A Samsung apresentou neste domingo (25) o Galaxy S9 e o Galaxy S9 Plus (inclusive, já fizemos hands-on!). Por fora, o novo flagship da empresa se parece muito com o antecessor, o S8.
Por isso, pode bater a dúvida: o que realmente mudou? Como de costume, as maiores novidades estão debaixo do capô. Veja o que está diferente:
Esse é o Galaxy S9+, que tem câmera dupla
O que muda?
A diferença mais evidenciada pela própria Samsung é a câmera com lente de abertura variável. Ou seja, além de ter uma abertura enorme de f/1,5 (uma das maiores em smartphones), a câmera consegue fechar a abertura para f/2,4 quando a iluminação estiver boa.
Na prática, isso significa que as fotos devem ficar mais bem definidas em condições normais de luminosidade e bem mais claras mesmo com pouca luz (precisamente, 28% a mais em relação ao Galaxy S8). Além disso, a câmera agora tem recurso de slow motion de 240 fps a 1080p e um super slow motion de 960 fps, mas que grava por apenas 0,2 segundo.
Outra mudança muito bem-vinda é o novo posicionamento do leitor de impressões digitais, que agora fica embaixo da câmera e não do lado. Pessoalmente, ainda acho ruim ter que colocar o meu dedo atrás do smartphone para desbloqueá-lo, mas agora o leitor fica em uma área mais fácil de alcançar.
O alto-falante também foi melhorado: agora, o som é estéreo, como no iPhone 7: o áudio sai da parte debaixo do celular e também no alto-falante do telefone, acima da tela do aparelho. O som é otimizado pela AKG e tem suporte ao Dolby Atmos.
Novidades do Galaxy Note 8, como scanner de íris e reconhecimento facial, também chegaram ao Galaxy S9. Isso também traz outra possibilidade: AR emojis! Eles são avatares virtuais que imitam os movimentos do seu rosto. Como os animojis, do iPhone X. Ainda no software, o Bixby Vision agora é capaz de traduzir uma foto em tempo real e mostrar quantas calorias uma comida tem só pela foto.
Leia também: Uma olhada de perto no Galaxy S9 e S9+
Pela primeira vez em muito tempo, a Samsung vai trazer o modelo da linha S com um processador da Qualcomm, o Snapdragon 845. Normalmente, os modelos vinham com o chip Exynos, da Samsung, que tem desempenho semelhante, mas dessa vez a Samsung afirma que o Snapdragon 845 está “mais adaptado” às tecnologias de rede do Brasil.
Por fim, o Galaxy S9+ tem algumas novidades que não chegaram nem no S9 comum — e detalhamos mais as diferenças aqui. Entre elas, uma câmera dupla com zoom óptico de 2x e 6 GB de RAM, em comparação com 4 GB no Galaxy S9 (e também no S8).
O que continua o mesmo?
A semelhança mais notável e comemorada em relação à geração anterior é a permanência do conector de 3,5 mm para fones de ouvido, que ainda é importante para muita gente. Sim, a Samsung manteve essa entrada.
Além disso, as poucas bordas frontais, o que a Samsung chamada de tela infinita, também permaneceram. Naturalmente, os tamanhos de tela e resolução continuam os mesmos, com 5,8 polegadas para o Galaxy S9 e 6,2 polegadas para o S9+.
Por mais que o Galaxy S9+ tenha mais RAM e outra câmera, o Galaxy S9 ficou na mesma. Ele ainda tem 4 GB de RAM e uma câmera única, ainda que significativamente melhor em relação à geração anterior. Ambos os aparelhos, no entanto, continuam com a mesma bateria (em números), com 3.500 mAh e 3.000 mAh, respectivamente.
No geral, outros aspectos de design continuam exatamente os mesmos, incluindo a permanência do botão Bixby, o carregamento sem fio, a resistência IP68 e uma entrada no padrão USB-C.
Vale a pena trocar?
É uma decisão que cabe a você. No geral, há bastante diferença em relação ao Galaxy S8, mas pode não valer a pena pagar por outro celular topo de linha em questão de um ano para ter alguns refinamentos por dentro.
Se você tem um Galaxy S7 ou outro smartphone lançado antes de 2017 e ficou interessado no S9, pode ser que valha a pena. O aparelho ainda não tem preço oficial no Brasil, mas como a gente já sabe que vai ser bem caro, é bom ir preparando o bolso.
Uma alternativa pode ser optar pela compra de um Galaxy S8, que continua excelente e já foi visto na faixa de R$ 2.500 e deve abaixar ainda mais de preço. O Galaxy S7, dois anos depois do lançamento, já pode ser encontrado por R$ 1.500 — ou até menos!
