Samsung smartphones from A to S. We understand the models from the Korean manufacturer. The Galaxy S5 is neither good nor bad. No

The Samsung Galaxy S9 looks beautiful, but doesn't wow like it did last year. In the time since the announcement of the Galaxy S8, only lazy manufacturers have not used a feature with thin frames and an elongated screen.

Thanks to the unusual display, it seems that the phone has no side frames and only has them on the top and bottom. Due to the fact that the screen is curved at the edges and rounded at the corners, the smartphone still looks quite original and somehow stands out from the whole galaxy of “frameless” models.

Probably the most important innovation in terms of design affected the rear panel - the fingerprint scanner has finally moved under the lens and no longer breaks the symmetry of the device. Otherwise, everything looks the same - a row of sensors to the right of the camera and a back slightly curved along the ends.

Dimensions of Samsung Galaxy S9: 147.6 × 68.7 × 8.4 mm, weight - 163 grams. The new product has become a little thicker and heavier than its predecessor, and due to the unusual elongated format (18.5:9 instead of the popular 18:9), the phone is a little narrower, but longer than many of its competitors. One of the closest smartphones in size is 5.15-inch, and this comparison only benefits the device with a 5.8-inch screen.

The case materials are aluminum and glass, with which it is covered on both sides. One of the features that has already become standard is protecting the phone from water and dust.

The Samsung Galaxy S9 will be available in four colors: black, purple, blue and gray.

Screen - 4.7

The screen of the Samsung Galaxy S9 has not undergone any significant changes; it is the same 5.8-inch Super AMOLED display. It is very sharp, with a resolution of 2960x1440 pixels and a pixel density of 568 per inch. As expected, there is an oleophobic coating and Gorilla Glass 5 protective glass. There is also the typical Always-On Display function, thanks to which, even in a muted state, the screen always shows important information - time, notifications, weather, and so on.

Cameras - 4.9

One of the main improvements to the Samsung Galaxy S9 is its new 12 MP camera, which has an adjustable aperture. They didn’t forget about the front one; in addition to 8 MP, it also received autofocus.

The parameters of the main camera are impressive, it is a large 1/2.5″ matrix with 1.4 micron pixels, optical stabilization, but the most interesting thing is the adjustable aperture, which varies from f/1.5 to f/2.4. Although, to be honest, if it weren’t for this feature, the camera would look exactly the same as the Galaxy S8 and even like the . Even the same pixels are large, but sometimes they are larger, for example they are 1.55 microns in size. Another feature is shooting super slow-motion video at 960 frames per second, like some others.

The 8 MP front camera also has a very wide f/1.6 aperture and will be able to catch a lot of light. But the most interesting thing is that it has autofocus, which means you can take unusual and interesting selfies with it.

Communications - 5.0

The Samsung Galaxy S9's communications suite is typically top-notch:

• high-speed and dual-band Wi-Fi a/b/g/n/ac with Wi-Fi Direct
• LTE Cat support 18 (up to 1200 Mbit/s)
• Bluetooth 5.0 with A2DP and aptX support
• NFC chip.

It may only be missing an infrared port and FM radio, but there are many additional sensors and sensors - for a fingerprint, pulse measurement and blood oxygen saturation. The smartphone works with two nanoSIM cards, but the slot for the second is combined. We also note the USB Type-C port and a separate connector for.

Battery - 4.4

Samsung Galaxy S9 received a non-removable battery with a capacity of 3000 mAh, like its predecessor. For comparison, the y has 3200 mAh, and the y has 3300 mAh; only the iPhone X has less of the flagships (approximately 2700 mAh). That is, you shouldn’t expect any increase in autonomy, except to rely on optimization and increased energy efficiency. Most likely, as was usually the case with the latest Galaxy S, it will last for one to a day and a half of use, but hardly more. But the smartphone supports fast and wireless charging and offers various energy-saving modes.

Performance - 5.0

Samsung Galaxy S9 has top-end performance, it should be enough for everything at once. Already according to the old tradition, in different regions the smartphone receives different chipsets. A version powered by the latest Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 (four cores at 2.7 GHz and four Cortex-A55 at 1.7 GHz) will go to America and China. But a modification with the proprietary Exynos 9810 Octa (four cores at 2.8 GHz and four Cortex-A55 at 1.7 GHz) will be supplied to Europe and Russia. There is a difference between them, at least in the names, but you are unlikely to feel it in daily use.

Memory - 5.0

The memory capacity of the smartphone has not changed; it is the same 64 GB of storage and 4 GB of RAM as its predecessor. These are impressive volumes, which should be enough for any user. If that's not enough for you, you can add up to 256 GB using a microSD card. The only negative is that the slot for it is combined. You'll have to choose: either a second SIM or additional memory.

