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Samsung Galaxy S9 vs Galaxy S8 vs Galaxy Note 8: Price, Specifications, Features Compared

Samsung Galaxy S9 vs Galaxy S8 vs Galaxy Note 8: Price, Specifications, Features Compared

By Sumit Chakraborty | Updated: 26 February 2018 16:51 IST

Highlights

Galaxy S9 price starts at $719.99 (roughly Rs. 46,600) in the US
Galaxy S8 had arrived in India with a price tag of Rs. 57,900
Galaxy S9 packs new features like slo-mo video, low light camera, etc

Samsung Galaxy S9 has just been announced at MWC 2018 and comparisons with the company's previous flagships - Galaxy S8 and Galaxy Note 8 - are bound to happen. It is clear from Samsung's Galaxy Unpacked event on Sunday, that the new smartphone features minor upgrades from the previous models but it does bring in some refreshing new features. While the Galaxy S9 looks similar to their predecessor, it does pack some important changes.

The new Galaxy S9 comes with reduced bezels at the top as well as bottom, and Samsung has hiding the iris scanner at the top of the display. Additionally, now the the iris scanner and the face recognition now work together.It has also made the screen darker, which means the display blends well with the rest of the body. Morever, the biggest changes have arrived in the optics dedpartment, as the camera in Galaxy S9 offers more social-media focussed features. While the Galaxy S9 will take on other flagship smartphones, it is also interesting to see if it is worth upgrading from the Samsung Galaxy S8 or the Galaxy Note 8.

Samsung Galaxy S9 vs Galaxy S8 vs Galaxy Note 8 price

The Samsung Galaxy S9 price starts at $719.99 (roughly Rs. 46,600) in the US, while the Samsung Galaxy S9+ will be available at $839.99 (roughly Rs. 54,400). Samsung will likely launch this phone in India by March given that pre-bookings are open. The exact pricing details regarding the smartphones are expected to be announced at the India launch event of the Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9+. Notably, the handset will be available in Midnight Black, Coral Blue, Lilac Purple, and Titanium Grey colours.

Samsung launched the Galaxy S8 in India with a price tag of Rs. 57,900 (MOP). Currently, it is available via the Samsung India E-Store. The India price tag evidently bears a significant premium over the US pricing. In the US, the Samsung Galaxy S8 was priced at $720 (roughly Rs. 46,700). It comes in Midnight Black and Maple Gold colour options. Meanwhile, the Samsung Galaxy Note 8 had arrived in India with a price tag of Rs. 67,900. It is available in its Maple Gold and Midnight Black colour variants

Samsung Galaxy S9 vs Galaxy S8 vs Galaxy Note 8 features
Samsung prime focus in its latest flagship smartphones, is the cameras. One of the features, called Super Slo-Mo captures videos at 960 frames per second. The Galaxy S9 offer automatic Motion Detection, an intelligent feature that detects movement in the frame and automatically begins to record. Samsung has also included dual-aperture in the phone's primary rear camera sensor, which enables the camera to capture clear images in both bright and dark conditions. It is capable of shooting at f/2.4 when there's ample light, but can switch to f/1.5 when the phone detects low-light conditions.

Samsung also introduced AR Emoji to take on Apple's Animoji. It is meant to be a virtual avatar of sorts that lets you click a 3D picture of yourself and turn it into customised emoji. The final camera-related improvement on the Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9+ is the introduction of Bixby Vision in the camera app that will now offer live translation features, the ability to recognise the buildings and other places in a frame, and even look at the food in your frame and provide information like the amount of calories in the item.

Another upgrade is the presence of dual speakers on the Samsung Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9+ (tuned by AKG Acoustics) with one downwards firing speaker, and the earpiece doubling up as the other channel. This setup, Samsung says, results in sound that's 1.4 times louder than the Galaxy S8.

When Samsung launched the Galaxy S8 in 2017, it stressed how the new Galaxy S8 was the "start of a new era." It had showcased its in-house voice-based virtual assistant named Bixby, which made its debut on the flagship phone. Iris recognition was introduced in the Galaxy S8, a feature which was earlier seen on the Samsung Galaxy Note 7. Samsung had also introduced the DeX, which let users use smartphone like a computer by docking it to monitor, keyboard, and mouse.

