MWC 2018: Samsung Galaxy S9, Galaxy S9+ with dual rear cameras launched

The 2018 flagship devices have evolved more on multimedia, imaging, security and mobility -- all core elements of Samsung's Galaxy S-series -- to offer a complete package

South Korean electronics manufacturer Samsung on February 25 introduced the Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9 Plus at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona. The next-generation smartphones are built on the blueprint the of Galaxy 8-series, but with deeper artificial intelligence integration, enhanced camera modules and all-round multimedia capabilities.

Multimedia, imaging, security and mobility have always been the core of Samsung’s Galaxy S-series. The 2018 flagship devices have evolved more on these to offer a complete package.

Here are some of the key features of the devices:

Camera

In a first for any Galaxy S-series smartphone, the South Korean giant has integrated a dual aperture (f/1.5 and f/2.4) lens in a super-speed dual-pixel sensor powered by a dedicated processor and memory chip. The camera in the Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9 Plus has also improved on slow-motion capabilities. The smartphones, unlike any of its previous generation, now support slow-mo up to 960 frames per second – that challenges Sony’s monopoly in this segment. 

Galaxy S9 variable aperture

Both the devices offer automatic motion detection, a feature that detects movement in the frame and automatically begins to record – all that users have to do is set up the shot. For content creators and social media enthusiasts alike, the devices offer on-the-go remixing of shots with selected background music tracks or a tune from playlist. 

Galaxy S9 AR Emoji

The camera unit in the devices now supports animated emojis. They use a data-based machine learning algorithm which analyses a 2D image of the user and maps out more than 100 facial features to create a 3D model reflecting and imitating expressions like winks and nods, for personalisation.

Galaxy S9 Motion Capture

Bixby was in early stages when it was launched alongside Samsung Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8 Plus. However, Samsung’s intelligence platform has evolved to be a much more capable technology now. In the Galaxy S9-series, Bixby is integrated into the camera. It uses augmented reality and deep learning technologies to provide helpful information about a user’s surroundings. With real-time object detection and recognition, Bixby also generates information directly on top of the image that the camera is pointing at. 

Multimedia

Galaxy S9 Stereo Speakers

Technology enthusiasts have been asking for dual stereo speakers in Samsung devices for long. The wait ends with Galaxy S9-series. The smartphones are equipped with stereo speakers fine-tuned by audio expert AKG. The speaker supports Dolby Atmos for of 360-degree surround sound experience.

Security

The Galaxy S9 and S9 Plus is protected by Knox 3.1, Samsung’s latest defence-grade security platform. The smartphones support three different biometric authentication options – iris, fingerprint, and facial recognition. The devices also feature Intelligent Scan, a new verification process that intelligently uses the collective strength of iris scanning and facial recognition technology to unlock a user’s phone in various situations.

Galaxy S9 specifications

The Galaxy S9 and S9 Plus also introduce dedicated fingerprint, giving users the option to use a different fingerprint to access ‘Secure Folder’ than the one used to unlock the phone.

Mobility

For those constantly on the move, the next-generation Samsung DeX allows full-screen experience with the DeX Pad, a new docking system that connects the Galaxy S9 and S9 Plus to a larger monitor, keyboard and mouse to expand the mobile experience with enhanced document editing or even full-screen gaming. 

Galaxy S9 camera specifications

Lastly, both the devices comes with IP68 water and dust resistance and wireless charging capabilities.