Samsung Galaxy S9 test: is it really better than its predecessor 

Nothing can resist him, the benchmarks show it very well. We expected no less from Samsung, so much so that we can sometimes wonder what we are going to do with all this power. We will answer that it is better too much than not enough, it makes the smartphone a little more “future proof”.

Test – Samsung Galaxy S9: The photo is not enough

He is certain phones that we expect with a little more excitement than others. After several years to test smartphones of all range and all quality, it is always a bit feverish that we approach the new iPhone and the new Galaxy S. This year will not change the situation. After a handling in preview in February then a new contact at the MWC, it is all the same with a touch of anxiety that these lines come to us.

The S9 therefore succeeds the S8, the lifespan of which has been slightly shorter than usual since it was marketed on April 21, 2017, or 11 months. It’s short enough to give birth to a new flagship, even if gestation lasted longer. We don’t doubt it.

Because if visually the two products are very similar, Samsung still operated a small revolution on the photo side: for the first time on a smartphone (if we put aside certain exotic products) we have a variable opening thanks to a diaphragm physical. Prowess that should not be overlooked and which should not have been easy to develop.

Thus, a bit like an “S” iPhone, the Galaxy S9 appears as a “transition” model, providing much more technical innovations than aesthetic. It is still necessary that it is well executed. This is what we will see in this test.

Callipyge smartphone

Nothing is more like a Galaxy S8 that a Galaxy S9. From the front, it is simply impossible to distinguish the two. Samsung may say that the borders were refined, difficult to see a difference. By putting the products side by side there is a very slight reduction, but it remains negligible.

Continuity is good, however: the Galaxy S9 is beautiful, like its predecessor. These curved side borders are certainly useless, but they always have their effect and give the Galaxy S (and note) recent an element of distinction towards the rest of the. It is all the more true that it is difficult to imitate, unlike the “notch” of theiPhone X which will become as popular in the coming months as the screen 18: 9 has been the latter.

At the rear, the design teams did not work hard since the only notable difference is to be found at the location of the fingerprint. He is deported under the APN and no longer on the side, like what we could see on the Galaxy A8. The main advantage is to make it more accessible, or simply usable in reality.

In short, the physique of the Galaxy S9 is not innovative, but it is far from ungrateful. This is the essential, and unlike Apple that hangs around almost the curves ” Iphone 6 Since 2014, those of Samsung have not been there for 11 months, too early to really get bored.

AMOLED EXEED

Samsung offers AMOLED screens from the first galaxy s of the name, the firm therefore had time to master the technology perfectly, we have new proof of it. As for several years, the S9 slab is perfectly adjusted and we take advantage of the infinite contrasts in technology. On the other hand, the use of “basic” mode will be recommended to have the fairest colors. The adaptive is undoubtedly a little cold by default, but it has the merit of adjusting according to the environment.

No change for the definition, we are still in front of a slab displaying 2960 x 1440 (at the ratio 18.5: 9 therefore) in the best case, this resolution of 567 ppi brings nothing visually compared to FHD+ (2220 x 1080). It is therefore this definition that we recommend to relieve the SoC and thus save battery. You will need it, we will see it below.

It is a fact now known, if we benefit from more display space, the 18.5: 9 format is not suitable for most video content and games. Until the platforms and publishers adapt to this ratio which has become a quasi-norm in record time, it will be necessary to undergo black bars or cut part of the screen. You are spoiled for the choice of embarrassment.

This is the power

To propel his S9, Samsung relies on one of his homemade SoC: the exynos 9810. It is a chip with 8 cores engraved in 10 Nm and clocked at 2.7 GHz for the four fastest cores. It is supported in this case by 4 GB of RAM which will help for multitasking. Thanks to the reinforcement of the GPU Mali 960, the trio plays virtuosity the most delicate partitions.

