Samsung Galaxy S9 and S9+ hands-on preview: The biggest gets better

Galaxy S9 and S9+
Galaxy S9 and S9+ (Image credit: Android Central)

People who are "in the know" with technology often refer to companies as having a "tick-tock" release cycle — in which a product receives a very large improvement one year, followed by a subtle refresh the next. I can never remember which one is the "tick" and which is a "tock," and I don't think many other people keep it straight, either. Not to mention all of the normal people who don't care either way. Regardless, looking back at Samsung's recent Galaxy S releases, it follows this pattern pretty well.

The Galaxy S6 marked a massive change from the Galaxy S5. Its successor, the Galaxy S7, didn't really change the design much — but made many subtle improvements to the likes of battery life, expandable storage and the cameras. The Galaxy S8, on the other hand, was a big departure with a new form factor, commitment to curved displays and a change in overall philosophy — dropping the physical home button, moving to a new 18.5:9 aspect ratio and trying some bold moves with biometrics. So now, the Galaxy S9 is once again one of those light-touch iterations like the GS7: focused on ironing out the small issues and improving on what was Samsung's best-selling phone yet.

That's not to say that the Galaxy S8 and S8+ were perfect and just needed a coat of paint — there were some legitimate complaints with 2017's flagships. The Galaxy S8 wasn't known for great battery life. The larger Galaxy S8+ had a very tough-to-use fingerprint sensor. After a few years of leading the smartphone camera world, Samsung started to fall behind in imaging prowess. Both phones under-delivered with iris scanning. Bixby hasn't taken the world by storm. Yup, there's room for improvement here — this is how Samsung made it happen for 2018.

Moving picture version

Samsung Galaxy S9 Hands-on video

For the quick take on the Galaxy S9 and S9+, be sure to watch our hands-on preview video above. To get deeper into the specifics and see my full impressions, read on!

Samsung Galaxy S9 and S9+

Don't hate, iterate

Samsung Galaxy S9 Hardware and specs

The Galaxy S9 and S9+, at a glance, look identical to the Galaxy S8 and S8+. The average person wouldn't know which of the two generations was newer even when picking up and twirling them around for a minute. This definitely isn't an iPhone 6 to iPhone 6s situation where the hardware was entirely unchanged, but it leans that way. The design principles haven't shifted, but the process and details have. For the astute observers, there are things to take note of — and every single one is an improvement over the Galaxy S8.

The looks haven't changed much, but the materials and execution have.

If there was one complaint to be had with the Galaxy S8's design, it was its fragility — or, at the very least, perceived fragility. In pursuit of those sleek lines and glossy simplicity, the Galaxy S8 in particular felt a little too light — and in my time using it over the last year, the back glass was well-worn. Even though the dimensions and design of the Galaxy S9 haven't really changed, the materials certainly have. The entire metal frame is thicker and immediately feels more robust. The rear glass, too, is thicker — not something that will necessarily stop scratches, but could in theory reduce cracking. The metal now has a textured feel to it, more along the lines of the Galaxy S7 (or perhaps a bit more textured), which I far prefer to the Galaxy S8's glossy coating. In short, the metal feels more like metal. And that's a great thing.

The material changes lead to phones that feel dramatically more solid. Denser. Less flimsy. And that makes sense when you look at the numbers: weights are up just slightly — 8 grams for the GS9, 12 for the GS9+ — and both phones are slightly shorter — 1.2 and 1.4 mm, respectively — than their predecessors. More weight in less space gives you a more solid-feeling phone, without making either one unwieldy — though the GS9+ is pushing the envelope at 189 grams, nearing the Galaxy Note 8's 195.

A more solid-feeling phone, and one with an even brighter display.

The Galaxy S9 and S9+ keep the same screen sizes, 5.8- and 6.2-inches, as well as striking screen curves and 2960x1440 resolutions. The only improvement here is a big, useful one: a 15% bump in brightness, up to 700 nits — and that's before the Adaptive Display cranks things up in direct sunlight. We're looking at a display with roughly the same capabilities as the Galaxy Note 8, which is often lauded as having an industry-leading panel by both subjective opinions and objective measurements. The Galaxy S9 and S9+ sure looked fantastic to my eyes, and I wouldn't expect anything less from Samsung.

