I’ve had this phone for just over 4 months now, and here are my thoughts:
Size & Weight
First of all, the size. The S9 Plus is a lot bigger than I was expecting, so initially I was disappointed. It’s taken a bit of getting used to, especially as a lot of tasks aren’t so one-handed anymore.
Compared to my S7, it’s not as comfortable in the hand for typing. That could just be the protective, real leather flip case I’ve got it in that’s adding some bulk and heft, but this isn’t a problem with my S7, case or no case.
Having said that, it’s a lot lighter than my S7 in terms of weight. Multiple times when typing these blogs on my S7, I’ve found myself shifting the position of the phone in my hands as its weight bares down on them. Not a problem with my S9 Plus, so I guess that’s a… plus? 😂
This is despite the GSMArena spec sheets listing the S9 Plus as the heavier of the two devices. I think this could be due to the S9 Plus having its weight more evenly distributed than the S7’s, due to it being a bigger phone.
But in any case, the S9 Plus’s size and weight hasn’t been too much of a problem for me.
Screen
Talking of the size of the phone, that display is huge. I lined it up with my 8.4-inch tablet the other day, and realised they’re not as far apart as I thought they were.
The display, despite its size, is breathtaking. It’s so round, and almost 3D, it makes my S7 seem to flat. Seriously!
It’s also got more colour depth than the S7’s screen; that’s probably, and partially, thanks to the fact it is a HDR10 screen, so the colours and blacks pop more and appear more vivid.
But, back to the roundness – it is seriously round. I mean, the rounded edges are there and I like them. They take a bit of getting used to – the rounded display seemingly dripping over the edge like a waterfall, feels weird to the touch – and it’s nice to have the Edge functionality to boot, even though I haven’t used it all that much at all. In fact, at the moment, the Edge toolbars are a bit of a gimmick that I haven’t found much use for.
The curved edges also aren’t as pronounced and clumsy as on the S7 Edge – which is why I went for the regular S7 two years ago.
But the rest of the display still feels like more of a curve than a flat slab. At least, that’s now how my S7 feels to the touch.
But, almost in direct contrast to this flatness, the screen on my S7 strangely feels that much more responsive than the screen on my S9 Plus. I’m guessing this could be due to it being a smaller, more compact device – maybe some of my inputs aren’t being recognised, because my fingers aren’t wrapping around the device and touching the screen in the same way as on my Galaxy S7?
Camera/video
From a recent trip to London, there’s a few plus points but also a few downers as well. The camera doesn’t seem as reliable outside in darker lighting conditions – something that shocks me given how that dual aperture system is supposed to alleviate this sort of problem. However, the camera seemed more than capable inside, with similar lighting conditions, with only a couple of shots suffering from motion blur due to shaking the phone during the capture of the exposure.
Also of a dry note is the super slow motion video capture. I knew the S9 & S9 Plus were only capable of 960fps at 720p – versus the Sony Xperia XZ3 and XZ2 Premium being able to shoot 960fps at 1080p – but I didn’t know the video quality would be this bad! Although the super slo-mo videos aren’t as bad as what I’ve seen coming from the Huawei P20 Pro (hit up Btekt on Instagram), the resulting clips are still grainy, noisy and generally of an awful quality.
Plus, the timing is way out. You’d think switching the toggle from ‘Auto’ to ‘Manual’ would solve this, but I’ve found variations even then: in ‘Manual’ super slo-mo mode (which should in theory allow me to shoot multiple slo-mo clips per video), when I click the button to record a clip, I’ve noticed when playing back that video, that it depends what mood the phone is in as to when the slow motion takes place:
Sometimes, the slow motion takes place after I’ve clicked the button, but sometimes the slow motion clip is recorded as being in the moments before I clicked the button.
What makes this even more super confusing, is that it keeps switching between these two variables – half the time it’s before, other times it’s after I click the button. Super confusing, and it means I really can’t capture an accurate video clip of super slow-motion.
Even more annoying, is that there’s also no way to edit the super slo-mo video – to customise when it takes place (like you can with an ordinary slow motion video), meaning you’re stuck with what you recorded: an utterly crap, amateurish video worthy of no attention at all.
Audio quality
Audio quality has got better over time. I’ve had the S9 Plus for 4 months. It’s gone through the Android 9 Pie OS update, and various other minor firmware updates, and impressively the audio has improved massively since I got the phone in December.
I no longer need an additional Bass Booster app to improve the lower tones. They’re there, as are the midtones and highs which are clear.
Dolby Atmos sounds less like an echo and more like an audio improvement – more useful for movies, but less so for music in my opinion.
I don’t use Dolby Atmos for music, preferring the built-in system Equalizer and various room settings it offers (TubeAmp, Concert Hall). However, I have used Atmos for movies and TV shows, and where actors tend to mumble, Atmos improves the sound enough that I don’t require subtitles to understand what they’re saying.
Also, this phone has a 3.5mm headphone socket! Yes! Big win! No USB-C audio, no need for a stupid dongle that you’ll lose and need to replace. Plug in your existing headphones, and away you go…
Storage – internal + Micro SD
Storage has been really great. I’d thought 64gb would’ve been enough, especially given my Galaxy S7 only has 32gb internal storage – but 128gb has increased how much I can have on the device.
