Samsung Galaxy S9+ - Predictably Complete

Samsung has a reputation to uphold when it comes to smartphones with the Galaxy S9+. The predecessors impressed especially with the design, screen and camera. But with the Samsung Galaxy S9+, little seems to have changed, is it enough to maintain the reputation?

Samsung Galaxy S9+

Colors Blue, Purple, Black

OS Android 8.0

Screen 6.2 inches (2960x1440)

Processor 2.7GHz octa-core (Exynos 9810)

RAM 6GB

Storage 64 GB (expandable with memory card)

Battery 3,500 mAh

Camera 12 megapixel dualcam (rear), 8 megapixel (front)

Connectivity 4G (LTE), Bluetooth 5.0, NFC, Wi-Fi, GPS

Format 15.8 x 7.4 x 0.8 cm

Weight 189 grams

Other Fingerprint scanner, usb-c, headphone port, waterproof

Website //www.samsung.com 7 Score 70

• Pros
• (Waterproof) build quality
• Screen
• Cameras

• Negatives
• Messy software
• Lots of unnecessary features
• Battery life is a bit disappointing

The state of smartphones in the most expensive price segment is sad. Android manufacturers still slavishly copy Apple's example, and the example set is often even to the detriment of the user. Prices are skyrocketing, innovation is stagnating, a basic headphone port is missing, battery capacity falls short and gimmicks are imitated like a notch. Strangely enough, the most complete smartphones currently seem to be offered in the middle segment. Samsung is still somewhat against the flow, by offering as much as possible with the S9+ as usual. Maybe even a little too much. But unfortunately also for a price that is getting higher and higher.

Galaxy S9

Until now, Samsung invariably released a regular version and an extra large Plus version of its top device. The Galaxy S9+ has a larger screen and more battery capacity. With the S9 series, Samsung (just like Apple) has equipped the plus variant with a double camera. The Galaxy S9 costs 849 euros, for the S9+ you pay 949 euros.

Complete

For example, the Galaxy S9+ offers space for a memory card or second SIM card, headphone port with support for high audio resolution, a good dual camera, a beautiful screen that ends curved, a powerful processor, fingerprint scanner, stereo speakers and charging can be done wirelessly or super fast with the quickcharger. This is incorporated in a beautiful, waterproof housing of which almost the entire front consists of a screen.

Even the contents of the packaging are remarkably complete, in addition to the device and the charging cable and adapter you will also find excellent AKG earplugs and a usb-c to micro-usb adapter in the box, so that you can continue to use your old charger if desired. .

In terms of software, Samsung also tries to be as complete as possible with the Galaxy S9+. With, for example, facial recognition unlocking, the Bixby assistant, a copy of Apple's animoji (called AR Emoji), the ability to record videos in slow motion, a beautiful (recognizable) Android skin and many pre-installed apps and functions. Samsung processes all this in a heavily modified version of the latest Android version: Android 8 (Oreo).

Some parts are quite redundant, Bixby still cannot prove its indispensability, a heart rate monitor (on the back of the smartphone) has zero added value, the AR Emoji are clumsy, the device is packed with double apps (two browsers, application stores , health apps, and more) and furthermore, the S9+ is being abused by McAfee and Microsoft to force (often redundant) services. Unfortunately, this is not very surprising, in practice you choose what you like to use and leave the unnecessary things behind. All these built-in functions and services have made the settings menu cluttered.

Galaxy S8

Despite the fact that the Galaxy S9+ has a lot to offer, the purchase is difficult to justify. The differences with the Galaxy S8+ are minimal. The devices look almost identical and in use you notice little difference in speed. A Galaxy S8+ will cost you around 650 euros. That saves about 300 euros. That's a lot of money for the extras that the S9 + offers, such as a better placement of the fingerprint scanner, dual camera and minor improvements in the screen and specifications.

Impressive

However, those who prefer the best Galaxy smartphone and longer update support will end up with the Galaxy S9+. Just like its predecessors, the top device from Samsung is absolutely not a wrong choice. The screen, for example, is again to die for. It is admirable that Samsung has managed to place such a huge screen in a housing of acceptable size. An alternative aspect ratio of 18.5 by 9 has been used for this and rounded edges, so that it seems as if there are no edges on the side of the device. The screen diagonal is therefore 6.2 inches, converted 15.8 centimeters.

