Introduction
One of the first phones with five cameras on board and, several months after the announcement, still the only one with four on the back - it's the Samsung Galaxy A9 (2018). We set out to discover how well the impressive specsheet translates into real world performance.
Sitting on top of the ever-confusing Galaxy A-series, the A9 leaves no doubt it's the best-equipped of the bunch. Of course, it's got more cameras than any other - it adds a telephoto module to the A7's regular/wide/depth configuration. There's 'only' a single cam on the front - the 24MP selfie shooter doesn't get a depth sensor of its own.
It's not just the camera count that sets the A9 apart from the rest of the 2018 midrange Galaxy models - it's also got the most powerful chipset. Its Snapdragon 660 outclasses the Exynos chipsets of its lesser brethren and only falls short of the recently announced A8s (which lacks a year designation, so it doesn't really count).
The largest display of the A-series is also to be found on the A9 (2018), its 6.3-inch diagonal only bested by that pesky A8s that came out as we were doing the A9's review, so we had to reword stuff here and there. Anyway, the A9 (2018) feature set continues with more RAM than you could possibly need, 128GB of storage that you can also expand with a dedicated microSD slot, and ample battery capacity complete with Samsung's sort-of fast charging - yup, the A9's spec sheet has all the right boxes checked.
Samsung Galaxy A9 (2018) specs
- Body: Glass back, metal frame; 162.5 x 77 x 7.8mm, 183g; Caviar Black, Lemonade Blue and Bubblegum Pink color schemes;
- Display: 6.3" Super AMOLED, FullHD+ 2,220x1,080px resolution Infinity display (18.5:9 aspect ratio), 392ppi pixel density.
- Rear cameras: (1) 24MP, f/1.7 aperture; phase detection autofocus; (2) 8MP, f/2.4 aperture, fixed focus, 12mm ultra wide; (3) 10MP, f/2.4 aperture, autofocus, 2x optical zoom telephoto; (4) 5MP, f/2.2 aperture, depth sensing only. LED flash. 2160p/30fps video recording.
- Front camera: 24MP, f/2.0 aperture; fixed focus; 1080p/30fps video recording.
- OS/Software: Android 8.0 Oreo; Samsung Experience 9.0 custom overlay.
- Chipset: Snapdragon 660: octa-core 4x2.2 GHz Kryo 260 & 4x1.8 GHz Kryo 260, Adreno 512 GPU.
- Memory: 6GB/8GB (market dependent) of RAM, 128GB of storage; dedicated microSD slot for expansion.
- Battery: 3,800 mAh Li-Po (sealed); Samsung Adaptive Fast charging.
- Connectivity: Dual SIM; LTE Cat. 9 (450Mbps download/50Mbps upload); USB 2.0 Type-C port; Wi-Fi a/b/g/n/ac; GPS, GLONASS, BDS, GALILEO; NFC; Bluetooth 5.0; FM radio.
- Misc: Rear-mounted fingerprint reader; Samsung Pay; single speaker on the bottom; 3.5mm jack.
Well, we would have preferred Android Pie instead of last year's Oreo, but in a world where the Note9 doesn't have v9.0 of the OS yet, and the S9 only got it as a post-Christmas present, we didn't actually expect it of the A9, of all models.
And while we usually avoid thinking in price-vs-performance terms before evaluating a phone on its merits, the number Samsung is asking for the Galaxy A9 (2018) raised a few eyebrows around the office as soon as the phone got in through the door. We'll be quick to go over the lab test results, but not before we have a look at the A9's design.
Design and 360-degree spin
The Galaxy A9 (2018) is immediately recognizeable - after all, there's no other smartphone with 4 cameras on the back, as we established. The quad-cam array is positioned in the top left corner and is remarkably less intrusive than we would have thought - or is it just us getting used to multi-camera setups?
The four modules are arranged in a row, instead of a 2x2 square and it's perhaps this setup that makes them less in-your-face. It also helps that they all peek at you from one shared window instead of, say, Huawei's 2+1 configuration on the P20 Pro. Even so, Samsung didn't find room in there for the flash and it's outside of the camera cluster.
