So, who's gonna get an S9?

[OILFIELDTRASH]

I stuck with removable batteries as long as I could and kept a spare one in each of my main bags plus my car and my wallet. But where the industry going is clearly away from removable batteries so we have to adjust. I don't think paying a hundred bucks or less in 1.5 years to replace my pixel 2 XL battery is a bad deal. Of course I'll do that and then buy the Pixel 3 XL and keep the Pixel 2 XL as a backup phone until the Pixel 4 XL comes out then sell the 2. But that's just how I'm adapting. If you want to keep your phone longer AND keep a removable battery you are going to have to just deal with a very small choice of phones including using older tech.

If you are on AT&T I have a V20 that I can sell you, I only used it for less than 6 months and it's my backup phone now but it's locked to AT&T. Kept in a case it's entire life so it should be in great shape, never gave me any problems - besides a below average battery life. But that was the V20.

I pm'ed you.

 

[lopri]

After using a "small" S8 for a year I kind of miss a large screen, so I will keep an eye on the S9+. Although I do miss the S-pen as well, so the Note 8 will also be a contender.

 

[lupi]

I'd just like a flat screen. Miss the ease of applying a glass protector.

 

[NetGuySC]

It's either the S9+ or maybe wait for the Note 9

 

[Lodix]

I'd just like a flat screen. Miss the ease of applying a glass protector.

Agree.

 

[jhansman]

My S7 Edge does more than I need. Whatever phone makers are stuffing into their flagship devices now is, in my view, just marketing schlock. A fair question to ask is "Do I need this, or just want it?"

 

[ericlp]

I just heard that the S6, S6 Edge are getting Oreo. Maybe I'll hold on for the next update. LOL... decisions. One thing I hate is the fingerprint reader on the back. Seems most people just use the PIN to get around this. I know they repositioned it down from the camera. But I can see myself smudging the camera with my finger as I fumble around for it. Maybe, I would get use to it. But I sure wish they would put it back on the front or under the glass or something. Upgrading the camera is the one of the biggest draws for me. Buy an expensive Point and Shoot or just get a new phone!

Do you guys with the S8 mind the fingerprint reader on the back? Maybe it's just me.

 

[mnewsham]

Do you guys with the S8 mind the fingerprint reader on the back? Maybe it's just me.

I've got a Note8 and personally my natural hold on the phone puts my index finger right on top of the finger print sensor and thus ends up being great placement for me. But I've got long fingers so I can imagine others having issues.

 

[lupi]

With the current sale and taking in cracked screen device offer, just swapped a s7edge for a note8 for $400. The note has the pen and will still be largest phone, what the 9 gives doesn't seem enough to cover the huge cost different for the foreseeable future.

 

[ericlp]

what the 9 gives doesn't seem enough to cover the huge cost different for the foreseeable future.

Nice deal...

That remains to be seen. So far the new SOC seems promising... The jury is still out for camera review, but with another 2 -3 weeks, I'll wait it out to see the reviews before jumping ship.. That being said, the note8 seems like a real winner. Probably be good for me as well, but I'll continue to wait.

 

[Ackmed]

I am getting one even though I had a big scare as far as Verizon goes. Got my wife an iPhoneX and in the process they took away my old school unlimited plan, and put me on a 4gb plan. Without my consent. I noticed when I started getting overage charges, which I have never had. 7 weeks later, and with an act of Congress I am back on the old plan. I was told I would have to buy a S9 outright, which if fine as I always buy the phones instead of payment plan.

I know its not a big upgrade. The new camera looks nice, the fingerprint sensor is meh. I don't mind where it is as on my S8+ now. I rarely use my phone honestly when I have my Gear S3 on anyways. I can stream my music, use Samsung Pay, and respond to a text message if not too long. I'll leave it in the car most of the time.

 

[lopri]

Could this be real?! 3717 single, 8839 multi..

http://browser.geekbench.com/v4/cpu/6974531

If this is real then I am upgrading without a question.

Edit: Another one at 3648 single, 8894 multi. Sounds too good to be true.

http://browser.geekbench.com/v4/cpu/7010514

 

[Oyeve]

Looks like the gpu is gonna be kickass.

 

[dawheat]

Could this be real?! 3717 single, 8839 multi..

http://browser.geekbench.com/v4/cpu/6974531

If this is real then I am upgrading without a question.

Edit: Another one at 3648 single, 8894 multi. Sounds too good to be true.

http://browser.geekbench.com/v4/cpu/7010514

Argh as a US consumer, this would actually annoy me. I don't play games on my phone so high ST performance for things like browsing (which is at least 1/2, if not more, of what on my phone) is way more useful to me. I'd love to have something closer to the iPhone 8 browsing performance than the huge gap it is today.

