Samsung Galaxy S9, S9+ vs Galaxy S8, S8+: Should you upgrade?

Here’s how Samsung’s new Galaxy S9 fares against last year’s Samsung Galaxy S8 phones.

Samsung Galaxy S9, S9+ vs Galaxy S8, S8+: Here’s what’s new (REUTERS)

Samsung's new flagship smartphones Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9+ are here. Ahead of the launch, there has been a lot of buzz and hype around the new generation Galaxy S smartphones, especially for its improved camera capabilities and iPhone X's Animoji-inspired AR emojis.

Apart from improved camera, Samsung Galaxy S9 series comes with incremental upgrades over its predecessor, Galaxy S8. If you're already a Galaxy S8 or Galaxy S8+ user and wondering whether you should upgrade to the newer Galaxy phones, here's a look at the differences between the two flagship generations for a better idea.

Display, Design

Samsung didn't make any major changes with the Galaxy S9 duo considering the major redesign the Galaxy S8 series happened last year. One small but important change however is the placement of the fingerprint sensor which is now below the camera lens and not beside it.

The display size on both Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9+ remain the same with curved AMOLED Infinity Display and 18:9 aspect ratio. The Galaxy S9 features a 5.8-inch display, and the Galaxy S9+ has a bigger 6.2-inch screen.

Processor, RAM and Storage

Samsung has been one of the first ones to launch its smartphones with the latest Qualcomm processor. The Galaxy S9 series is powered by Qualcomm's Snapdragon 845 processor. This variant is however restricted to the US market. Global markets will get the Exynos 9810 processor model which is also the latest in-house chipset.

In comparison, Samsung Galaxy S8 series runs Snapdragon 835 and Exynos 8895 processors under its hood.

While the RAM capacity remains the same, Samsung beefed up the storage on Galaxy S9+ along with microSD support up to 400GB. Galaxy S9 comes with 4GB RAM and two storage options of 64GB and 256GB. The older Galaxy S8 is available with 4GB RAM and 64GB storage and microSD support up to 256GB.

The top model gets the same treatment with 6GB RAM plus 64GB and 256GB storage options. Galaxy S8+ has the same RAM capacity but with 64GB and 128GB storage options.

Camera

Samsung prides on the camera features of the Galaxy S9 series. The biggest upgrade here is the dual-camera setup on the Galaxy S9+ which is a combination of 12-megapixel and 13-megapixel sensors. Galaxy S9 sports a single 12-megapixel rear camera. Up front, both smartphones house an 8-megapixel camera for selfies.

The specifics are the same as the Galaxy S8 duo also feature a 12-megapixel rear and 8-megapixel front camera.

However, the cameras on Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9+ come with dual-aperture mode which switches between f/1.5 and f/2.4 according to the lighting conditions. There's also a super slo-mo feature which records videos at 960 frames per second. Lastly, the smartphones offer an iPhone X Animoji-like AR emoji feature.

Battery, OS and connectivity

Both the Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S9 series have the same battery capacity of 3,000mAh and 3,500mAh. Galaxy S9 and S9+ run the latest Android 8.0 Oreo, while the Galaxy S8 series ship with Android 7.0 Nougat. Samsung is expected to roll out Android 8.0 Oreo for the Galaxy S8 smartphones but the release has been facing delays.

The connectivity options also remain the same with dual-SIM support, Bluetooth 5.0, Wi-Fi, USB Type-C port and 3.5mm audio jack. The latest Galaxy S9 duo however comes with Gigabit LTE for 5G connectivity.

Price

Samsung Galaxy S9 starts at ₹57,900 for the base variant with 4GB RAM plus 64GB storage, while the top model with 256GB storage will retail at ₹65,900. Galaxy S8, on the other hand with 4GB RAM and 64GB storage is available at ₹53,900.

Galaxy S9+ with 4GB RAM and 64GB storage is priced at ₹64,900, and with 256GB storage the price tag is ₹72,000. The base model of Galaxy S8+ with 4GB RAM plus 64GB storage is priced at ₹58,900, and with 6GB RAM plus 64GB storage it is available at ₹64,900.