Samsung Galaxy S9 review: Plans | Pricing | Specs

Alex Kidman

Last updated: 8 April 2019

The Galaxy S9 seems like a perfectly fine phone that looks to fix many of the niggling complaints that surrounded the Galaxy S8, while also increasing performance and camera quality.

Camera app works well
Oreo onboard
I can find the fingerprint sensor!
Cool colour options

Will AR Emojis wear out their welcome?
Bixby button is still a thing
Looks just like the S8
The S9+ is better

5.8 inches

Display size

1440 x 2960px

64GB, 256GB

Internal storage

12 MP

Rear camera

3,000 mAh

Battery size

Finder rated as Good vs similar phones

Details

Display

Display Size

5.8 inches

Resolution

1440 x 2960px

Pixels per inch (PPI)

570 ppi

Camera

Rear camera megapixels

12MP

Rear camera aperture size

f/1.5-f/2.4

Video recording

Front camera megapixels

8MP

Front camera aperture size

f/1.7

Physical Dimensions

Dimensions

147.7mm x 68.7mm x 8.5mm

Weight

163g

Connectivity

NFC

Yes

Wi-Fi

802.11 a/b/g/n/ac

Network category speed

Category 18

Power, storage and battery

Processor

Exynos 9810

RAM

4GB

Operating system

Android 8

Internal storage

64GB, 256GB

External storage support

Up to 400GB

Battery capacity

3,000mAh

Device features

Headphone jack

Yes

Fingerprint sensor

Yes

Water resistance rating

IP68

Wireless charging

Launch price (RRP)	$1,199
Launch date	2018-03

Go to Samsung's site More info

Alex Kidman

Alex Kidman was the tech and telco editor at Finder and is now a freelance technology writer. He's been a technology writer with experience spanning more than 20 years, writing and editing at Gizmodo, CNET, PC Magazine, Kotaku and many more. Alex has a Bachelor of Arts from the University of New England and a serious passion for retro gaming.

Where to buy

During Samsung's launch at Mobile World Congress 2018 for its Samsung Galaxy S9 and Samsung Galaxy S9+, I was able to spend some time assessing the new handsets.

That's nowhere near enough time for a full review, which will come through shortly, but certainly enough time to get a feel for where Samsung is going with its new premium flagships. While the Galaxy S9+ will get most of the attention thanks to its dual camera system, does that leave the Galaxy S9 as the less attractive option?

Early upsides

Camera looks to be a strong contender in the premium space.
Android Oreo provides plenty of new features and performance improvements.

Camera app works well: Yes, you don't get the same dual camera approach of the Galaxy S9+ but you do get features such as Super Slow-mo and the AR Emojis if that entices you. Where the S8's camera was essentially identical to that found on the S7, my brief testing time with the S9's camera suggests that, for a single-lens camera, it's still pretty decent.
Oreo onboard: Samsung fans with a Galaxy S8 have (mostly) been waiting for Oreo, but if you pick up an S9, it's part of the standard package. Hopefully Samsung will fast-track Android P to its 2018 flagships a little faster than it's been shuffling Android O onto its 2017 equivalents.
I can find the fingerprint sensor! The single best way I could work out finding the sensor on the Galaxy S8 was to put a case on it so that the ridge around the sensor was easy to spot without looking. No need with the S9 because it's both lower down the phone and nicely ridged.
Cool colour options: Yes, basic black does go with everything but if you're more outgoing, the new lilac option is very attractive – and I say that as someone who typically doesn't even like "out there" designs!
Good performance: The Exynos-based Galaxy S9, which is the variant we get in Australia compares well against the hyper-competitive pack of premium 2018 smartphones. Here's how it compares using Geekbench 4's CPU test:
And here's how it stacks up using 3DMark's Slingshot Extreme test:
The Galaxy S9 may be the smaller sibling of the Galaxy S9+, but it matches it essentially identically in app performance, which means you're getting one of 2018's best performing phones if you buy one.

Early downsides

A little too similar to the Galaxy S8.
The Galaxy S9+ represents better value for money.

Will AR Emojis wear out their welcome? It's not hard to look at Samsung's new AR Emoji and figure that it's "doing an Apple" by copying Animoji. Your mileage may vary on that score, but while the process of creating an AR emoji is simple enough, they're still pretty gimmicky and I do wonder whether they'll just be a sales gimmick rather than something worth getting excited about.
Bixby button is still a thing: Samsung wants you to love Bixby. It seems to need you to love Bixby and that means that the S9, like the S8 before it, features the side-mounted Bixby button that most folks disliked a lot.
Looks just like the S8: Yes, there's only so much you can do with a glass and metal slab but if you were hoping for a new look for Samsung's premium smartphone ranges, maybe 2018 isn't the year for you to update.
The S9+ is better: The S9 is a little less expensive than the S9+, but you're still very much in premium price territory here. As such, if you were going to drop north of $1,000 on one, why not go the whole hog and get the truly premium model?

Early verdict

An incremental improvement on the Galaxy S8 that doesn't reinvent the wheel.

Pricing and availability

Samsung sells the Galaxy S9 outright for $1199 with 64GB of onboard storage, but you can find it cheaper by comparing prices on the Samsung Galaxy S9 from Australian retailers.

Compare Samsung Galaxy S9 plans

Specifications

Display

Display Size

5.8 inches

Resolution

1440 x 2960px

Pixels per inch (PPI)

570 ppi

Camera

Rear camera megapixels

12MP

Rear camera aperture size

f/1.5-f/2.4

Video recording

Front camera megapixels

8MP

Front camera aperture size

f/1.7

Physical Dimensions

Dimensions

147.7mm x 68.7mm x 8.5mm

Weight

163g

Connectivity

NFC

Yes

Wi-Fi

802.11 a/b/g/n/ac

Network category speed

Category 18

Power, storage and battery

Processor

Exynos 9810

RAM

4GB

Operating system

Android 8

Internal storage

64GB, 256GB

External storage support

Up to 400GB

Battery capacity

3,000mAh

Device features

Headphone jack

Yes

Fingerprint sensor

Yes

Water resistance rating

IP68

Wireless charging

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Image: Shutterstock

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Samsung Galaxy S9 review: Plans | Pricing | Specs