Coming to the Galaxy Note 8, while Samsung's Infinity Display was first seen on the Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+, the Galaxy Note 8 boasted of a huge 6.3-inch Quad HD Super AMOLED Infinity Display- the biggest yet. Additionally, Samsung had integrated a few new features into the stylus. The main highlight was a feature called Live Messages which essentially lets users draw an animated sketch and send it to any app. Just like the Samsung Galaxy S8, the Galaxy Note 8 came with a dedicated side button to activate Bixby. DeX has also introduced as a dock for the Samsung Galaxy flagship, essentially useful for using the Note 8 on a big desktop screen. One new feature was App Pairing which essentially allows users to launch two apps together in multi-window.

Samsung Galaxy S9 vs Galaxy S8 vs Galaxy Note 8 specifications

The Samsung Galaxy S9 features a 5.8-inch QHD+ Curved Super AMOLED 18.5:9 display with 1,440x2,960 resolution. It runs Android 8 Oreo out-of-the-box. The smartphone is powered by a 10nm 64-bit octa-core SoC coupled with 4GB of RAM. In terms of optics, the Galaxy S9 sports a Super Speed Dual Pixel 12-megapixel autofocus f/1.5-f/2.4 sensor with OIS. It comes in 64/ 128/ 256GB storage options with support for up to 400GB via microSD card.

It features IP68 water + dust resistance as well. Connectivity options include Gigabit LTE, dual-band Wi-Fi 802.11ac, USB Type-C, Bluetooth 5.0, NFC, and, yes, the 3.5mm headphone jack. Both phones have an identical 8-megapixel autofocus front camera f/1.7 sensor.

Connectivity options include, Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, Bluetooth 5.0, USB type-C, NFC, Location (GPS, Galileo, Glonass, BeiDou), etc. The Galaxy S9 packs a 3000mAh battery, and in terms of dimensions, it measures 147.7x68.7x8.5mm and weighs 163 grams.

On the other hand, the Samsung Galaxy S8 sports a 5.8-inch bezel-less 'Infinity Display' with 1440x2960 pixels screen resolution. It was launched running on Android 7.0, but recently Samsung started rolling out the Android 8.0 Oreo update for the smartphone. Samsung Galaxy S8, in India, is powered by an Exynos 9985 SoC coupled with 4GB of RAM and 64GB inbuilt storage with up to 256GB storage expansion. In some other markets, Samsung also launched the Galaxy S8 with Snapdragon 835 SoC (2.3GHz Quad + 1.7GHz Quad).

The Samsung Galaxy S8 sports a 12-megapixel 'Dual Pixel' rear camera with OIS and a f/1.7 aperture. It also offers an 8-megapixel front camera. Connectivity options include Wi-Fi, GPS, Bluetooth, NFC, 3G and 4G. It is powered by a 3000mAh non-removable battery. It measures 148.90x68.10x8.00 and weighs 155.00 grams.

Meanwhile, the Samsung Galaxy Note 8 sports a big 6.3-inch Quad-HD+ AMOLED Infinity Display of resolution 1440x2960. It runs Android 7.1.1 Nougat. It is powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 SoC (with some markets getting the Samsung Exynos octa-core variant), coupled with 6GB of RAM. It packs 64GB of internal storage and support for microSD card.

For photography, the Samsung Galaxy Note 8 has dual 12-megapixel rear cameras with OIS on both the f/1.7 wide-angle lens and the f/2.4 telephoto lenses with 2x optical zoom. Also, there is a f/1.7 8-megapixel camera on the front. The Samsung Galaxy Note 8 is fuelled by a 3300mAh battery. The device offers IP68 water and dust resistance, and support for wireless charging. Connectivity options include Wi-Fi, GPS, Bluetooth, NFC, USB OTG, Headphones, 3G and 4G (with support for Band 40 used by some LTE networks in India). It measures 162.5x74.8x8.6mm and weighs 195 grams.

