Samsung Galaxy S9 Smartphones Produce Yawns
It could be due to all the early leaks, but Samsung just isn’t causing the type of excitement their new smartphones are used to causing this year. Both the Galaxy S9 and S9+ were announced this Sunday at Mobile World Congress 2018. According to the Verge, both smartphones appear to be almost exactly like the S8 and S8+.
“In fact, the Galaxy S9 and S9+ are so similar to their predecessors that on passing glance, they look and feel exactly the same.”
The S9 carries a 5.8-inch screen, runs the latest version of Android Oreo, and has a camera designed to maximize low-light photos. Unfortunately, the S9 still has one lens, but at least the fingerprint reader has been moved underneath that lens.
The Galaxy S9+ has the same 6.2-inch screen as the S8+ from last year, but it gets a dual-lens camera, which some say is even better than the one on the iPhone X. Some say the new S9+ looks just like the Galaxy Note 8, but without a stylus.
BGR’s Zach Epstein actually spent time with both phones and is excited.
“The end result is two phones that are far more sleek and refined than their predecessors. If you’ve ever held a Galaxy S8 or a Galaxy S8+ in your hand, you know that’s saying a lot,” he says, adding that many of the upgrades are on the inside.
Still, most of the commenters after the article aren’t very enthusiastic.
“About as boring as predicted. But WTF is with that horrible attempt at an animoji knockoff?” asks Kirfer.
“Another model ANOTHER NEW EXPLOSIONS [sic] followed by RESOUNDING FLOP!!!” screams Duel.
The common thought in the comments is that Samsung really hasn’t brought anything new to the table. Twitter seems to agree.
Even Gareth Beavis of TechRadar says it’s really easy to come to the conclusion that Samsung’s new smartphones are boring.
“Admittedly, that’s a lot to do with the fact that the Galaxy S9 was leaked so often, and so comprehensively, that I failed to see anything new on stage today,” Beavis points out, adding that if the revelation of the smartphone had been entirely new, he still would have struggled to talk about any headline features on the phone.
However, Brian Fagioli of Betanews says it’s okay that the Galaxy S9 and S9+ are evolutionary rather than revolutionary. He believes the smartphone market has changed, and there doesn’t need to be a revolutionary smartphone released every year. Fagioli’s opinion echoes that of others who believe smartphone companies should spend more time perfecting current features rather than trying to make “evolutionary” features that are nothing but gimmicks.
Trial versions of Samsung’s new flagship phones should start arriving at different carrier stores this week. Perhaps Samsung is playing things safe for a reason. Besides, the Galaxy S8, S8+, and Note 8 have all sold well enough in the past year, so Samsung doesn’t need to take any major risks.
