Samsung Galaxy S9

[Aneres11]

Question for those of you who have your S9's (even an S8) and a Pixel phone.

How do you find them both? As in, Samsung obviously offer more on top of stock Android which often is a good thing as there's additional features that aren't backed into stock. But day to day, of you had to pick and choose, which would you go for full time?

I know it's a difficult question with the S9 being so new, so there's always that honeymoon period...! But I know most of y'all on here are extremely fair and unbiased so it'd be cool to know which way you'd swing!

 

[5105973]

Yeah I'm pretty sure it was my SD card. I removed it and now I'm not getting any errors. Strange because the SD was brand new from Samsung.

I'm glad you were able to find the source of your problems and that it was not the phone itself. I've got a Samsung card in mine that I got free with a promotion with the S8+.

Speaking of the S8+, its now been repurposed for the VR. Wow, it runs really cool in VR. There was a huge difference between the Snapdragon that was used for the S7/S7 Edge and the one used last year. My S7 and S7 Edge always would heat up and need to be taken out to cool off. But I enjoyed a Tomb Raider movie promo game and spent close to an hour virtual fishing and I'm the one who had to quit and go to bed. The battery didn't run down and the S8+ got only faintly warm. I'd never used it in VR before because I didn't want to put the kind of wear and tear from heat on it that I was subjecting my older phones to. But it did fine.

I'm really enjoying this S9+ phone so far. It is a beat or two slower than my Pixel 2 but much snappier than my S8+ and my husband agrees about that. He loves how his blue S9+ works with Android Auto and how he gets the better services of Google Assistant while driving instead of often clueless Siri.

Bixby is very interesting. My husband enjoys interacting with Bixby even though it needs work. I find it has potential and brings back fun memories of my work with AIBO and trying to maximize lifelike interactions with the nascent form of AI Sony created for them. However I am sure most people who just want it to work will find it frustrating and wonder why Samsung is wasting their time with it. I think it will only end up being a waste of time if they don't stick with developing it and wisely tying it in with Google Assistant when and where it makes sense.
[doublepost=1521208187][/doublepost]

Question for those of you who have your S9's (even an S8) and a Pixel phone.

How do you find them both? As in, Samsung obviously offer more on top of stock Android which often is a good thing as there's additional features that aren't backed into stock. But day to day, of you had to pick and choose, which would you go for full time?

I know it's a difficult question with the S9 being so new, so there's always that honeymoon period...! But I know most of y'all on here are extremely fair and unbiased so it'd be cool to know which way you'd swing!

I know you're at a crossroads right now due to what's been going on with your Pixels. I wish I could give you some insights but I need a week and I need to finish customizing this phone and then seeing if simple things like applying themes breaks the smooth functioning of this phone.

My husband and I will be evaluating these phones pretty hard and I will try to write up as best I can a review that encompasses both of our experiences with them.

One thing to keep in mind with a Samsung is that if you want to, you can immerse yourself into their ecosystem. Also, in the USA, at least, they have lots of promotional tie-ins to many merchants. It's an opportunity to find deals or easier ways of parting yourself from your money if you're into that sort of thing.

 

[mclld]

Some friends of mine are going to get s9+'s today from Verizon, is Samsung offering any freebies with proof of purchase I need to tell them about?

 

[TechnicallyTee]

Reformat it again in the phone and see if that helps.

Did that already. The card just must be corrupt.

 

[5105973]

Some friends of mine are going to get s9+'s today from Verizon, is Samsung offering any freebies with proof of purchase I need to tell them about?

All I know about in the US is the ability to trade in older phones for maximum discount of $350 off the price of a new phone.

Considering one of the S7 Edges we traded in was free due to BOGO, it was pretty easy to jump on this offer especially since the phones are out of warranty and the batteries are old now and we barely use them.

