Samsung Galaxy S9

[alorotom]

Oakey said:

Can you explain exactly what you mean by that.

More vivid and greater depth of and between colours and contrasts normally

[Rawwr]

Rawwr said:

I remember when I got my Lumia 920 and everyone said it was far too big to be practical. Funny how things change.

I've been using it for a few days now so figured I'd write a few words, comparing the S7E to the S9+.

For me, the S7E was pretty much the perfect device; the size, display, camera, speed and feature set are all pretty fantastic. The S9+ is a really nice device but there are a few things which I'd class as minor annoyances, though I do accept that I'm probably just not used to them yet.

The Annoyances

• The weighting feels wrong. When I'm holding the S9+ it feels slightly too top heavy and I'm now totally paranoid about dropping it when I'm holding it in one hand. I can't hold it in the same way I could hold the S7E, with the bottom-third of the device in hand.
• The buttons are wrong. I liked double pressing the home button on S7E to get to the camera. Having the double-press of the power button to launch the camera is pretty awful, as due to the way I tend to hold the phone, I often just switch the phone off instead of launching the camera. The Bixby button seems like a dreadful waste and I'd much rather have the volume buttons lower.
• The fingerprint reader on the back. Ok, it's in a better position than the S8/S8+ but my word, I hate having it there. The reader integrated into the home button on the S7E was perfect. I miss it.
• Bezels. I want some bezel back, please. Bezels aren't a bad thing! I keep clipping bits of the screen with my grip, often pressing the icon on the bottom-right.

That little trio, for me, feels like a step backwards but as said earlier, I suspect they're just things I'll get used to.

The Good Bits

• The display is perfect. There's no other word for it. Vivid, bright, clear, balanced.
• The camera. Amazing quality pictures and stunning to think that phone cameras have reached this point.
• Materials. It feels very solid and is a nice thing to have in your hand. It doesn't feel cheap.

Everything about it works and works well. I don't really have any complaints about the Samsung's interpretation of Oreo and they Samsung provided apps all mostly all great.

But...

Is it a worthwhile replacement for the S7E? Objectively? Nah. If you have a working, functional, tidy S7E at the moment and are thinking of upgrading (and I use the term loosely) to the S9 or S9+ just because it's a new device; don't. There's not enough here to make it a worthwhile purchase.

If you have to replace your S7E because it's dead or f*cked up then yeah, go for it, it's a really good device but you'll probably spend the first day or two getting quietly irritated because it's 'different'.

[telford_mike]

^^^ Thanks for that, I'm in the 'still got a working S7E' camp, so will wait for the S10 or whatever they decide to call it.

[Prohibiting]

Just over 2 weeks with my S9+ now.

Honest opinions from an iPhone user of 8 years..... I'm not convinced by the curved display edges. The edge display looks nice but I don't think it's as practical or easy to use/touch as having normal edges.

Material/build quality; I'd be happy to pay an extra £50ish for nicer solid materials. When I pick up and hold/use my old iPhone 6 plus it feels more solid than the S9+. The Samsung feels very fragile when it isn't in a case! I have a case now which obviously massively helps.

Other than that, fantastic. The software and menu's etc are great and it's very slick. The camera is obviously brilliant and the face/iris detection and finger print scanner works very quickly.

Every time I see an iPhone X with that indented screen at the top I think "that looks crap".

[Tycho]

Rawwr said:

The Annoyances

• The buttons are wrong. I liked double pressing the home button on S7E to get to the camera. Having the double-press of the power button to launch the camera is pretty awful, as due to the way I tend to hold the phone, I often just switch the phone off instead of launching the camera. The Bixby button seems like a dreadful waste and I'd much rather have the volume buttons lower.

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.jamworks.bxactions

This will allow you to remap the Bixby button. I currently have it set as a single press to launch the camera and a double press to run a tasker task when the screen is off. When the screen is on a single press is back, a double is task manager.

[jimmyjimjim]

I probably bought that at about the time you posted the link. Just trying to pluck up the enthusiasm to do the more convoluted usb debugging part.

[jimmyjimjim]

Did the usb debugging bit. I can't stress strongly enough - PAY THE MONEY AND DO IT!

Excellent app. Single click for google now, double click for google assistant, long click/hold for flashlight.

$3 well spent.

[Rawwr]

Tycho said:

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com....

This will allow you to remap the Bixby button. I currently have it set as a single press to launch the camera and a double press to run a tasker task when the screen is off. When the screen is on a single press is back, a double is task manager.

Yeah, I'm aware of bxActions and I'm using it. The annoyance comes from the default, out-of-the-box, unconfigurable nature of the button, cynically added to drive users towards Bixby.

[Tycho]

Rawwr said:

Yeah, I'm aware of bxActions and I'm using it. The annoyance comes from the default, out-of-the-box, unconfigurable nature of the button, cynically added to drive users towards Bixby.

Totally agree about the button. We shouldn't have to do this but TBH I'm glad we can if needed. I found Bixby to be good for on phone actions and putting together small macros but nowhere near Google assistant for anything else.

[Rawwr]

Prohibiting said:

Material/build quality; I'd be happy to pay an extra £50ish for nicer solid materials. When I pick up and hold/use my old iPhone 6 plus it feels more solid than the S9+. The Samsung feels very fragile when it isn't in a case! I have a case now which obviously massively helps.