Instead of the Galaxy A7 (2018)'s one-off side-mounted fingerprint reader, the one on the A9 is placed more conventionally on the back. If you're switching from a smaller phone, this reader may seem a bit high, but if you're coming from another 6+-inch phone it's exactly where you'd expect it to be. A word of praise to Samsung for having no text other than the company logo to spoil the look of the back.
The front is very clean too - the 6.3-inch Super AMOLED takes center stage, naturally, with thin sides and meatier, though not excessive, top and bottom bezels. Samsung still calls it Infinity Display even though it's less 'infinity' than on the S9s and the Note9s of this world. Some folks will prefer it that way - if you're into large screens, but like them flat, the A9's the way to go in Samsung's lineup.
The top bezel houses the usual elements you'd expect to find there. The earpiece is in the middle, the selfie camera is to its right, while the ambient light and proximity sensors share a cutout on the left. There's nothing below the display.
6.3-inch Super AMOLED on the front • A9 in the hand • Top bezel stuff
The Galaxy A9 (2018)'s frame is made of metal, keeping together the glass sandwich. Down on the bottom, there's a USB-C port (we still can't forgive Samsung for pairing the A7 with a microUSB port in 2018), a good old 3.5mm jack, the single loudspeaker, and the primary mic.
Up top you'll find the secondary mic pinhole and the card slot. That card slot is our favorite type - it takes two nanoSIMs and a microSD card, so you're not forced to choose between dual SIM versatility and extra storage.
Samsung's messed things up a bit with the control scheme on the A9 (2018) and moved the volume rocker to the right, above the power button. It used to be a given that your Samsung will come with a power-on-the-right-volume-on-the-left setup, but that's no longer the case. There still is a button on the left of the A9 - that one's for Bixby. Even though we find the arrangement unorthodox for a Galaxy, we had no issues with actually using the buttons, so the above are just pointless musings. The click action is good too.
USB-C on the A9 (2018) • Dedicated microSD slot • Controls on the right
The Galaxy A9 (2018) measures 162.5x77x7.8mm, which is about right for its display size. The 6.4-inch Note9, in fact, has a marginally smaller footprint, but its curved screen helps with the numbers. And then the A9 is actually a full millimeter thinner than the flagship. The A9 (2018) is also reasonably light for the combination of display size and battery capacity, and its 183g won't be a burden on your jeans pocket.
Solid showing across the board from the 6.3-inch SuperAMOLED
The Galaxy A9 (2018) is equipped with a 6.3-inch Super AMOLED display. The resolution is FullHD+ in a stretched up 18.5:9 aspect ratio, so 2220x1080px, which works out to a 392ppi pixel density. The panels has rounded corners but none of that notch nonsense.
The A9's brightness results turned out virtually identical to the A7's - 400nits in manual mode, 600nits in auto with the ambient light sensor exposed to bright light. There was no measurable illumination of the blacks, effectively rendering contrast infinite. We measured a minimum brightness of 1.8nits, so that's good too.
| Display test | 100% brightness | ||
| Black, cd/m2 | White, cd/m2 | ||
| 0 | 399 | ∞ | |
| 0 | 606 | ∞ | |
| 0 | 402 | ∞ | |
| 0 | 602 | ∞ | |
| 0.377 | 490 | 1300 | |
| 0.465 | 600 | 1290 | |
| 0 | 453 | ∞ | |
| 0 | 455 | ∞ | |
| 0.346 | 427 | 1234 | |
| 0 | 433 | ∞ | |
| 0 | 455 | ∞ | |
| 0 | 390 | ∞ | |
| 0 | 590 | ∞ | |
| 0 | 464 | ∞ | |
| 0 | 652 | ∞ | |
| 0.314 | 461 | 1468 | |
| 0.414 | 470 | 1135 | |
| 0 | 418 | ∞ | |
| 0.29 | 526 | 1814 | |
Sunlight legibility on the A9 (2018) is excellent, on par with the Galaxy Note9. The A7 (2018) is marginally better in the test but the difference is easily negligible in real life. The vast magority of potential competitors aren't a match for the A9, particularly the LCD-based ones.
