Galaxy S9 vs Galaxy S8: Upgrade or stay put?

Stack it

Galaxy S9

next to last year

Galaxy S8

, and it would be hard to spot the differences. With a few notable exceptions - we're looking at you, rear fingerprint sensor moved - the S9 looks suspiciously like last year's phone.

But looks can be deceiving. While the S9 retains the super-large Infinity Display that Samsung introduced in last year's phones, the newer models introduce some

quite substantial changes under the hood

Best Galaxy S9 Cases

Galaxy S9 vs. Galaxy S8: the specs

Model

Galaxy S9

Galaxy S9+

Galaxy S8

Galaxy S8+

Price at launch

$720 to $820

$840 to $940

$750

$850

display resolution)

5.8 inches (2960 x 1440)

6.2 inches (2960 x 1440)

5.8 inches (2960 x 1440)

6.2 inches (2960 x 1440)

Rear camera

12MP Super Speed Dual Pixel (f/1.5-f/2.4)

12 MP Super Speed Dual Pixel (f/1.5-f/2.4), 12 MP Telephoto (f/2.4)

12-MP (f/1.7)

Front camera

8-MP (f/1.7)

CPU

Snapdragon 845

Snapdragon 835

RAM

4GB

6 GB

4GB

Storage room

64 GB, 128 GB, 256 GB

64 GB

microSD

up to 400 GB

Up to 256 GB

Battery

3000mAh

3500mAh

3000mAh

3500mAh

Battery life (h:min)

10:52

10:59

10:39

11:04

Color

Midnight Black, Coral Blue, Lilac Purple

Midnight Black, Orchid Grey, Arctic Silver

Cut

5.8 x 2.7 x 0.33 inches

6.2 x 2.9 x 0.33 inches

5.7 x 2.7 x 0.3 inches

6.3 x 2.9 x 0.33 inches

Weight

5.8 ounces

6.7 ounces

5.5 ounces

6.1 ounces

Design and display

Let's start with the area that Samsung left mostly untouched from last year's phones.

Galaxy S9 and S9+

come in the same sizes as their predecessors - the S9 has a 5.8-inch display while the S9+ sports a 6.2-inch display. If you have a very sharp eye, you might notice that the S9 and S9+ are a tenth of an inch shorter than their predecessors; you'll probably notice they're a bit heavier, perhaps due to the new camera components inside the S9 models.

You'll get the same immersive Infinity Display on these new phones that you did with the Galaxy S8 and S8+, although Samsung says the bezels are a bit narrower at the top and bottom of the phone. The 2960 x 1440 resolution is unchanged in this generation of phones, although Samsung claims the AMOLED screens are brighter than on the S8.

Galaxy S9 vs Galaxy S8: Upgrade or stay put?

AFTER:

Samsung Galaxy S9: what we like (and what we don't)

The biggest design change from the Galaxy S8 is also the most appreciated. Instead of placing the fingerprint sensor next to the rear camera like on the S8, Samsung moved this sensor under the camera lens .This should not only make it easier to unlock your phone with your fingerprint, but you're less likely to drag your finger across the camera lens.So hopefully smudged lenses will be a thing of the past.(The phone case will pick up stains, however, if

our hands-on time with the S9

is an indication.)

Another key design change from the Galaxy S8 is the addition of stereo speakers to the Galaxy S9. Samsung claims that the top and bottom speakers in the new phones produce 1.4 times the volume of their predecessors. Dolby Atmos support should add to the immersive feel of audio on the S9 and S9+.

Cameras

The most notable specification change concerns the

S9's cameras

.The 12-megapixel rear camera on the Galaxy S8 and S8+ was actually just a holdover from the Galaxy S7 from 2016.With the S9, Samsung is introducing a new Super Speed Dual Pixel Camera, and in the case of the S9+ , it adds a second objective.

The 12MP primary lens on the S9 and S9+ features a variable aperture that can switch between a wide f/1.5 aperture and an f/2.4 aperture. The wider aperture – the Galaxy S8 featured a fixed f/1.7 setting – should help with dark settings, as the S9's camera will be able to let in more light. In fact, Samsung claims its new phones let in 28% more light than the S8.

As for the dual lens setup of the S9+, Samsung adds a second 12MP telephoto lens. This allows the S9+ to offer 2x optical zoom while supporting Live Focus images with artistically blurred backgrounds. features that you will find in the Galaxy Note 8, but not in the Galaxy S8 model.

In our tests, we found that the S9+ performs impressively in low light, but it still lags behind the Pixel 2 and iPhone X in image quality.

Another big difference between the S9 and last year's phones is that the newer models have Super Slo-Mo video capabilities, where you can slow things down to 960fps at 720p resolution. on the S9's camera to automatically switch to Super Slo-Mo mode when it detects motion. We've found that manual mode results in better slow-motion clips because sometimes Sensitive Auto mode is triggered too soon.

AFTER:

How the Galaxy S9's slow-motion video compares to other phones

CPU and storage

The Snapdragon 835 processor that powered the Galaxy S8 (and possibly other top Android phones released in 2017) makes way for the

new Snapdragon 845

in the Galaxy S9.Qualcomm, which makes the Snapdragon mobile processing platform, says the 845 offers a 25% performance boost over last year's top-end processor.Graphics performance should improve by more than 30% compared to the Snapdragon 835. And our tests certainly revealed improvements with the Galaxy S9.

In our video editing test, in which we export a 2-minute 4K video file, the Galaxy S9+ completed the task in 2 minutes, 32 seconds; the S9 was a little slower at 3 minutes, 29 seconds. both of these phones easily beat the S8's time by 4 minutes and 7 seconds.