Nothing can resist him, the benchmarks show it very well. We expected no less from Samsung, so much so that we can sometimes wonder what we are going to do with all this power. We will answer that it is better too much than not enough, it makes the smartphone a little more “future proof”.

By default, the S9 is offered with 64 GB of storage, sufficient for ordinary people. If it is not enough, you can opt for 256 GB and even add a cardsd. This year – and for the first time on a European galaxy S – the smartphone will be able to accommodate a second SIM card in place of the SD card. This will be useful for travelers and two mobile lines.

Once again, Samsung certifies his IP68 smartphone, which will allow him to spend 30 min underwater at a meter deep without being damaged. It is always a more appreciable that prevents certain accidents and is practical on a daily basis, especially as summer approaches.

Disappointing autonomy

The series has shine for a few years by its autonomy, but unfortunately Samsung is struggling to do the same on the S and note. It must be said that the brand has chosen a battery of 3000 mAh, as much as the A8 … with significantly lower performance. So we have S9 which will ensure the bare minimum.

We can hold a working day with a relatively easily common use. But if you use your phone a little too regularly during the day and you risk playing in transport, you could end up in the red zone at the start of the evening. It’s frankly a shame on a high -end phone.

Fortunately, there are simple ways to reduce the consumption of the S9: reduce the definition of the screen to FHD+ as we said above, and above all deactivate the Always-On screen which once again consumes a little too much compared to uses of use it offers.

The two falls correspond to “prolonged” use of the screen

Here we have the first problem of this S9, it really is the bare minimum. It’s unfortunate. You will have to see if the Galaxy S9+ with its 3500 mAh battery is better (spoiler: a little). We will console ourselves with the presence of fast recharging: just under 2 hours for a complete recharge. Wireless recharge is also there and is practical to give a smile to accumulators during the day at the office for example.

For a handful of diaphs ’

We come to the main dish of this S9: the photo. As we said in the introduction, the S9 is the first modern smartphone to offer a diaphragm. Modern, because Nokia had already attempted it on the N8 in 2007. Samsung thus offers two openings for its 12 Mpx sensor inherited from the S8: F/1.5 or f/2.4, allowing to enter more or less light. This opening is not equivalent to the market for the moment, the LG G6 reaching “only” f/1.6 and S8 F/1.7. Samsung thus announces 28% additional light compared to the previous model, or note 8 which has the same main sensor.

This light gain allows Samsung to lower (a little) sensitivity and therefore reduce the grain in low light. Note that in automatic mode the transition from one opening to another is done at 100 lux, which corresponds roughly to a moderately lit room, like a room. Samsung succeeds in his bet, at least in part. By examining the exif files of the various comparative shots with note 8, the S9 drops well the ISO or reduces the time of exposure according to the circumstances.

Visually, the shots of the S9 are generally better than those of NOTE 8. We will mainly appreciate the sensitive reduction in electronic noise and more vivid colors, we could still have a little more details. Smoothing, although less aggressive, can also tend to create some errors such as We had already seen it in our first comparison. Fortunately, these approximations go unnoticed most of the time. In broad daylight, we take advantage of the reduced opening to get a little more dive on the images, but the thing did not hit us either. The smartphone ultimately holds a good part of its promises, but there are improvement points. The invention of Samsung is nonetheless promising and we look forward to seeing how the firm will make it evolve on the next models.

The noise is very clearly lower on the S9. CROP 100%; Complete images: Galaxy S9; Galaxy Note 8

Samsung also highlights a mode slowed down at 960 frames per second. If we appreciate the technical feat, we are still not convinced of the real interest of such a function. The latter always appears as a quickly forgotten gadget after the discovery effect. It was all the more true since despite the automatic trigger of the idle when an object goes in the field, it always remains difficult to set up. This one can only last only 0.2 stages in a row, sometimes a little short. Idle requires, it also requires a lot of light to function properly. 960 Images per second imply that each image is captured at 1/960th of a second, which does not leave a lot of time to print the sensor.

