Samsung Galaxy S9 and S9+: An optical revolution

Android app icons sit on the homescreen of the Galaxy S9 smartphone during a Samsung Electronics Co. ‘Unpacked’ launch event in London, U.K., on Thursday, Feb. 22, 2018. The South Korea-based technology giant is banking on new features such as augmented reality-based emojis, camera upgrades, and stereo speakers in a form-factor similar to last year’s model in order to take on Apple Inc.’s iPhone X.

Light or dark, Samsung’s new flagship smartphones sport cameras that stay sharp in any situation.

At the Unpacked Event 2018 in Barcelona, Spain, Samsung unveiled its first smartphones to feature dual-­aperture lens – the flagship Galaxy S9 and S9+.

Samsung Electronics IT & mobile communications division president Koh Dong-Jin says the move is in response to users’ increasingly visual-centric communication.

“We’re still squeezing a camera into a device meant for talking. But now Samsung is building a communication device around a camera,” he said during his keynote.

He revealed that in 2017, 1.2 ­trillion photos were taken on smartphones and an average of five billion emoji and one billion GIFs (short-looping videos) were sent daily.

The main 12-megapixel Super Speed Dual Pixel camera on the back of the Galaxy S9 and S9+ is able to shift the aperture from f/1.5 to f/2.4 so it lets in more light when it’s dark and less light when it’s too bright for sharper, clearer photos.

A camera and fingerprint reader sit on the rear casing of Galaxy S9 smartphones. — Bloomberg

The smartphones also have a dedicated chip for image-processing, able to process photos up to four times faster and also reduce noise in low light situations.

The camera can capture videos in super slow motion at 960fps (frames per second) for recording moments that pass too quickly to be seen by the naked eye.

You don’t have to switch it on manually because when the ­camera is on, the smartphone has a motion detector which triggers slow-mo capture when, say, the fireworks go off or your cat finally decides to pounce on its toy. This works particularly well for ­catching surprised expressions.

With videos the concern is always storage but you don’t have to worry as the smartphones now support even larger MicroSD card sizes – up to 400GB.

The Galaxy S9+ also has an ­additional 12-megapixel (f/2.4) ­telephoto lens on the back with 2x optical and 10x digital zoom. The twin camera setup allows users to shoot images with the Bokeh effect which can be adjusted before or after the photo is taken.

The Galaxy S9 smartphone capturing a water balloon being burst with a pin to demonstrate the super slow-motion recording capability. — Bloomberg

Both models have a front-facing 8-megapixel (f/1.7) camera for shooting selfies.

Next, play any tunes on the Galaxy S9 or S9+ and you’ll notice the other big upgrade – louder and clearer sound thanks to stereo ­speakers tuned by AKG.

I tested the ­preloaded Dolby Atmos videos and there were no signs of ­distortion even at maximum ­volume. And although we were in a busy testing room, we could hear the smartphone clearly with the volume just at 80%.

Secure smartphone

The S9 (5.8in) and S9+ (6.2in) have the same screen sizes as their predecessors but that’s only to be ­expected as the Infinity Display still looks ­futuristic with its almost bezel-less design.

Samsung has moved the ­fingerprint scanner to a more ideal location – below the ­camera instead of to its side. For my mid-sized hands, the location of the scanner, even on the bigger S9+, is perfect though I had to be careful not to smudge the lens.

The other biometric authentication options – iris and facial ­recognition – now work together so it can identify you in a ­variety of situations, whether you’re wearing sunglasses or holding the phone at an unflattering angle. This feature is unique to the Galaxy S9 and S9+ and it’s called Intelligent Scan.

There’s also the Dedicated Fingerprint function that lets users use a different fingerprint from the one used to unlock the phone to access the Secure Folder. It’s ­protected by Knox 3.1, Samsung’s defence-grade ­security platform.

Attendees standing in front of a screen displaying personalised emoji characters created using the AR Emoji feature on the Galaxy S9/S9. — Bloomberg

One of the fun new features of the Galaxy S9 and S9+ is AR Emoji. Using the front facing ­camera, the smartphone scans the user’s face to map out more than 100 facial ­features to create a 3D model that reflects and ­imitates ­expressions.

A test showed this was a quick process, though users will have to ­awkwardly purse their lips for a toothless smile in order to ensure the best scan. It got my eyebrows down pat and with the skin tone scale, it wasn’t hard to match my looks.

Users could change their hair colours, with eight shades of brown to black in addition to ­wilder colours like The Joker’s green to neon blues, yellows and pinks. There are also 12 outfits from ­business wear to semi-formal and comical clothes, reminiscent of The SIMs games.

Once a user has completed his or her digital avatar, it can be saved as an animated GIF and shared with friends on most messenger apps.

Bixby Vision will not only identify the food but also give an approximate calorie count and log it on the Samsung Health app so you don't have to count calories manually. — AP

Bixby Vision, which is easily accessible anytime the camera is on, has also been enhanced.

It can translate text in many ­languages in real time, recognise food (and log calories), and even has an Artificial Reality overlay for users to test how they will look with various make up. However, the last feature is currently ­available only in the United States, Canada, China and South Korea.

Use it as desktop

Proving that the flagship ­smartphones could handle the same workload as a laptop, Samsung has launched the DexPad.

The docking station has a HDMI port for connecting it to a monitor and it now supports even higher resolution than 1080p.

In addition to the HDMI output, there are two USB ports to connect wired devices like a keyboard or mouse or Bluetooth dongle for wireless accessories.

You get a full desktop interface and it even comes with Microsoft’s productivity apps like Word, Excel and PowerPoint so you can work on the go.

The DexPad allows you to use the S9 and S9+ as a desktop computer. — Samsung

While the earlier model – the Dex – looked more like a hockey puck that expands into a phone stand, the DeXPad is static.

It’s a sleek black cradle that ­neatly houses the Galaxy S9 and S9+ and has a rubberised crest that pads and prevents slippage.

The reason for the flat design is because the phone doubles as a trackpad when docked and no mouse is plugged in – this design makes it more intuitive to use as a trackpad.

The USB-C connector also slightly tilts up and down, allowing phones of different sizes to be docked and also reducing strain on the ­connector.

This will make it future proof and backwards compatible with a­ variety of Samsung models, as there are plans to allow it to ­support most models with Android 8 Oreo.

The Galaxy S9 64GB will cost RM3,299 while the S9+ will come in several capacities – 64GB (RM3,799), 128GB (RM3,999) and 256GB (RM4,399).

Both models will be available in three colours, namely Midnight Black, Coral Blue and the new Lilac Purple except for the Galaxy S9+ 256GB which will only be available in Midnight Black.

The Galaxy S9 and S9+ will go on sale on March 16.