Review
Hello Stemian
The Galaxy S9 ($719.99 at Amazon.com) is great, but the Galaxy S9 Plus is objectively the better phone, and the one power users should get if they can't choose between the two.
In previous years, the Plus model was the same as the Galaxy S, but bigger, with a larger battery, too. This year, the S9 Plus comes with an extra feature that the S9 doesn't have: A second camera lens on the back. It's this 12-megapixel telephoto sensor that blesses the Galaxy S9 Plus with the ability to take depth-of-field portrait photos that blur the background so that the subject of your photos stands out.
Samsung Galaxy S9 and S9 Plus
There are three good reasons you'll want the Galaxy S9 Plus more than the Galaxy S9.
There are other variations between the two in size, weight, battery life and RAM, but if screen size isn't important to you, the second camera is the reason you'd shell out more for the Galaxy S9 Plus. All other core features are the same, including the 12-megapixel dual-aperture camera that makes its industry debut with these Galaxy S9 phones.
Interestingly, the Galaxy S9 Plus is only Samsung's second phone to get a dual camera, falling in line after last August's Galaxy Note 8 ($928.00 at Amazon.com). Samsung came to the trend more than a year late, so its phones are still making up for lost time. The fact that this dual-camera setup is absent on the Galaxy S9 tells us that Samsung sees the photo feature as a high-end differentiator.
In fact, by giving the Galaxy S9 one rear camera, the larger Galaxy S9 Plus two rear cameras, and the Galaxy Note dual cameras plus a digital stylus, Samsung can justify three price tiers that match each phone's features. The model makes sense, and mirrors Apple's own structure with the iPhone 8 ($689.00 at Amazon.com), 8 Plus ($940.00 at Amazon.com) and iPhone X ($1,199.99 at Amazon.com).
Samsung Galaxy S9 and S9 Plus: Sizzling photos from every angle
Unfortunately, despite the addition of the second telephoto lens on the Plus, the main camera carries over the same weaknesses of the S9's promising dual-aperture lens: It tends to overexpose photos in low-light situations, and they're not as sharp, either. That said, if you're going to get a phone in the S9 family, you'll want to pay up for the Plus.
This review highlights the differences between the S9 Plus and S9. For all other features, including the 12-megapixel dual-aperture camera (not to be confused with the dual-camera setup you'll find on the S9 Plus), Snapdragon 845 processor and AR Emoji, see my full Galaxy S9 review.
Editors' note: Ratings are tentative until we complete final testing, including ongoing camera and battery tests.
What the Galaxy S9 Plus has over the Galaxy S9
Let's dive into the differences between the two phones.
Portrait mode
You could use the 12-megapixel telephoto lens to take photos, but 99 times out of 100 you're going to want it for portrait mode.
Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9 Plus: Taking the camera out for a spin
The same setup as on the Galaxy Note 8, the S9 Plus' portrait mode app is called Live Focus. You'll have slider control over your blur intensity and "skin tone," which used to be called "beauty mode" and airbrushes your features.
Samsung's portrait mode falls behind the iPhone X and iPhone 8 Plus in lighting extras. Those phones let you set the lighting tone from natural to dramatic. But what's unique about Samsung's portrait mode is that you can adjust the blur as an edit after taking the photo.
You can also swap between the depth-of-field portrait (the close up) and the unblurred, wide-angle version of the same shot. The shooting process may not be quite as theatrical as it is on the iPhone X, but I do like the practicality. And you can still apply over a dozen filters in the photo editor.
samsung-galaxy-s9-plus-17
The two Galaxy S9s side by side.
Larger screen size
The Galaxy S9 Plus has the advantage of a larger 6.2-inch screen, which gives you more space to view media and interact with what's on the screen.
A bigger screen makes for a more sizable phone to stretch your fingers around. I find the S9 more comfortable by and large, but the taller, narrower dimensions that Samsung introduced with last year's Galaxy S8 ($579.72 at Amazon.com) keeps it from feeling like you're tapping on a roof shingle -- even with my smaller hands.
Bigger battery
Like last year's models, the S9 Plus also comes with a higher-capacity battery than the S9: 3,500mAh compared to 3,000mAh.
The S9 Plus averaged just under 17 hours on two runs of our looping video test in airplane mode. That's actually an hour less than last year's 18-hour Galaxy S8 Plus ($699.72 at Amazon.com) average, so we'll continue testing on other units and update these results.
samsung-galaxy-s9-plus-unboxing-21
Unboxing the Galaxy S9 Plus: This is the fast-charger you get in the box.
So far in our tests, the S9 Plus has lasted at least three hours longer than my particular Galaxy S9 review unit, but testing continues there and I'll update this review if later tests show an improvement.
