The Samsung Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9+ are finally official after almost a month of leaks. The handsets are packed to the brim with the very best technology that is available in the market.

At first glance, the Galaxy S9 might not seem like a huge upgrade over the Galaxy S8 but if you dig deeper, you’d realize that almost every aspect of the devices has received a major update. This includes the camera, the chipset, the ISP, display, and even the software.

The Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9+ pack plenty of new features, some of which are a first in an Android device. This makes it particularly very difficult to come up with a list of the top 5 Galaxy S9 features. But then, if you are thinking of potentially buying the Galaxy S9, you will definitely be interested in knowing the best Galaxy S9 features which would make the money that you splurge on it worth it.

The Best Samsung Galaxy S9 Features

Super Slow-Mo Video Recording

The Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9+ can record super slow motions videos. How slow exactly? 960fps at 720p resolution. For comparison, the iPhone X can only record slow-motion videos at 240fps in Full HD resolution. This is a huge upgrade that will allow S9 owners to capture some impressive footage. The recorded slow-motion footage can be easily converted into a GIF for easier sharing, customized by adding a background music or turned into a live wallpaper.

https://youtu.be/z4LXuz3Mj-0

The Galaxy S9 is not the first phone on the market to record videos in such slow motion though, with Sony’s Xperia XZ and Xperia X Performance also being able to record videos in such slow-motion.

Variable Aperture Camera

The Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9+ come with a 12MP Super Speed DualPixel AF camera at the rear. The highlight of this new camera is the f/1.5 to f/2.4 variable aperture it packs. The Galaxy S9 is the first phone in the market to feature this technology which we have so far only seen in digital cameras. While a few phones with a variable aperture have been launched, they were more of a camera strapped to a phone.

The variable aperture allows the S9’s camera to automatically adjust the amount of light it can absorb. In low-light, the S9’s camera opens the aperture to f/1.5 which allows it to take in more light. Combined with Samsung’s new multi-frame processing algorithm and the Galaxy S9 is able to capture better low-light photos with lower noise levels. In daylight, the camera switches to an f/2.4 aperture to limit the amount of light coming in so as to prevent the image from being overexposed.

https://youtu.be/F6yq6kgOUgQ

An important thing to note here is that the Galaxy S9 can only switch between f/1.5 and f/2.4 aperture and nothing in between. The user can also manually switch between the two apertures using the Pro mode in the camera app.

Intelligent Scan

Samsung has improved the biometric authentication on the Galaxy S9 with Intelligent Scan. The feature combines the iris scanner and front camera’s face unlock capabilities to offer a superior biometric unlocking experience. Intelligent Scan takes advantage of the strength of both biometric unlocking methods depending on the scenario. This means in low-light scenarios, intelligent scan will rely on the iris scanner while in daylight, it will make use of the front camera to easily identify you and unlock the device.

Stereo Speakers

Despite coming with the same design as the Galaxy S8, Samsung has made one major change in the Galaxy S9. It has managed to include stereo speakers on the handset. Similar to the iPhone X, the stereo speakers on the Galaxy S9 are not front facing. Instead, the bottom speaker is paired with another speaker hidden inside the top earpiece. This stereo speaker is tuned by AKG which Samsung says is up to 40 percent louder than the single speaker found on the Galaxy S8.

https://youtu.be/xAc6MRWrDBA

Dedicated Fingerprint for Secure Folder

Samsung has been including Secure folder feature on its flagship devices since a few years now. As the name suggests, Secure folder allows one to safely and securely keep their important documents, images, and other files away from prying eyes. The Secure folder is protected by KNOX so it’s as safe as things can get. However, accessing Secure folder has always been a cumbersome processs.

With the Galaxy S9, Samsung has included an intuitive new way to quickly access the fingerprint scanner. You can register a dedicated fingerprint for the Secure folder and the next time you use it to unlock your Galaxy S9, you will be directly taken to the folder. You can also set up the secure folder to act as a launcher if you like to keep your work and personal profiles separate.

What is your favorite feature of the Galaxy S9? Drop a comment and share them with us!