On February 26 2018, Samsung released its flagship Galaxy S9 Smartphone at the World Mobile Congress in Barcelona. This was barely three months after its ‘nemesis’, Apple, had launched iPhone X, a 10th anniversary iPhone.
It has been almost a month and it is about time we asked; can S9 douse the fire of iPhone X’s popularity? To be fair, the answer is no.
Samsung Galaxy S9 is a follow-up to the Android game-charger Smartphone, Galaxy S8. When it was introduced in March 2017, it changed the rules of the game. S8 did away with bezels and introduced the infinity display. No wonder that the design team at Apple did not have to reinvent the wheel; they simply bought the display technology and used it on iPhone X; and this is one of the probable reasons why iPhone X is so expensive.
Given this background, before Samsung Galaxy S9 could ever ‘think’ of outshining iPhone X, it had to trounce its own elder brother, Samsung Galaxy S8, and give its loyal customers reason to upgrade.
In terms of technical specs, S9 is a replica of S8; 5.8 Inch Infinity display, 4GB RAM, 12MP rear camera, 8MP front camera and 3000 mAh battery juice.
Samsung engineers cut bezels even further to give Samsung Galaxy S9 a sea-flow look. They improved front camera effects to enhance security Face ID feature. This feature could be duped in S8 by flashing printout of somebody’s face. Although this is now secure, there are some glitches.
In low light, the Iris Scanner is slow to react. Further, you can’t unlock S9 when it is placed on a table. Apple’s Face ID on iPhone X is a marvel; it works perfectly in low light and works even when iPhone X is place on a table and anywhere.
Samsung Galaxy S9 designers spent more time on software improvements. While Bixby assistant was mediocre on S8, it now works well on S9. You can now ask it to take your picture and WhatsApp it to a friend in just 30 seconds.
You can dictate using Bixby of course, you may need to edit the text before sending. And if you find yourself in Spain or France, Bixby can be your Spanish or French interpreter.
In case you do not like Samsung’s Bixby assistant, Google Assistant is built-in into the system as an alternative. The good thing about Bixby is that it is turned off by default, you have to turn it on. It is not like the other assistants that immediately start jumping around before you ever command them to do anything.
Samsung has improved the sound quality and you no longer need additional Bluetooth speakers to enrich sound experience. It must be said, however, that Samsung has failed to beat the iPhone X sound quality.
Samsung Galaxy is not all-glass construction as iPhone X. They have the same size, 5.8 inch-display and same camera quality. There is very little difference in battery capacity; while iPhone X packs 2,716 mAh, Samsung Galaxy has 3,000 mAh. The same is true for Ram; 4 GB for S9 and 3 GB for iPhone x.
Samsung Galaxy S9’s introduction price is $719 while that of iPhone X was $999. When S8 debuted in 2017, the introduction price was $660. So, Samsung has only corrected S8 imperfections and need not charge customers for that.
And one more thing; Galaxy S9 has not joined the league of iPhone X, not just yet.
On February 26 2018, Samsung released its flagship Galaxy S9 Smartphone at the World Mobile Congress in Barcelona. This was barely three months after its ‘nemesis’, Apple, had launched iPhone X, a 10th anniversary iPhone.
It has been almost a month and it is about time we asked; can S9 douse the fire of iPhone X’s popularity? To be fair, the answer is no.
Samsung Galaxy S9 is a follow-up to the Android game-charger Smartphone, Galaxy S8. When it was introduced in March 2017, it changed the rules of the game. S8 did away with bezels and introduced the infinity display. No wonder that the design team at Apple did not have to reinvent the wheel; they simply bought the display technology and used it on iPhone X; and this is one of the probable reasons why iPhone X is so expensive.
Given this background, before Samsung Galaxy S9 could ever ‘think’ of outshining iPhone X, it had to trounce its own elder brother, Samsung Galaxy S8, and give its loyal customers reason to upgrade.
In terms of technical specs, S9 is a replica of S8; 5.8 Inch Infinity display, 4GB RAM, 12MP rear camera, 8MP front camera and 3000 mAh battery juice.
Samsung engineers cut bezels even further to give Samsung Galaxy S9 a sea-flow look. They improved front camera effects to enhance security Face ID feature. This feature could be duped in S8 by flashing printout of somebody’s face. Although this is now secure, there are some glitches.
In low light, the Iris Scanner is slow to react. Further, you can’t unlock S9 when it is placed on a table. Apple’s Face ID on iPhone X is a marvel; it works perfectly in low light and works even when iPhone X is place on a table and anywhere.
Samsung Galaxy S9 designers spent more time on software improvements. While Bixby assistant was mediocre on S8, it now works well on S9. You can now ask it to take your picture and WhatsApp it to a friend in just 30 seconds.
You can dictate using Bixby of course, you may need to edit the text before sending. And if you find yourself in Spain or France, Bixby can be your Spanish or French interpreter.
In case you do not like Samsung’s Bixby assistant, Google Assistant is built-in into the system as an alternative. The good thing about Bixby is that it is turned off by default, you have to turn it on. It is not like the other assistants that immediately start jumping around before you ever command them to do anything.
Samsung has improved the sound quality and you no longer need additional Bluetooth speakers to enrich sound experience. It must be said, however, that Samsung has failed to beat the iPhone X sound quality.
Samsung Galaxy is not all-glass construction as iPhone X. They have the same size, 5.8 inch-display and same camera quality. There is very little difference in battery capacity; while iPhone X packs 2,716 mAh, Samsung Galaxy has 3,000 mAh. The same is true for Ram; 4 GB for S9 and 3 GB for iPhone x.
Samsung Galaxy S9’s introduction price is $719 while that of iPhone X was $999. When S8 debuted in 2017, the introduction price was $660. So, Samsung has only corrected S8 imperfections and need not charge customers for that.
And one more thing; Galaxy S9 has not joined the league of iPhone X, not just yet.
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