 

[WelshBloke]

Is anyone lacking performance on any recent high end phones?

I mean I don't see performance being a big selling point.

 

[lopri]

Just because I do not perceive a need for a speed boost on my phone currently does not mean that I will not recognize a faster CPU when I see one. And here, if these benchmark numbers are true, we are talking about doubling of ST performance. I am sure that will have an impact on daily use. And of course there is the chicken and egg thing going on as well - when there is more horsepower available I might actually try to do something more taxing on the phone. AR/VR, live-streaming, 120 Hz, HDR, etc.

Then again it totally escaped me that this version of S9 will not land in the U.S. Uh. What is Samsung going to do? Can they really release a same phone with vastly different performance profiles depending on regions?

 

[ZGR]

Yeah, I really don't like how US consumers are stuck with Qualcomm. But owning an international phone, I only have access to GSM, so Verizon and Sprint are not possible.

Verizon is the only realistic option in my area for work. All other carriers have yet to roll out in my area.

I tried using my International Note 4 with AT&T, and it was frustrating.

I like my Note 8, and for me, performance was acceptable for my Note 4. I use my phone mainly for reading, audiobooks, videos, and messaging. Battery life is my primary concern, with performance far and away no longer an issue.

There are a lot of tasks like web browsing that my Note 8 will finish far faster than my Note 4. This makes the race to sleep really obvious for battery efficiency. My Note 4 is incredibly inefficient for power consumption with desktop sites compared to my Note 8, and the S9 should be far more efficient than the Note 8.

I am really hoping for an S9 Active or some sort with a removable and expandable battery. I love how fast phones are getting, but only having 5-8 hours of Screen on Time is laughable.

 

[GoodEnough]

What is an upgrade from Moto X Pure?
S7 ?

 

[Muadib]

What is an upgrade from Moto X Pure?
S7 ?

That phone came out in 2015, so quite a few. S8, or the Note 8 for sure.

 

[GoodEnough]

Whatr has been the upgrade release cycle from Motorola intself?
What have the released since the Pure 2015 ?

 

[dawheat]

Yeah, I really don't like how US consumers are stuck with Qualcomm. But owning an international phone, I only have access to GSM, so Verizon and Sprint are not possible.

Well I'm glad the S8 had the SD835 in the US as it appears it was the better SOC for that year. But I don't know if there's ever been this much difference between US and intl version in the past as is rumored with the S9.

Battery life is supposed to be noticeably better on the S9 vs the S8. If it's anything like the improvement over the S7, it should be excellent.

 

[Oyeve]

Well I'm glad the S8 had the SD835 in the US as it appears it was the better SOC for that year. But I don't know if there's ever been this much difference between US and intl version in the past as is rumored with the S9.

Battery life is supposed to be noticeably better on the S9 vs the S8. If it's anything like the improvement over the S7, it should be excellent.

Standard S8? I found the S8+ has excellent battery. Its actually much better than my Note 8. It should be as it has a larger battery.

 

[mnewsham]

Standard S8? I found the S8+ has excellent battery. Its actually much better than my Note 8. It should be as it has a larger battery.

It's not that much better, if at all.

The S8+ uses a slightly less efficient display, as well as being on a slightly older Android version. Unless you've got the oreo beta build.

But in any case, the majority of reviews confirms this as well. The note8 even besting the s8+ in certain cases. At worst the Note8 and S8+ battery life is nearly identical.

 

[tsupersonic]

It's not that much better, if at all.

The S8+ uses a slightly less efficient display, as well as being on a slightly older Android version. Unless you've got the oreo beta build.

But in any case, the majority of reviews confirms this as well. The note8 even besting the s8+ in certain cases. At worst the Note8 and S8+ battery life is nearly identical.

Looking at that picture (GSMArena battery life test), the talk time, web browsing, video playback times are all better for the S8+ compared to the Note 8, and by a significant amount. Not sure why the Note 8 gets an 89h rating...

 

[lopri]

Comparison SD845 v. Exynos 9810

https://browser.geekbench.com/v4/cpu/compare/5548051?baseline=7010514
https://browser.geekbench.com/v4/cpu/compare/5619286?baseline=7010514

This is problematic, to say the least. Interestingly the MT scores are not too far apart - low MT scores usually mean that a chip is thermally constrained, but who knows there was a calibration of sort to achieve parity? If what I think is going to happen happens, I will wait for the Note 9.