Samsung also worked on smartphone sound, making it “tuner” by AKG, and labeling Dolby Atmos. We must recognize the device good sound management: it is more detailed than usual and the volume offered is quite impressive. On the other hand, spatialization is not the most blatant. The fact remains that the sound produced by the speakers of the S9 is probably the most audible on the market currently.

Increased emojis

On the software part, Samsung could not help but give in to the fashion of emojis in augmented reality of which Apple had the initiative. Samsung, however, preferred to propose to recreate your avatar in three dimensions rather than slipping into the shoes of a panda. Failing to be useful, we will recognize that it amused us for some time. On the other hand, they are less well animated than at Apple, the fault notably to less efficient sensors.

About a sensor, Samsung has decided not to offer a three -dimensional facial recognition system, unlike Apple. To compensate, the Korean offers a solution mixing recognition of iris and face. The device will select the option deemed the most effective depending on the environment. It’s pretty fast and we only met with few errors in a week of testing, a good point.

Not much change on the bone strictly speaking: the S9 is delivered this year with Android 8.0 “Oreo” behind the usual overlay. The part is unchanged or almost. We only have a complete management of the interface in landscape mode, that is to say that the navigation buttons always placed at the bottom of the screen no matter the orientation of the device. All other differences come from Oreo, whose commendable best management of notifications.

Bixby and his dedicated touch are still present, but the assistant still does not speak French and his other contributions are perfectly dispensable. Bixby comes down once again to this dedicated touch which causes involuntary launches of the assistant. It’s wearing in the long run. Fortunately, we can deactivate it this year … but you have to configure bixby before you can do it ¯_ (ツ) _/¯.

Conclusion

So what about this Galaxy S9 ? Without a question, the terminal ticks all the boxes of a high -end smartphone of the moment, from performance to design through the screen or the photo. Is it really a big leap forward compared to its predecessor ? No. The developments are obviously welcome and the photo part is improving, but it is not revolutionary and we regret that the smartphone loses in the process. Very clearly, this is a transitional product for Samsung and as for all transition products, their purchase is only rarely justified from one year to the next.

An even clearer conclusion when you return the price online: the Galaxy S8 being today regularly offered around 520 euros, it is difficult to see how to justify paying 339 euros more for an S9. At Samsung as at Apple, the best option is to opt for the previous generation. An observation which should not however question the intrinsic qualities of the S9. This is an excellent product … that we will advise however to those who are not looking at the price and absolutely want the last fashionable product.

Read the full test

• Writing note

Samsung Galaxy S9 test: is it really better than its predecessor ?

Designed on the foundations of the Galaxy S8, the Samsung Galaxy S9 excels in (almost) all areas. But are its innovations significant enough to justify the price difference with its predecessor ?

01net’s opinion.com

Samsung Galaxy S9

• + The most powerful Android smartphone
• + The best photo smartphone
• + Superb quality of display
• + A design always as attractive
• + A jack

• – No double camera module
• – Less good autonomy than the Galaxy S8
• – Unnecessary bixby button

Writing note

Note published on 03/16/2018

Technical sheet

Samsung Galaxy S9

System	Android 8
Processor	Samsung Exynos 9810
Size (diagonal)	5.8 “
Screen resolution	568 ppi

See the full file

Write the word “reinvented” on an advertising poster to highlight the Samsung Galaxy S9 is daring to say the least, as it seems inspired by its predecessor. This ambitious term concerns above all the new camera module, with variable opening. A first on the smartphone market. For the rest, the Galaxy S9 takes up what had made the success of the Galaxy S8, namely a 5.8 -inch Super Amoled screen in 18.5: 9 format and glass finishes. It takes advantage of the Exynos 9810 processor, clocked at 2.7 GHz, 4 GB of RAM and 64 GB of storage – Extensible in microSD. The Samsung Galaxy S9 is launched at 859 euros.