With slightly shorter overall heights that means that the top and bottom bezels have shrunk ever-so-slightly — an imperceptible amount, really. Samsung managed this subtle shrinkage without removing anything from the phones — they have the same battery capacities and hardware features as before, including wireless charging, a microSD card slot, IP68 water resistance, a 3.5 mm headphone jack and all of the latest radios.

Complete Samsung Galaxy S9 and S9+ specs

Samsung Galaxy S9

Then it made some improvements. The down-firing loudspeaker is now accompanied by a top-of-screen earpiece that acts as a second speaker for stereo separation. The combination is 1.4 times louder than before and will sound even better in certain circumstances with Dolby Atmos support. And in a segment where so many companies cheap out, AKG earbuds still come in the box. Elsewhere the Galaxy S9+ bumped up to 6GB of RAM to match last year's Note 8, though the standard GS9 oddly still has 4GB. Nerds will also appreciate gigabit LTE inside, though it's more futureproofing than anything at this point.

Now you get stereo speakers, more RAM, new processors and a fingerprint sensor you can reach.

You may have noticed I also glossed over the battery size situation here when mentioning specs. Yes, Samsung stuck to the same 3000 and 3500mAh capacities this year. Unless Samsung engineered in some big-time battery efficiency with its software, I don't think adding the more frugal Snapdragon 845 (or Exynos 9) processor is going to bring enough power savings to make the Galaxy S9 last much longer than the outgoing Galaxy S8 — and that's potentially an issue. Samsung's messaging here is "all-day battery," but at the same time it's always happy to remind you it's super easy to charge up with its Fast Wireless Chargers — a final judgement will have to wait for the review.

And I somehow managed to bury the lead: Samsung moved the fingerprint sensor to a ... sensible position. In "response to customer feedback," Samsung managed to move the fingerprint sensor below the camera(s) on the back of the phones — something that has been a thorn in the side of every Galaxy S8, S8+ and Note 8 owner. It's still a little high on the back of the phone as it still shares the glass cutout with the camera assembly, so time will tell just how easy it is to reach — as a point of comparison, it's placed a few millimeters higher on the back than on a Google Pixel 2. It's also still oval-shaped rather than circular like so many others. You'll have to forgive me for being skeptical, but those worries aside my initial response to feeling it was, "THEY DID IT!"

Samsung Galaxy S9

Oreo we know

Samsung Galaxy S9 Software and features

Samsung once again revealed its hand by releasing its Android 8.0 Oreo update to the Galaxy S8 and S8+ earlier this year, bringing both Google's improvements and interface changes as part of Samsung Experience 9.0. Though that update has been put on hold for many regions, it's been out long enough to compare it to what I saw on the Galaxy S9 — and well, it's nearly identical.

Oreo brings lots of subtle improvements, but no single feature you'll want to write home about.

Naturally you get the core Oreo features like better notification management, in-app auto-fill for passwords, picture-in-picture mode for some apps, background limits and other battery improvements, and smarter text management. Welcome additions, all — but you won't be ecstatic about any one of those changes, but the group is a nice improvement over Android 7.0. And because Samsung has improved the overall speed and fluidity of the Galaxy S8 with its Oreo update, we can only hope that the S9 series escapes any of that long-term slowdown notorious to Galaxy devices.

Regarding the interface and core features, you'll find everything where you left it on Nougat, with a few tweaks to the launcher, settings and some of the bundled apps. Some of the "new" features were those introduced on the Note 8, like App Pair on the edge screen, while others, like proper long-press shortcuts in the launcher, are altogether new — in both cases, useful but not groundbreaking.

One entirely new feature is Samsung's attempt to fix its other biometric blunder, the iris scanner — but it isn't in the way you'd think. Samsung isn't claiming any improved iris scanner performance, which is interesting, but it's making a substantial change to your interactions with it with a new feature called "Intelligent Scan." Now rather than choosing iris scanning or face unlock, you can use both simultaneously to unlock your phone. Enroll your irises and your face, and the phone will unlock with whatever one it can identify first as the screen comes on. In practice, as we've seen with the Google Pixel 2 and OnePlus 5T, face unlocking is extremely quick — and for this reason, I'd expect the Galaxy S9 and S9+ will be unlocking with that method a majority of the time. But this way you'll have your irises enrolled as well, so when an app requires that higher level of security it can choose to only use an iris scan.