Weird. I'm the other way around, I think the iPhone feels like the cheaper device. Specfically the 8+, so maybe the 8+ isn't as good as the 6 when it comes to materials, maybe?

[Puggit]

Prohibiting said:

Just over 2 weeks with my S9+ now.

Honest opinions from an iPhone user of 8 years..... I'm not convinced by the curved display edges. The edge display looks nice but I don't think it's as practical or easy to use/touch as having normal edges.

To be honest, it was the same going from an S5 to S7E. Soon got used to it and really appreciate the curved edge.

I'm in the S7E has a big pink line and I can't get it fixed for free due to a small crack on the screen camp. Will probably sit out the initial price surge and then dive in.

[Bungleaio]

My launch day S7E is dying so I've ordered an S9+ to replace it. The market is full of very good options now so going for the S9+ wasn't an easy decision but I use wireless charging in my car and at home so I don't want to give that up.

[Efbe]

HTP99 said:

Ahhh, Lumia 920; fond memories.

was it the 910 that had the massive camera sensor and could get pictures in near pitch black conditions.

the only phone I have been able to take pictures of star constellations with!

[Mammasaid]

Efbe said:

HTP99 said:

Ahhh, Lumia 920; fond memories.

was it the 910 that had the massive camera sensor and could get pictures in near pitch black conditions.

the only phone I have been able to take pictures of star constellations with!

Picture taken with S8...

[Efbe]

Mammasaid said:

Picture taken with S8...

taken with a 920 back in 2013:

[Mammasaid]

Efbe said:

Mammasaid said:

Picture taken with S8...

taken with a 920 back in 2013:

Then compare and contrast with a dedicated camera...horses for courses, my point being, I wouldn't use a phone camera for astronomy.

[LosingGrip]

Rawwr said:

I've been using it for a few days now so figured I'd write a few words, comparing the S7E to the S9+.

For me, the S7E was pretty much the perfect device; the size, display, camera, speed and feature set are all pretty fantastic. The S9+ is a really nice device but there are a few things which I'd class as minor annoyances, though I do accept that I'm probably just not used to them yet.

The Annoyances

• The weighting feels wrong. When I'm holding the S9+ it feels slightly too top heavy and I'm now totally paranoid about dropping it when I'm holding it in one hand. I can't hold it in the same way I could hold the S7E, with the bottom-third of the device in hand.
• The buttons are wrong. I liked double pressing the home button on S7E to get to the camera. Having the double-press of the power button to launch the camera is pretty awful, as due to the way I tend to hold the phone, I often just switch the phone off instead of launching the camera. The Bixby button seems like a dreadful waste and I'd much rather have the volume buttons lower.
• The fingerprint reader on the back. Ok, it's in a better position than the S8/S8+ but my word, I hate having it there. The reader integrated into the home button on the S7E was perfect. I miss it.
• Bezels. I want some bezel back, please. Bezels aren't a bad thing! I keep clipping bits of the screen with my grip, often pressing the icon on the bottom-right.

That little trio, for me, feels like a step backwards but as said earlier, I suspect they're just things I'll get used to.

The Good Bits

• The display is perfect. There's no other word for it. Vivid, bright, clear, balanced.
• The camera. Amazing quality pictures and stunning to think that phone cameras have reached this point.
• Materials. It feels very solid and is a nice thing to have in your hand. It doesn't feel cheap.

Everything about it works and works well. I don't really have any complaints about the Samsung's interpretation of Oreo and they Samsung provided apps all mostly all great.

But...

Is it a worthwhile replacement for the S7E? Objectively? Nah. If you have a working, functional, tidy S7E at the moment and are thinking of upgrading (and I use the term loosely) to the S9 or S9+ just because it's a new device; don't. There's not enough here to make it a worthwhile purchase.

If you have to replace your S7E because it's dead or f*cked up then yeah, go for it, it's a really good device but you'll probably spend the first day or two getting quietly irritated because it's 'different'.

My contract is up for renewal in a couple of days. I've currently got a S7E and it does everything I need and more. It's mainly used to browse PH (could be both PH to be honest!) and Whatsapp. I'm paying close to £60 a month due to the data I use (or can use, plus insurance). I was thinking of just getting a sim only on a monthly contact until it breaks. Your post has pretty much confirmed that its best to do that.

[mikeiow]

Rawwr said:

Weird. I'm the other way around, I think the iPhone feels like the cheaper device. Specfically the 8+, so maybe the 8+ isn't as good as the 6 when it comes to materials, maybe?

Mmmm....my old iPhone 6 died a sad death, and work replaced with an iPhone 8: I’m beginning to hate it. Not specifically the build quality, but it had dropped me from conference calls (home office, so same signal as old phone); kinda frozen and needed rebooting twice, done some other weird things.....painful!

Considering getting my own personal phone for the first time....some cheapest android to see if that has improved since an abortive attempt around Nexus 4 years back. Waterproof with decent battery appeals...

[Dr Murdoch]

Can I change the Bixby button to the power button?

Is this possible?

[LosingGrip]

[redacted]