Welcome conservatism

Differentiating the Samsung Galaxy S9 of the Galaxy S8 is like playing the game of the seven differences. Except there are fewer. By putting aside slight deviations in dimensions – the S9 is barely thicker than the S8, the only evolution concerns the location of the fingerprint sensor, deported under the camera module. This new location allows you to access it with more easier than on the Galaxy S8, although the finger can sometimes touch the window of the camera.

Everything else is strictly identical to what Samsung had offered us last year, namely superb, but slippery. The facade and the rear part are curved, offering one of the most comfortable grip on the market. The power button is always placed on the right edge, the volume adjustment buttons are housed on the left edge. A few millimeters lower, there is a Bixby button always as useless: at this time, the Samsung voice assistant is still not available in French.

Let us regret the conservatism of the South Korean ? Certainly not, insofar as we always love the design of its latest galaxy s as much. Less than a year ago, the company has popularized the most innovative form factor for ten years. It would be unfair to blame him for resting on this achievement. Especially when it has the good idea to integrate a headphone jack alongside the USB type-C port. Thanks to a screen that occupies almost 85% of the facade, the Galaxy S9 is one of the references in terms of elegance.

A formidable screen

On paper, the screen of the Samsung Galaxy S9 has everything to be among the best tiles on the market. He does not disappoint, quite the contrary. As usual, Samsung incorporates a Super Amoled screen, here with a 5.8 -inch diagonal and a Full HD+ definition (2220 x 1080 pixels, 426 ppp). In the parameters, it is possible to increase the definition at 2960 x 1440 pixels, a resolution of 568 ppp. An operation that we consider perfectly useless, insofar as it reduces the performance and autonomy of the smartphone, without bringing real difference to the naked eye.

In the past, Super Amoled screens have sometimes sinned by a fidelity of perfectible colors. This time is over. With its iPhone X, Apple has shown that it was possible to reach excellence in the field with an OLED screen. Samsung retaliates with an extremely well calibrated slab … after a small passage on the side of the settings. By default, the colors are far too bright, with a white one that pulls towards blue. The “basic” screen mode allows you to find warmer and fairer colors. The Delta E then descends to 2.09, against 2.93 for the iPhone X. A great feat.

Thanks to Super Amoled technology, the Galaxy S9 screen benefits from an infinite contrast rate, making very comfortable reading indoors and outdoors. It is well helped by a brightness of 514 cd/m², which is lower than that of the Galaxy S8 (548 CD/M²) and that of the iPhone X (585 CD/M²). To date, the Samsung Galaxy S9 and iPhone X probably share the best screens on the market.

Software innovations

On the Samsung website, do not expect to discover much about software new features: the Samsung Experience’s overlay – based on Android Oreo – does not contain little. Apart from a few visual developments, Samsung relies on two elements to stand out: the Ar Emoji and Bixby. The former have already been entitled to their own article. Our point of view is rather simple to summarize: it is a failed copy of Apple Animojis.

In order to differentiate himself from the American, Samsung offers the user to create an “realistic” avatar, drawn after an analysis of his face. The idea could have been attractive, if the experience had not resulted in completely standardized virtual doubles, penalized by a far too imprecise animation. It is also possible to choose more childish avatars, Apple way. Again, it’s missed. Who wants to reincarnate in a character who seems to have been generated by an artificial intelligence in 1996 ?

A reality not really increased

Bixby also evolves to offer translation or image analysis in real time. The first function is already available through multiple applications, including Microsoft Translator (integrated into the Huawei Mate 10 Pro). Our image analysis tests show that the function is not yet developed.

Faced with an iPhone X, the Samsung Galaxy S9 has identified … A Samsung. Faced with a Panasonic camera, he hesitated between a Nikon and a barrel. Faced with a mouse stamped Microsoft, it saw a logitech product. Our colleague Jean-Sébastien Zanchi (bald and bearded) will be delighted to be identified as Ryan Gosling. In the absence of a really useful Bixby function, Samsung could have allowed us to dedicate its button to other apps. This is still not the case.