Sunlight contrast ratio
- Apple iPhone XS
5.171 - Apple iPhone X
5.013 - Huawei Mate 20 Pro
4.965 - OnePlus 5T
4.789 - Samsung Galaxy S8
4.768 - Samsung Galaxy S8+
4.658 - Samsung Galaxy S9
4.63 - Samsung Galaxy S6 edge+
4.615 - Samsung Galaxy S9+
4.537 - Samsung Galaxy Note9
4.531 - Apple iPhone XS Max
4.516 - Sony Xperia XZ3
4.502 - Motorola Moto Z2 Play
4.459 - Oppo R11
4.454 - Samsung Galaxy S7 edge
4.439 - Oppo RX17 Pro
4.434 - OnePlus 3
4.424 - Samsung Galaxy S7
4.376 - Google Pixel 3
4.35 - Samsung Galaxy A7 (2018)
4.324 - OnePlus 6
4.321 - HTC One A9
4.274 - LG V40 ThinQ
4.256 - Oppo R15 Pro
4.251 - Samsung Galaxy Note7
4.247 - Samsung Galaxy A3
4.241 - Nokia 8
4.239 - Google Pixel 2 XL (pre-update)
4.234 - OnePlus 3T
4.232 - Samsung Galaxy A9 (2018)
4.220 - Google Pixel XL
4.164 - ZTE Axon 7
4.154 - Samsung Galaxy Note8
4.148 - Meizu Pro 7 Plus
4.147 - OnePlus 6T
4.138 - Samsung Galaxy S6 edge
4.124 - Samsung Galaxy A7 (2017)
4.124 - vivo V11
4.113 - Huawei Mate 10 Pro (normal)
4.096 - Samsung Galaxy Note5
4.09 - Huawei P20 Pro
4.087 - Xiaomi Mi 8
4.086 - Meizu 15
4.082 - Nokia 6 (2018)
4.052 - Google Pixel 2 (pre-update)
4.023 - LG V30
4.022 - Huawei Nexus 6P
4.019 - vivo NEX S
4.012 - Honor Magic 2
4.01 - Samsung Galaxy J7 Pro
3.998 - OnePlus X
3.983 - Vivo Xplay5 Elite
3.983 - LG G7 ThinQ (outdoor)
3.978 - Oppo R7s
3.964 - Apple iPhone 7
3.964 - Apple iPhone 8 (True Tone)
3.957 - Huawei P9 Plus
3.956 - Oppo Find X
3.954 - Meizu Pro 6 Plus
3.935 - Lenovo Moto Z
3.931 - Samsung Galaxy A7 (2016)
3.918 - OnePlus 5
3.914 - Samsung Galaxy C5
3.911 - Xiaomi Mi 8 SE
3.901 - Samsung Galaxy C7
3.896 - Samsung Galaxy A5
3.895 - Samsung Galaxy J7 outdoor
3.879 - Samsung Galaxy J2 outdoor
3.873 - Motorola Moto G6 Plus
3.865 - Samsung Galaxy A8
3.859 - Samsung Galaxy A8 (2018)
3.842 - Apple iPhone 6
3.838 - Microsoft Lumia 950XL
3.837 - Samsung Galaxy A6+ (2018)
3.834 - Sony Xperia XZs
3.818 - Samsung Galaxy A9 (2016)
3.817 - Motorola Moto X (2014)
3.816 - Samsung Galaxy J7 (2017)
3.812 - Samsung Galaxy A5 (2017)
3.804 - Samsung Galaxy J7 (2016) outdoor mode
3.802 - Xiaomi Redmi Pro
3.798 - LG V20 Max auto
3.798 - Sony Xperia XZ
3.795 - Samsung Galaxy A5 (2016)
3.789 - Apple iPhone 6s
3.783 - Meizu Pro 5
3.781 - Microsoft Lumia 650
3.772 - Xiaomi Mi 6
3.767 - Sony Xperia XZ1
3.765 - Samsung Galaxy J7 (2016)
3.756 - Nokia 8 Sirocco
3.745 - Sony Xperia XZ1 Compact
3.729 - Apple iPhone 8 Plus (True Tone)
3.725 - Oppo F1 Plus
3.709 - Vivo X5Pro
3.706 - Samsung Galaxy A3 (2017)
3.688 - Huawei P20
3.683 - Apple iPhone SE
3.681 - Huawei Mate 9
3.68 - Samsung Galaxy A7
3.679 - Sony Xperia XZ2 Compact
3.675 - Meizu PRO 6
3.659 - BlackBerry Priv
3.645 - Sony Xperia XA1 Ultra
3.597 - Apple iPhone 7 Plus
3.588 - Sony Xperia XZ2
3.58 - LG G6
3.556 - Apple iPhone 6s Plus
3.53 - Motorola Moto Z Play
