9 features that make the Samsung Galaxy S9 stand out

Samsung launched Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9+ ahead of the Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2018 in Barcelona on February 25. Featuring refined designs and Samsung’s most advanced cameras yet, the Galaxy S9 and S9+ offer tools to transform how users capture special moments, express themselves and enjoy entertainment. The company says both devices offer a smartphone experience that’s personalised in ways that enhance users’ lives and designed to reimagine the way that we communicate.

Design and Display

Both the 5.8-inch Galaxy S9 and the 6.2-inch S9+ introduce refinements to the Infinity Display. These include reinforcing the Super AMOLED displays with thicker Corning Gorilla Glass 5 and crafting the bezels and screen in a deeper black to conceal the iris sensor. Both devices feature sleek, contemporary designs, and are available in a choice of four colours — Midnight Black, Titanium Gray, Coral Blue, and the all-new Lilac Purple.

Camera: Super Slo-mo mode

The company says that the Galaxy S9’s Super Slow-mo feature was designed to allow users to capture, in detail, the epic, blink-and-you’ll-miss-it moments that occur in everyday life. Super Slow-mo increases the camera’s shutter speed to a  960 fps (frames per second) and is capable of recording video that’s four times slower than any other slow-motion mobile technology. Once they’ve recorded their Super Slow-mo clip, users may choose to save it as a GIF, customise it with a favourite tune, or display it as a wallpaper for their home or lock screen.

Galaxy S9's Low Light camera

Combining an F2.4 aperture lens with an F1.5, the brightest currently available on a smartphone, the Galaxy S9’s advanced Dual Aperture camera adapts to its environment to allow users to snapshots in any light, the company said. Further, the tech giant says just like the human eye, the camera automatically adjusts to lighting conditions to allow just the right amount of light to reach the lens. So whether users are enjoying a sunny day at the beach or a birthday dinner with friends, they can rest assured that their images will be crisp and clear.

Galaxy S9's AR Emoji

The Galaxy S9’s new AR Emoji feature allows users to create their own cartoon-like emojis using the device‘s facial recognition technology. From a single selfie, the device analyses a 2D image of you by mapping more than 100 distinct facial features, and then applies that image to a 3D model to generate an avatar that looks just like you and can imitate your facial expressions. AR Emoji are fully customisable, can easily be shared with others and also used as a wallpaper for the user’s home or lock screen.

Bixby

Samsung’s claims that its intelligence platform, Bixby, is deeply integrated into the Galaxy S9’s camera, and utilises augmented reality and deep learning technologies to provide users with a wide range of helpful, real-time information about the world around them. When the user points their camera at an object, Bixby recognises what it’s looking at and instantly presents information related to that object overlaid on top of the image. This means that, for instance, a user on a business trip abroad would be able to utilize the Live Translation function under Bixby’s Text mode to instantly translate a menu or sign written in a foreign language, or even foreign currency, in real-time.

Galaxy S9+'s Dual camera

The Galaxy S9+’s Dual Camera features a pair of 12MP cameras – an F1.5 wide-angle lens with SuperSpeed Dual Pixel image sensor, and an F2.4 telephoto lens – as well as dual optical image stabilization (OIS) to ensure that photos are clear even when the user has a shaky hand. The camera’s Live Focus and Background Blur features offer users more creative control over their photos. The former allows them to adjust the depth of field at any point in the photo-taking process, while the latter lets users play with the focus of their photo’s background by applying shapes such as hearts, stars and more.

Galaxy S9's Stereo Speakers

"because our smartphones are often our go-to platform for entertainment, Samsung has complemented the Galaxy S9’s immersive Infinity Display with an equally engrossing sound system. To make it easy for users to immerse themselves in their content, Samsung placed AKG-tuned stereo speakers into the bottom and earpiece of the device that produces rich, balanced sound, no matter the volume." the company said. The Galaxy S9 also features a Dolby Atmos effect, which carefully analyses key variables in content’s audio to give users the sensation that they’re experiencing 360-degree surround sound.

Enhanced Biometric Authentication

The Galaxy S9’s Intelligent Scan feature combines the collective strength of Samsung’s iris scanning, facial recognition and intelligent technologies to create a seamless authentication solution that offers users secure access to their device in virtually any environment. In addition, the phone’s fingerprint scanner, which is now conveniently located beneath the camera on the back of the device, supports a new Dedicated Fingerprint function, which allows users to designate a fingerprint to provide instant access to their Secure Folder.

Galaxy S9 and Samsung Dex

In addition to allowing users to enjoy a full-screen desktop experience powered by their mobile device, the Samsung DeX software platform now allows users to transform their Galaxy S9’s Infinity Display into a Touch Keyboard and Touch Pad using the new DeX Pad.

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