Samsung Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9+ will be available in India in 64GB and 256GB storage options
Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9+ smartphones have been launched in India, within 10 days of their global unveiling. The release date of the new Galaxy S9 series models is March 16; pre-orders for the new Samsung flagship duo have been open since last week. For those unaware, the new Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9+ have faster processors, better cameras, AKG-tuned dual speakers for enhanced audio, and AR Emojis, among other features. As for the price in India, Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9+ will be available at the prices Gadgets 360 exclusively reported last week.
The Samsung Galaxy S9 price in India (MOP) starts at Rs. 57,900 for the 64GB model, and goes up to Rs. 65,900 for the 256GB variant. The Galaxy S9+ price in India starts at Rs. 64,900 for the 64GB model, and goes up to Rs. 72,900 for the 256GB variant. Samsung hasn't launched the 128GB variants of the smartphones in India. The phones will be available from March 16, in Lilac Purple, Coral Blue, and Midnight Black. Pre-bookings are now open via retail outlets, the Samsung Shop, and Flipkart.
Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9+ launch offers include Rs. 6,000 cashback for HDFC debit and credit card users, as well as a Rs. 6,000 cashback in the Paytm Mall on purchases made online and offline. Samsung is also offering an additional Rs. 6,000 discount on exchange of an older Samsung smartphone.
Samsung Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9+ First Impressions
Other Samsung Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9+ launch offers include one from Airtel - you can buy the Galaxy S9 or Galaxy S9+ with a Rs. 9,900 down payment, and then pay Rs. 2,499 per month for 24 months, while getting 2TB of data in the period. Buyers can also avail a ‘Double Data’ offer on Airtel’s popular Infinity Postpaid plans. With Infinity 499, users get 80 GB of data, unlimited calling, and a one year Amazon Prime membership worth Rs. 999. With Infinity 799, users get 120GB of data, unlimited calling, a one year Amazon Prime membership and one free child connection. Both plans also offer free subscription to Airtel TV and Wynk Music.
Galaxy S9 and S9+ users on Jio get an exclusive offer of 1 Terabyte of high speed 4G data with unlimited voice & SMS for one year worth Rs. 15,000 at only Rs. 4,999. Additionally, users are entitled to complimentary Jio Prime Membership as a part of this offer. Users who are new or existing customers of Vodafone will get free subscription to Netflix for a year on Vodafone Red plans starting Rs. 999 till April 30, 2018. Also, prepaid users who recharge with Rs. 199 get unlimited voice and 1.4GB per day and an additional 10GB free data every month for their next 10 recharges.
Samsung Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9+ offer the AR Emoji feature, which is the company's answer to Apple's Animoji with a few changes. AR Emoji are meant be virtual avatars, letting users turn themselves into a customised emoji. These emoji can be shared via the keyboard app to any app, and regardless of the recipients phone. Both smartphones also feature Bixby Vision in the camera app, offering live translation features, scene and building recognition, and a calorie counter.
The Galaxy S9 duo also feature dual speakers tuned by AKG Acoustics, as well as Dolby Atmos surround sound. Both the smartphones also offer slow-mo 960fps video recording. In the meanwhile, the dual aperture setup on the Galaxy S9+ offers some additions features, as the primary rear camera sensor is capable of shooting at f/2.4 when there's ample light, but can switch to f/1.5 when the phone detects low-light conditions.
The Samsung Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9+ are powered by the Samsung Exynos 9810 SoC in India. You get the Android Oreo experience out-of-the-box and IP68 water + dust resistance as well. Connectivity options include Gigabit LTE, dual-band Wi-Fi 802.11ac, USB Type-C, Bluetooth 5.0, and, yes, the 3.5mm headphone jack. Both phones have an identical 8-megapixel autofocus front camera f/1.7 sensor and come with a microSD slot with support for cards up to 400GB capacity.
The Samsung Galaxy S9 features a 5.8-inch QHD+ Curved Super AMOLED 18.5:9 display, 4GB of RAM, a 3000mAh battery, and a Super Speed Dual Pixel 12-megapixel autofocus f/1.5-f/2.4 sensor with OIS. It measures 147.7x68.7x8.5mm and weighs 163 grams.
Meanwhile, the Samsung Galaxy S9+ packs a 6.2-inch QHD+ Curved Super AMOLED 18.5:9 display, 6GB of RAM, a 3500mAh battery, a dual rear camera setup with dual OIS, specifically a wide-angle lens with Super Speed Dual Pixel 12-megapixel autofocus f/1.5-f/2.4 sensor and a telephoto lens with 12-megapixel autofocus f/2.4 sensor. It measures 158.1x73.8x8.5mm and weighs 189 grams.
Is Samsung Galaxy S9 the most value-for-money flagship phone in India? We discussed that on Orbital, our weekly technology podcast, which you can subscribe to via Apple Podcasts or RSS, download the episode, or just hit the play button below.
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