
Samsung Galaxy S9 and S9+ - iamd3vil
http://www.samsung.com/in/smartphones/galaxy-s9/
======
antirez
I few weeks ago, after a long history of purchasing Samsung phones (S4, S6, s7
edge plus) because of the good hardware, I got an S8+ after my S7e+ abandoned
me. This was the turning point where I decided I could no longer accept such
awful software experience. Now there is even a physical button for their
garbage assistant. The Android notifications are broken in favor of small
things that do not allow you to read the message from Whatsapp or Telegram or
whatever, and so forth. I returned the S8+ and switched to a Google Pixel 2 XL
and it is _the best phone_ I've ever had. Samsung needs to get its shit
together and understand that even if in their fantasy world where the
management live they want to compete on services, it is totally impossible and
actually they are just destroying the Android experience. If it was not for
the software approach Samsung takes, I bet we could have far less Apple iPhone
users.

~~~
jondiggsit
Think the Pixel 2 XL is good... just wait until you upgrade to an iPhone!

~~~
Numberwang
I have experience of both, having to use IPhone for work. Android phones are
infinitely better. I was actually surprised to find so many stupid bugs in
IPhone. I'n my imagination they were solid phones for MAC users. Turns out, as
they are the only option, they don't exactly focus on quality.

~~~
stcredzero
I've been an iPhone user since the 1st generation 8GB model. (Very 1st was
4GB.) The overall quality of software has gone down. I remember the first time
an iOS update caused issues in some fairly foundational code. (Involving
UIImage.) Before that, I thought Apple's iOS team infallible.

Today, I have moments when I'm just disgusted with Apple, as well as with 3rd
party apps on iOS from well funded companies who should be doing better.
Though to be fair, most of the time, things do work. It's just that I run into
the odd place where...WAT!?

~~~
Numberwang
For me is just annoying small issues like when I listen to music and get a
notification from another app suddenly the volume doesn't go up as high
anymore and stays low until you reboot the phone. Or that when I'm on
Bluetooth it will mess with the wifi and you need to disconnect and reconnect
to make it work.

I also really dislike (maybe this is just me) that I can't deal with files as
files on an iPhone. I can't just move an mp3 or an ebook to the memory, find
it via an app and open it. It feels so locked it.

------
greenhouse_gas
[https://www.samsung.com/us/smartphones/galaxy-s9/](https://www.samsung.com/us/smartphones/galaxy-s9/)
for US site.

Small question: Do people still buy $800 phones, and why? If you care about
security, these probably won't receive security upgrades for more than a few
years (S3 went from ICS to Kitkat. S4 went from Jelly-Bean to Lollipop, S5
went from KitKat to Marshmallow, S6 went from Lollipop to Nougat, so I don't
expect this to make it past Android Q[1] (which should come out in two and a
half years)), and unlike older models, custom ROM support is quite bad for
modern Samsung models (S6 Lineageos just came out. S8 isn't supported yet).

Wouldn't it make more sense to get a slightly worse quality phone, but upgrade
it every two years or so?

[1]. Unless Treble will make it so much easier to port to S9.

~~~
dbspin
Anecdotally, the kind of person who spends 800 - 1000 on a phone also upgrades
it every year or two. It's a status symbol as much as anything. Plus there's
always the fact that you will have the latest and greatest camera, and for
many people that's important.

Personally, I'm with you. Recently bought a Moto G5 plus for a couple of
hundred euro and its fine. However, I do confess if I had a higher income I'd
probably be another happy consumer of the super high end phones.

Worth noting that in Europe at least they have a very high resale value, so
you will make much of the cost back if selling in a year or so in good
condition.