Peculiarities

The smartphone runs the latest version of Android Oreo OS and a proprietary interface.

The Galaxy S9 has plenty of features, including a “frameless design”, a top-end chipset, an ultra-clear display, an advanced camera with an adjustable aperture and slow motion, water and dust protection, a proprietary Bixby assistant, and various sensors. Among the latter are a fingerprint and iris scanner, as well as a pulse oximeter (also familiar from the fact that it measures pulse and blood oxygen saturation). Samsung couldn’t leave the iPhone X’s animated emojis unanswered and responded to them with its own equivalent. Another feature is the ability to connect the device to a large screen using a docking station and use it as a desktop PC.

Price

It is expected that pre-orders for the smartphone will begin at the end of February, and it will appear in stores in mid-March. Presumably, the price for the Galaxy S9 will be 849 euros or about 59,000 rubles - not cheap, but cheaper than the iPhone X at the start of sales.

I am writing this material for people who really want to know an explanation of the characteristics of the Galaxy S8, how they work in practice, and my personal opinion about this or that point in the device. And for this, just a 10-minute video and beautiful pictures are not enough. Therefore, if you are just such a reader, then get ready to spend 10 minutes of your life reading. If not, then I have selected for you under this material 10-minute video reviews of top bloggers on YouTube, which will tell you clearly, quickly and superficially.

So, let's begin! Samsung Galaxy S8 (SM-G950F) at the start of sales costs 55,000 RUB in Russia, 25,000 UAH in Ukraine, 1,800 BYN in Belarus, 301,000 KZT in Kazakhstan. For fun, I converted all these prices into dollars and summarized them in the chart below:

In this section I will tell you all the characteristics: from the body to the cameras.

Design, elements on the case, materials and dimensions of the smartphone

The design of the flagship is not similar to any other device, but the Samsung style is noticeable. Everything is very smooth and in your hands it feels like a piece of glass polished to perfection. I can’t find fault with the joints of the elements; everything fits very well and without cracks. I have a black version, but in our market you can still find gold and amethyst.

By thickness The smartphone is 8 mm, nothing protrudes in the planes. The metal frame on the left and right ends is only 3.5 mm wide, to which the front and rear windows are rounded off. Samsung calls this "Edge Design". Width The S8 is quite narrow - 68 mm, which is one and a half millimeters narrower than the Galaxy S7. Samsung smartphones have always been distinguished by their compact size in terms of body/display ratio. By height The device is 6.5 mm taller than its predecessor and is 149 mm. Weight is 155 g, and as for me this is the optimal indicator that you want to feel in your hand.

Even though the S8's screen diagonal is quite large, I still want to call it a compact smartphone that will be convenient for people with small hands. When I hold it in my hand, I think that this is exactly how it should be and I don’t understand why smartphones were different before.

Ok Steve! In terms of design, I want the Galaxy S8.

On the front there is a large display, with very narrow frames at the top and bottom (each almost 7 mm). There's nothing on the bottom bezel, and part of me says, "So if the area is empty, then remove it entirely in favor of an EVEN larger display!" But the normal part of me (I think it’s normal) understands that before this there were no such screen-to-body ratios, and the engineers tried very hard to create what we have in front.

Above the screen in the center there is a neat earpiece, to the left of which there are two sensors (light and proximity), infrared illumination for recognizing the iris of the eye even in pitch darkness, followed by an indicator light (lit in blue or red). To the right of the speaker are the front camera and a sensor for scanning the iris of the eye. The front camera is not used for iris scanning.

On the back panel we have a protective glass that is scratch-resistant and does not have an oleophobic coating. Just above the center is the Samsung logo, which is not shiny chrome, but has a modest gray color. Above the logo in the center there is a camera, to the left of which is a heart rate sensor and a single-LED flash. I can’t say that the flash stands out in terms of brightness and has a warm tint. To the right of the camera there is a fingerprint scanner, which is inconvenient for me and I don’t use it.

At the top end there is a hybrid tray for two Nano SIM cards, or one card and a memory card. The tray is made of flexible plastic, which is a little disappointing, although this is not so important. The metal frame at the top and bottom ends is wider than the side edges, since the adjacent glass there is not rounded. On top we also have a microphone for noise reduction and two plastic dividers for antennas, which are practically invisible.


At the bottom end there is a USB Tape-C connector, a headphone jack, an external speaker, a conversational microphone and two more dividers for antennas.