This doesn't entirely fix Samsung's muddy authentication options or take on Apple's Face ID in terms of security, but in practice, it'll work dramatically better than the old system. And with the fingerprint sensor that is now moved back to a reasonable location, you can easily reach, the entire fingerprint/iris/face combination is a formidable one that can make me forget about the Galaxy S8's stumbles.

Bixby Vision translation on the Galaxy S9

Bixby is still alive and well on the Galaxy S9 and S9+, complete with Bixby Home enabled by default and the Bixby button sitting below the volume rocker on the left side ready to take you there or enable voice actions with a long press. Bixby Home continues to evolve, and if you've had it turned off for the past six months you probably owe it to yourself to turn it on and see how it's improved since your first interaction with it. The same goes for Bixby Voice, which has its own narrow set of useful features if you're into voice-as-an-interface to start with. Samsung says over half of its customers who have Bixby use it — though I assume that's through a loose definition of "use."

The big changes with Bixby on the Galaxy S9 are all related to Bixby Vision, the portion of the AI assistant that's baked right into your camera interface. Tap the Bixby Vision button in the viewfinder and you'll see new options for live translation of text (powered by Google Translate), improved image recognition and support for identification of calories in food. These are the sorts of things we've seen attempted plenty of times, including with Google Lens, and even in ideal conditions, they are hit-or-miss on the Galaxy S9. While I completely agree that the main camera interface is the right place for these functions, I just don't see the utility in them until the recognition is amazingly accurate and fast — and right now it just isn't.

AR Emoji on the Galaxy S9+

Early teasers of the Galaxy S9 hinted at an Apple Animoji competitor, and now we know what it's all about. It's called AR Emoji, and it isn't really similar to Animoji at all. To kick it off, you scan your face — not unlike the process of setting up face unlock — and create a cartoon version of yourself. Best way I can describe the cartoon selfie of yourself is a cross between a Bitmoji and a Nintendo Mii character — humans, but not realistic. I thought they looked pretty accurate, but as is always the case with these things, unique features of your face and hair are kind of marginalized.

Samsung outdid Apple with AR Emoji — but this is one feature you'll likely forget about.

Once saved, you can select that character while in selfie mode in the camera and apply dozens of masks and funny filters all in real-time responding to what you're doing using the front-facing camera. Most feel like they're just lifted from Snapchat and Instagram, but nobody cares — they're fun to mess around with, and help lower the barrier for some people to take and share selfies. The tracking and animations aren't fantastic, but they're pretty good — and there's a good variety of filters that respond well to changes in your expressions.

Because this is all happening in the main camera app, you can take photos and video of yourself in this character version or with all of these wacky filters and share them anywhere you'd share a regular selfie photo or video. Given that AR Emoji is wide-open and not limited in any way, from my point of view Samsung absolutely beat Apple at its own game here — even if the face tracking and character rendering aren't quite as good as Apple. Being able to save and send these things anywhere trumps the rendering every day of the week.

But I'd also argue this isn't a game that matters and will be a feature so many people ignore after the first week with their new Galaxy S9 or S9+. And no matter how many commercials Apple may run to promote Animoji, nobody's really using it over there, either.

Samsung Galaxy S9

A fresh approach

Samsung Galaxy S9 Cameras

Samsung was leading the smartphone industry with the camera experience on the Galaxy S7. It has since been passed by Google's Pixel lineup and challenged further by the likes of HTC and Huawei. I feared it was destined to sit on the same basic camera setup for yet another generation and was pleasantly surprised — this is a new take on the camera.

Camera improvements may be the biggest story of the Galaxy S9 and S9+.

The only thing that stays the same year-over-year is the resolution: 12MP. The rest has been improved, and though I haven't used the phones long enough (or in real-world conditions) to know how much has been improved, it all looks fantastic on paper. It all starts with a new sensor, which Samsung is branding "Super Speed Dual Pixel" but (understandably) isn't disclosing which company makes it. That branding coincides with an important improvement: DRAM embedded in the sensor, which is used to dramatically enhance the capture and processing capabilities of the camera.