I forgot to mention that everyone should try the Bixby Sephora AR makeup feature for laughs. Although I could probably live better without knowing my husband looks better in false eyelashes than I do. He has much prettier eyes! The pretty ladies in the family may actually use this app, though. My sister-in-law and my teenager like Sephora. I have been in their stores a couple of times but I spent the money on the girls since I'm too potato for anything but eyeliner and lip balm which I can get much cheaper at the drugstore.
[doublepost=1521214476][/doublepost]I'm reading the posts worrying about benchmarks and speed tests. When my husband gets home I will talk to him about that. Between the two of us we have an iPhone X, Pixel 2, S8+ and S9+ and a Pixel 2 we can test.

Comparing my iPhone 8 plus and S9+ and Pixel 2 in loading up this page then hitting each one's home button, then scrolling up and down, they are all about the same speed and smoothness to my eye. Pixel may be a split second faster at moving from home screen to this page and back. Definitely could not see a difference between the iPhone 8 Plus and the S9+ there.

I know that's not a particularly exciting comparison, but doing simple things like that is where the S8+ lagged and stuttered and annoyed the cheese off my crackers.

While on this page I can also bring up the camera smooth and fast by double clicking the power button. Even while in the middle of composing this post. That's an important metric for me to judge speed and responsiveness in a real world situation I encounter quite a bit.
[doublepost=1521215687][/doublepost]Sigh...the one thing I am not sure the S9+ can do that my Pixel 2 does that brings me so much happiness:



The Porgs do not seem pleased to greet the new Galaxy phones. Lol, well no worries, Snowball the Pixel 2 is not being put out to pasture. I can handle three phones easily.

However if I download AR Core I should be able to add all the other AR Stickers I like that are on my Pixel 2. I think the Star Wars ones are still Pixel exclusives.

And yes, these “gimmicks” are important to me personally. I’ve stuck Star Wars characters into a lot of settings of daily life and gotten so many laughs even from curious passers-by.

A neighbor at a vacation condo we were staying at thought they were penguins and her companion said “No, they’re Porgs! I’d know them anywhere!” Lol! I had no idea this couple was on the balcony looking down over my shoulder. They must have eagle eyes or were using their beach binoculars!

 

[5105973]

I got my iBlason case working. It turns out there's a setting on Advanced settings to make the screen compatible with screen protectors. Works fine now. It looks surprisingly good. It's a terrible plastic that will eventually get scratched to hell and back though.

 

[LIVEFRMNYC]

Can't wait to try this when I get the S9+.
https://www.phonearena.com/news/We-...o-the-test-as-blood-pressure-monitor_id103241

 

[Michael Goff]

Anyone here going to load AOSP on their S9?

 

[jamezr]

Can't wait to try this when I get the S9+.
https://www.phonearena.com/news/We-...o-the-test-as-blood-pressure-monitor_id103241

I saw that it looks interesting...

 

[5105973]

Anyone here going to load AOSP on their S9?

Not me. That sort of thing is way over my head. And my husband is just too busy to mess around with anything like that even though that is in his wheelhouse.

 

[5105973]

Anyone here going to load AOSP on their S9?

Ack I had to rush off and walk the dog before I could finish asking you what your plans were for it. I know my husband would be interested but he has to be on the road too much these days to do much of anything experimental. I'm not even talking about him going out of town but running back and forth between our town and the one his parents live in to help them out with various things. He doesn't really like to run Android and iOS concurrently. He wants to have one phone at a time so it has to be set up precisely and act predictably.

 

[widgeteer]

Question for those of you who have your S9's (even an S8) and a Pixel phone.

How do you find them both? As in, Samsung obviously offer more on top of stock Android which often is a good thing as there's additional features that aren't backed into stock. But day to day, of you had to pick and choose, which would you go for full time?

I know it's a difficult question with the S9 being so new, so there's always that honeymoon period...! But I know most of y'all on here are extremely fair and unbiased so it'd be cool to know which way you'd swing!

I think it comes down to this: do you use and love any of the extra features Sammy brings to the table? If not, Pixel all the way. I have been using the S9 Plus today and it's snappy but man it's hard to adjust to Android after using a Pixel. With ios's issues the last couple of years the Pixel might be the most fluid and fast smartphone on the planet.