On the left side there is a volume rocker and a button that calls up the interface of the Bixby virtual assistant, but more on that later.

On the right side, the power/lock button is located alone in a convenient place.

Chipset

The heart of the flagship SM-G950F is the top-of-the-line 2017 chipset of its own production, Exynos 8895 (analogue). It has 8 cores, 4 of which are low-power for light tasks and energy saving - ARM Cortex-A53 with a maximum frequency of 1690 MHz. The remaining 4 cores are manufactured using Samsung's own Exynos M1 (Mongoose) architecture. It handles complex tasks at a maximum frequency of 2314 MHz.

The biggest feature of the processor is its 10-nanometer (nm) manufacturing technology. Manufacturers have stopped increasing gigahertz and power, and are striving for energy efficiency and compactness. So that you understand, 10 nm is almost half the size of the already small 14 nm top-end Snapdragon 821 chip. At the same time, performance has not gone by the wayside, and energy costs are several times less.

See the comparison of chipset sizes in the picture:

Diagram from Intel presentation

In terms of performance, this is not the most powerful smartphone. In AnTuTu it scores 173 thousand points and gives way to the iPhone 7 Plus. At maximum graphics settings in tanks, the frames per second of the Galaxy S8 does not reach 60. On average it shows 50 frames per second. But this is not critical, since the human eye can capture a maximum of 30 frames per second.

In summer, when the weather is very hot, the smartphone gets a little warm and holding it in your hands is very uncomfortable. Heating was noticed not only in games under maximum load, but this problem can be much more noticeable in other smartphones with a similar powerful chip.

Considering that the chipset is made using the finest technical process, I don’t understand the heating. However, I have not previously heard about heating problems from other users, and I am almost sure that this point concerns my device, which is not commercial (sent for review by the manufacturer). Plus, given that the processor and core architecture are new, over time all games and programs will be better optimized for this solution.

Memory

The device has 4 GB of RAM. This is quite enough for all tasks and I did not feel any shortcomings. The AIDA64 application shows an honest 3.5 GB of RAM. 64 GB of permanent memory, and no other versions found. 54 GB available for use. It is possible to expand the memory using a MicroSD card up to 256 GB, and the card slot is separate from the SIM card.

Memory speed is excellent and reaches 787 MB/s when reading and 195 MB/s when transferring. This is the fastest indicator currently in smartphones.

Autonomy

I’ll say right away that autonomy is not the strong point of the Samsung S8. The battery capacity is 3000 mAh, and it shows average survivability. But if you take into account the display resolution and its diagonal, then everything is pretty good.

After an hour of playing, the battery drained by 20%, meaning you can play for 5 hours without interruption at maximum resolution. Plays video over Wi-Fi – 7.5 hours. But working with a GPS navigator with a rarely active display will drain the battery in 20 hours. Still, the high resolution of the display makes itself felt (by the way, it can be lowered, which will have a positive effect on autonomy).

The Korean flagship is infected from 0 to 100% in 1 hour 15 minutes. The included charger charged the battery from 0 to 50% in 40 minutes. This means that there is fast charging, but the S8 does not focus on quickly recharging the charge in the first minutes.

If you are not a hardcore multimedia user, then the smartphone will last 2 days under gentle loads. Especially if you lower the display resolution.

Display

But the screen here is quite interesting. It has an unusual aspect ratio of 18.5:9 and is made using Super Amoled technology. The screen diagonal, with such compact dimensions, is 5.8 inches. Compactness is achieved thanks to the same narrow frames mentioned earlier. This means that it is more elongated in length, and all this is due to the reduction of the upper and lower frames. The maximum display resolution is WQHD (2950x1440), but it can be reduced in the settings to FullHD or even HD. Reducing the resolution will have a positive effect on autonomy.

It is noticeable only when compared point-blank.

It’s hard to find fault with the display – it’s large, clear, frameless and very bright (1000 nits). However, there is a minus: with a white color, the picture turns a little red at a direct viewing angle. This moment is visible only if you put another smartphone next to it.

The company is already sending out an update that will correct this shortcoming, but at the time of review, this update had not yet reached my sample.

The screen has an "Always on Display" feature, where when the device is locked, the display shows the clock and date, notifications and battery percentage.

Sound

I'm not a music lover, but with the Samsung S8 I wanted to become one. The sound in the headphones is simply stunning. Perhaps I just hadn’t heard high-quality sound before, but I downloaded the track in flac format and, in comparison with the Galaxy A5, I realized that the S8 sounds like a god. Complete immersion in music. My A-5, compared to the 2017 flagship, sounds like a leprechaun drowned in a toilet.