I keep music downloads (Spotify, Amazon, etc) on my micro SD card, also 128gb, which gives me 100gb+ for apps and games.
Effectively, where I was playing with 160gb on my Galaxy S7 (32gb internal, 128gb micro SD), I’ve now got 128gb internal and 128gb external, giving me 256gb in total.
Minus the obvious space that Android OS takes up, I’ve still got well over 240gb+ to play with. That’s been more than enough, although I’ve noticed space being limited recently. I’ll need to uninstall a few games I’m not using, which is no bad thing. After all, who wants a device clogged up with junk?
Quick Charge 2.0 (slow)
A bad point. There aren’t many with the S9 Plus, but charge time is definitely one of them. A larger battery capacity means the phone lasts longer on a single charge – much longer than my Galaxy S7 ever did – but recharge time is painfully slow compared to the competition.
Fast Charge time is approx. 1hr30m. That’s slow, even entering into the territory of the many memes that were created to mock the slow charging of older iPhones.
Unfortunately, there’s one BIG reason for this: like the newer Galaxy S10, Samsung are still using their outdated Adaptive Fast Charge tech that’s been in Samsung devices since the Galaxy S6. Samsung’s AFC is based on Qualcomm’s Quick Charge 2.0, which is excruciatingly slow compared to the newer Quick Charge 3.0 and 4.0 standards; OnePlus’ Dash/Warp charge; and the charge technologies from other Chinese phone brands such as Huawei, Oppo and Vivo.
Slower, normal charging (which I never use) takes even longer – nearer 2hr30m, sometimes bordering on 3hrs. That’s astronomical!!!!
It’d be brilliant if Samsung could improve their charging tech. Instead, with the launch of the S10 they’ve increased wireless charging speed instead of wired charging – up to 15W from the old standard of 9W.
On the topic of Wireless Charging, seeing how my S9 Plus is limited to the old 9W standard, I can’t see much point. 10W Qi chargers seem only capable of a ‘fast’ charge time of 2.5hrs, which is nowhere near the wired fast charge time.
Technically-speaking, it isn’t fast charging at all, and that’s why I haven’t yet invested in a Qi charger.
Not only that (and I can’t stress this any more), it’s not wireless. They’ll have you believe it is – there’s no wires between the phone and the charger.
BUT, I still have to plug the ‘wireless charger’ into a wall socket, via a USB cable + AFC plug (that’s a wire you plums!) then place the phone on the charger plate. Maybe the actual charging is wireless (between phone and charger), but the charger plate has to be plugged-in, i.e. NOT WIRELESS.
Also, in my case, my wall socket is 30cm away, so there’s nothing to be gained from splashing my cash on a so-called wireless charger.
All things considered, I’ve got a larger battery capacity and more usability, but at the cost of a slower recharge time.
(rear) Fingerprint sensor
I much preferred the home button on the Galaxy S7. I know they had to get rid of that in order to minimise the bezels on the Galaxy S8 – the same design principle that was carried over to the S9 – but it would’ve been nice to have an under-display sensor. Like on the newer Galaxy S10… 😂 I should’ve waited.
Nevertheless, despite the fingerprint sensor being on the rear, usability has been okay. It’s not a perfect position, and is a little awkward to reach, especially when you have a bulky case protecting the phone (like I have), but it’s functional and does the job.
Being rear-mounted has one big disadvantage, though – it makes contactless payments more cumbersome. I can’t just swipe up and pay: I have to unlock the phone, use the fingerprint sensor, then place the phone on the contactless card machine’s sensor.
Apart from a bigger screen and less bezels, I can’t really see the advantage of a rear-mounted fingerprint sensor over one that’s front-facing. Personally, I’d rather have bigger bezels so I’ve got a frame to hold the phone without accidental screen touches being an issue.
But never mind… I know I’m in the 1%.
Final thoughts
Overall, the S9 Plus is a great phone. Even in 2019. If the big price point of the newer Galaxy S10 series seems off-putting, and you don’t want to settle for the cheaper S10e, get the S9 Plus. Yes, it’s last year’s model, but it’s still a flagship phone. Albeit, a 2018 flagship, but at the price point of a 2019 mid-tier device – and only slightly more expensive than a OnePlus 6T.
For the extra money, you’re getting a brilliant phone, a telephoto lens for zoom photos, and a great 1440p display. Audio quality is superb, there’s a 3.5mm headphone jack (!), and a big 3500mAh battery – yes, it’s a slower recharge time but the capacity means longer screen-on times are possible.
If you’re cash conscious but still want a flagship Samsung, forget the S10 series. Get the S9 or S9 Plus.
Better yet, if you’re looking for an aven cheaper phone that has a headphone jack, consider the Moto G6 or LG G7 ThinQ. Both are also great phones – the G7 ThinQ is LG’s 2018 flagship but the Moto G6 is Moto’s best phone from 2018 and available at a fraction of the cost of the Galaxy S9 or LG G7.
– Chris JK.
KPH tech blog 
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