We would also have appreciated that Samsung offers a more refined overlay, like that of OnePlus. With the Microsoft suite, the Google suite and the Samsung applications, the user faces an impressive quantity of duplicates, which will never be used. We have also suffered from an overly sensitive interface, which has often led us to move applications or trigger actions without wanting to.

An imprint sensor finally usable

The large ergonomic advance of the Galaxy S9 is the movement of the fingerprint sensor, now under the camera module. The location is much more intuitive than on the Galaxy S8. We used this biometric recognition method in combination with facial recognition and IRIS recognition. Regarding the latter, a feature called Intelligent Scan allows the smartphone to opt for one or the other, depending on the light conditions. But Samsung does not claim the same level of security as Face Id.

After a few days of use, the fingerprint sensor was disabled without explanation. We had to turn off and then turn on the smartphone to reactivate it. We contacted Samsung, already alerted by other users. The manufacturer confirmed that it was a software problem. We can therefore hope that it will be resolved during a next update.

The most powerful Android smartphone on the market

While the Snapdragon 845 is reserved for the American version of the Samsung Galaxy S9, the French version is equipped with the Exynos 9810, clocked at 2.7 GHz. The chip is supported by 4 GB of RAM and 64 GB of storage storage in microSD. After a week of testing, a few hours of video games and many benchmarks performed, the S9 undoubtedly stands out as the most powerful smartphone in the Android universe.

In Full HD+ (default configuration), the fluidity level is exemplary. It reaches that of smartphones benefiting from a lighter overlay, such as the HTC U11+ and the OnePlus 5T. The user experience remains very good in HD quad, but suffers from minor slowdowns, which could become more important during the use of the smartphone. Faced with the negligible visual difference, we can only recommend using the default definition.

Autonomy as semi-disappointment

In play, the Galaxy S9 shows real progress compared to the Galaxy S8. We have submitted the smartphone several hours of Riptide GP: Renegade, a title whose level of graphic details can be configured. With the best image quality possible, the Samsung Galaxy S8 was less efficient than certain devices like the OnePlus 5T. The Samsung Galaxy S9 offers a better experience. Thanks to its record display ratio and sound quality in clear improvement, immersion is total. Our benchmarks measurements – accessible in the article dedicated to the subject – confirm these impressions, but place the S9 slightly behind the iPhone X.

Like the Samsung Galaxy S8, the Galaxy S9 is equipped with a 3000 mAh battery. Alas, the component does not ensure the same level of endurance as the model released in 2017. According to our versatile autonomy tests, the S9 died after 11:18 a.m. for 11:17 am for the iPhone X. The performance is very honorable, but it remains less good than those of the Galaxy S8 (12:16) and the Huawei Mate 10 Pro (14:22). During our test week, we have never been short of battery before the end of the day. Twice, however, we have finished the evening at less than 15% remaining autonomy.

The camera, reinvented. Really ?

As years go by, smartphones manufacturers are forced to seek ever more sharp innovations. This time, Samsung “reinvents” the camera by offering two different openings (F/1.5 and f/2.4), depending on the ambient brightness level. A revolution ? Not frankly. One step forward ? Yes, but well helped by an already present know-how.

At first glance, it is sometimes difficult to distinguish the photos taken by a Galaxy S8 from those of a Galaxy S9. But looking at it, we see that Samsung’s work is bearing fruit. In good light conditions, the opening to f/2.4 allows you to recover more sharply than with the S8, already excellent. We were especially amazed by the dynamic beach of the sensor.

Backly, in the dark or with direct light, the Galaxy S9 does not lose anything. While all other smartphones display very dark areas, no detail is sacrificed. On arrival, the rendering is more neutral and less contrasting than on the S8. This dynamic range mainly offers exceptional files for those who like to have fun retouching their photos. In low lights, the opening at f/1.5 allows you to recover more details than on the S8, already one of the best in the exercise.