With this new sensor, the Galaxy S9 and S9+ do what's called batch photo capture, in which each photo actually captures 12 frames — those 12 are bunched into groups of 4, and those 3 resulting images are then processed into 1 final image. It's the sort of computational photography that's all the rage right now, and something Google has done with fantastic results in HDR+ on the Pixel and Pixel 2.

Functionally, Samsung is claiming this processing offers a reduction in noise — that grainy and blotchy stuff you see in photos — of up to 30% compared to even the Galaxy S8. That means flat surfaces in photos will look flat and not rough, and edges will be sharper and more defined. Now processing to remove grain is a fine line that can easily be crossed to the point of over-sharpening, which looks bad in an entirely different way, but on the surface this is a fantastic change. Some of the sample images Samsung offered showed a dramatic improvement in fine detail.

On-sensor DRAM also enabled Samsung to step up its slow-motion video capture game, pushing to 960 fps — the camera can capture 0.2-second bursts at this super-high frame rate, which when played back normally come out to 6-second clips. The way Samsung does this in the interface is quite useful, though, because it can trigger that slowmotion capture automatically when it detects motion in a certain area defined in the viewfinder. It'll then bookend that slow motion clip with a bit of recording at 30 fps on either end, and package it all up for you. The camera will even automatically generate looping and boomerang-style .gifs so you can share them anywhere or set them as your lock screen image.

Going a step further, that new sensor sits behind quite a technical marvel: a lens with a physically adjusting aperture. Yes, in a smartphone. Unlike nearly every other smartphone that has a fixed aperture or some sort of software-simulated changing aperture, this one actually physically changes in size from f/1.5 to f/2.4. Now it doesn't offer you a full range of apertures between, just those two, but it's still impressive regardless.

Galaxy S9 buyer aren't missing much by not having the secondary camera.

Shooting by default at f/2.4 gives the Galaxy S9 and S9+ less opportunity for distortion and a more fundamentally sound setup — at least when shooting in good lighting. When things get a bit dimmer (under 100 lux, like a dim room), the camera automatically changes to f/1.5 (brighter than the GS8's f/1.7) to let in nearly 30% more light with just the lens alone, saving the camera from having to crank up the ISO or slow the shutter speed. If you hop over to the "Pro" mode you can choose your aperture manually, along with every other adjustment imaginable, to get exactly the shot you want with the depth of field you desire. Add this new wider aperture to the new sensor's ability to combine multiple images for reduced noise, and we could be looking at another great low-light camera from Samsung.

As every leak for the past two months indicated, the Galaxy S9+ also packs a secondary camera just like the Galaxy Note 8. There are no claims about the secondary sensor being the Super Speed type, and it has a fixed f/2.4 aperture — so from that standpoint, it isn't a massive addition. The second camera is used for "lossless" zooming on account of its ~2x focal length, and also enables Samsung's Live Focus portrait mode.

Considering the real star of the show here is the new main camera, I don't feel potential Galaxy S9 buyers are missing much by not getting the secondary camera.

Samsung Galaxy S9

Ready to win

Samsung Galaxy S9 Hands-on preview

You'd be forgiven for thinking that the Galaxy S9 and S9+ are ... not that exciting. They aren't substantially different from their predecessors, they don't add any massive new feature or make any sweeping design leaps that push the industry forward. But once again Samsung knows its market. It knows it has a massive loyal customer base upgrading from the Galaxy S6 and S7, and those people will be thrilled with the Galaxy S9 or S9+, even if someone harshly dubs it a "refreshed Galaxy S8." Anyone with either of those older phones will be ecstatic to get a Galaxy S8 that has nearly all of its flaws fixed. A Galaxy S8 with a fingerprint sensor they can reach, and a metal body that feels better and is more robust. A Galaxy S8 with improved performance, new software and a camera that makes a big leap over the last generation.

Samsung didn't need to bring out an all-new design to make a pair of great phones for 2018.