 

[torana355]

Picked up my Coral Blue S9+ today. Just finished setting it all up. Firstly it looks awesome in Coral Blue!! Coming from the S8+ this phone is a perfect refinement of the previous model. Love the new camera, the FPS placement and more importantly its accuracy is excellent. Iris scanner is also faster. Stereo speakers are a very welcome addition. Will see how the battery life compares to my S8+ which was outstanding in the next few weeks.

Edit: Interestingly there is not really a noticeable performance increase over my S8+. Im using them side by side and they both run really well with next to zero lag. So much for the S8 slowing down over time like so many people claim...

 

[Ralfi]

Some case reviews for the S9. Samsung have a variety of cases. Would like Apple to follow suit...

 

[Aneres11]

I think it comes down to this: do you use and love any of the extra features Sammy brings to the table? If not, Pixel all the way. I have been using the S9 Plus today and it's snappy but man it's hard to adjust to Android after using a Pixel. With ios's issues the last couple of years the Pixel might be the most fluid and fast smartphone on the planet.

Oh yeah I agree. I wasn't asking because the S9 is an option for me as it's not. I just wondered how those who like and use stock all the time with Pixel, find using Samsung devices and if they preferred one over the other.
Just out of curiosity really!

 

[jamezr]

Question for those of you who have your S9's (even an S8) and a Pixel phone.

How do you find them both? As in, Samsung obviously offer more on top of stock Android which often is a good thing as there's additional features that aren't backed into stock. But day to day, of you had to pick and choose, which would you go for full time?

I know it's a difficult question with the S9 being so new, so there's always that honeymoon period...! But I know most of y'all on here are extremely fair and unbiased so it'd be cool to know which way you'd swing!

They are both great phones. Only had the S9+ for a few days but it fills a lot of needs for me...and Im still in the honeymoon phase with it obviously.
But the Pixel 2 XL is great as well. It really is a nicely designed blend of software and hardware. It is fast and smooth as butter all the time.
If the P2XL had wireless charging and the same build quality as the S9+ i might use it more and probably will after the honeymoon phase with the S9+ wears off.
They are both really nice phones......

 

[5105973]

Some case reviews for the S9. Samsung have a variety of cases. Would like Apple to follow suit...

Lol, that Xerxes! She knows just when to make her entrances. Thanks for sharing that video here.

Flossy almost has me sold on that purple mirror flip case.

My husband got the led wallet cover last night. He told me he was getting a black one, so I went ahead and ordered a blue one to go on my purple phone, because that's all that seems to be available for the 9+ right now. The purple is with resellers I didn't want to deal with. I figured when I could get a hold of a purple case I'd get it and give the blue one to my husband so he can have it for his blue phone when he wants a bit of color. But he went and got himself the blue. And somehow he got his a day earlier. I am supposed to get mine today. At least the blue case has a faint hint of fine purple stripes in it. Don't worry, it's still dignified. It is subtle.

I can't wait for my wallet case. I need to protect the screen. The ONE day I went out with my S8+ in a regular Samsung silicone case and no screen protector is the one day I got small scratches on the glass, on the oleophobic coating. The glass itself doesn't seem like it is extra easy to scratch but the coating seems fragile.

The built in screen protector on this i-Blason case is not easy to type with. This is a good case for hiking with. It's not my ideal for daily use. Even while hiking I'd prefer an actual cover over a cheesy plastic film. When I slid three feet down a steep slope during my last hike and landed on my butt and my iPhone 7 Plus, the phone survived without a scratch because the was a thick tpu cover over it. It was a folio case by UAG. Unfortunately the chemicals in the TPU react to leave an imprint of the case on the aluminum of an iPhone. I think it can do that to glass, too, but I'm not sure. When possible, I prefer to use cases with a microfiber suede lining. Or some sort of fabric or vinyl. Rubbery TPU leaves marks. I've got a cheap rugged TPU case for my Pixel 2 that I can't use because it leaves marks in less than a day.

