New Samsung Galaxy S9 and S9+ cost more than Rs 50k: Are they worth buying?
On February 6, Samsung launched its flagship line-up of phones for 2018, the Galaxy S9 and S9+. The two phones had been unveiled at the Mobile World Congress 2018 in Barcelona, where the South Korean tech giant had shown off the gadgets as possible success factors.
Available for pre-order via Samsung's website, the phones will go on sale in India starting March 16.
It being the first time Samsung is bringing its flagship line-up to the country so close to its international debut, the move points to the growing importance of India in the smartphone maker's grand plans.
Design
The Galaxy S9 and S9+ borrow heavily from the DNA of its predecessor. The two devices come with a similar design scheme seen in last year's phone which, to be honest, was a hit with buyers across the world. Samsung claims with the two new phones it has trimmed down the bezel some more to give the phone a more edge-to-edge feel.
The only noticeable difference is on the back of the phones which now house the fingerprint sensor just below the camera sensor as opposed to last year's models which came with the fingerprint scanner to the left of the camera module. Another point of difference in the design of the Galaxy S9+ is the presence of a dual camera module instead of a single sensor one on last year's device.
Overall in terms of exteriors, the two devices look and feel very much like last year's offerings and come with subtle changes to an already popular design that has been only improved upon this year.
Specifications
The S8 line-up from Samsung to date boasts of extremely powerful phones that come with the very best in terms of internals. This year's Samsung flagships builds on that. The Galaxy S9 includes a 5.8-inch AMOLED display capable of displaying up to a WQHD+ (2960x1440) resolution at an aspect ratio of 18:5:9. The phone that makes way to India will be powered by Qualcomm’s Exynos 9810 SoC paired with 4GB of RAM and 64/256GB of storage.
The S9+ sports a larger 6.2-inch display capable of scaling up to the same resolution as on the S9. The two phones also share the same 9810 SoC, however, the S9+ comes 6GB of RAM 64/256GB storage options. The Galaxy S9 features a 3,000mAh battery, while the Galaxy S9+ comes packing a 3,500mAh battery.
All about cameras
Though the Galaxy S9 and S9+ come with similar exteriors and serve only as an incremental upgrade when it comes to the core specs. However, it is in the optics department that the phone really shines. Samsung claims that the S9 and S9+ camera modules have been "reimagined", and rightly so.
First, for a smartphone, the S9 comes with variable aperture on its primary 12-Megapixel camera allowing the phone to switch between f/2.4 and smallest-in-class f/1.5 aperture mechanically.
The S9+ on the other hand also gets a 'reimagined' camera module and in the process becomes the first phone in the line-up's history to come with not one but two lenses. The dual camera setup features the same 12-Megapixel adjustable aperture lens paired alongside a telephoto lens for better shots.
Needless to say, the specs make this one of the better cameras on a smartphone right now. DxO, one of the more trusted names in photography circles and well known for its benchmarking tool DxOMark, has also given the S9+ its approval with a score of 99. This makes the device the highest-rated smartphone for clicking pictures.
Price and availability
The two phones have been priced quite competitively, with the S9 starting at Rs 57,900 for the 64GB variant and going all the way up to Rs 65,900 for the 256GB one. The S9+, on the other hand, will be available for as low as Rs 64,900 for 64GB while the 256GB variant of the phone will be sold in the country for Rs 72,900. The two phones will be available in Lilac Purple, Coral Blue, and Midnight Black.
However, these prices can be substantially brought down by taking advantage of the many schemes that Samsung is offering. To begin with, the company is offering a flat Rs 6,000 cashback for customers buying the phones from Paytm Mall or HDFC credit and debit card holders buying the phones from offline stores.
Further, customers exchanging old Samsung devices will get a discount of Rs 6,000 over and above the exchange value of their old Samsung device.
As mentioned earlier, the S9 and S9+ will start selling on March 16 across various brick and mortar as well as e-stores. Samsung has announced that it has partnered with a number of telecom operators – including Reliance Jio, Airtel and Vodafone – to bring to the consumers great offers and deals.
Aimed at Indian audiences
It's clear from Samsung's pitch that the smartphone maker is looking to cement its position in the Indian market. To this effect, it has brought the S9 line-up to the country at an attractive price point. But it hasn't stopped there.
Apart from the deal and discounts, Samsung is also looking to differentiate its flagship offering by supplementing the device and deals with a number of unique services that it hopes will make the S9 phones a success. One of these is what Samsung claims to be the result of its close partnership with leading network providers in the country.
According to Samsung, its new flagship line-up, if paired with a Reliance Jio or Airtel 4G SIM, will provide 2.5 times better data speeds than any other smartphone in the same area and on the same network. Though this claim will have to be tested in the days to come, but if it does indeed end up being true, it could prove to be a serious advantage for Samsung in it's bid to retain the crown of the premium smartphone segment in the country.
Should you buy it?
The phone has the best in class camera module capable of toggling between aperture for daylight (f/2.4) and low light (f/1.5). The phone can also shoot super slow-mo videos at up to 960fps. In terms of specs, design and the deals on offer, the Samsung Galaxy S9 and S9+ again makes for a compelling argument.
Suffice to say, if you're in the market for a premium flagship phone and willing to spend north of Rs 55,000-60,000 on your next phone, the Samsung Galaxy S9 line-up should be right up in your list. However, if you're looking for something more affordable then fret not, because there are other phones in the market right now – for example, the Nokia 8 Sirocco – that looks almost as beautiful and provides almost similar power and features at a lower price point.