Samsung didn't attempt to blow up all of the advancements it made in the Galaxy S8 and S8+ just because the phone had some issues. It would be silly to throw everything out just because the Galaxy S8 wasn't a "perfect" phone. Samsung instead took the parts that clearly worked, leading to record sales in 2017, and improved on that base by fixing the core flaws and adding in some new features and specs in the process.

We've all come to expect that Samsung will lead by example and push the industry in every way, but with its current market position it doesn't need to — it is rightly far more calculated about its approach. The fact that these new phones are very similar to the last generation doesn't matter at all to most people, so long as the Galaxy S9 and S9+ themselves are great phones on their own — and every indication from my early look at them is that they are indeed great.

Andrew Martonik

Andrew was an Executive Editor, U.S. at Android Central between 2012 and 2020.

84 Comments
  • Solid internal upgrades, but Exynos SoC and camera aside, it's a "tock" cycle. Basically refining the previous "tick" cycle. I'd assume S7 owners or earlier may be interested, but I'm probably just sticking with the Note8. It still does everything I want it to do.
  • Yep. Keeping my S8 till something peaks my interest.
  • Smartest thing to do, especially since the s10 or X will probably have a fps under the screen.
  • I really don't see the hype for the under screen fingerprint sensor.
  • Not that I had any issue with utilizing the fingerprint sensor where it was on the S8 - Note 8, but I can see why some people would have an issue with where it was at and why Samsung would move it to where they did. Moving it from beside the camera to underneath it seems to be the more logical place to put it.
  • The word is piques.
  • Thank you. I thought that was wrong.
  • Just seen the price on the Carphone Warehouse sure and the S9+ is exactly the same as the Note 8. Think I would opt for the Note 8 over the S9+.
  • Can it shoot 240 fps @1080? The 960 fps is nice but the slow motion footage my GF's iPhone 8 puts out looks so much better than anything I've seen from an Android phone. For me the higher resolution 240 would be more useful than 960, but I DO like the implementation.
  • Sony ZX1/ ZX premium is the King of slow motion with it's motion camera. Recording time could be little bit longer, though and it's "only" FHD
  • Actually, it's 720p. 960FPS at 720p on the Sony as well. They did it before Samsung, but Samsung will probably make it popular, or Apple. Because that's just how things go in the industry.
  • Just an update The XZ2 launched at the time I wrote this and it does indeed shoot 960FPS at 1080p. The XZ1 and XZ P still shoot at 720p
  • 960fps at 720p; 240fps at 1080p.
  • Good initial review Andrew. There are definitely some nice improvements over the S8 here but not enough to drop $900+ for the upgrade. I'll be staying with my S8+ at least until the S10+ (and maybe after).
  • When Atmos is there is sounds amazing! Were you able to hear it with Atmos in a quiet setting Andrew? So cool...
  • Not yet! Full review :)
  • I'm not convinced the S9 is worth the extra hard earned cash for me to upgrade. My GS8+ is an awesome phone and I think the GS9 doesn't have enough improvements to warrant upgrading. I think Samsung will out price thereselves with this one. They will have to drop the price working the next 3 months for me to consider upgrading.
  • Didn't the S7 adapt a curved screen? I'd. Call that a pretty big change from the S6. The S7 looks very different from the S6
  • Both the s6 and s7 line offers both flat and curved screen.
  • The S7 edge had a significant design upgrade. A completely different phone. The S9 is not even close to that
  • No it's a similar design as the s6 edge.
  • Well the GS6 already came in two flavors, flat and curved. GS7 slightly changed it but still had 1 flat 1 curved.
  • You need to tone down the praise a bit. Save it for when you say the Pixel 3 is the best Android phone you can buy.
  • Would have been nice to see the S9 with a ceramic back. The back would likely not look much different. But it would be much stronger and would not need a case.
  • Yeah, I'd like to see ceramic or plastic. But it's very unlikely Samsung will ever use plastic again. I have a case, anyway, but I'd still prefer ceramic.
  • Why wouldn't it need a case? My Essential phone is covered in scratches and I haven't used it nearly as much as my other glass-backed phones.
  • That was my uninformed impression of a ceramic back and titanium frame. I thought they would be more scratch and damage resistant.
