Samsung Galaxy S9/S9+

Have you checked it out yet?
What are your thoughts?

Seems to be ALL about the camera oh and Listening to their customers and keeping the headphone socket (slight dig) and not having a notch (another dig)

Don’t get me wrong. It’s a nice phone but I can’t give up on my iPhone :heart_eyes:

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I like it - I have an S8, and have always been an Android guy, so odds are I was going to like it :wink:

I’m interested in what Samsung has done over the last few generations - since the S6, it seems like they have debuted a new design on even numbered generations, and refined the design on odd numbered generations. The chassis for the S9 is, as far as I can tell, identical to the S8 (except the dual cameras on the S9+ and the fingerprint sensor placement on both).

The variable aperture camera is interesting, though there aren’t exactly a lot of photo samples to check out yet, so we’ll see how that ends up playing out in the real world. I love the S8 camera, so I’m curious to see how this one improves on it.

As far as desirability goes, there’s no chance I’m upgrading. The regular S8 was already a pretty penny, let alone the larger model or Note series. I’m not excited to see how much the new model costs, as I’m sure there will be a price hike.

As for the digs at Apple: it seems like every manufacturer does it when it’s convenient. The S9 marks the first time that Samsung has put additional features on the larger model, which is a sales ploy that Apple perfected on the iPhone 7, so to me it seems like maybe Samsung is just trying to draw attention away from that :wink: (thank GOD they kept the headphone jack though - I love bluetooth, but I need that 3.5mm jack)

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I also have a Galaxy S8. I’m glad the S8 and S9 are so similar because I’m not getting buyer’s remorse for not waiting. Got my S8 in November and I don’t plan to upgrade for another 3-4 years down the line. Personally I thought the S8’s camera would be better than what it is, but I can live with it. I don’t hate it, but I don’t love it.

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Definitely improvements on the S8/S8+, but that’s all they are. Improvements. Stereo speakers, adjustable camera aperture, better AI and AR usage across the device. It’s a cool phone and it might have the best camera yet but I’m too rooted in iOS with my watch and computer that I wouldn’t want to switch until those became outdated. Its a shame Android phones aren’t more popular socially because companies like Samsung and Google make more innovative tech for a better value. Having a phone that’s popular is just too convenient to ever leave.

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Not sure what sort of photography you use the S8 for, but if you want more out of the camera, I’d strongly recommend fooling around with the manual mode. I’ve gotten some great night shots that way.


Sometimes it’s worth touching up the photos that are lacking a little in color, saturation, contrast, or anything else. Both Snapseed (a Google app) and Adobe Lightroom are good for touch-ups, and they’re both free. I’d give them a look if you’re interested in getting more out of the camera.

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I don’t think I’ll ever leave Android (though I do switch manufacturers almost every time I upgrade), but I have to admit that Apple has pretty much perfected the cross-platform ecosystem: “it just works.”

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I can imagine if you love a Samsung (like I like Apple) you are going to like what comes out next. Handsets can only get better, youd hope. I’ve never had one but had a play on a family members and they are lovely looking screens etc.

Personally I don’t get the 3 ways of unlocking (Fingerprint (another dig at Apple there too lol), Face Recognition and Iris). Seems a bit over kill.

I love portrait mode on my 7 Plus so great that they’ve added that.
Stereo sound :thumbsup:
Super Slo Mo :thumbsup:
Also love the AR stuff with the camera, translations and showing map stuff. Very clever. Will be a big hit.

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So It has a nice camera , a nice camera and a nice camera! No, it looks very cool. I think I will hold on to my Galaxy S8+ plus until the Note 9 comes out. I am not surprised they played it safe with 6.2" Inches for the S9+. No doubt the Note 9 will top out at least 6.3 inches or dare I say 6.4" when it debuts later this fall/winter. I like the idea of Dolby Atmos, movie theater in your pocket!

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So quite honestly there are three main things from here on out that I am going to be most excited for in near future smartphones.

  • Lower Price Tag
    The prices (for premium flagships) seem to be going in the wrong direction, especially since the market has already peaked.
  • Longer Battery Life
    Make it last several days. We need battery innovation.
  • Continued Camera Improvements
    I think the smartphone camera is one of the fastest evolving elements right now, and it definitely has the potential of continued innovation over the next several years.

Of course there’s always the performance and efficiency improvements, but I’d like to see a higher focus on optimization across the board.

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When I was looking for a new phone about a year ago, I almost bought a Moto Z Play purely for the fact that, with a battery mod on the back, it could last several days at a time.

Heres
the pricing breakdown for the phone

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If a phone could last several days would you still carry a powerbank either in your pocket or backpack?

£100 cashback in the UK too.
Do you have Quidco or TopCashBack where you are??
Can earn a % or £ cashback on purchases made online if you go via their own websites or apps.

Helps a lot when buying insurance’s, Energy Suppliers and Utilities

Looks like the price is slowly climbing after all…

While I like the s9, I’d rather wait for their folding screen phone. Looks more interesting to me, supposedly their Galaxy X phone…and don’t you iphone e users get angry over the name, Samsung had initiated that name well before the iPhone X came to light

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I’m with the general consensus, I don’t regret my S8.
In fact I love it (90% of the time) and I didn’t think I’d say that about a galaxy again.

The photos tho, I think are fantastic for a mobile phone. I’ve taken some cracking photos on AUTO MODE, and they look great, no matter if late at night with just the lamp as light source, or outside during the day.

This is Molly my cat, taken at night on auto with no flash.

Molly in a bag, using the auto flash feature, so no bright spots/glare

Yes, the real me without effects! Taken in auto mode selfie, as I go for my 2nd op in under a week… 6 weeks.later, still having the dressing changed every day.

The beautiful fiancée, Jane and me. Look how well it’s captured the colour in the brollies.

I think, too many compare phone cameras to.proper cameras, and you can’t. No more so, than a point n shoot party camera, can be compared to a proper DSLR.

Unless your a pro (I did a B-Tech photography diploma back in 1990) and getting paid for taking photos, then, they are very good!

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Not too much of an upgrade on the s8, al be it a much better camera. I think we are reaching the top of the wave on the development of phones as they all are much of the same. Need something more radical and innovative to happen to push them further.

I’m with @joshuad11 with the price / battery and camera (although in fairness I don’t take too many pics nowadays)

I know there’s rumours about Samsung making a foldable phone etc and that’s the kinda innovation I wanna have in my next phone.

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I agree with you I am poisoned by Apple and cannot live without an iPhone :wink:

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The idea of foldable phone with their new bendy screen tech is great but I believe the first iteration of folding phone will look more along these lines…which is more 2 smartphones joint at the hip…

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I’m getting it, for sure. I have an S7 and skipped on the S8 generation even though that was much more of an upgrade than this generation, knowing that the S9 was likely to be a nice refinement of the S8. I wish they would’ve announced a newer Gear VR to go hand-in-hand with it though.

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