~~~
fsloth
"the kind of person who spends 800 - 1000 on a phone also upgrades it every
year or two"

Nope, I don't mind how much my phone costs since I use it daily, but I will
use it until some component fails in a terminal way. I had a Note 3, swapped
its display module once, but it finally died. It lasted maybe three or four
years.

~~~
mehrdadn
> but I will use it until some component fails in a terminal way

This is what I told myself too, but I also upgraded after 3-4 years after
being annoyed at just how slow my phone was (or to put it another way, just
how much CPU power apps demanded now). The phone still works perfectly fine,
it just slows down to a crawl right when you're in the biggest hurry. (e.g. at
one point Google Maps took multiple _minutes_ to refresh the screen right when
I was driving and trying to figure out the right directions, and I still
haven't been able to reproduce it, but I sure as heck don't want to live
through that experience again.)

------
dreamcompiler
Oh FFS. I don't need a fancier camera. I don't need animated emojis. I need a
battery that lasts all day without having to keep the phone in low-power mode
all the time. And I want it removable so when it wears out I can replace it
myself. Samsung is jumping the shark.

~~~
hobofan
If you don't mind having a bit bulkier phone, I can highly recommend getting
one from the Moto Z family + a battery moto mod.

I have a Play Z 1st gen and together with the mod, the battery lasts 4-5 days.
It's pretty affordable, and while it's pretty bulky that is easily outweighed
by not having to worry about running out of power anymore.

~~~
telchar
FWIW I'm very happy with my new Moto Z series phone so far. I haven't sprung
for any mods yet but the phone itself is good. Battery life isn't great
without the battery moto mod, but seems typical. For $350 unlocked I'll take
this any day over an $800 phone.

------
QUFB
I can understand that Samsung's target market doesn't consist of users who may
install Lineage or other ROMs, but what's their motivation for selling a phone
with a locked bootloader? Samsung sells excellent hardware, and as an S8 owner
I've found their version of Android is acceptable. But why not allow users to
unlock the bootloader: what's the risk to Samsung by allowing this?

~~~
leeoniya
from what i've read it's not Samsung but the carriers that require it to be
locked. outside the states you can get an unlockable bootloader on both
Snapdragon and Exynos variants.

it pisses me off because my wife purchased a Sprint flavor S8 (full price, no
contract) because its radios are better for Sprint's bands but i cannot unlock
it to install Lineage or TWRP >:(

EDIT: i might be wrong, _all_ Snapdragon variants are locked. the best that's
been achieved is root with a bunch of caveats:

[https://forum.xda-
developers.com/galaxy-s8+/development/root...](https://forum.xda-
developers.com/galaxy-s8+/development/root-g955u-g955u1-snapdragon-
sampwnd-t3658911)

~~~
ac29
Carriers don't seem to have an issue with any of Google's phones being
unlocked, I don't see why they would only require it on other manufacturers.
They might prefer locked bootloaders, but Samsung has enough sales volume that
I imagine they could do whatever they wanted.

~~~
ThatPlayer
Carriers don't tend to sell Google's phone. Verizon seems to be the only
carrier selling Google's Pixel, and they have a locked bootloader on that
version.

------
apatheticonion
Nice device, horrible software. If Samsung did another Google Play edition
like they did with the S3, I'd buy one.

I've been looking for an upgrade to my current Android phone for a little
minute. I just want vanilla Android and an aesthetic device. I don't care
about the camera, bigsby, or face/touch unlock.

The Pixel 2 feels great, with it's super stock Android, but it's design is
very lackluster. If I am spending a thousand dollars (Australia), then I don't
want to make any compromises.

As a consumer, I'm feeling let down by the selection of phones. Honestly, the
iPhone has never looked better to me.

~~~
soulnothing
I was in this very boat recently. My LG backup phone got bricked by an OTA. So
I was left with a flip phone while waiting.

My requirements were less than 300, stock android realistically two years out
of the device. 4.5" to 5", smaller preferable, and a headphone jack. There was
almost nothing like this.

I ended up on the google pixel. However, it was difficult as I kept getting
Verizon bootloader locked revisions. Despite them being listed as
international or gsm unlocked. I finally found one in my upper bracket at 450,
128GB version. Its official support ends in October of this year. I've also
read about a ton of hardware issues so I'm hopeful it'll hold out.

Android phones are to me a shit show, to put it mildly. They're good, but not
long term. I'm also leary of buying higher ended phones. I've had far to many
times where my phone was knocked out of my hand at a bus stop. Then broken
screen.

The closest I've seen right now is oneplus or get a last gen pixel.