3.526 - Samsung Galaxy J3 (2016)
3.523 - Samsung Galaxy J3 (2016) outdoor mode
3.523 - Acer Jade Primo
3.521 - Microsoft Lumia 950
3.512 - Oppo R7 Plus
3.499 - Nokia 7 plus
3.479 - nubia Z11
3.466 - Huawei P10 Plus
3.456 - HTC U Ultra
3.453 - Motorola Moto G6
3.448 - Sony Xperia XA2 Ultra
3.445 - Sony Xperia XA2 Plus
3.445 - Samsung Galaxy J7
3.422 - Motorola Moto G6 Play
3.419 - Meizu MX5
3.416 - LG V20
3.402 - Samsung Galaxy A6 (2018)
3.397 - Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 AI Dual Camera
3.393 - LG G7 ThinQ
3.39 - Huawei P10
3.379 - Samsung Galaxy J5 (2016)
3.378 - Oppo R9s
3.352 - Honor Play
3.349 - Honor 8 Pro
3.341 - Oppo F7
3.333 - Oppo R7
3.32 - Lenovo P2
3.316 - Archos Diamond Omega
3.305 - Honor 9
3.289 - Xiaomi Mi 5s
3.276 - Nokia 5
3.261 - Nokia 6 (Chinese version)
3.244 - Xiaomi Mi 5
3.24 - Nokia 6 (Global version)
3.238 - Samsung Galaxy J2
3.235 - Oppo Realme 2 Pro
3.235 - Sony Xperia X Performance
3.234 - Xiaomi Mi Note 2
3.228 - Motorola Moto X Play
3.222 - Oppo F3 Plus
3.218 - BlackBerry KEY2
3.212 - Huawei Mate 9 Pro
3.206 - Huawei P9
3.195 - Xiaomi Mi Mix 2
3.19 - ZTE Nubia Z17
3.159 - Oppo R11s
3.153 - Lenovo Vibe Shot
3.113 - Honor 8X
3.113 - HTC U11 Life
3.108 - Motorola Moto X Force
3.105 - LG Nexus 5X
3.092 - HTC U11
3.089 - Xiaomi Mi A2 Lite
3.087 - HTC U12+
3.085 - Xiaomi Redmi S2 (Y2)
3.077 - Huawei Mate S
3.073 - Oppo F9
3.069 - Microsoft Lumia 640 XL
3.065 - Xiaomi Mi Max 3
3.061 - Xiaomi Pocophone F1
3.059 - Huawei Mate 20
3.052 - Huawei Mate 20 Lite
3.051 - Motorola One (P30 Play)
3.026 - Apple iPhone 6 Plus
3.023 - Asus Zenfone 4 ZE554KL
3.019 - Sony Xperia XA1
3.012 - Motorola Moto X4
3.012 - Oppo Realme 2
3.006 - Sony Xperia L1
2.994 - Sony Xperia X
2.989 - LG Q6
2.987 - Huawei P10 Lite
2.974 - Samsung Galaxy Note
2.97 - Xiaomi Redmi Note 6 Pro
2.966 - Huawei P20 Lite
2.952 - Xiaomi Redmi 5
2.951 - Huawei Mate 8
2.949 - Sony Xperia XA2
2.938 - Oppo Realme 1
2.932 - Razer Phone 2
2.932 - Xiaomi Redmi 4
2.92 - Xiaomi Redmi 3S
2.913 - Xiaomi Redmi 5 Plus
2.913 - Sony Xperia XA Ultra
2.906 - LG G5
2.905 - Huawei Honor View 10
2.896 - Xiaomi Redmi 3s Prime
2.893 - Xiaomi Mi 5s Plus
2.884 - Sony Xperia XZ Premium (sRGB)
2.877 - Sony Xperia XZ Premium
2.877 - Sony Xperia Z5
2.876 - Nokia 3
2.871 - Sony Xperia XZ2 Premium
2.867 - Xiaomi Mi 8 Lite
2.862 - Microsoft Lumia 550
2.851 - Nokia 3.1
2.837 - Realme U1
2.815 - Lenovo Moto M
2.813 - Nokia 7.1
2.804 - Xiaomi Redmi 3 Pro
2.803 - Sony Xperia Z5 compact
2.784 - Honor 10 (Vivid)
2.757 - Nokia 2
2.752 - Meizu MX6
2.751 - LG V10
2.744 - Huawei Mate 10 (normal)
2.742 - Motorola Moto G5S Plus
2.737 - Xiaomi Redmi 3
2.735 - Huawei Honor 7X
2.734 - Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 (S625)
2.714 - Meizu M5
2.71 - Xiaomi Mi A2
2.696 - Sony Xperia M5
2.69 - Xiaomi Mi A1
