Samsung gave a first look at its newest offerings, the Galaxy S9 and S9+, today, February 26, at 1 AM PST (February 25, 6 PM CET) in the Unpacked 2018 event at the Mobile World Congress in Fira de Barcelona, Spain.
The Camera, Reimagined
The new phones boast of its new and improved features, such as fingerprint and face recognition, iris scanning, live language translations by Bixby, augmented reality (AR) emojis, dual speakers equipped with Dolby Atmos, and fast wireless charging. Their greatest offering, however, is their camera, which they claim “simulates the human eye.” They now offer a dual aperture, dual lens camera that can capture clear photos even in low light conditions, and a Live Focus feature that enables the user to edit the focus of the subject before and after the shot. The camera also features slow motion video capture, which goes as slow as 960 fps, and has a smart algorithm that slows down the most crucial frames.
Specifications
Other specifications of the phones are as follows:
| GALAXY S9 | GALAXY S9+ | |
| Display | 5.8“ (18.5:9) | 6.2“ (18.5:9) |
| 2960×1440 WQHD+ (570 ppi) | 2960×1440 WQHD+ (529 ppi) | |
| Super AMOLED | Super AMOLED | |
| Rear Camera | 12 MP F1.5 – F2.4 (dual aperture) | 12 MP F1.5 – F2.4 (dual aperture) + 12 MP F2.4 (2x Zoom) |
| 1.4 um pixels | 1.4 um pixels (Wide-angle lens) | |
| AF: Dual Pixel | AF: Dual Pixel (Wide-angle lens) |
|
| OIS | Dual OIS | |
| Front Camera | 8 MP F1.7 | 8 MP F1.7 |
| Auto Focus | Auto Focus | |
| Water & Dust Resistance | IP68 (1.5 m & 30 min) | IP68 (1.5 m & 30 min) |
| Security | Intelligent Scan (Iris + Face), Fingerprint Scanner | Intelligent Scan (Iris + Face), Fingerprint Scanner |
| Processor | Octa-core Snapdragon 845 | Octa-core Snapdragon 845 |
| Octa-core Exynos 9810 | Octa-core Exynos 9810 | |
| Internal Storage | 64 GB | 64 GB / 128GB / 256GB |
| microSD | up to 400 GB | up to 400 GB |
| RAM | 4 GB | 6 GB |
| Battery | 3000 mAh (fixed) | 3500 mAh (fixed) |
| Charging | USB Type-C | USB Type-C |
| Wireless Charging | Wireless Charging | |
| Special Interface | DeX (w/ Dock) | DeX (w/ Dock) |
| Video Enhancement | Mobile HDR, Video Enhancer | Mobile HDR, Video Enhancer |
| Audio Enhancement | Stereo Speakers tuned by AKG, Dolby Atmos, 32bit/384K, DSD support |
Stereo Speakers tuned by AKG, Dolby Atmos, 32bit/384K, DSD support |
| Headphone Jack | Headphone Jack | |
| Dimensions | 147.7 x 68.7 x 8.5 mm | 158.1 x 73.8. x 8.5 mm |
| Weight | 163 g | 189 g |
Thoughts
With all the features and specifications that the new S9 has to offer, I can say that it is definitely impressive, especially to the camera enthusiasts and creatives like me. It gives creators more liberty to create photos and videos that are not only high quality, but also highly artistic. As a popular adage goes, two heads are better than one; in this case, two lenses and two apertures. This, with the addition of the built-in camera DRAM, the performance should be four times faster and better than most camera phones.
Also, the super slow motion feature is another way for one to creatively express themselves with this phone. As mentioned in the talk by Jonathan Wong, Samsung’s Product Marketing director, the S9 can turn a blink of an eye, which is 0.4 seconds, to 6 seconds of video footage. To even bolster the feature, they asked YouTube creators The Slow Mo Guys, who uses high-speed cameras, to demonstrate how the S9 can capture moments just as slow and detailed.
Lastly, with the uninterrupted screen display and the dual speakers with Dolby Atmos, gaming and watching movies would now a more immersive experience.
The Galaxy S9 and S9+ are available for preorder at the Samsung website. It will be available in stores March 16, 2018.