Ever since the launch of Apple iPhone X has left people in awe with its brilliant face recognition technology, all eyes have been on Samsung to see what it comes up with this time. Even though the Samsung Galaxy S9 plus resembles greatly to its last year’s flagship, it is by far one of the best smartphones that you could opt for. The camera especially is a major update to the Galaxy S8. Vodafone, availing the opportunity has announced that all Vodafone users purchasing the device will get 1 year Netflix membership for free. Well, this is what you call business! Now coming to the point, let us dive into the detailed review of the Galaxy S9 Plus and see whether it is a worthwhile purchase.
Design and Build:
The design of the phone is nothing different than what it was in the previous year’s launch. Samsung has stuck with the same S8 design even when it launched A8+ and now this one. So, if you are a big fan of design modifications, you might have to wait a little longer before your next upgrade. But if you believe that it’s the inside that counts, take a look at the build and the elements that go for making the piece what it is.
The dual camera setup, though not very unique is perfectly positioned. Same goes for the fingerprint scanner that is perfectly located at the center in order to enhance the convenience of the users. The design under the rear panel has a smooth satinique finish. Even though the glass panels are sensitive to fingerprints, you can easily wipe them.
Features and Specifications:
- Performance
It is a known fact that Samsung improves its performance year by year and it is true in the case of Samsung Galaxy S9 Plus. The 6 GB RAM and 2.7 GHz SoC along with raw power are quite impressive. There are two storage variants, the 64 GB and the 256 GB expandable memory. This accounts for a flawless experience for passionate gamers. Even the most graphic demanding games were able to run smoothly on the device. Plus the 6GB RAM makes sure that you can easily resume a game without any hassles even after a long time. In order to save the battery life, the Game Launcher enables users to switch performance modes.
The dual-speaker setup defeats every other smartphone out there in terms of loudness as well as clarity. This contributes to an excellent movie-watching and a gaming experience. The AKG tuned headphones provided in the set do perfect justice to the device by providing clear and well-balanced audio. The high-quality speakers also ensure an improved call quality where you can hear the person on the other end of the call clearly and loudly even in a noisy environment.
As far as the face unlock is considered, the multimodal biometric authentication provides an edge to this smartphone that scans the iris and eliminates all the security issues that many smartphone users have been recently facing with face recognition.
- Camera
Speaking of the major modification, the handset has a camera with the widest aperture ever witnessed on a smartphone. If you set it on auto mode, it will automatically make switches between F/1.5 and 2.4. If you wish to change it manually, opt for the pro mode. The best thing about this 12 MP camera with a wide angle is that in this model, Samsung has tried to make the color vibrancy of the objects as natural as possible. Sometimes the images appear a little washed out but in bright light, the quality is unmatchable.
- Software
With added customizations on the display screen and a comparatively smoother user experience, the software has definitely witnessed an upgrade. With the more transparent lock screen notifications and a polished UI, the overall theme has witnessed an increment in the size. Samsung Pay has been developed so that you can use it in cases where you normally swipe cards. The Samsung Galaxy S9 Plus provides a secure space in the form of Samsung Knox with an upgrade to Knox 3.1 that secures your data to such a level that no third party can even take a sneak peak.
- Display
It features a 6.2-inch display, curved and Super AMOLED with a Quad HD+ resolution. During the launch of Galaxy S8, most users complained about the brightness levels while some were dissatisfied with the prominent reddish tinge. The modifications Samsung made with tits S9 Plus version indicate that it actually listens to the users. Despite the fact that colors are not the very best expression of reality, they look as natural as possible without any additional hues. The accuracy of the colors is fantastic. The images look like what they appear on your laptop screen, not extra enhanced like in most smartphones.
The 529 PPI pixel density ensure an excellent level of sharpness while viewing images and text. The display is definitely brighter than the previous variants, thus, looking at the screen under bright sunlight is definitely easier. The basic and the adaptive screen modes improve the versatility of the phone and make sure that users of varying preferences can easily use it. Even though the display is mostly of cool tones, the users can customize it accordingly.
Cons:
- The Settings Menu
The settings are a bit complicated for the users switching to this model from smartphones offered by other brands. It takes quite some time to find out what you actually need. In this fast-paced world, such sheer wastage of time is not viable at all.
- Lack Of Innovation
The Samsung Galaxy S9 Plus hasn’t been successful in giving the users enough reasons to upgrade from the previous version. Even though the camera is excellent, it doesn’t quite provide the required edge to make users choose this device over the competitors.
Should You Purchase Samsung Galaxy S9 Plus?
If an enhanced performance, improved display, flawless camera, impeccable gaming experience, and ultimate sound quality are your preferences then the Samsung Galaxy S9 Plus is the ideal smartphone for you at $720. But if you are looking for major design innovations to flaunt, you are better off with variants of Apple and One Plus.