well as 1080p at 30fps, 60fps, and 240fps and slow-motion 720p video at 960 fps. Video recording includes HDR, OIS, EIS, and stereo sound. The front-facing camera is an 8MP (Samsung S5K3H1 ISOCELL) sensor with an f/1.7 aperture, 1.22 µm pixel size and a 1/3.6" sensor size. It includes PDAF Dual Pixel autofocus and can record video with HDR, OIS, and EIS. Both cameras have digital zoom, autofocus, touch focus, continuous shooting, geotagging, panorama, HDR, face detection, white balance settings, ISO settings, exposure compensation, scene mode and self-timer features.

Battery Life

The Samsung Galaxy S9 is powered by a non-removable 3000mAh Li-Ion battery. It supports fast charging, and wireless charging (Qi/PMA standard).

Software

The phone launched with Android 8.0 and has been updated up to Android 10.

Pricing

The Samsung Galaxy S9 falls into the high-price category. Pricing varies based on configuration:

• 4GB/128GB options: between $128.14 and $144.12
• 4GB/256GB options: between $240.54 and $403.30

Connectivity

The device offers Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac with dual-band, hotspot, direct, and MIMO capabilities. It has Bluetooth 5.0 LE with A2DP, AVRCP, DIP, HFP, HID, HSP, LE, MAP, PAN, OPP, and PBAP/PAB profiles. It includes GPS, A-GPS, and GLONASS. The phone uses a single nano-SIM. Network band compatibility includes 4G LTE, 3G, and 2G bands. USB Type-C 3.1 connectivity includes OTG, mass storage, host, and charging capabilities. NFC is also supported.

Overall Verdict

The Samsung Galaxy S9, despite its age, provides a premium experience with its build quality, excellent Super AMOLED display, capable cameras, and a robust chipset. Its camera features like 4K video recording with HDR, OIS, and EIS, as well as 960fps slow-motion recording, were flagship caliber in its release year. While battery life may not be exceptional, it provides a solid daily performance. The software updates to Android 10 extends its functionality, though updates are no longer available. The various storage configurations provide some flexibility in capacity based on need.