Hands on with the new Samsung Galaxy S9

Hands on with the new Samsung Galaxy S9

The Samsung Galaxy S9 isn’t a huge leap forward from its predecessor. In a very Apple-like move, this handset looks pretty much identical to the S8 – but comes with a few important tweaks. No one’s ever going to make an inspirational, Oscar-winning biopic about this phone’s against-all-odds creation, but such are the benefits of being Number 1. And on first impressions, that’s exactly where the Samsung’s Galaxy S9 belongs.

SAMSUNG GALAXY S9 CAMERAS

Even though this phone’s snapper sticks with the same 12MP pixel count, dual-pixel autofocus and optical image stabilisation as the S8, it has one feature that should really improve your photos: a dual aperture lens. This means the Galaxy S9 can vary the light it uses for more detail and better contrast in its photos. Paired with multi-frame noise reduction, the S9 certainly promises to take a fantastic photo.

SAMSUNG GALAXY S9 SCREEN AND DESIGN

Although the S9 has undergone a reasonable amount of internal tinkering, you’re not going to notice any of that on first glance: the S9 is essentially the S8, with a different fingerprint scanner and some new colour options. The S9 retains the S8’s curved 5.8in, Quad HD Super AMOLED screen, with an 18.5:9 aspect ratio that allows for those gloriously skinny bezels. How good is the S9’s display likely to be? Only last year’s iPhone X had a better screen than the Galaxy S8.

SAMSUNG GALAXY S9 PERFORMANCE & SOFTWARE

Aside from Samsung’s brand new Exynos 9810 processor, which promises to be faster and more efficient than ever before, things are pretty much unchanged when it comes to the Galaxy S9’s internals. You still get 4GB RAM, 64GB storage, and a 3000mAh battery that’ll happily see you through a day and a bit’s worth of YouTube, WhatsApp and Instagramming.

SAMSUNG GALAXY S9 AR EMOJI

Instead of totally ripping off the Animoji concept, Samsung has created its own AR Emoji concept, one that uses the phone’s front scanner to create a cartoon-like character in your likeness and then present you with an array of animated GIFs. It’s a neat idea, but one that’s not entirely different to the Miis you used to be able to make with Nintendo’s Wii.

SAMSUNG GALAXY S9 INITIAL VERDICT

The Galaxy S9 is the technological equivalent of a football team winning the Premier League at a canter, and still spending £100 million pounds on a new striker in the next transfer window. Fundamentally, it’s the same phone as before we’re talking about here, but Samsung isn’t gonna rest too lazily on its laurels. An improved camera and refined design should help retain its Number 1 status without too much trouble. At least until the next round of iPhones and Google Pixel devices come along.