  • Looks like a wise upgrade by Samsung without derailing the sales train. I think the biggest feature for me is the dual aperture camera, and I think it's awesome. Andrew, thanks for clarifying the aperture function: Most other articles made it seem like you could set it to a variety of F stops. Still cool though.
  • I’ve preordered mine, coming from iPhone 6S. At $829 I’m in, this was over an Apple X I was contemplating over today. I wa waiting on price. I feel it’s better suited for me and main resin is my primary use is stream TV and I can’t live with a notch. Secondary was 3.5 mm jack for my IE60’s and I couldn’t imagine impeading sound by adding a lightning connector to fluctuate the earbuds sound. I’m hoping for 3 years out of this 1st android device. I hope Samsung dosent let me down.
  • I don't get why they made the fps horizontal.
  • Probably a space issue in the design. Does it matter? The small button on the front was horizontal and worked fine. Sony's very small power button FPS is tiny and works fine.
  • True, it shouldn't matter. Just noticed that it was vertical before which makes sense for the angle of the finger.
  • Looks like the fingerprint sensor and the camera were in one module and they just rotated it by 90°.
  • It's a bit of a different layout on account of where they moved the camera in relation to the flash and heart rate sensor. It's never a simple as picking up a component and moving it — especially when we know there are notable differences in the camera components themselves.
  • I was tempted by the S9 but I have to be true to myself, I have my heart set on a Pixel 2 XL as I'm a Google and stock Android lover that wants a clean, bloat free experience with fast updates and security patches and only the Pixel 2 XL can offer that to me. Still the AT emojis are cool though.
  • @beno51079 and stock Android users: I have been an Android user for many years, and a Samsung phone user since the S3. I have never used a stock Android phone, so what I know about them is based on what I read online. My question or comment for you guys, what OS update(s) people like you desperately need to be delivered to your phones right away? What constantly changes or evolves that you are not willing to wait a year or so to get it on a non-stock Android phone, like the Samsung phones? I am honestly trying to understand why users like you bring that point over and over if there have not been noticeable or significant huge upgrades on mobile phone OS's recently (including iOS.) There are nice features here and there, upgrades to companion apps, new icon looks and GUI tweaks, but what is truly important and valuable about the updates that you need them right away? I am a Note8 owner now, and since I got it I have received 4 OTA security updates and to me that suffice. For user experience stuff related to GUI and some tweaks/customization, I simply use Nova and tools like Tasker. Those have been with me since KitKat and new OS's have not added any value for me. I am really trying to understand why having the latest update right away is so important because for me, as I stated before, the OS has not suffered a huge change since version 6. Maybe the day that I buy a stock Android phone I would know what you guys mean, but in the meantime I would like to know your thoughts. Thx everyone for reading and please reply. Respectfully submitted.
  • When my S6 battery was a 19% by 12pm and Google released Doze mode with Marshmallow in October, I had to wait until June the next year to benefit. Never again.
  • Doze mode does nothing of significance.
  • That would be sucky if doze actually made a significant difference. I've never seen any big difference battery wise from updates, no matter how much Google tries to say they have some new power saving feature.
  • The thing I like about stock Android is everything is clutter free while I still get the freedom and functionality that you already get with Android, (my current Chinese phone, the Oukitel K6 is virtually stock Android but I don't have any hidden processes that will slow down the phone and I'll have fast updates and consistent security patches directly from Google plus I wouldn't use all of Samsung's or anyone else's features anyway, my vision of Android is the, same as Google's plus I'm not a fan of Samsung's software, but I'm a massive fan of their design and displays. But I totally respect why you prefer Samsung's features but pure clutter free Android with fast, consistent updates and security patches.
  • That's the thing. You don't get the functionality or features.
  • The updates come automatically and occasionally they clean up garbage, improve performance, make better use of battery, and lately either eliminate some of the bloat or allow the user to disable. I rooted my S3, but with the S6 (edge), the irritants were reduced to the point of not wanting the hassle of rooting. However, if my phone were no longer receiving OS updates (and it isn;t)