We also ran the Geekbench 4 general performance test on all Samsung phones, and the S9+ achieved the best performance for any Android device at 8,295. The S9 was a step behind at 7,276. times, both of these numbers are better than the S8's Geekbench 4 score of 6,295.

Still, the S9's new processor still can't compete with the iPhone X's A11 Bionic chip, which passed our video conversion test in 42 seconds. leagues above the S9+.

The Galaxy S8 and S8+ come with the same amount of RAM, and

the Galaxy S9 matches them with 4GB of memory

But Samsung is mixing things up with the S9+, which comes with 6GB of RAM. This helps the larger device switch between apps faster than the S8+.

Storage seemed to stay the same, with the S9 debuting the same 64GB capacity that Samsung included with the S8.

Samsung has started selling 128GB and 256GB configurations

Galaxy S9 and S9+ for $50 and $100 more respectively than the $720 and $840 base models, respectively. If you need even more storage space, there's a microSD slot as before, but you can now add up to 400GB of storage; previously you were limited to 256GB on the S8.

Software and other features

The Galaxy S9 debuted with Android Oreo, but it's no longer the only Samsung phone to offer Google's latest operating system. The Oreo update has rolled out to carrier versions of the Galaxy S8 and has become available for unlocked versions of the old phone this month.

The S8 introduced the Bixby digital assistant, and that remains for the S9, albeit in greatly improved form. Samsung has added features such as the ability to have Bixby Vision offer real-time translation by simply pointing the S9's camera on a panel or menu, with the translation overlaid on the screen.

AFTER:

Bixby's new tricks

You'll also need an S9 or S9+ if you want to experience AR Emoji, Samsung's take on Apple's Animoji. The AR Emoji feature turns your face into an animated 3D emoji with stickers. new feature was

pretty scary

, however, Galaxy S8 owners probably won't feel envious once they see AR Emoji in action.

Samsung is taking orders on an updated DeX accessory – the $100

DeXPad

– which aims to address some of the shortcomings of last year's DeX Station in its attempt to turn your Galaxy phone into a laptop when you connect it to a monitor. The DeX Pad is backwards compatible with the Galaxy S8 and S8+, however, therefore, it is a new add-on that is not exclusive to Samsung's latest phones.

Battery

Nothing has changed with the Galaxy S9's battery. The S9 and S9+ come with 3000mAh and 3500mAh power supplies, the same as you'll find on the Galaxy S8 and S8+. But you might still see Improved battery life in new phones, thanks to the Snapdragon 845 processor. Qualcomm says its new chip manages power consumption better, with power efficiency improving by up to 30% for certain tasks .

However, we didn't notice much improvement when we ran our battery test on the Galaxy S9 and S9+. Both are certainly

durable phones

: The Galaxy S9+ lasted 10 hours 59 minutes of continuous web browsing on T-Mobile's LTE, while the S9 was nearly as good at 10 hours 52 minutes. But that's only a modest improvement over the time the S8's 10 hours and 39 minutes, and the Galaxy S8+ outlasted them all at 11 hours and 4 minutes. case, the S8 or S9 will give you all-day battery life.

Price

The S9 and S9+ debuted at $720 and $840 unlocked by Samsung. (Add $50 and $100, respectively, if you want the 128GB or 256GB versions, which are only available from Samsung.) was lower than the initial price of the S8 ($750) and S8+ ($850). But prices for older Samsung phones have come down significantly since the release of the S9. Depending on the carrier, you can get an S8 for $100 to $135 cheaper than an S9.

Galaxy S8

Galaxy S8+

Galaxy S9

Galaxy S9+

AT&T

$655AT&T

$755AT&T

$790AT&T

$915AT&T

Sprint

$672

N / A

$792

$912 Sprint

T-Mobile

$600

N / A

720$

$840

Verizon

$696Verizon

$768Verizon

$799Verizon

$929Verizon

And that just reflects carrier prices. Buy the S8 unlocked and you can expect a substantial price drop. You can find the old phone for around

$600 on Amazon

, let alone if you opt for a certified refurbished version of the S8.

Outlook

The Galaxy S9 and S9+ aren't radical changes from the S8 and S8+ that came before them, but between the changes to the camera and the new processor inside, the S9 is a markedly different phone than the from last year.

Is that different enough to convince you to upgrade if you're already the proud owner of a Galaxy S8? Unless you really live and die by your phone's camera, the answer probably isn't. While the Galaxy S+ outperforms the S8+ in our lab tests, the performance gap is unlikely to leave current S8 owners feeling left behind. And now that the S8 can run Oreo, another reason to upgrade to S9 just disappeared.

This leaves the updated cameras as the most important factor in deciding whether to upgrade to the Galaxy S9 from the S8. The S9's camera performs better in low-light situations, but still lags behind the Pixel 2 and the iPhone X. Only S8 owners with a severe case of FOMO should be eager to upgrade. And if you find the 64GB of storage on the S8 too limiting, the new 128GB and 256GB versions of the S9 can be attractive.

If you're considering upgrading your S8, check with Samsung and various wireless carriers to see what kind of trade-in value you can get for your current phone. Samsung and several carriers promise up to $350 in credit, which could significantly reduce the Galaxy S9's asking price.

Originally published on February 25, this article has been updated with information on higher capacity versions of the Galaxy S9 and S9+.

Image Credits: Tom's Guide

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Philip Michael

Philip Michaels is an editor at Tom's Guide. He has strong opinions on Apple, the Oakland Athletics and old movies. Follow him on @PhilipMichaels.