~~~
apatheticonion
Between my last post and this one, I literally bought a Pixel 2.

I'm salty and aware that this will last me 2 years.

------
osrec
"Add music. Make GIFs. Get likes"

Captures the very purpose of a smartphone, doesn't it?!

~~~
userbinator
Don't forget the emojis!

Definitely shows their target demographic.

Does it have a removable battery? MicroSD? How about the CPU, RAM, and other
specs? That's what power users want to know, and it's conspicuously missing
from that page (the word "battery" doesn't even appear, not even once!)

~~~
madeofpalk
> How about the CPU, RAM, and other specs?

For things like smartphones that each run their own operating system
variation, aren't these just vanity specs?

What good is comparing the RAM on an Samsung Galaxy to an iPhone?

------
throwahey
Interesting, if there is one thing I hope Apple takes away from this, it is
the adjustable aperture. But time will tell whether a moving part will last
long on a smartphone.

Though I fear that, like with Google's dual CMOS, they are too committed to
the multiple cameras and removing one may come off as a downgrade to consumers
whether or not a single one can satisfy all the same functions.

~~~
bigdubs
One thing I'm not understanding here; don't most lenses (and by extension
cameras) have adjustable apertures? What is so special about having a F1.4 vs.
F2.4 apertures available to the camera? Is it because they can both fire at
the same time and compose the two exposures?

~~~
smnscu
MKBHD has a good explanation (starts at 2:43):
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J83sZrz9XTc](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J83sZrz9XTc)

Basically this is the first(?) camera phone with adjustable aperture, albeit
it only has 2 presets.

PS: Might be useful(?) [https://photographylife.com/what-is-aperture-in-
photography](https://photographylife.com/what-is-aperture-in-photography)

~~~
hug
Not the first: [https://www.engadget.com/2017/12/01/samsung-w2018-flip-
phone...](https://www.engadget.com/2017/12/01/samsung-w2018-flip-phone-
variable-aperture-china/)

Buuuut probably the first flagshippy camera with a variable aperture.

------
lldata
The s8 is slippery as hell and very fragile. My screen cracked after just a
month. Replacement is crazy expensive. Unless s9 changes that, don't buy it!

~~~
swozey
Yeah the s8 is insanely slippery. I put a concrete dbrand on the back of mine
just so I could pull it out of my pocket and not toss it half way across the
room. I'll never understand the all glass trend.

~~~
hocuspocus
> I'll never understand the all glass trend.

I think Samsung and other manufacturers can't win there. People complained
about the perceived build quality when their flagships had a plastic body.
Unless you use harder and thicker polycarbonate (like the Lumias or the iPhone
5c) it's hard to have something that truly lasts. You're left with aluminum,
which brings tons of problems (it's easy to bend, scratch, the anodization
will fade, it feels cold and it's also slippery, and you need to make way for
antennas), or glass.

------
dmitrygr
Unfortunately comes with Samsung's crapware that cannot be removed, and even a
non remappable button to trigger it. I will be patiently waiting for an
exploit to be found in the bootloader so we can reflash this with a ROM
without Samsung anything. At that point in time, it will probably be a good
contender for second best Android phone. After the pixel

~~~
dijit
You'll be waiting for a while; I bought an S8 with the intention of putting
LineageOS on it. Sadly to this day there are things not working which are
essential, like making calls or using LTE data... or wifi.. or the camera.

I thought I could deal with the Samsung crapware anyway, coming from iPhone
and having used a OnePlus One with Cyanogen and later lineage... Boy, I was
wrong, beautiful hardware for sure but the OS is utter garbage.