  • I've used LG, Samsung and HTC but keep going back to Pixels. Why? Because while design is the eye candy, software is what is the most important thing to me. Samsung TouchWiz is better than it was a few years ago, but it still has lag occasionally, even on the Note 8 when doing little thing like switching app or swiping between screens. It also occasionally freezes. Same with LG, although LG's more simplified UI I tend to like it better than TouchWiz.
    However neither compare to stock android on the Pixels. It is buttery smooth with zero lag. I get an occasional freeze up, but maybe twice in the 4 months I have had the Pixel 2 XL. I don't have to deal with multiple apps trying to do the same thing. Gallery on Samsung can store your photos but can;t back them up. If I set google photos as my default I still get a notification sometimes asking which to use.
    I have become spoiled by Pixels.
  • Why not just go to the iPhone? It's even better.
  • "has been a thorn in the side of every Galaxy S8, S8+ and Note 8 owner." Yawn - still incorrectly speaking for *every* owner.
  • Generalization:
    noun
    • a general statement or concept obtained by inference from specific cases.
    • the action of generalizing: such anecdotes cannot be a basis for generalization.
  • It still isn't true of EVERY S8, S8+ and Note8 user, no matter how you try to rationalize it.
  • Rarely does a one generation upgrade add enough to justify the cost of an upgrade. Smartphones are pretty mature products, and two-generation upgrade cycle makes a lot more financial sense.
  • No way in hell I will dump a Pixel 2 for this but I am curious how the camera stacks up with the Pixel 2.
  • I have a feeling this will dethrone pixel 2 camera , at least they set the bar fir pixel 3 ;)
  • Nothing can dethrone the Pixel cameras. Google gets the best reviews money can buy.
  • You keep asserting that Google pays for coverage, and it's just absolutely hilarious to me.
  • Glad to hear it! I love to make people laugh.
  • The pixel 2 is heavy like a brick..
  • From a tock to a tack 😚
  • But those bezels! They are so 2017!
  • I bet Tim crook and those elderly guys at apple use animoji daily. They were having a blast at the apple event talking about for an hour cause it was their biggest selling point for the iNotch X 💩
  • What a stupid comment in so many ways
  • What the iPhone does better than Android it does a lot better than Android.
  • Why can't they improve the battery? I bought the S8 Active for two reasons, 1)I don't like the curved screen and 2)the battery was much better. I know Samsung isn't going back to the flat a screen on the Galaxy line, but come-on...more battery power. And the size doesn't matter because if you make the phone larger to hold a better battery it people won't need to buy a battery case or carry a portable charger.
  • Samsung, you have my interest again. Please go on.
  • Nope. Not buying another Samsung until that Edge/Infinity screen is gone. I found it irritating on my S6 Edge, and not only could I not disable it enough, it ruined the the overall usability of the phone. My S7 will just have to last me until the experiment is over, or I buy an Essential. P.S. to Samsung and other manufacturers, what makes you think anyone besides yourselves and bloggers care about bezels? I've never heard ANYONE complain that their bezel was too big.
  • "The larger Galaxy S8+ had a very tough-to-use fingerprint sensor." NO. IT. DIDN'T. Why does this lie keep getting perpetuated? I have never had a single problem using the fingerprint sensor. As in, not once. As in, a problem has never occurred when using the fingerprint sensor.
  • Thanks for sharing this post. I like Samsung Smartphone. This model is very simple useful. How to unlock or remove Samsung Galaxy Mobile's pattern lock? If you would like to improve your knowledge of mobile phones idea then only keep visiting this site Samsung Galaxy S9 and S9+ be updated with the latest model mobile phone gossip posted here. Thanks for sharing your thoughts on appropriate brain. Here is my web-site - Best Specifications - http://bestspecifications.com/
  • Just got my Xiaomi Mi Max 2 64/4. Cost me $200AUD. Smooth as silk. Sammy has gotten "big-britches" syndrome. Mi Max 2: Gorgeous. ;)
  • You get a lot for the money. Your comparison makes no sense unless it can match feature for feature
  • I will NEVER buy a phone with the fingerprint sensor on the back. This is a moronic move by Samsung. There is a gigantic faction of consumers who use their phones while they sit flat on their desks. With the fingerprint sensor on the rear, that is a nonstarter! How stupid is that? Samsung was supposed to put the fingerprint sensor in the screen, as far back as the S8. So what happened to that???????? I will NOT be buying any phone from Samsung again, until they get their heads out of their asses.
