The Samsung Galaxy S9 and S9+ are now official and you can get one in Malaysia on 16 March 2018. If you’re wondering what’s new and whether or not you should make the switch, here are 9 things you need to know about the latest Samsung flagship duo.
Similar QuadHD+ Infinity Displays
The Galaxy S9 and S9+ retain the same respective 5.8″ and 6.2″ Infinity Displays that are curved at both edges. It still pushes QuadHD+ resolution on a SuperAMOLED panel. From the front, both look similar to its previous model but the bottom chin is slightly thinner.
There’s now an option to allow you to use the Galaxy S9/S9+’s home screen and app drawer in landscape mode. To enable this, just go to Home screen settings and disable the “Portrait only” option.
Stereo Speakers
For the first time on a Samsung flagship, there’s now stereo speakers that are tuned by AKG. It uses both the bottom-firing loudspeaker and earpiece to generate stereo sound. For a more immersive experience, there’s Dolby Atmos enhancement that you can enable from the notifications drop-down menu.
Most Advanced Camera Module
The Galaxy S9 and S9+ feature a 12MP camera with a variable aperture that can switch between F/1.5 and F/2.4. F/2.4 is great for outdoors while F/1.5 provides superior performance in low light conditions. This translates to 28% increase in brightness compared to the Galaxy S8 and with its multi-frame noise reduction feature, noise is reduced by 30% when compared to the Galaxy S8.
The larger Galaxy S9+ gets an extra secondary camera which provides 2X Optical zoom and Live Focus. Both cameras are optically stabilised on the Galaxy S9+, which is similar to the Galaxy Note8.
960fps Super Slow-mo
The Galaxy S9 and S9+ comes with a new Super Slow-mo feature which can turn a short 0.2-second moment into a dramatic 6-second clip. Using an automated motion detection feature, you can draw an area on the screen which will automatically trigger a slow-mo recording the moment a change is detected.
You can add music to your slow-mo videos, turn it into an animated GIF or use it as a Live wallpaper.
More RAM and More Storage
The Galaxy S9 comes with 4GB of RAM as standard but the Galaxy S9+ is bumped up to 6GB RAM for better performance. On top of that, Samsung Malaysia is offering more storage options for the Galaxy S9+ with 64GB, 128GB and 256GB of storage.
AR Emoji
The Galaxy S9 and S9+ has a new AR Emoji feature which will allow you to create your own 3D Avatar. Once created, it will generate up to 18 different expressions of your face which you can share across various applications including WhatsApp.
New fingerprint sensor and face unlock
The fingerprint sensor is now repositioned below the camera module, which makes it easier to locate. The sensor itself has been improved and it only takes 3 swipes to register a new fingerprint. The Galaxy S9 and S9+ also has an intelligent scan which combines both Face unlock and Iris scanning. With this combination, you can unlock your phone with your face in bright sunny conditions or with your eyes if your face is partially covered.
New Bixby Vision features
Bixby has a couple of new features including Live Translation using the phone’s camera. There’s also Places which allows you to discover your surroundings in AR and a Food feature which can tell the number of calories in your food.
It still has a headphone jack and microSD card expansion
While other smartphone makers are killing the headphone jack, the 3.5mm audio port is still here to stay on the Galaxy S9 and S9+. If you need more storage, it does support MicroSD expansion and it can accept up to 400GB in capacity. For the Malaysian marrket, we are getting the dual-SIM version.
Samsung Galaxy S9 & S9+ Official Pricing and Availability
Samsung Malaysia is accepting pre-orders for the Galaxy S9 & S9+ from 1 to 4 March 2018 and it will go on sale officially on 16 March 2018. There are a total of 4 models and they are priced as follows:
Galaxy S9 64GB — RM3,299
Galaxy S9+ 64GB — RM3,799
Galaxy S9+ 128GB — RM3,999
Galaxy S9+ 256GB — RM4,399
Only 3 colours will be available – Midnight Black, Coral Blue and Lilac Purple. According to Samsung’s pre-order page, the 256GB version of the Galaxy S9+ is only available in Midnight Black.
Galaxy S9 and S9+ pre-order customers will get a Harman Kardon Bluetooth speaker worth RM699. The pre-order promotion is also available from Celcom, Digi, Maxis, U Mobile, Yes, Harvey Norman, SenQ/Senheng, 11street, Lazada and Shopee. You can secure your unit by placing a RM300 deposit at Samsung Malaysia’s pre-order page.
