The Samsung Galaxy S9 Plus, left, and Galaxy S9 mobile phones are shown in this photo during a product preview in New York.- AP
Dubai - The cameras on the S9 devices have an even lower aperture of f/1.5, meaning it can take better shots in low-light situations.
Published: Sun 25 Feb 2018, 11:00 PM
Last updated: Tue 27 Feb 2018, 12:59 AM
Samsung Electronics finally unveiled its much-anticipated Galaxy S9 and S9+ smartphones, making good on the hype it generated - plus also putting out a direct challenge to one feature pioneered by its biggest rival.
DJ Koh, president and head of Samsung's IT and mobile communications division, kicked off the event preluding the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona on Sunday, by saying that it's users - not companies - that drive change.
Samsung Galaxy S9 pre-orders start in UAE
It was just a matter of time, really.
Shortly after midnight following the unveiling of the Samsung Galaxy S9 and S9+ on Sunday at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, the UAE's two telecom providers and a number of retailers started to accept pre-orders for the South Korean giant's latest flagship.
First things first: both devices come in three storage configurations - 64GB, 128GB and 256GB.
And more importantly, we have the actual prices: for the storage options respectively the 5.8-inch Galaxy S9 will sell for Dh3,099, Dh3,299 and Dh3,499. The 6.2-inch Galaxy S9+, meanwhile, will fetch Dh3,499, Dh3,699 and Dh3,899.
Last year, the Galaxy S8 and S8+ came with only 64GB and 128GB of storage, respectively, and were initially priced at Dh2,799 and Dh3,099.
Now, here are where you can pre-order Samsung's new devices, along with the freebies (some with its value) they're offering and availability, if mentioned:
. Etisalat, with AKG headphones worth Dh699
. Du, with AKG headphones, plus an AKG speaker for first 200 customers who pre-order
. Axiom Telecom, with AKG headphones and a 128GB microSD card; 'available from March 15'
. Jumbo Electronics, with AKG headphones; 'products will be shipped starting March 11'
. Sharaf DG, with AKG headphones worth Dh799 and Monster Bluetooth speaker worth Dh199
. Eros Digital, with AKG headphones worth Dh699; 'products will be shipped starting March 15'
. Souq.com, with AKG headphones worth Dh699; 'products will be shipped starting March 11'
And as a nice parting shot, those prices already include VAT.
- alvin@khaleejtimes.com
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"I believe we overestimate our impact. it's not the tech companies that change the world - it's people," he said.
"It's you," he told the audience, that opens the doors to new experiences. and there's no better proof than the mobile phone; it started out as a simple device, and you wondered what was possible."
The Galaxy S9 and S9+, while similar in form to its predecessors, last year's S8 and S8+, come with more advanced cameras. Jason Denison, Senior Vice-President for product marketing, said that Samsung placed technology in the cameras akin to the human eye.
"We turned to an incredibly powerful imaging tool: the human eye," he said.
The cameras on the S9 devices have an even lower aperture of f/1.5, meaning it can take better shots in low-light situations. The S9+, which comes with a dual-lens system, has dual-aperture and optical image stabilisation.
But perhaps the most interesting feature of the devices' cameras is AR Emoji, Samsung's answer to Apple's Animoji, which it featured in its 10th-anniversary iPhone X.
AR Emoji, just like Animoji, captures facial gestures and mimics them into emojis. But this time, users can customise it, from its hair to outfits. Its main advantage is that it can be sent across any smartphone and can be used on third-party apps, like WhatsApp.
The cameras also feature slow-motion video of 960fps.
Bixby, Samsung's digital voice assistant, is also more intelligent. It can translate certain languages quickly, while also helping shoppers even more.
The popular Infinity Display has also been stretched out further, giving an almost edge-to-edge experience. The smartphones also now have speakers on top and below.
The Galaxy S9 and S9+ will retail for $720 (Dh2,644) and $820 (Dh3,085) - not as high as initially feared and staying well below the iPhone X's price points.
It will be available starting March 16 and pre-orders, in a latest update, are already ongoing in certain territories.
- alvin@khaleejtimes.com
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