By garbage I mean: Bixby is unwanted and disabled, but it still pops up nearly
constantly.. essential features of the phone require a samsung account, in an
attempt not to sign up for it I get notified weekly that I _must_ have one..
samsung programs will randomly notify me about random things that I have no
interest in knowing about. Especially samsung pay- I DO NOT WANT AN OFFER ON
COFFEE JUST LET ME USE YOU TO BUY THINGS. Upday has a pre-loaded list of the
worst british newspapers, and insists on telling me about "breaking news"
regarding a nice young american lady who is marrying one of our princes...

I miss my phone being in my control, and that's what everyone who was selling
me on android was telling me was compelling about the platform.. But I had
much more control of my phone when I was with Apple.

(And yes, I donated heavily to the LineageOS+S8 effort)

~~~
dmitrygr
Luckily since this phone ships with Android Oreo, it is required to comply
with project treble, which makes this a whole lot easier. By definition, a
phone with project treble has to boot and pass all tests in the Android
compatibility test Suite with an unmodified AOSP image.

You can already see some benefits of this on the XDA website, where some
people are successfully replacing system images on no name phones with barely
any audience and not even a kernel source published

~~~
greenhouse_gas
>By definition, a phone with project treble has to boot and pass all tests in
the Android compatibility test Suite with an unmodified AOSP image.

But it won't help if the bootloader's locked

~~~
dmitrygr
Correct. Hence my statement that I would buy one if and only if a bootloader
exploit is found

------
lwhalen
Having been with Samsung since the S3, my current S7 will be my last. It is
THE most fragile phone I have ever owned - replaced 3x already, at $150/pop
even with the insurance. I've never had to get a case for any other Samsung
before, but this is unacceptable. My next phone will be a Purism.

~~~
hyperdunc
I have an S2, S3 and S7.

The S2 and S3 have both been banged, dropped, thrown, splashed and sat on and
they're still going strong.

The S7 slid off a low couch and fell about 30cm onto a wooden floor. It had a
protective case on it, but the screen is wrecked.

Unless Samsung start manufacturing their S-range phones out of synthetic
diamond I won't be buying another.

~~~
userbinator
That's because the S2 and S3 were made from impact-absorbing plastic, which is
a perfectly good material if it weren't for the designers and Apple's
screaming about "premium materials" (i.e. breakable glass and rigid metal that
transmits the impact force.)

Perhaps people need to get used to the fact that a "plasticky" phone which
creaks and bends slightly, is also one that is far less likely to shatter if
dropped. That flexibility absorbs and dissipates the impact force, which is
the reason why plenty of other handheld devices (remote controls, etc.) are
made of it instead of metal and glass.

"Bezel-less" screens make no sense to me either --- besides protecting the
display itself from impacts, they are places fingers can be put to hold onto
the phone without activating the touchscreen.

------
gomox
Of all the things you would want to make a "me too" product out of, the iPhone
X sure isn't one I would pick. It's sad that AR emojis and face recognition
made the key new features list. Those two sounded like a gimmick when they
were announced, and after actually using the iPhone X I can't say my opinion
has changed.

The sooner Samsung either steps up their software game or quits it altogether,
the better off their users will be.

~~~
threeseed
FaceID is far more than a gimmick.

It is admittedly very much like TouchID version 1 i.e. it will need several
revisions to be perfect. But you can really see why Apple went with it.

Because when your phone authenticates e.g. banking app without you even
realising it you then appreciate that it is a better solution than a
fingerprint reader.

~~~
tallanvor
But if I'm dealing with security, I DON'T want things being done without even
realizing it.

I WANT my phone to only unlock or perform an action when I want it to do so.
FaceID is the opposite of what I want.

~~~
mseebach
The last 20 years have taught us to be super vigilant, but that is because the
bad guys were (are) always at our heels (if not occasionally pulling ahead),
but _surely_ the gold standard for security is that which is just there and
works, but which you never have to see or think about.