 

[Michael Goff]

Ack I had to rush off and walk the dog before I could finish asking you what your plans were for it. I know my husband would be interested but he has to be on the road too much these days to do much of anything experimental. I'm not even talking about him going out of town but running back and forth between our town and the one his parents live in to help them out with various things. He doesn't really like to run Android and iOS concurrently. He wants to have one phone at a time so it has to be set up precisely and act predictably.

My plans are to live vicariously through you and stick with my iPhone. >>

 

[kkh786]

Oh yeah I agree. I wasn't asking because the S9 is an option for me as it's not. I just wondered how those who like and use stock all the time with Pixel, find using Samsung devices and if they preferred one over the other.
Just out of curiosity really!

I had an original Pixel until very recently and I have to admit I'm enjoying my S9.

The latest Samsung Oreo UX has been a revelation.. dare I say even more versatile and useful than the vanilla Oreo on the Pixel.

It's a keeper until September at least!

 

[Aneres11]

Thanak for your opinions guys!
Interesting to know!

Loving the pics you're all taking with them too.

 

[Vegastouch]

Oh yeah I agree. I wasn't asking because the S9 is an option for me as it's not. I just wondered how those who like and use stock all the time with Pixel, find using Samsung devices and if they preferred one over the other.
Just out of curiosity really!

I like the features Samsung gives me on their phones. Im not a fan of stock Android.

The only thing i dont care for so far on my S9 is it seems i cant use my back button on everything now, unless im doing something wrong but at times i have to hit the home button to get out of a few things and i dont like that.

 

[LIVEFRMNYC]

Just gave my Note 8 in for a Purple S9+. Restoring it now from SmartSwitch via SD card. Very happy Samsung added SD support for restoring.

The purple looks nice. Not too washed out, and not too shiny.

It's going to take me several days to realize the FPS is placed at the middle.

 

[5105973]

Thanak for your opinions guys!
Interesting to know!

Loving the pics you're all taking with them too.

I would have to say that IF this S9+ continues to run as smoothly over the coming months as it is now, it would probably knock Snowball from the top slot as my favorite among my three main phones. Maybe. Uh, but that's a hard call to make. The camera IS good enough to make it competitive.

But with Google Assistant one squeeze away and all the fun the kids and I have had with AR Stickers, making movies and photos with them, oh boy that's a tough call to make. And I do appreciate the updates and speed at which the Pixel flies.

I'm probably going to be hated for saying this, but at times my iPhone or iOS 11 feels bloated next to my Pixel. It is not, and most apps do run smoother in iOS and I suppose iPhones kick Android tail on benchmarks and speed tests. But TO ME, there's some weird way the Pixel manages to feel light on its feet.

I'm still very fond of my iPhone, but a subpar Siri cripples the overall experience for me. Really really subpar audio in video recording ticks me off because I've heard how even Google, which also cheaped out on audio, made the sound better. It's hard to make out some of what people are saying in my iPhone videos unless I turn my sound way up.

Oh and mediocre call quality also sours the deal. But the iPhone 8 Plus still is a tough, capable, good all around device and even with its quirks and bugs, iOS rarely pulls unexpected crap on me. Actually I think the phone itself has never misbehaved, but I've had trouble with iCloud services and mail. I've also had the phone and the watch badly hang and flake out during updates. Which is why one of my Apple Watches is two updates behind and the LtE watch is one update behind.

Right now the S9+ is ticking all of the boxes so far (still need to test bluetooth more thoroughly) and its strength is that it offers me so many choices and options. And my goodness, it is so great to have a phone that let's me use ALL of my headphones and earbuds without looking for dongles.

It's got the fabulous Samsung Pay, which rewards and baits you into using it. Samsung has been good at partnering with merchants on goods I actually use. It's got wireless charging that finally works with the charging pad in my husband's truck. iPhone X and 8 Plus can't. Previous Galaxy phones also can't for some reason.