In real world usage, the Galaxy S9 Plus lasted for a full work day. I've been using the phone relentlessly during my testing period, and always felt confident that I had enough battery to take me from morning until night -- but maybe not late night. If you're planning to be away until midnight, you may feel more comfortable giving it a top-up before you head out.
Still, the S9 Plus recharges so quickly -- from empty to full in 1 hour, 40 minutes with the power off -- that even 30 minutes on the fast charger can hike up the reserves.
Is the Galaxy S9 Plus worth the extra price?
The Galaxy S9 Plus has that sweet second camera lens on the back.
If you like a large screen and don't want to get left behind the portrait photo craze, the Galaxy S9 Plus is the no-brainer choice between it and the Galaxy S9.
As the larger, more advanced Galaxy S9 phone, the S9 Plus costs more than the regular S9. Prices vary by retailer and currency, but as an example, the Galaxy S9 Plus costs about $130 more than the S9 with US carriers.
The S9 Plus isn't the phone to buy if you're trying to curb your spending. And at the end of two years of ownership, you won't wind up paying that much more for this phone than you would for the smaller Galaxy S9.
In the core features like screen quality, general photography, battery life and speed, it's either on par with the iPhone X or surpasses Apple's best phone. But the iPhone X laps the S9 Plus when it comes to extras like Face ID (versus Intelligent Scan) and animojis (versus AR Emoji).
For more comparisons to the iPhone X, Google Pixel 2 ($744.98 at Amazon Marketplace) and OnePlus 5T ($539.00 at Amazon.com), scroll to the end of my full Galaxy S9 review.
Galaxy S9 and S9 Plus specs vs. iPhone X and Google Pixel 2 XL
Samsung Galaxy S9 Samsung Galaxy S9 Plus Apple iPhone X Google Pixel 2 XL
Display size, resolution 5.8-inch; 2,960x1,440 pixels 6.2-inch; 2,960x1,440 pixels 5.8-inch; 2,436x1,125 pixels 6-inch; 2,880x1,440 pixels
Pixel density 570ppi 529ppi 458ppi 538ppi
Dimensions (Inches) 5.81x2.70x0.33 in 6.22x2.91x0.33 in 5.7x2.79x0.30 in 6.2x3.0x0.3 in
Dimensions (Millimeters) 147.7x68.7x8.5 mm 158.1x73.8x8.5 mm 143.6x70.9x7.7 mm 157.9x76.7x7.9 mm
Weight (Ounces, Grams) 5.75 oz; 163 g 6.66 oz; 189 g 6.14 oz; 174 g 6.17 oz; 175 g
Mobile software Android 8.0 Oreo Android 8.0 Oreo iOS 11 Android 8 Oreo
Camera 12-megapixel Dual 12-megapixel Dual 12-megapixel 12-megapixel
Front-facing camera 8-megapixel 8-megapixel 7-megapixel 8-megapixel
Video capture 4K 4K 4K 4K
Processor Octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 processor (2.8GHz + 1.7GHz), or Octa-core Samsung Exynos 9810 (2.7 GHz + 1.7 GHz) Octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 processor (2.8GHz + 1.7GHz), or Octa-core Samsung Exynos 9810 (2.7 GHz + 1.7 GHz) Apple A11 Bionic Octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 (2.35Ghz + 1.9Ghz)
Storage 64GB, 128GB, 256GB 64GB, 128GB, 256GB 64GB, 256GB 64GB, 128GB
RAM 4GB 6GB Unlisted 4GB
Expandable storage Up to 400GB Up to 400GB None None
Battery 3,000mAh 3,500mAh Unlisted 3,520mAh
Fingerprint sensor Back Back None (Face ID via TrueDepth camera) Back
Connector USB-C USB-C Lightning USB-C
Headphone jack Yes Yes No No
Special features Dual-aperture camera, water-resistant (IP68); super slo-mo video; wireless charging; iris scanning Dual-aperture camera, water-resistant (IP68); super slo-mo video; wireless charging; iris scanning Water resistant (IP67), wireless charging, Face ID Google Assistant; unlimited cloud storage; Daydream VR-ready
Price off-contract (USD) Varies: $720-$800 (64GB) Varies: $840-$930 (64GB) $999 (64GB), $1,149 (256GB) $849 (64GB), $949 (128GB)
Price (GBP) £739 £869 £999 (64GB), £1,149 (256GB) £799 (64GB), £899 (128GB)
Price (AUD) AU$1,199 (64GB); AU$1,349 (256GB) AU$1,349 (64GB); AU$1,499 (256GB) AU$1,579 (64GB), AU$1,829 (256GB) AU$1,399 (64GB), AU$1,549 (128GB)
Its very expencive for dollar price in my country!