Of course, _actions_ should only be taken when actually asked for, but a
banking app that will show you (and _only_ you) your balance without a
separate authentication step seems like a great thing. It can also add
security to other apps that might perhaps be slightly under-protected due to
the current hurdle of clearing auth: perhaps your messaging apps will only
show the content of messages when it's you looking?

------
emilfihlman
So why do all the images on that site look like shit? :D

Seems like they forgot to crank down the optimisation on image size.

~~~
valine
They seem to be using real photos from their new low light camera which is
commendable. Its unfortunate that their low light photos still look like crap.

~~~
firethief
They do look bad, but without knowing how low the light actually is I don't
know how to judge them.

------
black_puppydog
This would be very nice. IFF they just allowed me to throw out their bloated
software, put Lineage on the thing and still be able to use any of the non-
standard hardware features. Frankly, the "biometrics" stuff in these phones is
such an anti-feature IMHO...

------
sergiotapia
Did features plateau? I don't see things in this marketing that are new or
exciting.

~~~
FridgeSeal
But but but isn't making an animated emoji the absolute _top_ of your
priorities? How else will you get likes on social media???

/s

I do wish phones hadn't been reduced to this, but here we are.

------
monk_e_boy
Wow, the camera is f1.5 and the results look very nice. Blurring the
background is neat and the results look good. Not perfect (check out the wisps
of hair on the model disappear) but its so much better than the average photo
i see shared on facebook. Bokeh filters are a bit of fun, but i can't imagine
anyone i know will notice them or care about them.

Draw password with your eyes? Weird.

------
asciimo
I was hoping to hear something about the imminent Gear watch (S4?). I guess
Apple is the only company that bundles their various releases into a single
event?

~~~
megy
Apple have several releases throughout the year.

------
mrmondo
How did Samsung it was a good idea to round the glass edges of a screen to the
point that it warps displays colour & creates glare from indirect light?

It looks to be as big of a problem as on their 8 which I’ve observed people
experience frustration with.

~~~
parmesan
I have a S8+ and have never been annoyed by the round edges, never experienced
any distorted colors or been annoyed by indirect light.

------
acef
those emojis look creepy to me

------
dingo_bat
Glad to see they haven't removed useful stuff like the others. Considering
upgrading my 2 year old S7e. But the prices are too high!

------
ChuckMcM
They don't mention if it is splash proof and whether it is toast if you ever
drop it, but it looks nice. :-)

EDIT: I see from the Verge video that they did retain the splash resistance.

~~~
moh_maya
Reports [1] say it is splash proof and, more importantly from my perspective,
has a headphone jack.

[1] [https://www.theverge.com/2018/2/25/17044990/samsung-
galaxy-s...](https://www.theverge.com/2018/2/25/17044990/samsung-
galaxy-s9-plus-price-release-date-phone-camera-specs-mwc)

------
dharma1
Does this record 10bit HDR video?

------
snvzz
Useless website. Couldn't find specifications anywhere.

------
sparrish
No analog headphone jack - no thanks.

~~~
ghettoimp
I would have agreed last year. But I recently got some really nice Bluetooth
headphones and am really digging not having a wire...

~~~
TomMarius
Good for you (not sarcastically, I'm really happy for you), but some people
(including me) are not happy with the audio quality.

------
pducks32
I just don’t see where Samsung is going with this. To me, iPhone and Pixel
really beautifully fill the market for as phone of this price range.

~~~
ShinTakuya
Sorry, but even though I don't like Samsung phones, I really _despise_ this
kind of comment. Imagine if someone said "we don't need more smart phones,
iPhones ready beautifully fill the smartphone market". How shirt sighted do
you have to be to turn your nose up at the very idea of competition in a
market? Even if you stick with the original product in a particular market,
competition almost always makes the original product better by keeping the
creator on its toes.

I'm not a huge fan of this new Samsung release. But it's not because there's
already phones in the market. Adding another phone to a particular market is a
positive, not a negative.

