The much talked-about smartphone was launched globally at an event in Kuala Lampur last month. In India, it comes in two variants – one with 6GB RAM and the other with 8GB RAM. While the 6GB RAM variant is priced at Rs 36,990, the 8GB RAM model costs Rs 39,990. At the said price it competes directly with the likes of OnePlus 6T. We had the opportunity of spending some time with the smartphone and here are our first impressions of the Samsung Galaxy A9 (2018):
Samsung Galaxy A9 (2018) design
The design of the Samsung Galaxy A9 (2018) is simply great. The aesthetics of the smartphone are extremely appealing and the fact that it is available in unusual colours like Lemonade Blue and Bubblegum Pink makes the device stand out. There is a Caviar Black colour variant as well, but that looks common as compared to the other two colour options. Samsung Galaxy A9 (2018) has a glass back panel which shows off the beautiful gradient colour scheme.
On flipping over, you will see the 6.3-inch AMOLED display of Samsung Galaxy A9 (2018), that surprisingly comes without a notch. The edges of the smartphone house the power, volume rocker and a dedicated Bixby button, which do offer a very good tactile feedback when we tried them.
The SIM card slot is placed on the top edge instead of the side and the bottom has a Type-C port, a 3.5mm jack and a speaker grille. The smartphone is definitely a stunner as far as its looks go. However, if you are someone who doesn’t like smartphones whose screen is too big, then Samsung Galaxy A9 (2018) may not be the right choice for you.
Samsung Galaxy A9 (2018) display
Samsung Galaxy A9 (2018) features Samsung’s Infinity Display and we had a liking for it instantly. To be precise about the specifications, Samsung Galaxy A9 (2018) sports a 6.3-inch full-HD+ (1080×2220 pixels) Infinity Display that has an aspect ratio of 18.5:9. If you are someone who likes an all-screen experience on your smartphone, then the lack of notch on Samsung Galaxy may disappoint you a bit. It instead has rather broad bezels on the top and the bottom.
But for us, it wasn’t really a minus, because of the crisp quality of images we got on the Super AMOLED panel of the device. At 6.3-inches, the display is tall, and everything that is showcased on it is so sharp and clear that we won’t be exaggerating it when we say that it was a visual treat. Although we haven’t spent too long with the smartphone yet, we plan to spend a lot of time playing games and watching videos, because the device’s display does seem very promising. We’ll test more aspects like sunlight readability and let you know about them in our detailed review.
Samsung Galaxy A9 (2018) cameras
Now, let’s talk about the cameras of Samsung Galaxy A9 (2018) mobile. The camera setup of the smartphone includes primary, ultra-wide, telephoto lenses along with a depth sensor. They are all aligned vertically on the back panel of the device.
The primary camera of Samsung Galaxy A9 (2018) has a 24MP sensor that has an f/1.7 aperture, which us clubbed with a 10MP telephoto lens with f/2.4 aperture that can be used for 2X optical zoom. Besides this, there is an 8MP 120-degrees ultra wide-angle lens and a 5MP depth camera with f/2.2 aperture which can be used for live focus.
We took some shots using the device indoors with good lighting conditions and they turned out to be really good. The images were vibrant, has accuracy in terms of colours and had details. The Android device has a 24MP selfie camera that comes with modes like Selfie Focus, AR Emoji and Wide Selfie. We clicked a few selfies with the device and we were quite happy with their colours and clarity. However, we will have to wait till we use the smartphone more to give you our detailed verdict of the smartphone.
What we think
There are a number of aspects of the Samsung Galaxy A9 (2018) that seem very promising. The build quality of the smartphone is absolutely top-notch, the smartphone looks extremely premium and has a great display. And above all, there are four cameras in the smartphone, which managed to click really good photos in the limited time that we had with the phone. However, there are a number of other things that we want to try out before we decide whether it’s a good buy or not. So stay tuned for our detailed review to know about Samsung Galaxy A9’s performance, battery life, and if the cameras are just as good in dimly lit conditions.
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