  • Which was the first phone to put the FPS on the back? I don't know the answer, but I know it sure wasn't Samsung.
  • Ummm....Iris scan or Facial recognition?
  • There is one feature NOBODY in the review business talks about: the new Broadcom BCM47755 GPS chip. There was a flurry of coverage last September and promises it would be coming to phones in 2018. No mention of it for GS9. I called Samsung and no one there could answer the question either. I already have a great camera, but it’s frustrating to pass turns before the NAV says to take that turn. The new chip is supposed to be fast and accurate enough to cure that.
  • IR Blaster? I really miss my S6 remote control feature 😔
  • The past called. They want their obsolete technology back.
  • One faceID for Apple is a disaster considering anyone thats Oriental can't use it because of the fact that multiple people could open there phone. So im not sure what the author is thinking , but hey whatever. I believe this is an incremental update so unless you have a phone thats two years or older dont bother upgrading .
    To those saying theres not much difference between the 6plus and the 7 edge I disagree and heres why the the 7edge was the beginning of the new form factor which i refer to as the" tall and skinny" it wasnt a true 18 by 9 but when i got 7edge i thought i got the 7 by mistake it looked that much smaller.
  • Does anyone know the charging specs of the S9 and S9+? Specifically which version of Quick Charge it supports. I know that the S8s supported QC 2.0, and I was hoping Samsung would at least give QC 3.0 support. That would be really nice.
  • Still QC 2.0, same charger in the box as the Galaxy S8.
  • And it will STILL slow down an lag in less than a year because Samsung insists on forcing redundant apps on user with no means of removing them. Sigh.
  • Disable them if you don't like them. They can't slow down your phone disabled because they don't run. And they're not taking up any space where you'd install your own apps, since they exist on a different partition where user-installed apps can't go.
  • I have the s8+ I don't understand all of the chat about apps on Samsung slowing down your phone. I just go into APPS on settings, default & app permissions. tap on any app and it will tell you how much data it has used, how much battery it has used since the phone was last charged, and how much storage it uses on the device. If allowed you just move it to the SD card and free up device space. If the app is a problem just stop or uninstall it. I do not use my alarm app on my phone, but I leave it there because it has only used 101mb since DEC 23, 2017 when I installed it. You can also set which apps are allowed to run in the background. I am not that tech savvy (I am 75 years old). I think a lot of people just do not know how the get the best performance out of their phones, regardless of the manufacturer. I talk to many of my younger friends that NEVER go in to settings and clear their cash. I will wait a few months & see if the 9+ goes on a great sale price. BestBuy had the 8+ on sale for $300 off 6 months ago when I purchased mine. Paid $500. If I can get the same deal on the s9+ i will upgrade!
  • Haven't had that happen since the Note 5.
  • keep seeing complaints about the fingerprint scanner position on the s8. i'm a bit mystified tbh, it's in a completely natural position for me.
  • It took about a day for me to get used to the position of the FPS on the Note 8. I never miss it now. No camera smudges, nothing.
  • Samsung can get a pass here for a S8S but not Apple :)
  • I'm getting it if not only for Band 71 support.
  • I have the s8+ I don't understand all of the chat about apps on Samsung slowing down your phone. I just go into APPS on settings, default & app permissions. tap on any app and it will tell you how much data it has used, how much battery it has used since the phone was last charged, and how much storage it uses on the device. If allowed you just move it to the SD card and free up device space. If the app is a problem just stop or uninstall it. I do not use my alarm app on my phone, but I leave it there because it has only used 101mb since DEC 23, 2017 when I installed it. You can also set which apps are allowed to run in the background. I am not that tech savvy (I am 75 years old). I think a lot of people just do not know how the get the best performance out of their phones, regardless of the manufacturer. I talk to many of my younger friends that NEVER go in to settings and clear their cash. I will wait a few months & see if the 9+ goes on a great sale price. BestBuy had the 8+ on sale for $300 off 6 months ago when I purchased mine. Paid $516. If I can get the same deal on the s9+ i will upgrade!