Samsung is betting that the future of smartphones lies in the camera.
The firm today launched its highly-anticipated flagship ‘iPhone X killers’, the Galaxy S9 (£739/$720) and S9 plus (£869/$839).
Both feature a familiar all-screen design, but have a re-invented camera system that has been dubbed a ‘game-changer’.
One of the biggest improvements is new dual-aperture technology.
This allows the camera to automatically adjust the aperture depending on the scene that is being shot.
The displays are the same as their predecessors, at 5.8-inch and 6.2-inch, respectively.
Other key features include the introduction of AR emoji and a slow-motion tool to allow users to extend key moments of action.
Samsung is betting that the future of smartphones lies in the camera. The firm today launched its latest highly-anticipated flagship ‘iPhone X killers’, the Galaxy S9 (£739/$720), shown right, and S9 plus (£869/$839), shown on the left
The static design of the new Galaxy S9 underscores both the slowing pace of smartphone innovation and the extent to which other manufacturers, particularly Apple, have caught up with Samsung features that once stood out.
That includes everything from edge-to-edge screens to facial recognition to a water-resistant body.
The new phone’s biggest selling point is a collection of minor improvements to its camera, which is already among the best in the smartphone business.
The S9 promises even better low-light shots, while offering a video mode that appears to freeze fast-moving objects, matching a feature in some Sony phones.
The S9 can automatically detect when there’s high-speed motion to record, such as a cork popping off a bottle of champagne.
A fifth of a second of video gets stretched out into six seconds.
The camera lens of a Samsung Galaxy S9 mobile phone is shown here during a product preview in New York. The innovations in the latest handsets have been described as ‘game-changing’
While single features like this aren’t likely to drive buying decisions, the slow-motion effect could be ‘the kind of thing that will get a lot of attention,’ said Bob O’Donnell of the research firm Technalysis.
For the first time in a major phone, the S9 will let you change the camera’s aperture to let in more light, making for better images in dark settings.
But analyst Carolina Milanesi of Creative Strategies warns that despite the improvements, the new camera is competing with already good cameras in earlier Samsung phones.
Nonetheless, you may have to pay more, though nothing quite at the level of last year’s price hikes for the Galaxy S8.
As people hold onto phones longer before upgrading, manufacturers and carriers often hike prices to make up for lost revenue.
The new phones were unveiled today in Barcelona, Spain, and will be available March 16.
Advance orders begin this Friday.
Unlike Apple, Samsung lets carriers set their own prices and typically doesn’t make an unlocked version available right away.
The S9 features the same screen, same virtual home button and same battery capacity as the S8.
Samsung did move the fingerprint sensor on the back to reduce smears on the camera lens.
The camera on the Plus model now has a second lens with twice the magnification, a feature already available in Samsung’s Galaxy Note 8 and some iPhones.
This means sharper close-ups.
The new models also have fun with selfies. Snap a selfie, and Samsung’s software will turn that into an emoji version of you for sharing.
It’s usually a static image, though you can produce an animated version – much like the iPhone X’s Animoji feature.
This photo shows the Samsung Galaxy S9 Plus, left, and back of a Galaxy S9 mobile phone, during a product preview in New York
Meanwhile, Samsung’s Bixby digital assistant mimics a similar Google feature that pulls up information on landmarks or other items you’ve just photographed.
New Bixby capabilities let it instantly translate signs (point the camera, and the phone replaces the sign’s text in a matching color and font) and provide nutritional info for that restaurant meal you’re splurging on.
An Apple iPhone X, left, and a Samsung Galaxy S9 Plus mobile phone are shown here. Many have dubbed Samsung’s latest phone as the ‘iPhone X killer’
Samsung has unveiled a new feature that uses the front camera to take a selfie and make an emoji based on your looks
The Bixby virtual assistant software of a Samsung Galaxy S9 Plus mobile phone identifies food and displays its calorie content during a product preview in New York
Bixby virtual assistant can be used to translate foreign languages in near real-time