The external speaker of the flagship also plays well, but there are no stereo speakers. The sound comes from one speaker at the bottom end, it is loud and moderately rich, like for a smartphone. The volume reaches 70.3 dB.

Perhaps the sound was influenced by collaboration with the top audio device manufacturer Harman/Kardon. AKG branded headphones are included. They can be purchased separately for $100. At the presentation, Samsung said that the S8 has a 32-bit digital-to-analog converter.

I listen to the Samsung Galaxy S8 through headphones and I can’t remember what disadvantages I talked about earlier... I don’t know how I’ll live without such sound now.

The device supports two Nano-SIM cards. Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, supports dual-channel data transmission at 5000 MHz. Bluetooth also has a surprise, it . This means you can play your favorite tracks through Bluetooth headphones and go to the other side of the house or even go out into the yard without a signal source. The range is increased 4 times compared to Bluetooth 4.2. You can also connect two headsets at once (two speakers or two pairs of headphones). These are not all the advantages of the fifth version of Bluetooth, but to use it you need a headset that supports this format.

GPS navigation works flawlessly.

Software

The Samsung S8 runs on the latest Android 7 operating system at the time of release, of course. The Samsung Experience shell is installed on top; I currently have version 8.1. Everything works quickly, but with a certain proprietary animation, which is similar to the effect of minimizing windows in Windows. The main desktop displays the clock, weather, and Google search bar by default, but by default, you can pinch to install widgets, app icons, and add screens that you can swipe right to. By swiping from bottom to top or vice versa, the “app drawer” is called up. If you swipe your finger from the right edge to the left, the EDGE panel will be called up with the ability to quickly access selected applications, contacts and various opportunities to take screenshots.

The GPU processes the interface without slowdowns at maximum frame rates. No lags were noticed in third-party applications either.

Bixby

By swiping from left to right on the main screen, as well as a separate button on the end, you can open the Bixby interface, in which you can find cards that you can configure yourself. I have an alarm clock, Gallery for today, the number of steps taken, the weather and a summary of the latest news. At the moment, the assistant's capabilities are limited. Apart from the listed capabilities, the assistant can’t do anything else; it doesn’t react to voices in any way (neither Russian, nor English, nor even Korean). It is unknown when the Russian-speaking audience will be able to fully use Bixby.

However, the intentions of his work were noticed; a recommendation appeared in the notification shade to listen to music in good quality with a link to a recommended site (I had previously downloaded music on another site). I look forward to all the capabilities of Bixby's artificial intelligence and his destruction of the human race the moment he acquires it.

For now, Bixby only has a name.

Camera

The main camera on the Galaxy S8 takes 12 MP photos. The aperture is widened to F/1.7, which allows the sensor to capture more light in low light conditions. This is the widest aperture in a smartphone in my memory. There is phase detection autofocus and optical stabilization. If the smartphone cannot focus (which happens very rarely when taking photos), for example when shooting video in 4K resolution, then tapping on the display sensor can help the camera. Autofocus works using technology, it is very fast and in most cases trouble-free.

The matrix in the main camera is manufactured by ISOCELL, model S5K2L2. I assume that the American and Korean versions use a Sony sensor, model IMX333 (or another name IMX260 Pro). They say that there is no difference in the quality of pictures of the Samsung S8 with different matrices. In the S7 there was a situation where the Sony sensor took photographs in warmer tones. The size of the S5K2L2 is quite large - 1/2.5". The pixel is also not small - 1.4 microns.

I would like to note that despite all the indicators, the camera does not protrude from the body.

The main camera of the Galaxy S8 is practically no different from the Galaxy S7 in photography. In the video I think the S8 dominates.

Below is an example of shooting on the Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S7 in HDR modes. Last year's flagship did better.

For comparison, I’ll give another example of a photo taken under the same conditions on the Galaxy S8 and Xiaomi Note 4x to clearly show the quality of flagships and budget phones.

Below is a gorgeous shot with bokeh effect on the Galaxy S8. When taking photographs in good lighting, the smartphone focuses at lightning speed (I never tire of writing this).

Another macro shot:

Shooting in the blinding sun in automatic mode was not impressive. But there are many manual settings in the "Pro" mode: ISO adjustment, aperture effect, presets, manual focus, etc.

Night shot with and without flash. When using a flash, the algorithm works well, there are no highlights and in some cases it is difficult to tell that the photo was taken with a flash.

Selfie camera

The selfie camera, a first for smartphones, has autofocus. This is an 8 megapixel ISOCELL S5K3H1 matrix with an F/1.7 aperture. It takes excellent pictures for a selfie camera, nothing more to say.

