The Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9+ are here, and Samsung's 2018 flagships will be the devices all other flagships will be measured against. The Galaxy S9 and S9+ pack the latest and greatest tech, including a camera with physically adjustable aperture, but while the two phones will be hogging all the limelight in the coming weeks (and have been since they were unveiled), some consumers will be looking to pick up a Galaxy S8 or Galaxy S8+ for a lower price. There's certainly sense in saving money and going for a year-old flagship that does most of the things as the device that succeeds it, but before you make the final decision, we want to point out three features that we think make the S9 and S9+ a better purchase.
Stereo speakers
Need we say more? Samsung fans have been demanding stereo speakers on the company's flagships for ages, and the company finally relented. Or, well, it just bought Harman at the right time and decided to put the newly onboarded talent to good use. In any case, the Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9+ offer you stereo sound through the loudspeakers (though there's only one true speaker; the earpiece doubles up as the second speaker). The speakers are tuned by AKG and are four times louder than the single speaker on the Galaxy S8 and Galaxy Note 8.
They also offer Dolby Atmos surround sound to put you right in the center of the action, and as we noted in our review, the overall experience is a great one. Not the best if compared to the competition, which has been doing stereo sound on flagship phones for longer, but a far cry from the pitiful non-wired audio of yesteryear Galaxy flagships.
Super slow-mo videos
Not everyone is interested in taking slow-motion videos, or even regular videos for that matter, but those who are (especially parents and animal lovers) will find the super slow-mo recording feature on the Galaxy S9 and S9+ extremely fun to use. At 960 frames per second, super slow-mo videos taken on the S9 and S9+ can stretch a 0.2 second moment into a six second clip.
These phones can even use artificial intelligence to detect motion in a frame and record super slow-mo moments without any user input. These videos can lack detail, as they are recorded in 720p (1280×720 pixels), but you can always switch to regular slow-motion videos when the occasion calls for it.
Check out a few of our super slow-mo samples to see what makes the feature so inviting.
Guaranteed software updates until 2020
The Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+ are still in their prime when it comes to software support, but a year later these phones will not be as important when it comes to updates, especially major ones that bring a newer version of the Android operating system. Security updates will continue, but the frequency will go down as Samsung will shift its support to more recent devices.
If software updates matter to you, the Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9+ become the more sensible choice. It's possible many users will be waiting too long for the Android P update next year, but if Samsung can put the Project Treble support on its new flagships to good use, the update scenario for the S9 and S9+ may be better than it was (or is) for the Galaxy S8 and S8+.
As you must have noticed by now, the list above doesn't include reasons to buy the Galaxy S9 and S9+ in general. These are features that can enhance the overall user experience and make the S9 and S9+ a better choice over the Galaxy S8 or S8+, despite the lower prices the latter two might be carrying in your country.
Of course, it's not an exhaustive list, and if you think there are other reasons to opt for the S9 and S9+ over their predecessors, do let us know in the comments section. Also check out a few pictures of the Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S8 side by side, and read our full Galaxy S9 review to see what makes Samsung's latest top-of-the-line handsets tick.
