What Galaxy S9 Needs To Beat Pixel 2 XL
This week we're having a peek at the specs for the Samsung Galaxy S9 and the Google Pixel 2 XL. We're running one of the best current-generation devices up against what's become the best smartphone – for its camera, at least – on the market. The Google Pixel 2 and 2 XL are already on the market, while the Galaxy S9 is set to be revealed in full by Samsung on the 25th of February, 2018.
At Mobile World Congress 2018 we'll see the Samsung Galaxy S9 for the first time. It's expected that the standard model will have a high-quality camera and a display up front that's not all that different from last year's model. The Samsung Galaxy S9 Plus, on the other hand, may throw the rest of the market for a loop.
Rumors suggest that the Samsung Galaxy S9 Plus will have a dual-camera setup. The look of this dual-camera setup for the S9 Plus be not unlike what we've seen in several recent Huawei phones, the iPhone 8 Plus, Razer Phone, and others. The workings of this dual-camera setup might change the game entirely.
In addition to a number of new camera features on both the S9 and S9 Plus, the S9 is rumored to roll with both f/2.4 and f/1.5 apertures. The S9 is said to be able to switch between the two apertures mechanically when one would suit a certain environment or situation better than the other.
The S9 Plus will come with two 12-megapixel sensors, separately, and both will likely have optical zoom. Both the Galaxy S9 and the Galaxy S9 Plus will have a "super slo-mo" video capture mode that'll snap away at 480 frames per second at 720p. That's intense. You'll be able to see the moment your cat realizes you've tossed a cup of water at her for yowling all night long – the exact moment!
Google Pixel 2 XL VS Galaxy S9 VS S9 Plus
• Display: 6.0 vs 5.8 vs 6.2-inch
• Display Type: pOLED QHD+, AMOLED QHD+, AMOLED QHD+
• Camera (Pixel 2 XL:) 12.2 MP f/1.8 aperture, single lens, HDR+
• Camera (S9:) 12 MP f/2.4 and f/1.5 aperture, single lens, HDR
• Camera (S9 Plus:) 12 MP f/2.4 and f/1.7 aperture, dual lens, HDR
• Body: Glass and Metal, Glass and Metal, Glass and Metal
• Expandable Storage: No, Yes, Yes
NOTE: The above specs are gathered from rumors and insider tips – save the Pixel 2 XL specs, which are all entirely accurate. Keep in mind that we won't be able to do a finalized comparison between these devices until we have all three in our hands – soon!
The Google Pixel 2 XL has a 6-inch display, while the Galaxy S9 will likely have a 5.8-inch display. If the Galaxy S9 does indeed have a 5.8-inch display, the Galaxy S9 Plus will have a 6.2-inch display. While the Google Pixel 2 XL has a display that's meant to replicate real-world color as closely as possible, the Galaxy S9 will likely continue the AMOLED legacy by bringing the widest range of colors a set of eyeballs could ask for.
A better camera is what Samsung needs most. Given the display issues Google had with their Pixel 2 XL – the bad image it set in some users' minds, if not thing else – Samsung has a real opportunity here. While Samsung probably isn't worried about losing their seat as the leaders of the Android smartphone market for sales, they've got the opportunity to prove themselves as the makers of the best hardware and software once again.
Samsung puts more firepower in their promotions of Galaxy smartphones than Google does with Pixel. Especially now that Pixel 2 is a few months old, Samsung's initial launch will almost certainly blow Pixel 2 sales away. Away into the night, the long dark night. Until later this year when Pixel 3 arrives – then we'll see whose giggling.