Video shooting

Samsung shoots video in resolutions from VGA to 4K (UHD) resolution. When recording Full HD at 30 frames per second, video shooting in HDR mode is available. There is optical and electronic stabilization. I was amazed by the color reproduction, focusing and stabilization capabilities. You don’t need a lot of words here, you just have to see:

Youtube decided to cut the resolution down to 2k over time.

Peculiarities

Among the features of the smartphone is the ability to connect to a monitor using the DeX docking station. You can also connect a mouse and keyboard to it. The monitor displays Samsung's operating system based on Android, externally similar to Windows. Standard Microsoft applications and office solutions are designed for it. I was not able to use this gadget for a long time, but the reviews about it are not bad.

With DeX, you can open a browser, work in office applications, view and even edit photos. Applications open in full windows. Even Instagram and others are launching, but few applications have yet been adapted for this platform.

The second feature is the ability to unlock the device using the iris of the eye or face. They say that a face scanner can be fooled by a printed photo, but it’s not so simple and who would bother with this? If the options above do not always work quickly, especially if you are walking, then with the finger scanner everything happens at lightning speed, but it is not located in a very convenient place and does not recognize a wet finger.

The third feature I would like to note is the presence of a heartbeat scanner.

The fourth feature, which I did not mention earlier, is the presence of moisture and dust protection according to the IP68 standard.

Pros and cons of Samsung Galaxy S8

It's time to sum up all of the above.

pros

• thin frames around the display;
• clear, bright and elongated display, with the ability to adjust the resolution;
• convenient design and well-assembled body;
• good cameras in all respects;
• user-friendly interface;
• support for the upcoming version of Bluetooth 5;
• great sound in headphones;
• loud external speaker;
• notification indicator;
• moisture and dust protection.

Minuses

• staining the rear glass, which is prone to scratches;
• the sharp edges of the USB connector rub your finger while playing;
• Due to such a premium design, the smartphone can be fragile, you need to wear a case;
• sometimes it gets quite hot under load (perhaps this is a problem with my sample or raw software, this should be fixed by updating and optimizing games for the new kernel);
• All unlocking means are inconvenient.

My review of the Galaxy S8

The smartphone scored 5 points. Many people talk about it as the emperor of smartphones. Personally, the camera is important to me, and here it is very decent. Is it the best? This is questionable, and when compared with the Galaxy S7, they are very similar. Although the Galaxy S8's video recording is impressive.

And so the question hung in my head: is it worth buying a Galaxy S8 for the photo capabilities of the camera, if the Galaxy S7 has the same level for more affordable money? I would consider buying a Galaxy S8 for the excellent sound in the headphones and cool display, for the sake of video recording and good design. Although the design is secondary, and I would rather show off cool photographs than the cool design of a glass rectangle (as you can see, the WOW effect from the design gradually faded away for me, you get used to good things very quickly).

Overall, the device deserves a place among the best smartphones in the history of smartphone manufacturing. The general opinion about the product consists of many little things that I tried to describe in this material. The disadvantages that I noted are perhaps the only ones for me. Knowing Samsung's approach to software, some of them will most likely be fixed. Oh yes, the software is what makes Samsung smartphones worth loving.

Review of Samsung Galaxy A5 SM-A510F (2016) Duos: a stylish and expensive smartphone Review of Huawei Honor 8 – a glass smartphone with a dual camera
Review of the Sony Xperia XZ smartphone: the second flagship in a year
Review of the Huawei P10 Plus smartphone: a thin flagship phablet

Pavel Gorodnitsky talks about how Koreans should react to weak sales of the Galaxy S9.

Two years ago, the main embarrassment in the history of Samsung’s mobile division occurred: the Galaxy Note 7 turned out to be a time bomb, so it was quickly removed from sale. That story ended not only with humiliating apologies on his knees, but also with tremendous work on mistakes - the neat and stylish Galaxy S8 made us forget about the disaster with explosive flagships.

That phone was praised even by those who previously considered Koreans tasteless in terms of design. Compared to the archaic iPhone 7, the Galaxy S8 looked like a device from the future - thanks to its thin frames, “infinite” curved display and OLED matrix.

True, after this local triumph, Samsung relaxed again and presented the frankly passable and boring Galaxy S9. The public reacted to him quite unequivocally: “It’s great that the S8 will now become cheaper.” Stores even had to artificially slow down the G8 interface so that when comparing models, customers would choose the newer and more expensive one.

