6 Fast Facts You Need to Know About the Samsung Galaxy S9

The Samsung Galaxy S9 was announced a few days ago. It’s the latest in a long line of excellent Samsung Galaxy S flagships.

Should the S9 be your new favorite smartphone in 2018? Is it worth upgrading from the S8 to the S9? And most importantly – how do you root the Galaxy S9?

Today, we’re answering all the questions you have about the Samsung Galaxy S9. Here are 6 fast facts you need to know about the upcoming flagship.

1) The Tech Specs

Let’s start with the most important tech specs you need to know about:

CPU: Octa-core processor

GPU: Adreno 630 (Mali-G72 MP18 in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa)

Chip: Snapdragon 845 (Exynos 9810 Octa in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa)

Display: Super AMOLED 5.8 inch screen

Resolution: 1440 x 2960 with 570 ppi density

OS: Android 8.0 Oreo

Storage: 64/128/256 GB options available

RAM: 4GB RAM

3.5mm Jack: Yes

Battery: Non-removable Lithium Ion 3000 mAh battery

2) The Release Date is March 16, 2018 for Most Parts of the World (Even You, Australia, Japan, and the UK)

The Galaxy S9 is being released in March 2018 in most parts of the world.

Most countries and regions – including the United States, Europe, the UK, Japan, the Middle East, Africa, and others – are receiving the Galaxy S9 on March 16, 2018.

The fact that the S9 is being delivered in March 2018 to all of the countries above is a big deal. Last year, customers in Australia and the UK didn’t receive their Galaxy S8 until April 28 – weeks after the rest of the world. Meanwhile, customers in Japan and South Africa had to wait until June. The S9 appears to be rolling out more equally around the world.

Meanwhile, pre-ordered units will be available to customers from March 9.

3) It’s Being Criticized for a Lack of Differences with the S8

Forbes claims early pre-order numbers for the Galaxy S9 aren’t very good. However, it’s still early – and reviews for the S9 haven’t even appeared online yet. This could be a non-issue if the S9 gets good reviews. If the S9 gets bad reviews, however, then pre-orders might continue slumping.

So far, the early reviews for the S9 have focused on a lack of differences with last year’s Galaxy S8. The two phones have a similar design, for example, and few noticeable hardware differences. The front-facing camera on the S9 is almost identical to the camera on the S8.

That’s not really a problem for smartphone owners who own an S7 or earlier. However, if you’re considering upgrading from the S8 to the S9, then you might want to wait a few months until the Note comes out – or next year until the Galaxy S10 comes out.

4) The Front-Facing Camera is the Same

The S9 uses the same front-facing camera as the S8. It’s the same 8MP camera – so there haven’t been any major changes in that department.

That may be an issue: the S8’s front-facing camera got surprisingly bad reviews last year. The camera wasn’t particularly bad – it just wasn’t as good as the Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL’s front-facing camera.

The back of the S9, however, has a dual aperture camera – which will be a significant upgrade over the S8.

If you’re disappointed with the selfie performance on the S8, then you can expect the same performance on the front-facing camera on the S9. If you want a better rear-facing camera, however, then the S9 might be the right choice for you.

5) Only the S9+ Has “Portrait Mode”

If you’ve talked to one of your iPhone or Pixel 2 wielding friends lately, then you might have heard about the much-beloved “Portrait Mode”. It replicates the appearance of a DSLR camera and makes photos of people look really good.

Samsung has confirmed that they’ll have their version of Portrait Mode on the S9+. However, it will not be available on the ordinary S9.

The S9+ will call the feature “Live Focus”. It uses two rear cameras to create the same effect as Portrait Mode.

The S9 will have a somewhat similar feature called “Selfie Focus” – although it doesn’t look as good as Portrait Mode.

The iPhone and Pixel, by the way, do not use two rear cameras for Portrait Mode: they take two pictures from two slightly different angles, blurring the background between photos.

6) You’ll Be Able to Root the Galaxy S9

You can root virtually any smartphone using software like One Click Root.

Typically, when a new flagship comes out, it takes some time to discover the best and safest rooting method. Samsung has actively fought back against rooting in the past, making it difficult for users to unlock the full potential of their phones. The S9 will likely feature similar protection.

Nevertheless, we expect that the Galaxy S9 root will be discovered within a few weeks of the release. Stay tuned to Search4Roots.com for more information about the inevitable Galaxy S9 rooting solution!