Samsung Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9+ pre-bookings have commenced in India via Samsung's online and offline channels. Samsung unveiled its latest flagship smartphones with new features at the Galaxy Unpacked 2018 event ahead of MWC 2018. The new handsets feature improved cameras, Bixby Vision, face recognition and AR Emojis, reduced bezels on the top and bottom, faster processors, and AKG-tuned dual speakers. The company will taking pre-orders from March 2 in some countries, and in India, it has just begun taking pre-bookings for the Galaxy S9.
As for the release, Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9+ launch date is March 16 in select markets - but it remains uncertain whether that date applies to India as well. Meanwhile, interested buyers in India can pre-book their Samsung Galaxy S9 and/ or Samsung Galaxy S9+ for Rs. 2,000 from the company's website. The pre-booking method will guarantee that you are among the first people to receive the latest flagships from Samsung.
For the online option, the pre-booking can be done on Samsung e-store starting from Monday by making an initial payment of Rs. 2,000. While pre-booking, buyers will have to fill in the required details such as the name, mobile number, email ID, colour of the smartphone etc. Once the pre-booking is done, buyers will receive a notification via SMS/ email from the portal confirming the registration.
After the pre-booking process, Samsung or its authorised third party will provide information regarding the balance amount and the dates by when it will have to be paid to receive the smartphone. If the said balance amount isn't paid by before the due date, the pre-booking amount will be refunded within 7 working days.
In order to pre-book the smartphones at Samsung's offline stores, buyers will have to register via the Pre-book app available at the respective outlets, starting from Monday. The same booking amount of Rs. 2,000 is applicable in this method as well.
Samsung Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9+ First Impressions
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+.
The Galaxy S9 features a 5.8-inch QHD+ Curved Super AMOLED 18.5:9 display. Meanwhile the Samsung Galaxy S9+ packs a 6.2-inch QHD+ Curved Super AMOLED 18.5:9 display. The Galaxy S9 duo is powered by a 10nm 64-bit octa-core SoC, which varies as per region. In the US and other select markets, it is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 SoC, with four cores clocked at 2.8GHz and four cores clocked at 1.7GHz. In other regions, including India, it will be powered by the Samsung Exynos 9810 SoC, with four cores clocked at 2.7GHz and four cores clocked at 1.7GHz. You get the Android 8 Oreo experience out of the box and IP68 water + dust resistance as well.
Samsung Galaxy S9 vs iPhone X vs Google Pixel 2
The Galaxy S9 features 4GB of RAM while the Galaxy S9+ packs 6GB of RAM. Samsung Galaxy S9 has a 12-megapixel rear camera with OIS and f/1.5 and f/2.4 aperture. Meanwhile, the Galaxy S9+ sports a dual rear camera setup with dual OIS, specifically a wide-angle lens with Super Speed Dual Pixel 12-megapixel autofocus f/1.5-f/2.4 sensor and a telephoto lens with 12-megapixel autofocus f/2.4 sensor. Both phones have an identical 8-megapixel autofocus front camera f/1.7 sensor.
The smartphones will be available in 64/ 128/ 256GB storage options with support for up to 400GB microSD cards. 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. Meanwhile, the Galaxy S9 packs a 3000mAh battery and the Galaxy S9+ is fuelled by a 3500mAh battery.
In terms of dimensions, the Galaxy S9 measures 147.7x68.7x8.5mm and weighs 163 grams; the Galaxy S9+ measures 158.1x73.8x8.5mm and weighs 189 grams.
Samsung Galaxy S9 vs Galaxy S8 vs Galaxy Note 8
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