As a result, 2018 remained with Apple. While Samsung bosses were studying sad financial statements and reading news with headlines like “Galaxy S9 is selling worse than Galaxy S3,” the whole world was copying the cutout of the iPhone X. At the same time, two more holidays happened in Cupertino: first, the average price of one smartphone jumped to $700 (crazy level), and then the company broke through the capitalization of one trillion dollars.

Now the Koreans are forced to respond. Against the backdrop of the release of the iPhone XS and iPhone XR, insights about the Galaxy S10 for some reason went into the shadows, but they definitely cannot be neglected. There is reason to believe that this gadget will become no less resonant than the Galaxy S8 - at least, all preliminary information points to the gigantic potential of this model.

Below are five main facts about the tenth anniversary Galaxy.

1. Apparently, the smartphone will debut in January. Samsung is forced to postpone the announcement in order to quickly respond to a pack of new smartphones from Apple. Previously, the Koreans consistently rolled out their flagships at the end of winter or early spring. The conclusion is very simple: now Asians are eager to demonstrate a revolutionary model.

2. The main feature of the Galaxy S10 is the disappearing front camera. It will be sewn directly into the display - the module will be noticeable only in those moments when the user starts selfie mode. There has never been anything like this on the market before. For example, the Chinese, who want to hide the camera, put it inside the case and install a mechanism that quickly pushes the lens out. Samsung's solution is much more technologically advanced and elegant.

3. The Galaxy S10 will not have a so-called chin, that is, a lower indentation. Now all models except the iPhone X have it. The reason is simple: to destroy this area, you need to order an expensive curved screen. The Chinese don’t see the point in this, but the Koreans did, and they clearly set themselves the task of releasing a completely frameless flagship. No unibrows, no unnecessary space - just display and nothing else. Again, history may repeat itself with the Galaxy S8 and iPhone 7: the iPhone XS notch will seem antediluvian next to the perfectly frameless S10.

4. According to insiders, the Galaxy S10 will be released in three variations: budget, standard and premium. The first two are not very interesting, but the third is a catalog of elite specifications. First, there will be a lightning-fast fingerprint scanner right under the display (another technology that Apple hasn't conquered). Secondly, the Koreans will install a triple main camera module in the coolest S10 - like in the Huawei P20 Pro. It seems that the main task of Samsung managers is to beat all competitors by a margin in the authoritative Dx0Mark rating.

5. The last point is about the colors of the cases. Now in Asia, smartphones with gradient back covers, like the Honor 10, are in great demand. Apple missed this trend (or considered it tasteless), but Samsung is definitely (according to leaks) will release at least one modification of the S10 in a mega-bright design.

Why might a plan fail?

In terms of camera, design, and exclusive features, the Galaxy S10 will look much more preferable than boring and expensive new Apple products. The only question is how successfully everything will be implemented. On paper, the S10's specs are impressive, but in reality, shortcomings can pop up in the most unexpected places. Just remember the previous Samsung flagships:

1.Galaxy S8- was good for almost everyone, but the Koreans screwed up with the fingerprint scanner. At first they didn’t plan to put it there at all (they thought they’d get by with a face recognizer), and then they stuck it in the most inconvenient place - on the side of the camera. As a result, users became annoyed due to the fact that their fingers hit everything except the sensor. Samsung's arrogance is to blame here - apparently, they decided that since they offer four different unlocking methods, it doesn't matter how well they work.

2.Galaxy S9- for some reason they saved on the battery. Because of this, the 5.8-inch model failed almost all tests of autonomy - active users charge the smartphone twice a day. Thanks to the Koreans who did not optimize the battery.

3.Galaxy Note 9- there has already been one explosion, although Samsung, after the Note 7 story, was obliged to extremely carefully check smartphones for detonation.

The conclusion is very simple: in order to get an impeccable S10, Koreans should: a) take their time b) test it properly, and not send it to the shelves as quickly as possible. It is doubtful that Samsung is capable of this.

It’s also interesting how much the Koreans will ask for their efforts. If they finally stop copying pricing from their competitors from Cupertino, they can easily count on luxurious sales. If not, you will have to be content with positive reviews from loyal journalists: it is already clear that flagships for $1000 are allowed to be sold.

Operating system: Android 8.0 Oreo. Processor: Samsung Exynos 9810. RAM: 4 GB

Nothing new in design

Samsung engineers took the Galaxy S8, twirled it in their hands and decided that it was perfect. We agree: the Galaxy S8 is damn beautiful, but the wow factor has faded in its second year, and it's time to move on. They didn’t stretch the screen from above and below, which is good - we don’t need another “bang” from the iPhone X. What remains is protection from water and dust according to the IP68 standard.

photos

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There is Gorilla Glass 5 on the front and back, it is still slippery and will definitely get scratched. Holding the Galaxy S9+ is comfortable in your hands, but reaching for the edges of the screen is a gamble and you might drop it. Galaxy S9 is more practical in this regard.