With a speed of development always above the fray and colors to exemplary fidelity, the Samsung Galaxy S9 is in our eyes the best smartphone in the photo of the market. As a bonus, Samsung offers a interesting super-patient (960 images per second) function, although there is a perfectible. Limited to HD, sequences often suffer from poor image quality. For more details, more complete items on photo quality and on the super-referral function are online.

Samsung Galaxy S9 test: what we think about it after a month of use

The Samsung Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9+ arrived at the editorial staff a month ago now. We tested the largest of the two, without being really seduced. To deepen the subject we used the Galaxy S9 on a daily basis for a month. Here is what we think.

As every year Samsung took advantage of the MWC to present its new high -end smartphones. In 2018, it is the Galaxy S9 and S9+ which will be the Korean spearheads. After a first handling live from the living room, we tested the Galaxy S9 in more detail+. For several days we have analyzed the innovations brought by Samsung and we must recognize that we were disappointed. Compared to the Galaxy S8+, the S9+ does not bring much. On the other hand its price is still so high.

It must be said, it is quite rare that we were disappointed by Samsung products. So we decided to test the Galaxy S9 (the smallest of the two) for a longer period. For a month (since its release) I therefore used the Galaxy S9 on a daily basis, as if it were my personal smartphone. I specify that my personal smartphone is also my professional smartphone. So I swapped my OnePlus 5T for the Galaxy S9. I invite you to discover my impressions after these four weeks in the company of the Samsung Galaxy S9.

The beginnings

As editor -in -chief of Phonandroid, I test many smartphones throughout the year. In 2017, I personally cracked for the OnePlus 5T. Its excellent value for money, its almost pure Android interfaces are undeniable assets for me. I was in the past cooled by the quality of the camera, but with the OnePlus 5T the brand made a hell of a leap forward. I was not disappointed with this choice, and no other smartphone made me turn to me from the OnePlus 5T.

I discovered the Samsung Galaxy S9 at the MWC in Barcelona, ​​but in a professional setting I have more a technical approach. So I was curious to see what a daily use of the latest high -end of Samsung was going to give. While I was testing the Galaxy S9+ I used the Galaxy S9 in parallel on a daily basis. I chose the smallest model of the two simply for its more practical format, easier to use with one hand. This is one of the “flaws” of the OnePlus 5T that I used on a daily basis: it is a large format to which I am not used to. So I had two different approaches for different prints. The assessment of my Galaxy S9+ test is quite simple: it is an excellent smartphone, probably one of the best on the market but it does not bring much compared to the Galaxy S8+, more affordable.

I must say it, As soon as the Galaxy S9 (pink) box is impressed. Its small format gives the impression of holding a little gem. The design is particularly attractive. The Galaxy S9 is really beautiful, elegant. The level of finishes is incomparable. I had been disappointed by the positioning of the fingerprint reader on the S8. Here it is much simpler. The handling is excellent and it slides easily in the pocket. Samsung has really done a goldsmith’s work.

Once the screen is on, I took a second slap. He is magnificent. It is the most beautiful screen ever integrated into a smartphone, There is no doubt about it. I am not a fan of the borders plunging on the slices, but ultimately it is not so disturbing for use. It is a little more with the S9+: when you try to reach the opposite upper corner, we touch the borders involuntarily. This is not the case on the S9 because of its small format.

The configuration is quite fast, I was able to transfer my data easily. I passed the stage of the configuration of a Bixby account, a Samsung account, contenting myself with Google services. The configuration of the fingerprint reader was fast and I made the choice to associate this method of unlocking with the new process called Intelligent analysis. This is actually a combination of iris scanner and facial recognition. This is the method that I used the most, fast and efficient.All my accounts were configured. My Galaxy S9 was ready.

