Gadget Watch: Samsung Galaxy S9 gets IoT-friendly

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Features highlighted by Samsung include a new edge-to-edge Infinity Display, a new dual aperture lens for a claimed best-in-class low light camera, super slow-mo video, new stereo speakers for a surround effect supported by Dolby Atmos and – get ready for this – AR Emoji.

IoT

Interestingly, from an IoT perspective, both the the Galaxy S9 and S9+ will come with a new SmartThings app, “which unites Samsung’s existing IoT services into one single, smart experience,” says the company.

Basically, the aim is to enable them to be a central hub to manage a connected lifestyle at home, at the office or on the go.

To use the phone as a quasi desktop, for a full-screen experience with a connected monitor, there is DeX Pad support.

Key electronics components include a Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 chipset (64-bit, Octa-core processor comprising a 2.8 GHz Quad processor and a 1.7 GHz Quad processor) and a 5.8-inch Quad HD + Curved Super AMOLED display (570ppi) for the S9 and a 6.2-inch display (529ppi, note) for the S9+.

Samsung says the phone “reimagines the way we communicate, share and experience the world”. At a price, of course. The S9 is priced at £739. The S9+ at £869.

AR Emoji

The AR Emoji emoji?

“Samsung lets users create an emoji that looks, sounds and acts like them. AR Emoji uses a data-based machine learning algorithm, which analyses a 2D image of the user and maps out more than 100 facial features to create a 3D model that reflects and imitates expressions, like winks and nods, for true personalisation. AR Emoji shares your real-life feelings not only in video but also with a range of stickers in uses a standard AGIF file format so users can share their emojis across most third-party messaging platforms.”

Augmented reality

Talking of Augmented Reality, more seriously, there’s Bixby:

“Samsung’s intelligence platform, integrated into the camera, uses augmented reality and deep learning technologies to provide helpful information about a user’s surroundings. With real-time object detection and recognition, Bixby instantly generates information directly on top of the image that the camera is pointing at. Users can translate foreign languages and currency in real time with Live Translation, learn about their surroundings, purchase products seen in the real world and track calories throughout the day.”

The phones come in three colours: “Midnight Black”, “Coral Blue” and a new hue for Prince fans, “Lilac Purple”.

“With the Galaxy S9 and S9+, we have reimagined the smartphone camera,” said DJ Koh, president of Samsung’s IT & Mobile Communications Division.

“Not only does the Galaxy S9 and S9+ enable consumers to shoot great photos and videos anywhere, it’s a smartphone that’s designed to help them connect to others and express themselves in a way that’s unique and personal to them.”

You can pre-order both the S9 and S9+ now, but the phones will be available in the UK starting 16 March.

Samsung Galaxy S9 and S9+ specifications

  Galaxy S9 Galaxy S9+
OS Android 8 (Oreo)
Display 5.8-inch Quad HD + Curved Super AMOLED, 18.5:9 (570ppi) 6.2-inch Quad HD + Curved Super AMOLED, 18.5:9 (529ppi)
Body 147.7mm x 68.7mm x 8.5mm, 163g, IP68 158.1mm x 73.8mm x 8.5mm, 189g, IP6814
Camera Rear: Super Speed Dual Pixel 12MP AF sensor with OIS (F1.5/F2.4). Front: 8MP AF (F1.7) Rear: Dual Camera with Dual OIS – Wide-angle: Super Speed Dual Pixel 12MP AF sensor (F1.5/F2.4) – Telephoto: 12MP AF sensor (F2.4) – Front: 8MP AF (F1.7)
AP 10nm, 64-bit, Octa-core processor (2.7 GHz Quad + 1.7 GHz Quad). 10nm, 64-bit, Octa-core processor (2.8 GHz Quad + 1.7 GHz Quad)
Memory 4GB RAM, 64GB + Micro SD Slot (upto 400 GB) 6GB RAM, 128GB + Micro SD Slot (upto 400GB)
SIM Card Single SIM:  Nano SIM. Dual SIM (Hybrid SIM): Nano SIM + Nano SIM or MicroSD slot
Battery 3,000mAh 3,500mAh
Fast Wired Charging compatible with QC 2.0. Fast Wireless Charging compatible with WPC and PMA
Network Enhanced 4X4 MIMO / CA, LAA, LTE Cat.18
Connectivity Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac (2.4/5GHz), VHT80 MU-MIMO, 1024QAM, Bluetooth v 5.0 (LE up to 2Mbps), ANT+, USB type-C, NFC, Location (GPS, Galileo, Glonass, BeiDou)
Payment NFC
Sensors Iris sensor, Pressure sensor, Accelerometer, Barometer, Fingerprint sensor, Gyro sensor, Geomagnetic sensor, Hall sensor, HR sensor, Proximity sensor, RGB Light sensor
Authentication Lock type: pattern, PIN, password. Biometric lock type: iris scanner, fingerprint scanner, face recognition, Intelligent Scan: multimodal biometric authentication with iris scanning and face recognition
Audio Stereo speakers tuned by AKG, surround sound with Dolby Atmos technology. Audio playback format: MP3, M4A, 3GA, AAC, OGG, OGA, WAV, WMA, AMR, AWB, FLAC, MID, MIDI, XMF, MXMF, IMY, RTTTL, RTX, OTA, APE, DSF, DFF
Video MP4, M4V, 3GP, 3G2, WMV, ASF, AVI, FLV, MKV, WEBM

 

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