Three colors of smartphones will arrive in Russia: Midnight Black, Lilac Purple, Titanium Gray. In Russian - black, purple, silver. Coral Blue (blue) will not reach us, which is a pity.

The fingerprint scanner is now where you need it

The inconvenient fingerprint scanner in the Galaxy S8+ is perhaps the main drawback of the smartphone. Samsung realized the problem and fixed it: now the scanner is under the camera. Even in the large Galaxy S9+ you don’t have to reach for it; your finger fits right on the fingerprint sensor.

“Baby” was offended: Galaxy S9 did not receive a dual camera

Apple once set a bad tone by releasing the iPhone 7 Plus with a dual camera, and the iPhone 7 with one. It's like a mother loves one son more than the other.

It's the same story with the new Samsung flagships: the Galaxy S9+ received a dual camera with optical stabilization in both modules, with double zoom and background blur, while the Galaxy S9 received one regular module. Apparently, the smartphone would be too ideal. And so the buyer has to sacrifice convenience due to size. And money.

The idea for the camera was taken from the human eye

In the dark, our pupils dilate to capture more light, and during the day they narrow. Samsung used this principle in a mobile camera, only the diaphragm played the role of the pupil.

In sufficient light, the Samsung Galaxy S9 shoots with a maximum aperture of f/2.4, and at night it “jumps” to f/1.5. If you look into the camera, you can see how the peephole narrows and expands. This, by the way, is the fastest mobile optics. They say there is a difference compared to the Galaxy S8: better detail at night, less noise. Let's check.

It’s just not clear why the diaphragm should be mechanically changed. In cameras it’s clear why: the wider the aperture is open, the worse the sharpness. Therefore, even if the lens allows you to shoot at f/1.5, the photographer will sacrifice bokeh and stop at f/2.4 - because the quality is better. Why a smartphone needs this is unclear. It is enough to leave the maximum aperture at f/1.5. When there is a lot of light, the automation will set the appropriate parameters.

Super slow-mo: like Sony, but in a different way

Samsung made the camera module with its own DRAM memory for the first time. Now frames are processed 4 times faster. This made it possible to implement a super slow-motion video mode with a frequency of 960 fps. When shooting, 0.2 seconds of real time are stretched into 6 seconds of video.

This technology appeared almost a year ago in Sony flagships; their module is called Motion Eye. But it works differently. For example, in the Sony Xperia XZ1 you need to press the shooting button exactly at the desired moment. Most often you don't have time. The Samsung Galaxy S9, on the contrary, predicts when it needs to create a slow-motion “piece” of video.

There is also an ambush here: so far the automation is guessing poorly, or does not understand at all what they want from it. At the Galaxy S9 stand, it was only on the fifth attempt that I caught my antics. The girls from Samsung just shrugged and smiled. “But the music is automatically added,” they said embarrassedly. In general, the idea is good, but requires improvement.

AR Emoji is too much

Okay, we had a little laugh with Animoji in Apple X. A talking turd or a rooster with human facial expressions is absurd, that's why it's funny. But Samsung positions the Galaxy S9 as a business smartphone, and offers some kind of game with animated hydrocephalus in makeup.

AR Emoji has already received a bunch of filters, masks, movements, but it is unlikely to be popular. The smoothness of facial expressions and copy accuracy are still significantly worse than in the iPhone X. Samsung is like a 70-year-old grandfather burst into a youth party and is trying to joke with memes. It turns out sad and ridiculous.

The screen got a little better

In terms of size and detail of the displays, everything is the same: 5.8 inches for the Galaxy S9, 6.2 inches for the Galaxy S9+. Samsung said color reproduction is better and brightness is even higher. It’s interesting to compare with the iPhone X: in practice, its screen turned out to be brighter than that of the formal record holder Galaxy Note8.

The matrix is ​​sAMOLED with infinite contrast, there is support for HDR, the resolution is Quad HD+, that is, 2960 x 1440 pixels. The clarity of the picture is off the charts, but if you reduce it to Full HD+ (which is possible), you won’t notice much of a difference. But it will add 10-15% to the operating time.

New Exynos will come to Russia

This is an eight-core processor manufactured by Samsung - Exynos 9810. New flagships will be supplied with it to Europe and Russia, and China and the USA will get a version with Qualcomm Snapdragon 845. For us there is no difference, both processors work phenomenally fast, judging by the first tests - by 25 % faster than Snapdragon 835.