For work

My smartphone is above all a working tool. I am a journalist and I conduct other professional projects in parallel, so I need powerful tools. My activities require many trips, so I need a powerful and enduring smartphone. It is for this reason that I made the choice of a 5T OnePlus which meets these two criteria. The passage to the Galaxy S9 was made without incident. Has a few details. On the performance side, I was more than satisfied. The Galaxy S9 is undoubtedly the most powerful smartphone today. I was particularly amazed by its ability to manage multitasking, even with very gourmet applications. Everything turns like a clock all the time, never tired or heat. In this very small format, it is really stunning.

On the other hand, I less appreciated the software part of the Galaxy S9. I definitely have a lot of trouble with Samsung Experience. I have permanently this impression of fouilli. And even after four weeks, I still find it difficult to sail in the menus to access the settings. I went from the almost pure interface of the OnePlus 5T for a fairly heavy overlay on the S9: my OnePlus 5t missed this side. This fouilli impression was reinforced by the presence of several duplicate applications. For professional use I must admit that it annoyed me. Having two calendars, two photo galleries, two navigators really bored me. Fortunately we can delete most of these duplicates. I understand that Samsung wants to impose its services, but here it is at the expense of the user experience. A real black point for me.

The other black point is autonomy. She is not bad, but there is better. Yes the Galaxy S9 turns like a clock, it is efficient, but not over time. My OnePlus 5T for example had a much better autonomy and it also recharged faster. Quick recharging of the Galaxy S9 is effective but others do better. For professional use in mobility So I had this feeling of having to recharge my smartphone more often than usual. Let’s say that I had to find the reflex to connect my smartphone every night, which I did not do with the OnePlus 5T.

On the other hand I really enjoyed one thing, quite unexpected. I thought this use would be marginal, it turned out to be very practical. To carry out this feedback, I equipped myself with a wireless charger. And it turned out that I used it much more often than I would have imagined. Placed on my desk, I systematically used the wireless charger. More practical but also more elegant, it allowed me not to connect and constantly disconnect my smartphone when I had to consult a notification. A good surprise.

For multimedia

A great lover of movies and series but also of music, I expected a lot from this Galaxy S9. Even if the screen is smaller than that of a 5T OnePlus or S9+, I had a lot of fun watching videos on the S9. The quality of the screen puts us in our views. It’s more immersive on the S9+ of course but the S9 perfectly combines good handling and comfortable screen.

Many things I really liked on this daily Galaxy S9. First the quality of the speakers. I had noticed in my tests previous version that the sound quality was not worthy of a high -end smartphone. Samsung has worked well and has integrated stereo speakers in partnership with AKG. I am not a user of the speakers when I listen to music. On the other hand when I play or watch short videos, I like to be immersed. I was pleasantly surprised on this side. The speakers are powerful and the sound is clear Even if the bass is a bit discreet. For my uses, the sound quality is finally worthy of a high -end model. It’s much better than on an S8 or a 5T OnePlus. But we are still below what some competitors offer. And then Samsung integrated the speaker on the lower edge like many manufacturers. During game sessions we tend to plug it.

I particularly appreciated the presence in the AKG headphones box and especially the integration of the Jack 3 port.5mm. It’s almost an essential for me, so thank you Samsung. The headphones provided are really excellent invoice. I am more lover of headphones than helmets, and these AKGs do the job well. The sound is powerful, clear, and balanced. The headphones hold well, they are elegant, it is a real success. I found the headphones very comfortable and of good quality.

For multimedia use, I must say that I was really pleasantly surprised by this Galaxy S9. At all levels Samsung has done excellent work and it was a daily pleasure to use this smartphone for these uses. Whether it is professional or personal use, the Galaxy S9 therefore has undeniable assets. It is one of the most complete smartphones on the market.