The Galaxy S9 is not the model Samsung fans should buy because the larger Galaxy S9 Plus is superior in significant ways. But what are the differences between the Galaxy S9 Plus and its predecessor, the Galaxy S8 Plus, and has Samsung made enough changes to make this a worthwhile upgrade?
Here’s everything you need to know…
Galaxy S9 Plus (left), Galaxy S8 Plus (right)
SamsungDesign & Display - Evolution Not Revolution
Just like comparing Apple’s iPhone 6, iPhone 6S, iPhone 7 and iPhone 8 (guide for that here), at first glance it looks like Samsung has made no alterations to the Galaxy S9 Plus. Here are their displays:
- Galaxy S8 Plus - 6.2-inch Super AMOLED, 1440 x 2960 pixels (529 ppi pixel density), 84% screen-to-body ratio, Corning Gorilla Glass 5
- Galaxy S8 Plus - 6.2-inch Super AMOLED, 1440 x 2960 pixels (529 ppi pixel density), 84.2% screen-to-body ratio, Corning Gorilla Glass 5
And here are their dimensions:
- Galaxy S8 Plus - 159.5 x 73.4 x 8.1 mm (6.00 x 3.09 x 0.31-inch), 173g (6.10 oz)
- Galaxy S9 Plus - 158.1 x 73.8 x 8.5 mm (6.22 x 2.91 x 0.33-inch), 189g (6.67 oz)
The takeaways are the Galaxy S9 Plus has fractionally smaller bezels, resulting in a tiny 0.2% screen-to-body ratio increase (still higher than the notch-limited 82.9% ratio of the iPhone X), and it is slightly thicker and heavier (though shorter) than the Galaxy S8 Plus.
But look closer there is some great stuff hidden behind these numbers.
For starters, the Galaxy S9 Plus display is 20% brighter than the Galaxy S8 Plus with screen specialist DisplayMate labelling it "virtually indistinguishable from perfect" and the best display ever fitted into a smartphone (Apple’s iPhone X briefly snatched that title from the Galaxy Note 9). The display also has a thicker panel and, when combined with an upgraded aluminium chassis, is noticeably more resistant to drops.
Galaxy S9 Plus has the best smartphone display on the market
SamsungOmissions and irritants are addressed as well. The Galaxy range finally has stereo speakers (with the bonus of Dolby Atmos support) after Samsung copied Apple in amplifying the earpiece speaker. Meanwhile, the stupidly positioned rear fingerprint reader of the Galaxy S8 Plus has been moved centrally, below the new dual cameras (more later) for easier each.
Elsewhere the benefits of the Galaxy S8 Plus are kept: IP68 dust and water resistance, the microSD expansion slot (now compatible with cards up to 400GB) and the headphone jack. These latter two, in particular, have a dedicated following and are increasingly rare to find on rival phones.
Galaxy S9 Plus is more durable than its predecessor
SamsungAt launch, the Galaxy S9 Plus (and Galaxy S9) also get a new colour option: Lilac Purple. Titanium Gray will be available in some regions as well, alongside the Midnight Black and Coral Blue options you had with the Galaxy S8 Plus. Expect more to follow in the coming months as this is Samsung’s tactic to refresh its ranges as they age.
Read more - Samsung Galaxy S9 Vs Galaxy S9 Plus: What’s The Difference?
Biometrics - Hit And Miss Upgrades
Apple set the bar for Android handset makers with its launched Face ID on the iPhone X, the world’s first truly fast and accurate facial recognition system. With the Galaxy S9 Plus, Samsung has attempted to respond but the results are unconvincing.
‘Intelligent Scan’ is Samsung’s upgraded facial identification tech and it automatically switches between facial recognition (daylight) and iris recognition (for the night). This is a step up on the Galaxy S8 Plus, but the omission of a dot projector (critical to Face ID as it adds true depth sensing for greater reliability and security) means it is unlikely to challenge Apple’s advancement at the first attempt.
Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9 Plus bring 'Intelligent Scan' facial unlock
SamsungAlso likely to struggle is Samsung’s answer to Apple’s Animoji: ‘AR Emoji’. Their benefit is they are compatible with third-party apps (predictably, Animoji work only with iMessage), but their first iteration is a horrible trip down Uncanny Valley and the lack of depth sensing means their animations are less convincing.
Hopefully, this will improve over time, and it is possible Samsung will bring AR Emoji to the Galaxy S8 Plus. After all, there’s no technical reason not to as that phone also has facial recognition and iris scanners, they simply don’t alternate automatically like Intelligent Scan.