The new processors should show slightly better autonomy, while the battery capacities remain the same: 3000 and 3500 mAh for the Galaxy S9 and S9+, respectively. We remember how the Galaxy S8+ “teared” its competitors in tests, playing videos for 14-15 hours straight. Most likely, there will be a similar result now. There is also support for fast wireless charging.

Stereo speakers and audio jack - a win-win combo

Cooperation with AKG is bearing fruit: first, the Galaxy S8 has significantly improved sound quality and has a cool headset included, and now the Galaxy S9 has two speakers. Top and bottom, both from AKG, with Dolby Atmos technology. And the headset is included again. Why, they even left the headphone jack! Soon such smartphones will be included in the Red Book.

Galaxy S5, which incorporates all the latest technical achievements. It looks like it could become the most popular smartphone this year, and it has everything to do so. There were a lot of rumors about what it would be like, but compared to the S4, the company's new flagship has taken big steps forward. So let's start our review of the Samsung Galaxy S5.

In terms of appearance, the smartphone looks more rectangular, closer to the Note 3 than the Galaxy S4. The Samsung Galaxy S5 is almost 6 mm longer and 3 mm wider than the S4 and weighs 15 grams. more. The smartphone case is completely protected from moisture and dust and is certified to the IP67 standard, which means that the phone can be completely immersed in water and is absolutely dust-proof. The phone is equipped with a fingerprint scanner located on the button under the screen and note that the sensor can also be used to securely enter any application on the smartphone, and not just to enter the main menu of the phone. On the back there is a sensor that detects your heartbeat.

The material of the case has not changed, it also remains plastic, but its texture is good, so it’s pleasant to hold it in your hand. The smartphone is also equipped with an IR infrared port, with which you can control all appliances in the house, that is, you will have one control panel. The phone has a compass, gyroscope, accelerometer and barometer.

Smartphone size: 142 x 72.5 x 8.1mm, 145 g

There is a sensor on the back of the phone that detects your heartbeat when you place your finger on it.

Processor and software

The Samsung Galaxy S5 smartphone is a super-powerful device, it uses a quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 processor with a clock frequency of 2.5 GHz and an Adreno 330 graphics chipset.

The Android flagship operates on the Android 4.4 KitKat operating system with a new version of Samsung's proprietary TouchWiz interface. The interface has been changed and improved to become more understandable. The settings menu has been completely changed and some applications have been updated.

Very nice icons, light and a little airy. The menu has become nicer.

Children's mode (Kids Corner) looks very high quality and has a large number of customization options

Memory

The smartphone has 2 GB of RAM. Internal memory is 16 or 32 GB, which can be expanded using microSD memory cards (up to 64 GB).

Screen

What can we say, the image on the Samsung Galaxy S5 screen has excellent qualities: large viewing angles, bright and saturated colors, fading in the sun is very low. The smartphone is equipped with a 5.1-inch capacitive touch SuperAMOLED HD screen with a resolution of 1920 × 1080 pixels, a density of 431 (ppi) pixels per inch and color rendering of 16 million shades. The display is covered with Gorilla Glass 3.

Samsung Galaxy S5 is equipped with a camera with a resolution of 16 MP (1/2.6”) and a new autofocus system, capable of recording video with a resolution of (3840 x 2160) 4K UHD at 30 fps and video with a resolution of 1080p at 60 fps. With. The additional front camera has a resolution of 2.1 megapixels and is designed for video communication.

The picture quality is excellent for a top-end smartphone.

Pictures from the S5 camera.

We can now say that the quality of the pictures is higher than on the Samsung Galaxy S4. The camera in this phone will not disappoint anyone.

Communication capabilities

The smartphone supports Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, Bluetooth 4.0 BLE / ANT+, USB 3.0, IR, GPS with A-GPS, GLONASS, 3.5 mm audio jack, .

Networks: EDGE/GPRS/GSM (850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz), WCDMA (850/900/1900/2100 MHz), LTE

Battery

The new smartphone is equipped with a removable battery with a capacity of 2800 mAh, which is slightly more than on the Galaxy S4.

The capacity of this battery is easily enough for a day of use under average load. The smartphone also has a special Ultra Power Saving mode; when it is turned on, a black and white image is shown on the screen, while you can only make calls and send messages, while the Internet is turned off. The manufacturer says that with 10% of the remaining energy, the smartphone can work for another whole day.

Price

It is expected that prices for the Samsung Galaxy S5 will start from 29,990 rubles for the 16 GB version.

Samsung Galaxy S5 smartphone video review: