As promised by Samsung, the Galaxy S9 and S9+ were launched on February 25, a day before the Mobile World Congress officially kicked off in Barcelona, Spain. On the face of it, both the devices look similar to their earlier counterparts, the Galaxy S8 and S8+. They’ve got the quintessential long screens, glass based aesthetics, rear fingerprint sensor (although, its position has been changed slightly), headphone jack and wireless charging along the lines of the S8. Nevertheless, the S9 and S9+ are superior in certain aspects especially the redefined camera system, which is the key highlight of these devices. It boasts of an adjustable aperture that allows taking lucid pictures in any amount of light.
Samsung has also rolled out the AR emojis in order to compete with the highly acclaimed Animojis from Apple. The feature requires users to capture their facial map in the phone with the help of the front and back facing cameras. They can also create emojis in the form of popular characters such as Mickey Mouse, all thanks to Samsung’s association with Disney. These are available in the form of stickers on the keyboard, more like bitmoji characters, for use in third party apps such as WhatsApp. This aspect, particularly, gives the smartphone an edge over its arch rival from the house of Apple.
The AI assistant, which has been made more powerful, encompasses a host of exciting new attributes. When the camera is positioned in front of a food item, it is capable of indicating its nutritional value, a feature health freaks are literally going gaga over. The assistant has also been empowered to serve as your guide in foreign locations due to its visual translation function. Moreover, users will now be able to purchase stuff directly using Bixby. The speakers, too, are 40% louder and support Dolby Atmos. The Samsung Galaxy S9 and S9+ will also feature apps optimized for enhancing the overall DeX Station experience.
The Samsung S9 and S9+ with 5.8 inch and 6.2 inch display respectively are anticipated to be the most sought after smartphones of the year, at least till the next versions of the iPhone are launched. You can buy the S9 for $720 and the S9+ for $840 directly from Samsung or through external carriers such as T mobile, Verizon, etc. The phones will be available in stores from March 16, although retailers will begin taking pre-orders from March 2. Currently, they can be purchased in blue, purple or black colors while other options might be released later.