It's got a display that meets my finicky eyes well. Meaning it looks amazing, has a setting where colors look normal, has no visible defects, and does not give me headaches or eye strain. It has edges I actually appreciate for once, instead of hate and resent. (I have to say I also love and appreciate my iphone 8 Plus's beautiful, perfect LCD display as much) The Pixel 2 display is also very nice but I can detect the effects of pwm flicker on it.

The Samsung Experience/Touchwiz is tolerable because it isn't lagging or stuttering this time around, YET. It offers just enough customization and perks that I can accept that it's not quite as snappy and straightforward as the Android experience on the Pixel 2. But it is fluid and fast.

I've largely sequestered everything I consider bloat off in folders where I can easily ignore it all and I do appreciate having some Samsung apps to use. I like how Samsung handles my emails.

I'm very happy so far with the S9+. I am NOT a Samsung fan and my experience with the S8+ became very unsatisfactory all too quickly. So this was Samsung's last chance to regain my regard. The Note 7 fiasco was just too sad and qc issues among the replacement devices irked me. Then the S8+ came along with so much promise but was flawed in a first generation way and felt badly in need of refinement. As I was using the S8+ the refrain became "This would be such an amazing phone IF..."

With the S9+ I am CAUTIOUSLY optimistic that Samsung paid close attention and made a sincere effort to rectify everything that bugged me about the S8+

That is massively encouraging to me because it shows me someone at Samsung has a brain and can recognize or listen and accurately pinpoint crap that needs fixing. And better yet, actually makes the effort to fix it without breaking too much else in the process.

Apple badly needs someone like that. They also need an attitude adjustment and a dose of the humility Samsung is trying to show by giving consumers choices and options. For now. The cynic in me believes Samsung will quickly revert to arrogant incompetence the moment it reaches whatever goals they seem to have set to rival Apple. But for now they are acting young and hungry and it is showing in the S9+

Google, meanwhile, seems to have its head up Apple's core and seems dead set on replicating everything that is annoying about Apple. Like their pricing strategy. Their arrogance (user UN-friendly removal of the headphone port for no reason in the current generation) and if rumors are true, the notch.

Get back to me in a couple of months and see if I am still impressed with the S9+ though. Samsung is still needing to prove they can provide a smooth user experience that doesn't degrade over time. I've read a lot of happy Note 8 owner remarks so I'm keeping hopeful.

 

[LIVEFRMNYC]

I would have to say that IF this S9+ continues to run as smoothly over the coming months as it is now, it would probably knock Snowball from the top slot as my favorite among my three main phones. Maybe. Uh, but that's a hard call to make. The camera IS good enough to make it competitive.

But with Google Assistant one squeeze away and all the fun the kids and I have had with AR Stickers, making movies and photos with them, oh boy that's a tough call to make. And I do appreciate the updates and speed at which the Pixel flies.

I'm probably going to be hated for saying this, but at times my iPhone or iOS 11 feels bloated next to my Pixel. It is not, and most apps do run smoother in iOS and I suppose iPhones kick Android tail on benchmarks and speed tests. But TO ME, there's some weird way the Pixel manages to feel light on its feet.

I'm still very fond of my iPhone, but a subpar Siri cripples the overall experience for me. Really really subpar audio in video recording ticks me off because I've heard how even Google, which also cheaped out on audio, made the sound better. It's hard to make out some of what people are saying in my iPhone videos unless I turn my sound way up.

Oh and mediocre call quality also sours the deal. But the iPhone 8 Plus still is a tough, capable, good all around device and even with its quirks and bugs, iOS rarely pulls unexpected crap on me. Actually I think the phone itself has never misbehaved, but I've had trouble with iCloud services and mail. I've also had the phone and the watch badly hang and flake out during updates. Which is why one of my Apple Watches is two updates behind and the LtE watch is one update behind.

Right now the S9+ is ticking all of the boxes so far (still need to test bluetooth more thoroughly) and its strength is that it offers me so many choices and options. And my goodness, it is so great to have a phone that let's me use ALL of my headphones and earbuds without looking for dongles.