For the picture

Samsung had promised to reinvent the photo on smartphone during his conference in Barcelona. So I expected a lot from the Galaxy S9 and its variable opening lens. Finally, there is good, very good even, and of the less good. I use my smartphone’s camera several times a day, either for work or for the pleasure of photographing. I quite often wander and photograph here and there the things that surround me and that amaze me (it’s beautiful huh ! #Dead Poets Society). I have other cameras, but current smartphones allow you to have fun without congestion.

Both for work and for fun, the camera of the Galaxy S9 is really excellent. He is undoubtedly one of the best on the market. In good light conditions the photos are sublime. And under low light conditions they are as much better as in many competitors. The OnePlus 5T is completely dropped on this side. The S9 evolves at levels significantly higher than what competition does. Only the iPhone X, Google Pixel 2, HTC U11 and more recently the Huawei P20 Pro can compete. I simply broke out with the camera of the Galaxy S9.

I am not a big video lover personally but I had the opportunity to use the Galaxy S9 for this use in a professional setting. I introduced you to the unboxing of the Huawei P20 Pro with this Galaxy S9. And I must say, the video quality is excellent. The most surprising is optical stabilization. She impressed me. For video, the Galaxy S9 is one of the best on the market, Again there is no doubt.

Despite all these good points, Samsung disappointed me. I was embarrassed by the features put forward by the manufacturer during his conference: the Super Slow Motion and the Emojis Ar. I was embarrassed simply because by insisting so much on these features, Samsung makes them pass for important. We almost have to test them.

So I tested the super slow motion. Not terrible. The only good point is that Samsung has integrated an automatic shooting function. As soon as something moves in the field, the Super Slow motion is active alone. An excellent point insofar as to manually entering moments of 0.2 seconds is almost in the area of ​​the impossible. On the other hand, the end result is … ugly. The image quality is not there, the 720p makes us come back to another era. What I blame Samsung is to have made believe that you could get crazy super slow motion in any context. Except that to really succeed in perfect light conditions, a tripod, in short, a photo studio on you. So useless.

When Samsung presented the Emojis Ar I said to myself as many “Here, here are the animojis in Samsung sauce”. I already found it a shame at the start to integrate an already unnecessary feature on the iPhone X. But I tried to lend myself to the game. Again I was disappointed. Ar emojis are useless and failed. Creating your character is relatively easy but the rendering is not at all faithful to reality. It’s simple, I scanned 4 or 5 different faces of friends, we all ended up with the same head or almost. As for the usefulness of this function, I am still looking for it. I used it to test the first day and then I never used it again.

SO Yes the camera of the Galaxy S9 amazed me. I will regret it when my feedback is published. But I will absolutely not regret these superfluous functions. Samsung would have had every interest in emphasizing the quality of the photos which is really exceptional.

I buy ?

As a tester, I always have to put into perspective the qualities and faults of a smartphone compared to its price. This time, I will rather position myself as a consumer and explain to you why I will not buy the Galaxy S9. Not because it is a bad product, quite the contrary. During this month of use I had a monster pleasure in using it. The Galaxy S9 is great, he has everything for him : it is beautiful, efficient, enduring and it has a crazy camera.

Yes but at 859 euros, the bill is far too high. And I don’t even compare this to competition. By staying at Samsung, I much prefer a galaxy s8, just as great. Simply because the S8 is available today at a fair price. I wouldn’t feel like I’m having 50 euros in a Galaxy S8. It does not matter that it dates from 2017, that it has a less powerful processor, that its camera is a little less good. The Galaxy S8 meets all the needs of the somewhat geek user that I am. The quality difference between the photos of a Galaxy S8 and those of an S9 is tiny. The autonomy of the S8 is better than that of the S9. The Galaxy S8 has top performance, even if they are not the best.

Finally I had the feeling with this S9 to use an S8 with new unnecessary features and some improvements that do not change anything on a daily basis. So no, if I had to choose a Samsung smartphone I would not buy a galaxy s9 ? But I think the time is ideal for being tempted by a Galaxy S8.

The latest info on the Samsung Galaxy S9