2.689 - Huawei P9 Lite
2.679 - Xiaomi Redmi 4 Prime
2.679 - vivo V7+
2.671 - Vivo V3Max
2.659 - Xiaomi Mi Mix
2.658 - Huawei Mate 10 Lite
2.654 - Oppo F5
2.653 - Doogee Mix
2.642 - Xiaomi Mi 4i
2.641 - Xiaomi Redmi 4a
2.635 - Sony Xperia Z3
2.618 - Xiaomi Mi 5X (Standard)
2.616 - Sony Xperia XA
2.609 - Motorola Moto G4 Plus
2.582 - Motorola Moto G4 Plus (max auto)
2.582 - Meizu M5s
2.58 - Xiaomi Mi 4c
2.574 - LeEco Le Max 2
2.567 - Microsoft Lumia 640
2.563 - Asus Zenfone 3 ZE552KL
2.563 - Huawei P Smart
2.563 - Xiaomi Mi Max 2
2.561 - HTC U11+
2.556 - Xiaomi Redmi Note 5A (Y1)
2.556 - Lenovo Moto G4
2.544 - Lenovo K6 Note
2.544 - Oppo F1
2.528 - Sony Xperia Z5 Premium
2.525 - Huawei Honor 7 Lite / Honor 5c
2.506 - Sony Xperia M4 Aqua
2.503
As we've come to expect from recent Samsung Super AMOLEDs, the display on the Galaxy A9 (2018) is capable of accurately reproducing different color spaces depending on content and selected display mode. The Basic mode stays true to sRGB (average DeltaE of 1.7), AMOLED Photo is for Adobe RGB applications (average DeltaE of 2.0), while AMOLED Cinema adheres to the DCI-P3 color space (average DeltaE of 1.9). Of course, the default Adaptive mode makes no claims for accuracy and posts an average DeltaE of 5.7 against an sRGB target with a maximum of 13 for 100% red.
Samsung Galaxy A9 (2018) battery life
The Samsung Galaxy A9 (2018) packs a 3,800mAh battery, a minor bump over the A7 (2018)'s 3,500mAh to go with the minor bump in display size and more powerful/power-hungry chipset.
In our tests, the Galaxy A9 (2018) performed predictably, posting a significantly longer time in the video looping test than in web browsing - we've observed this on AMOLEDs more often than not. The 15+ hours in the video test is a great result, class leading too. The (just short of) 11 hours on our web browsing script is still pretty good, but here it's bested by the vivo V11 and the Realme 2 Pro, for example. The 22 hours on a 3G voice call aren't record-breaking either, but a reasonable score nonetheless.
Factoring in the standby battery draw into the equation, we arrive at an overall Endurance rating of 88 hours - not half bad.
Our battery tests were automated thanks to SmartViser, using its viSer App. The endurance rating above denotes how long a single battery charge will last you if you use the Samsung Galaxy A9 (2018) for an hour each of telephony, web browsing, and video playback daily. We've established this usage pattern so that our battery results are comparable across devices in the most common day-to-day tasks. The battery testing procedure is described in detail in case you're interested in the nitty-gritty. You can check out our complete battery test table, where you can see how all of the smartphones we've tested will compare under your own typical use.