It's got the fabulous Samsung Pay, which rewards and baits you into using it. Samsung has been good at partnering with merchants on goods I actually use. It's got wireless charging that finally works with the charging pad in my husband's truck. iPhone X and 8 Plus can't. Previous Galaxy phones also can't for some reason.

It's got a display that meets my finicky eyes well. Meaning it looks amazing, has a setting where colors look normal, has no visible defects, and does not give me headaches or eye strain. It has edges I actually appreciate for once, instead of hate and resent. (I have to say I also love and appreciate my iphone 8 Plus's beautiful, perfect LCD display as much) The Pixel 2 display is also very nice but I can detect the effects of pwm flicker on it.

The Samsung Experience/Touchwiz is tolerable because it isn't lagging or stuttering this time around, YET. It offers just enough customization and perks that I can accept that it's not quite as snappy and straightforward as the Android experience on the Pixel 2. But it is fluid and fast.

I've largely sequestered everything I consider bloat off in folders where I can easily ignore it all and I do appreciate having some Samsung apps to use. I like how Samsung handles my emails.

I'm very happy so far with the S9+. I am NOT a Samsung fan and my experience with the S8+ became very unsatisfactory all too quickly. So this was Samsung's last chance to regain my regard. The Note 7 fiasco was just too sad and qc issues among the replacement devices irked me. Then the S8+ came along with so much promise but was flawed in a first generation way and felt badly in need of refinement. As I was using the S8+ the refrain became "This would be such an amazing phone IF..."

With the S9+ I am CAUTIOUSLY optimistic that Samsung paid close attention and made a sincere effort to rectify everything that bugged me about the S8+

That is massively encouraging to me because it shows me someone at Samsung has a brain and can recognize or listen and accurately pinpoint crap that needs fixing. And better yet, actually makes the effort to fix it without breaking too much else in the process.

Apple badly needs someone like that. They also need an attitude adjustment and a dose of the humility Samsung is trying to show by giving consumers choices and options. For now. The cynic in me believes Samsung will quickly revert to arrogant incompetence the moment it reaches whatever goals they seem to have set to rival Apple. But for now they are acting young and hungry and it is showing in the S9+

Google, meanwhile, seems to have its head up Apple's core and seems dead set on replicating everything that is annoying about Apple. Like their pricing strategy. Their arrogance (user UN-friendly removal of the headphone port for no reason in the current generation) and if rumors are true, the notch.

Get back to me in a couple of months and see if I am still impressed with the S9+ though. Samsung is still needing to prove they can provide a smooth user experience that doesn't degrade over time. I've read a lot of happy Note 8 owner remarks so I'm keeping hopeful.

In my experience. The Note 8 has been the first Samsung Galaxy device ever not to show even a tiny bit of slowing down over time. It been as fast and smooth today, as it was on release day. Most likely the S9+ will be the same, if not better.

People were right about AR Emojis, the tracking is wonky compared to iPhone's Animojis. But the personalized gifs/stickers and customization hugely make up for it. It's more of a fun experience. I only wish it worked with pets.

 

[Roadstar]

I would have to say that IF this S9+ continues to run as smoothly over the coming months as it is now, it would probably knock Snowball from the top slot as my favorite among my three main phones. Maybe. Uh, but that's a hard call to make. The camera IS good enough to make it competitive.

But with Google Assistant one squeeze away and all the fun the kids and I have had with AR Stickers, making movies and photos with them, oh boy that's a tough call to make. And I do appreciate the updates and speed at which the Pixel flies.

I'm probably going to be hated for saying this, but at times my iPhone or iOS 11 feels bloated next to my Pixel. It is not, and most apps do run smoother in iOS and I suppose iPhones kick Android tail on benchmarks and speed tests. But TO ME, there's some weird way the Pixel manages to feel light on its feet.