Samsung's AR Emojis are an Uncanny Valley nightmare
SamsungOf course the big upside the Galaxy S9 Plus has over both the Galaxy S8 Plus and iPhone X is the aforementioned fingerprint sensor. It’s more reliable and easier to reach than the sensor in the Galaxy S8 Plus and the iPhone X doesn’t even have one - a crazy move since it is undeniable that there are times it is more convenient to unlock your phone with your finger than your face.
Cameras - Dual Vs Singular
Here is arguably the number one reason not only to upgrade to the Galaxy S9 Plus instead of / from the Galaxy S8 Plus, but also to pick it over the smaller Galaxy S9.
In short: while the Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S8 Plus are limited to a single rear camera, the Galaxy S9 Plus has two. The additional camera is a 12 megapixel telephoto lens which gives the Galaxy S9 Plus true 2x optical zoom as well as Portrait Mode - a key selling point on the iPhone X, iPhone 8 Plus and Google Pixel 2 (which notably achieves excellent results with just a single camera).
Galaxy S9 Plus (left) adds a dual camera compared to the Galaxy S8 Plus (right)
SamsungAnd yet despite this, it is perhaps the primary wide angle rear camera on the Galaxy S9 Plus (and Galaxy S9) which is most noteworthy. This is the first mass-market smartphone camera to have a ‘dual aperture’, which means it can switch automatically between F1.5 (for low light) and the smaller F2.4 (for more detail in well-lit shots).
Galaxy S9's dual aperture illustration
SamsungIn theory, electronic shutters are so fast they can control light exposure perfectly well making dual apertures unnecessary, but early tests are positive. You can read more about this here.
Lastly, the Galaxy S9 Plus (like the Galaxy S9) adds a new ‘Super Slo-Mo’ mode which can shoot at 960fps at 720p resolution. That is enough to turn 0.2 seconds of footage into 6 seconds, though it is also limited to just 0.2 seconds of recording time with a smart sensor able to detect when rapid movement occurs.
Super Slo-Mo can automatically pick the right moment to slow a video
SamsungYes, there’s a lot to admire here but there’s also potentially one big problem.
In both the Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9 Plus, Samsung has not upgraded the front-facing camera from the already lacklustre module in the Galaxy S8 Plus. With the Pixel 2 already leaps and bounds ahead of the competition here, this is disappointing and Samsung’s Portrait Mode attempts with this camera are woeful.
If you’re a big fan of selfies, this could prove a dealbreaker.
Read more - Galaxy S9 Vs Galaxy S8: What’s The Difference?
Performance - ‘Good’ And ‘Bad’ Versions
The other controversial aspect of the Galaxy S9 Plus is its performance. Like previous models, Samsung is equipping it with different chipsets in different markets:
- Galaxy S9 (US) - Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 octa-core chipset (4x 2.7 GHz Kryo 385 Gold & 4x1.7 GHz Kryo 385 Silver CPUs), Adreno 630 GPU, 6GB of RAM
- Galaxy S9 (Europe and Asia) - Exynos 9810 (4x 2.8 GHz Mongoose M3 & 4x1.7 GHz Cortex-A55 CPUs), Mali-G72 MP18 GPU, 6GB of RAM
The problem is benchmarking has shown the Exynos 9810 to be a significantly better performer than the Snapdragon 845, leading to discontent among potential US buyers in particular. That said, the boost you get from this year’s chips is not a radical one. Samsung claims circa 20% and 30% improvements in performance and efficiency respectively.
Where the Galaxy S9 Plus does break away from the Galaxy S8 Plus (and Galaxy S9), however, is a jump from 4GB to 6GB of RAM. This is primarily due to the extra demands of its dual camera but will have a noticeable benefit to multitasking as well.
Elsewhere Samsung has boosted cellular performance on the Galaxy S9 Plus with new peak theoretical 4G speeds of 1200 megabit per second (Mbps) downloads and 200 Mbps uploads (Vs. 1024/150 Mbps from the Galaxy S8 Plus). Of course, you won’t see these speeds in real life, but the chip should deliver improved cellular reception as well. Bluetooth 5.0 and 802.11ac WiFi remain unchanged.
Software - Samsung’s Self Inflicted Own Goal
Buy a Samsung phone and you know incredible hardware is going to run into the company’s infamously bloated software and belated updates. That is the case more than ever with the Galaxy S9 Plus.
Samsung Galaxy S9 (left) and Galaxy S9 Plus (right) look stunning, but the software is the problem
SamsungFor starters, it will ship with six-month-old software (Android 8.0 Oreo) when even Android 8.1 is three months old, and pale Samsung imitations like Bixby (aka a poor Google Assistant) are expanding even further into its ‘Samsung Experience’ fork of stock Android. This includes needless experiences like virtual makeup simulators and feature duplication like product identification (Google Lens) and real-time text translation (literally Google Translate rebadged as a Samsung feature).
