The latest flagships in Samsung’s Galaxy line are official and available for pre-order. Full retail devices will start shipping in a few weeks, but if you are thinking about getting either the S9 or the S9+, here are a few things you should check out first.
Here is a quick rundown of the specs – courtesy of the guys at Droid-Life:
Official Samsung Galaxy S9, Galaxy S9+ Specs
| Galaxy S9 | Galaxy S9+ | |
|---|---|---|
| Display | 5.8″ QHD+ Curved Super AMOLED (18.5:9, 570ppi) | 6.2″ QHD+ Curved Super AMOLED (18.5:9, 529ppi) |
| Android OS | Android 8.0 Oreo | |
| Processor | US: Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 World: Exynos 9810 |
|
| Memory | Storage: 64GB/128GB/256GB RAM: 4GB |
Storage: 64GB/128GB/256GB RAM: 6GB |
| Camera | Rear: Super Speed Dual Pixel 12MP AF sensor with OIS (F1.5/F2.4) Front: 8MP AF (F1.7) |
Rear: Dual Camera with Dual OIS – Wide-angle: Super Speed Dual Pixel 12MP AF sensor (F1.5/F2.4) – Telephoto: 12MP AF sensor (F2.4) Front: 8MP AF (F1.7)) |
| Battery | 3000mAh Fast Charging (QC 2.0) Wireless Charging |
3500mAh Fast Charging (QC 2.0) Wireless Charging |
| Connectivity | WiFi 802.11ac Bluetooth 5.0 NFC MST |
|
| Network | Enhanced 4X4 MIMO / CA, LAA, LTE Cat.18 | |
| Other | USB-C Fingerprint reader Iris Scanner |
|
| Audio | AKG tuned Stereo speakers 3.5mm headphone jack |
|
| Water Resistance | IP68 | |
| Size | 147.7mm x 68.7mm x 8.5mm 163g |
158.1mm x 73.8mm x 8.5mm 189g |
| Colors | Midnight Black, Lilac Purple, Coral Blue (Titanium Grey available only outside the United States) | |
Pre-orders are avaiable now, and the device will start to ship on or about March 16, 2018. They also have a really great rundown on pricing of the device (and why you should avoid buying it directly from Verizon) which I’ll put the link to here. Suffice it to say, off contract and full retail – you are looking at about $720 USD for the Galaxy S9 and about $840 for the S9+ – not peanuts, but also very much in line with last years S8 and S8+ devices, which is really great news in a world where an iPhone X and Note 8 start just south of a grand.
Now – what do the devices look like and what are some of the features? I’m glad you asked! First, check out my man Jonathan from TLD Today and his video on the S9+ – it’s a short 7 minutes that covers a LOT of the basics about what the new hotness is with the S9+ over the S8+ – its a really good look. Make sure you also check out this article from Android Police which again covers some of the basics and a few more nuggets about when and how to pre-order either of the devices. They also have a write up on how Display Mate has named the S9 and S9+ displays as the best in the world (yes, even over the iPhone X and the Note 8) and you should also read David Ruddock’s op-ed piece on why these phones are supposed to be boring. While I don’t necessarily agree with all his opinions, its definitely a must-read for prospective owners.
Finally, a few more video “first impressions” and “hands-on” reviews from MKBHD and the Verge, both of whom do a great job at running down the pros/cons of these devices as upgrades from any previous Samsung phone. Plus, I personally trust them to give a fair and mostly unbiased point of view on these devices, which is harder than you think to find these days.
We will also (hopefully very soon) have our owns hands on and review of at least one of the phones – make sure you leave us a comment below if there is something you’d like to see us cover in our review.
Silicon Theory 