Samsung Galaxy S9 vs Samsung Galaxy Note 8 vs Samsung Galaxy S8 comparison

	Samsung Galaxy S9	Samsung Galaxy Note 8	Samsung Galaxy S8
Ratings
Overall NDTV Rating
Design Rating
Display Rating
Software Rating
Performance Rating
Battery Life Rating
Camera Rating
Value for Money Rating
Key Specs
Display	5.80-inch	6.30-inch	5.80-inch
Processor	Samsung Exynos 9810	Samsung Exynos 8895	Samsung Exynos 8895
Front Camera	8-megapixel	8-megapixel	8-megapixel
Rear Camera	12-megapixel	12-megapixel + 12-megapixel	12-megapixel
RAM	4GB	6GB	4GB
Storage	64GB	64GB	64GB
Battery Capacity	3000mAh	3300mAh	3000mAh
OS	Android 8.0	Android 7.1.1	Android 7.0
Resolution	1440x2960 pixels	1440x2960 pixels	1440x2960 pixels
GENERAL
Brand	Samsung	Samsung	Samsung
Model	Galaxy S9	Galaxy Note 8	Galaxy S8
Release date	March 1, 2018	August 1, 2017	March 1, 2017
Launched in India	Yes	Yes	Yes
Dimensions (mm)	147.70 x 68.70 x 8.50	162.50 x 74.80 x 8.60	148.90 x 68.10 x 8.00
Weight (g)	163.00	195.00	155.00
Battery capacity (mAh)	3000	3300	3000
Removable battery	No	No	No
Fast charging	Quick Charge 2.0	Quick Charge 2.0	Quick Charge 2.0
Wireless charging	Yes	-	-
Colours	Lilac Purple, Midnight Black, Coral Blue	Midnight Black, Orchid Gray	Midnight Black, Orchid Gray, Arctic Silver, Coral Blue, Maple Gold
SAR value	-	0.22	-
DISPLAY
Screen size (inches)	5.80	6.30	5.80
Resolution	1440x2960 pixels	1440x2960 pixels	1440x2960 pixels
Protection type	Gorilla Glass	Gorilla Glass	Gorilla Glass
Aspect ratio	18.5:9	18.5:9	18.5:9
Pixels per inch (PPI)	568	-	570
HARDWARE
Processor	octa-core (4x2.7GHz + 4x1.7GHz)	octa-core (4x2.3GHz + 4x1.7GHz)	octa-core (4x2.35GHz + 4x1.9GHz)
Processor make	Samsung Exynos 9810	Samsung Exynos 8895	Samsung Exynos 8895
RAM	4GB	6GB	4GB
Internal storage	64GB	64GB	64GB
Expandable storage	Yes	Yes	Yes
Expandable storage type	microSD	microSD	microSD
Expandable storage up to (GB)	400	256	256
CAMERA
Rear camera	12-megapixel (1.4-micron)	12-megapixel (f/1.7, 1.4-micron) + 12-megapixel (f/2.4, 1.0-micron)	12-megapixel (f/1.7, 1.4-micron)
Rear autofocus	Phase detection autofocus	Phase detection autofocus	Phase detection autofocus
Rear flash	LED	LED	Dual LED
Front camera	8-megapixel (f/1.7, 1.22-micron)	8-megapixel (f/1.7, 1.22-micron)	8-megapixel (f/1.7, 1.22-micron)
Front autofocus	Yes	Yes	Yes
Front flash	No	-	-
SOFTWARE
Operating system	Android 8.0	Android 7.1.1	Android 7.0
Skin	Experience 9.0	Samsung Experience 8.5	-
CONNECTIVITY
Wi-Fi standards supported	802.11 a/b/g/n/ac	802.11 a/b/g/n/ac	802.11 a/b/g/n/ac
Bluetooth	Yes, v 5.00	Yes, v 5.00	Yes
NFC	Yes	Yes	Yes
USB OTG	Yes	Yes	No
USB Type-C	Yes	Yes	Yes
Number of SIMs	2	2	1
Wi-Fi Direct	Yes	No	No
Mobile High-Definition Link (MHL)	-	No	No
SIM 1
SIM Type	Nano-SIM	Nano-SIM	-
4G/ LTE	Yes	Yes	Yes
SIM 2
SIM Type	Nano-SIM	Nano-SIM	-
4G/ LTE	Yes	Yes	-
SENSORS
Face unlock	Yes	-	-
Fingerprint sensor	Yes	Yes	Yes
Compass/ Magnetometer	Yes	Yes	Yes
Proximity sensor	Yes	Yes	Yes
Accelerometer	Yes	Yes	Yes
Ambient light sensor	Yes	Yes	Yes
Gyroscope	Yes	Yes	Yes
Barometer	Yes	Yes	Yes
Temperature sensor	-	No	No

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Further reading: Samsung Galaxy S9, Samsung Galaxy S9 Specifications, Samsung Galaxy S9 Price, Samsung Galaxy S9 Price in India, Samsung Galaxy S8, Samsung Galaxy S8 Price, Samsung Galaxy Note 8, Samsung Galaxy Note 8 Price, Android, Samsung, Mobiles