Samsung is one of the most popular Android players in the premium smartphone market. Not only do they create top-of-the-line hardware for their phones, but the flagship Samsung phones also have a high level of expertise in design and user interface, showing how they have really honed and refined their products. On the flip side of all of this, the top Samsung smartphones don’t come cheaply. The mobile phone market is a competitive one, though, so there are some deals to be had as mobile phone providers encourage you to get your phone with them.
For the kind of price that you can buy a Samsung Galaxy S9, you can get a range of storage and features, with the more premium S9 Plus bringing with it even more. But is the Galaxy S9 Plus still worth considering in this day and age? Has it had its day or is it still a competitive option in the smartphone market, price aside? It is a phone that is two years old, but in a lot of ways, it still is a choice that is worth considering.
Why the Galaxy S9 Plus is still worth considering
Even though the smartphone itself is two years (or generations) old, it still has a pretty impressive specification, meaning that it is up there with a lot of other top smartphones. Although the hardware and specifications aren’t going to be the top of the range, the hardware that the Galaxy S9 Plus has is still going to work wonderfully with all of the social media and apps that you want to use on the daily, as well as being well equipped for gaming.
Being a Samsung phone, the Galaxy S9 Plus does benefit from the Samsung Exynos 9810 octa-core, which is paired with large storage options on the device, giving you a lot of flexibility and reliability. While not a main feature, the cameras on the phone are still up to date, even for two years down the line, as the S9 Plus does have a Super Speed Dual Pixel 12-megapixel camera; pretty impressive and still competitive in today’s smartphone market. Not only that, the S9 Plus is great when it comes to battery. If you use your phone a lot, especially for things like streaming, social media, and gaming, then running low after only a few hours can be a nightmare.
The Galaxy S9 Plus has a 3500mAh pack, meaning that with occasional use, it could last longer than a day. 3500mAh is the measurement of the number of electrons needed to power the phone. When this is combined with the force or the power behind the electrons, you can see how much a battery of this power can do. A regular phone will take around 300mW when being used occasionally, so if this is the case, it could run for about two days. For heavy usage, you could use the phone for a day without having to recharge. Again, this is very comparable to other phones that have been released even more recently, making the S9 Plus still a competitive option in 2024.
Stand out features
One of the stand out features that the Galaxy S9 Plus has, is the fact that it has the signature curved Infinity display. For starters, it helps to make the phone stand out and give it a real premium look and feel. Other phones have got the curved edging, Samsung, and as a result of the S9 Plus, are the brand that does it best. There seems to be a level of refinement with the design that Samsung can muster that just beats the rest on this, every time.
Samsung, as we know, uses the Android system for their phones, which can be better than iOS, depending on who you speak to. The fact is, it still remains competitive, and the S9 Plus has been upgraded by Samsung to have the latest version of Android, the 10-based One UI 2 OS. This can keep it up to date with the features of the device and keep it competitive with other models, but it also significantly improves performance for the smartphone. As a result, it makes it a good choice, especially because of the price point that it has compared my mobile to other smartphones out there this year.
OS upgrades
You can’t talk about the Galaxy S9 Plus without talking about the current One UI 2 update. This is quite possibly going to be one of the last OS updates that the smartphone will receive. Due to the fact that the S9 Plus, and the S9 for that matter, are originally from back in 2018, they are likely to not be part of the upgrade that Samsung will do in the coming years. So they are a good phone choice for now, because they are up to date. Ask this question at the same time next year and it could be a different story.
To know whether the phone is going to be a good choice for your consideration this year, then you need to also look at the competition that is out there, currently at the same price point at least. The direct competitors will be the Realme X2 Pro, Nubia Red Magic 3S, and OPPO Reno3 Pro. While it is true that these phones are a similar price point and do offer some better options, like better battery life when compared to the Galaxy S9 Plus, there is also the point that they don’t offer the same expertise and level of refinement that Samsung have managed to hone over the years. That is what really stands the Galaxy S9 apart, and the fact that it is a Samsung and an Android phone, still makes it a safe and worthwhile consideration, even in this day and age of the year 2024.
Are there any other features that you like about the S9 series or Samsungs as a whole? It would be great to hear what you think and if you’re considering an S9 Plus.
