The Samsung Galaxy S9 Plus – The Ultimate Guide
The S9 Plus – The Ultimate Guide
The Mobile World Congress is the biggest date in the calendar of anyone who’s anyone in the smartphone industry. As for the star of the show for 2018 well that was arguably the S9 alongside its bigger sibling and the focus of this guide the S9+.
To put it simply – the Samsung S9+ looks set to continue its rein as the smartest oversized smartphones out there – with seriously powerful incredibly sophisticated next-gen features.
With a launch price of £869 (compared to the S9 price tag of £739 and an increase on the 2017 Plus model at £779) this bigger brother is quite the investment. So the question is just what this extra £130 gets in terms of bang-for-your-buck.
In this guide we provide the answer – covering the specs the techie details and the features for the S9+ (and if you want the low down on the S9 check out: Everything You Need to Know About the New Samsung Galaxy S9).
The Quick-Fire Overview
Just like the smaller S9 this handset is rocking an exceptional camera as well as fuller crisper sound and a crystal-clear display that has made almost-impossible leaps and bounds on the already impressive pixels of the S8.
This feature-packed piece of tech will be wrapped in a Midnight Black Coral Blue or Lilac Purple casing (the Lilac Purple being brand new for 2018 which will be joined later this year by a Maple Gold version).
While it’s safe to say that the Samsung S9+ showcases much of the same specs as the S8+ the core defining difference between the handsets is the dual 12-megapixel camera with dual-pixel autofocus and optical image stabilisation.
The Techie Details – The S9 versus the S9 Plus
SUMMARY
S9 S9 Plus
Performance Octa core Octa core
Display 5.8 (14.73 cm) 6.2 (15.75 cm)
Storage 64 GB 64 GB
Camera 12 MP 12 MP
Battery 3000 mAh 3500 mAh
Ram 4 GB 6 GB
SPECIAL FEATURES
Iris Scanner Yes Yes
Fingerprint Sensor Position Rear Rear
Fingerprint Sensor Yes Yes
DESIGN
Thickness 8.5 mm 8.5 mm
Width 68.7 mm 73.8 mm
Weight 163 grams 189 grams
Waterproof Yes Water resistant (up to 30 minutes in a depth of 1.5 meter) IP68
Ruggedness Dust proof Dust proof
Height 147.7 mm 158.1 mm
The Price
As already mentioned the launch price of the S9+ will be £869 (a jump of £90 on the S8+).
If you’re considering buying via contract (as most of us with limited pockets will be) the cheapest packages are currently beginning from £51 a month with a free S9+ or £180 upfront with a £44 monthly fee.
The S9 and the S9+ - A Rapid Run Through of Shared Spec
Here’s a quick summary of the main shared features that are new for both the S9 and the S9+:
· Sharper (and Louder) Sounds – With speakers that are clearer and cleaner sounding (and louder by up to 40%).
· The rollout of Android Oreo – A new OS enhancement for improved battery life better control of notifications and native picture-in-picture functionality.
· A More Finger-Friendly Sensor – Overcoming perhaps the only design flaw of the S8 and S8+ is the newly located sensor. This will be more ergonomic and perform better – allowing for fingerprint set up with just three swipes as compared to an average of 16 swipes on the S8 and S8+.
· Improvements to Samsung’s Smart Assistant – Bixby the Samsung Smart Assistant is set to feature new possibilities such as calorie estimations of the plate of food in front of you; a beautify mode for your photos and menu/text language translation.
· AR Emojis - Samsung’s equivalent to Apple’s brand-new Animoji feature. This will use high-tech facial recognition to create a smooth pixelated you.
The Features that Define the S9+ from the S9
Dual Cameras
The Plus will showcase not one but two cameras on the back – both packing in 12 megapixels. This will allow you to flip and switch between telephoto and wide-angle with both featuring a 2x optical zoom.
Both the S9 and the S9+ cameras will have adjustable aperture – which in layman’s terms means that the camera will intelligently adjust its settings to make the best use of the light. Ultimately this will create pictures that feature more colour and more detail (which is why the S9 and the S9+ have been given the tagline of “the camera reimagined”).
Both phones will also feature super Slo-mo which works at a seriously slow 960 frames per second (making it four times slower than the S8).
More Speed More Memory
The S9 and S9+ will have a new Exynos 9810 system-on-a-chip for top-spec Android power and the S9+ will bolster its memory to a 6GM RAM – for unparalleled performance in the crowded smartphone marketplace.
The marketing of the S9 and S9+ has focused on the drastically improved cameras. Yet there’s plenty more reasons to argue for an upgrade from the S8 or S8+ despite the handsets sharing the same stunning looks.
For fans of the super-size smartphone experience the boosted speed and double-up rear camera of the S9+ provide more than enough incentive to go for an upgrade (and for the most impressive Plus smartphone yet you’ll probably want to encase your spanking-new tech in a worthy Samsung Galaxy S9+ Case).