I'm still very fond of my iPhone, but a subpar Siri cripples the overall experience for me. Really really subpar audio in video recording ticks me off because I've heard how even Google, which also cheaped out on audio, made the sound better. It's hard to make out some of what people are saying in my iPhone videos unless I turn my sound way up.

Oh and mediocre call quality also sours the deal. But the iPhone 8 Plus still is a tough, capable, good all around device and even with its quirks and bugs, iOS rarely pulls unexpected crap on me. Actually I think the phone itself has never misbehaved, but I've had trouble with iCloud services and mail. I've also had the phone and the watch badly hang and flake out during updates. Which is why one of my Apple Watches is two updates behind and the LtE watch is one update behind.

Right now the S9+ is ticking all of the boxes so far (still need to test bluetooth more thoroughly) and its strength is that it offers me so many choices and options. And my goodness, it is so great to have a phone that let's me use ALL of my headphones and earbuds without looking for dongles.

It's got the fabulous Samsung Pay, which rewards and baits you into using it. Samsung has been good at partnering with merchants on goods I actually use. It's got wireless charging that finally works with the charging pad in my husband's truck. iPhone X and 8 Plus can't. Previous Galaxy phones also can't for some reason.

It's got a display that meets my finicky eyes well. Meaning it looks amazing, has a setting where colors look normal, has no visible defects, and does not give me headaches or eye strain. It has edges I actually appreciate for once, instead of hate and resent. (I have to say I also love and appreciate my iphone 8 Plus's beautiful, perfect LCD display as much) The Pixel 2 display is also very nice but I can detect the effects of pwm flicker on it.

The Samsung Experience/Touchwiz is tolerable because it isn't lagging or stuttering this time around, YET. It offers just enough customization and perks that I can accept that it's not quite as snappy and straightforward as the Android experience on the Pixel 2. But it is fluid and fast.

I've largely sequestered everything I consider bloat off in folders where I can easily ignore it all and I do appreciate having some Samsung apps to use. I like how Samsung handles my emails.

I'm very happy so far with the S9+. I am NOT a Samsung fan and my experience with the S8+ became very unsatisfactory all too quickly. So this was Samsung's last chance to regain my regard. The Note 7 fiasco was just too sad and qc issues among the replacement devices irked me. Then the S8+ came along with so much promise but was flawed in a first generation way and felt badly in need of refinement. As I was using the S8+ the refrain became "This would be such an amazing phone IF..."

With the S9+ I am CAUTIOUSLY optimistic that Samsung paid close attention and made a sincere effort to rectify everything that bugged me about the S8+

That is massively encouraging to me because it shows me someone at Samsung has a brain and can recognize or listen and accurately pinpoint crap that needs fixing. And better yet, actually makes the effort to fix it without breaking too much else in the process.

Apple badly needs someone like that. They also need an attitude adjustment and a dose of the humility Samsung is trying to show by giving consumers choices and options. For now. The cynic in me believes Samsung will quickly revert to arrogant incompetence the moment it reaches whatever goals they seem to have set to rival Apple. But for now they are acting young and hungry and it is showing in the S9+

Google, meanwhile, seems to have its head up Apple's core and seems dead set on replicating everything that is annoying about Apple. Like their pricing strategy. Their arrogance (user UN-friendly removal of the headphone port for no reason in the current generation) and if rumors are true, the notch.

Get back to me in a couple of months and see if I am still impressed with the S9+ though. Samsung is still needing to prove they can provide a smooth user experience that doesn't degrade over time. I've read a lot of happy Note 8 owner remarks so I'm keeping hopeful.

Sounds great If we had Samsung Pay available here, meaning that I could get a Gear S3 watch and pay with it like I can with my Apple Watch, I'd be interested in upgrading my S8+ to the S9 or S9+. However, with the lack of watch payments and Samsung's still lackluster update support in the NEE region are keeping me mainly on iOS despite the iOS 11 bugs gradually driving me crazy. Let's see which happens first, Samsung Pay's rollout, Samsung improving their update cycles over here or Apple delivering what they've promised with iOS 12.