Samsung today launched its latest flagship smartphones, the Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9+ at an event held in New Delhi, India. Both phones were announced last week at Mobile World Congress and have variable aperture cameras, first on an Android smartphone.
The S9 has a 12-megapixel rear camera capable of switching apertures between f/1.5 for brighter images even in low light and f/2.4 for normal shots during daytime. The s9+ gets a telephoto camera which is also optically stabilized similar to the Galaxy Note 8. Another neat addition to the camera stack is the inclusion of additional memory which is used to process images, this makes creating HDR images and applying effects faster. Results of which can be seen in real-time for eg. the background blur effect on the Galaxy S9+.
Both phones also have 960 FPS super slo-mo video mode with automatic motion detection. This allows the camera to capture the instant there is motion in the frame. So you have the best part of a scene captured in slow motion. You can also customize the video with your own music, or from 35 preset background scores available within the camera app.
Although the camera is the major highlight of the new S9 series. The ininifty display on both have received an upgrade as well. The Galaxy S9 has a 15% brighter display comapred to the Galaxy S8, which makes them among the brightest smartphone displays in the market. The smaller S9 comes with a 5.8-inch QuadHD+ display and the S9+ comes with a 6.2-inch Super AMOLED display. Both feature Gorilla Glass 5 protection on the back and front.
Another neat addition is Stereo speakers tuned by AKG along with support for Dolby Atmos. AR Emoji a knockoff of Apple's Animoji have also been added. These use your facial characteristics to create an avatar which can be shared across apps with your voice or as GIFs. The 3D model tries to emulate your expressions but it is still a work in progress.
Samsung has also partnered with Airtel and Jio to provide 4G LTE Carrier Aggregation which means up to 2.5X (up to 250 Mbps) faster internet speeds compared to normal 4G. However, Carrier Aggregation is not available in all cities in India, but its good to see a phone ready for the future.
The Samsung Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9+ will be available in Midnight Black, Coral Blue, and Lilac Purple colors in India. Both the 64GB and 256GB variants will be available here as well.
Pricing and availability
- Samsung Galaxy S9 64GB – Rs. 57,900
- Samsung Galaxy S9 256GB – Rs. 65,900
- Samsung Galaxy S9+ 64GB – Rs. 64,900
- Samsung Galaxy S9+ 256GB – Rs. 72,900
Both the phones are already available for pre-order, exclusively on Flipkart. Both will start shipping on March 16th.
Launch Offers
- Paytm Mall Cashback – Rs. 6000
- HDFC Credit Card Cashback - Rs. 6000
- Up to 22,500 off on Exchange + Additional exchange bonus of Rs. 6000 on Select Smartphones
- No Cost EMIs on 3/6/9/12/18 months on Samsung Shop
Carrier (Network) Offers
- Airtel – Get the Galaxy S9 at down payment of Rs. 9900 and monthly postpaid tariff of Rs. 2499 over 24 months and get 2TB data and other benefits
- Airtel – Special “Double Data” offer on Airtel Infinity Rs. 499 & Rs. 799 postpaid plans with Unlimited voice & SMS + Amazon Prime (1 year) + Handset Protection Plan
- Jio – Rs. 4999 Annual plan with 1TB data, Unlimited calls and SMS
- Vodafone – 1 year free Netflix subscription on Vodafone RED plans starting at Rs.999