The screen is impressive in terms of quality. The image is sharp, thanks to a resolution of 2960 by 1440. The color reproduction and clarity are also extremely good. It is a pleasure to view photos and videos on this screen. The colors are a bit exaggerated and therefore not always true to nature. But all the more impressive. By the way, you can still change a few things here in the settings. The S9+ has one of the most beautiful screens I've seen on a smartphone so far, only the screen of the iPhone X makes a little more impression due to its brightness.

Camera

Samsung has a reputation to uphold in the field of camera. The Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S8 were voted best camera phone by us for the past two years (respectively). However, Samsung is increasingly struggling to stay ahead of Apple, which is making a comeback in the camera field.

The camera stands out with a new feature: an adjustable aperture. The aperture of the lens can be mechanically adjusted between f/2.4 and f/1.5. The aperture determines the incidence of light for the photo, the lower the value, the better the device is able to take a photo in low-light environments. Thanks to the adjustable aperture, you have the best possible photo in all circumstances, whether you have a lot of light in your environment or light is scarce. If you manually switch between the aperture values, you hardly notice any difference, for example the shutter speed and other settings are also important. To get the most out of the adjustable aperture, you therefore have to push the buttons a lot - or use the camera in automatic mode. However, this innovation improves photo quality.

The Plus version of the S9 has a dual camera. A wide-angle lens and a telephoto lens, so that you can optically zoom in and out by switching cameras. You can also make beautiful portraits with it, by applying a depth-of-field effect that blurs the background.

The professional mode offers above-average options for advanced photographers to set everything as desired. Whichever option you use: the photos are very impressively good. The detail and dynamic range is good. Just like the screen, colors are a bit on the exaggerated side, which is not a drawback, but it is noticeable if you place the photo next to that of an iPhone, which generally appear a bit more natural.

perks

Another function of the camera is Bixby Vision, which recognizes objects in the camera image and displays more information. That works nicely, and that's nice. It's just a gimmick. The same goes for the AR Emoji, a feature borrowed from Apple. Facial recognition turns you into a cartoon-like figure that takes over your movements and facial expressions. The end result looked little like me and its usefulness escapes me completely. Just like the many built-in Snapchat-style filters you can give your selfie. Are you really waiting for this, then you just install Snapchat?

I am more impressed by the slow motion recording function, where videos can be slowed down to 960 frames per second. After practicing a few times, it produces fantastic videos.

powerhouse

The Galaxy S8 was fast and to be honest, I notice little difference in practice with the S9 +. The benchmarks also show few major differences. It emphasizes all the more that you can see the S9 more as an evolution than a complete renewal. The device does have more RAM (6GB) and you notice the difference if you have many apps open or run heavier apps (such as games).

The battery life gives mixed feelings. On the one hand, the battery life in standby is fine. If you don't use the device much, you can easily spend a day and a half to two days with a battery charge. Even when I activated the 'always on display' (which always shows a clock on the screen). However, when I used the device more often, even for simple tasks such as reading mail or sending a WhatsApp message, the battery life quickly became a lot less impressive. Sometimes it took effort to get through a day with a full battery, fortunately the fast charger eases this pain a bit.

Software

It's almost a copy and paste job with Samsung smartphone reviews. The build and parts are impressive. On the software side, it's a struggle. The S9+ is unfortunately no exception. Admittedly, Samsung has made an effort to beautifully display Android and its apps in a unique Samsung style. The Galaxy S9+ also runs on a recent Android version and a fairly current security patch (January 2018). But I already wrote about the plethora of functions and the settings menu that is impossible to navigate. That should be better.

Bixby has its own overview, which appears when you swipe your home screen to the right. You get a Google Now-like overview with weather information, traffic, calendar, news headlines and more. Unfortunately, the Google overview manages to provide me with better information. The voice assistant can be used, provided you speak English to it. However, Bixby still has a long way to go when it comes to listening and answering well. It is positive that the Bixby button on the left side of the device can be turned off. This was not possible with the S8, and pressing a button (whether the device was on standby or not) always brought you directly into the overview. To be mad about. Although you can now disable the button, you cannot give it any other function, such as a shutter button for the camera. That's a bit bland.

Conclusion

As expected, the Galaxy S9+ is the most complete smartphone you can buy in the most expensive price category and without a doubt the best Android smartphone of the moment. Once again I am very impressed with the screen, the build quality and the camera in particular. The Galaxy S9 + is only very expensive with its 950 euros. For about half the price you already have a smartphone that is hardly inferior to the Galaxy S9+, such as the OnePlus 5T or Nokia 8. Also because there is little progress compared to the Galaxy S8, the surcharge of 300 euros is difficult. accountable.