Elsewhere there is the usual bloatware of two app stores, two calculators, two web browsers, two mobile payment services, two media players, two clocks, etc. Everything will run smoothly enough at launch but whether Samsung has been able to stop the slowdowns which have so far hit all Galaxy devices 6-12 months down the line, remains to be seen.
It is what it is. If you want Samsung’s great hardware you have to accept the inherent compromise in its approach to software.
Battery Life - Stagnation Or Regression?
While less problematic than the Samsung Experience, there is also a potential regression in the Galaxy S9 Plus when it comes to battery life.
Like the Galaxy S8 Plus and Galaxy S7 Edge before it, Samsung has again stuck with a 3500 mAh battery. Admirably the company delivered decent battery life with the Galaxy S8 Plus despite it having a significantly larger display than the Galaxy S7 Edge (6.2 Vs 5.5-inches). But the Galaxy S9 Plus adds a dual camera and they are notoriously battery hungry so, depending on your usage patterns, you may suffer here.
Galaxy S9 Plus has fast wireless charging remains, just like the Galaxy S8 Plus
SamsungThen again, the best part about Samsung batteries is their quality. Both the Galaxy S8 Plus and Galaxy S8 Plus benefit from the Galaxy Note 7 debacle, which forced Samsung to overhaul its approach to battery manufacturing and the company’s ‘8 Point Quality Check’ is now the benchmark for safety and longevity.
The latter is particularly impressive as Samsung promises 95% battery capacity retention after two years (Apple expects 20% degradation year-on-year). As such, while neither delivers class-leading battery life new, as they age they are likely to outlast all their rivals.
Samsung also continues to provide perhaps the greatest flexibility when it comes to charging.
Nothing has changed from the Galaxy S8 Plus, but you’ll still get fast wired charging (with a bundled charger - unlike someone) and fast 15W wireless charging. It would’ve been nice to see some wired charging speed improvements (OnePlus’ Dash Charge still leads the way), but there’s little to complain about here.
Price And Storage - Global Differences
While most US carriers got greedy and Samsung hiked prices for the Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9 Plus around the world, it turns out that buying directly from Samsung in the States will actually save you money compared to last year:
- Galaxy S9 Plus - 64GB - $840 (pre-tax) / €999 (post-tax) / £869 (post-tax)
- Galaxy S8 Plus - 64GB - $850 (pre-tax) / €899 (post-tax) / £779 (post-tax)
This makes the Galaxy S9 Plus significantly cheaper than its obvious rival, the iPhone X ($999 pre-tax), and only $40 more expensive than the iPhone 8 Plus, which has a four-year-old design. Samsung has also announced 128GB and 256GB variants of the Galaxy S9 Plus, but both country-specific pricing and availability have yet to be announced.
Then again the real rival for the Galaxy S9 Plus could well be the Galaxy S8 Plus. Unlike iPhones, Samsung’s smartphones fall in price consistently throughout the year and carriers are likely to offer sub $600 deals on the Galaxy S8 Plus over the rest of the year. That’s a lot of smartphone for your money.
Samsung's Galaxy S9 has the Galaxy S9 Plus (right) fix many problems, but they are not perfect... [+] smartphones
SamsungEarly Verdict
Just like the Galaxy S9, the Galaxy S9 Plus is not a major departure from the Galaxy S8 Plus. But the changes it has made - for the most part - are smart.
Samsung deserves credit for its added durability, dual speakers, class-leading display and daring to do something different with smartphone photography. It also deserves credit for sticking to its guns and keeping the microSD slot and headphone jack while others mindlessly follow whatever Apple does next.
If you hear someone criticising Samsung for keeping essentially the same design for two years in a row, point out that the iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus are four-year-old designs.
On the flip side, the Galaxy S9 Plus battery should’ve been larger, the unchanged front camera is a bad error, Intelligent Scan is a halfway measure and software will always be Samsung’s Achilles Heel, as long as the company continues to believe it is essential to extensively customise something that doesn’t need extensive customisation.
The Galaxy S9 Plus is obviously a superior phone to the Galaxy S8 Plus, but the latter is clearly better value for money. Your bank account will tell you if Cutting Edge or Cost should be your priority.
Some will argue the Galaxy S9 Plus is what the Galaxy S8 Plus should have been from the start. They might be right, but the latter was still a great phone in 2017 and few should complain about having the rough edges removed in 2018…
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