Samsung Galaxy S9, S9+ first look & impressions: Camera for low-light photos, AR emojis big takeaways

Samsung Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9+ – the two new flagship smartphones have finally been unveiled – and as the teasers suggested, the South Korean giant’s new phones have a “reimagined” camera. Dual aperture, 3D AR Emojis, super-slow motion video capturing in both smartphones and a dual camera for the S9+ were the biggest highlights from the Samsung’s Unpacked 2018 Event. But that’s not the only feature that stood out for us as we got our hands on the Samsung Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9+. From dual speakers that offer an immersive “cinema-like” audio experience to a more intelligent Bixby Live Translation – there are multiple new features in the Galaxy S9 and S9 + even as Samsung sticks to the same design as S8 and S8 +. Below are our first impressions of the S9 and S9+ as we spent around 20 minutes with the new smartphones at a demo by Samsung.

Camera:

For most people, camera is one of the most important features in a smartphone. As Samsung pointed out in its launch yesterday, 1.2 trillion photos were taken by people on their smartphones last year! It’s no surprise then that Samsung decides to introduce the biggest change to its new flagship smartphones – Galaxy S9 and S9+ – by focusing on the camera. For the first time, Samsung has introduced dual aperture cameras on its smartphones. To put it simply, a wider aperture helps click decent photos even in very low light. At the demo, Samsung clicked an image of a room with very low light, and the photo was quite impressive. We tried our hands on the phone too and the ability to take good clarity images in such low light is a definite plus for the smartphone.

While Galaxy S9 comes with a 12 MP rear camera with super speed dual pixel and AF sensor with Optical Image Stabilisation (F 1.5/F 2.4), the S9+ has a dual rear camera Dual Optical Image Stabilisation. These are wide angle super-speed dual pixel; AF sensor with Optical Image Stabilisation (F 1.5/F 2.4) and Telephoto (12 MP AF sensor F2.4). Both smartphones have a front 8 MP camera. Samsung Galaxy S9 and S9+ come with a new super-slow mode for video recording that the company claims allows you to capture 960 frames per second. We tried our hands at this feature too and the videos that we captured very quite stunning.

Bixby Live Translation:

This virtual assistant feature by Samsung attains a new level of intelligence by allowing users to get live information on Bixby Live Translation. You can now get live information on buildings, food and menu by hovering your cameras on them. For example, I am in Spain and not understanding the language I have struggled with making sense of the food menus. The Bixby Live Translation means that I have to hover my Samsung Galaxy S9 or S9 + camera on the menu and it will automatically translate it into a language of my choice. We tried this feature at a Samsung demo in languages as varied as English, Hindi and even Punjabi! Add to this the fact that you can also focus your camera on a building and get relevant information about it, or even food and get information on likely number of calories! Out of the three, what stood out for me was the translation feature, it’s quite helpful if you travel frequently. The only caveat is that Bixby Live Translation requires a working internet connection, which may not always be available, especially given how expensive data is in foreign countries.

AR Emojis:

Emojis are a rage, whether on Facebook, WhatsApp, Snapchat or any other social media platform. People love to share expressions rather than type them out. With AR or Augmented Reality emojis, Samsung personalises your emojis to give them a 3D picture-like feel. Take a selfie in the AR Emoji mode, create an emoji and even get to choose the skin tone, hairstyle and clothing! As many as 18 expressions can be created with the help of this feature and you can share it across most social media platforms – WhatsApp, Facebook messenger etc. It’s fun to try it out and a funny 3D image getting created. This is likely to be a hit with the younger generation.

Other specifications:

Samsung Galaxy S9 and S9+ retain the same screen sizes of 5.8 and 6.2 inches, though the infinity display is more immersive. Expandable storage of up to 400 GB means you can store way more music, photos, videos and movies compared to the S8 and S8+. As mentioned above, the S9 and S9+ come with dual stereo speakers (immersive audio with Dolby Atmos). That’s a definite plus for music and movies, and entertainment lovers.

At 163 grams for S9 the weight is slightly more than the S8, and for S9+ it is 189 grams, a tad bit more than S8+ with 173 grams weight. The battery capacity for S9 and S9+ remain unchanged from their predecessors at 3,000 mAH and 3,500 mAH respectively. However, Samsung promises fast wireless charging. The S9 and S9+ are IP68 dust and water resistant. The new smartphones come in colours of Midnight Black, Coral Blue Lilac Purple and Titanium Gray.

Samsung S9, S9+ India launch and price:

Samsung Galaxy S9 and S9 + will launch globally on March 16, but the India launch date is not yet confirmed. However, pre-booking for the smartphones has started on the Samsung India website for an initial amount of Rs 2,000. The price for US market has been announced at $719.99 for Samsung Galaxy S9 and $839.99 for Samsung Galaxy S9+. That roughly converts to Rs 47,000 and Rs 54,400. However that’s a simple mathematical exchange rate conversion that we are doing and the actual price may differ based on manufacturing costs, import duties etc. Samsung Galaxy S9 and S9+ will compete with Google Pixel and Apple iPhones. Our first impressions suggest that Samsung has rolled out appealing smartphones in the market, but their pricing will be key to deciding success in the price-sensitive Indian market. A detailed analysis will only be possible after the India launch and proper review time with the new S9 and S9+. (The journalist is in Barcelona on the invitation of Samsung)