We didn't have the full retail bundle, but we know for a fact that the A9 (2018) ships with the usual Samsung Adaptive Fast Charge adapter that's rated at 5V/2A and 9V/1.67A. Since it's been around for ages and it's also the one supplied with the current high-end models, we have a bunch of them lying around so we did clock the A9's top up speed. We can say that a full charge from flat takes a very reasonable 1:47h, though a 30-minute stint will only leave you with 35%.
Loudspeaker
The Galaxy A9 (2018) has a single loudspeaker located on the bottom of the handset. It just barely made it to the 'Very Good' bracket in our three-pronged test when it comes to loudness - about the same as the A7 (2018), while a lot of the competitors are louder. It's also lacking in the lower register - there's practically no bass coming out of the A9.
| Speakerphone test | Voice, dB | Ringing |
Overall score | |
| 68.6 | 69.9 | 77.8 | Good | |
| 68.3 | 73.8 | 75.8 | Good | |
| 66.5 | 72.0 | 79.8 | Good | |
| 67.5 | 71.3 | 79.7 | Good | |
| 69.5 | 72.4 | 77.8 | Very Good | |
| 69.4 | 70.9 | 79.9 | Very Good | |
| 67.1 | 72.9 | 81.6 | Very Good | |
| 68.3 | 72.7 | 81.8 | Very Good | |
| 67.2 | 72.5 | 84.5 | Very Good | |
| 70.7 | 73.8 | 80.7 | Very Good | |
| 71.7 | 74.4 | 81.6 | Very Good | |
| 70.5 | 74.1 | 85.2 | Excellent | |
| 72.5 | 73.6 | 85.2 | Excellent | |
| 75.6 | 76.0 | 81.1 | Excellent | |
| 72.8 | 74.7 | 86.6 | Excellent | |
| 80.1 | 73.2 | 85.0 | Excellent |
Audio quality
The Samsung Galaxy A9 (2018) delivered nicely loud audio output with an active external amplifier and with great accuracy too, so nothing to frown at really.
Headphones caused a moderate amount of stereo crosstalk and some intermodulation distortion, but those last two aren't high enough to make a difference in real life. Volume remained high adding up to a solid overall performance.
| Test | Frequency response | Noise level | Dynamic range | THD | IMD + Noise | Stereo crosstalk |
| +0.04, -0.04 | -90.6 | 90.6 | 0.0015 | 0.191 | -93.8 | |
| +0.25, -0.207 | -91.9 | 91.9 | 0.025 | 0.435 | -51.2 | |
| +0.02, -0.02 | -93.1 | 92.9 | 0.0026 | 0.0089 | -92.5 | |
| +0.25, -0.17 | -91.4 | 91.6 | 0.115 | 0.306 | -55.4 | |
| +0.02, -0.06 | -91.0 | 88.6 | 0.0021 | 0.016 | -94.4 | |
| +0.05, -0.03 | -93.8 | 89.6 | 0.0019 | 0.034 | -54.9 | |
| +0.01, -0.02 | -94.7 | 94.7 | 0.0013 | 0.0086 | -73.1 | |
| +0.12, -0.09 | -93.8 | 93.8 | 0.0035 | 0.115 | -71.7 | |
| +0.01, -0.03 | -93.0 | 93.1 | 0.0037 | 0.0093 | -92.9 | |
| +0.12, -0.06 | -92.3 | 92.5 | 0.0027 | 0.088 | -65.7 | |
| +0.01, -0.02 | -93.6 | 93.6 | 0.0010 | 0.0069 | -93.8 | |
| +0.65, -0.08 | -91.2 | 92.5 | 0.0082 | 0.359 | -50.3 |
Samsung Galaxy A9 (2018) frequency response
You can learn more about the tested parameters and the whole testing process here.
Experience Oreo the Samsung way
The Galaxy A9 (2018) runs on Android 8.0 Oreo with Samsung Experience 9.0 on top, just like the rest of the recent A-series phones, A7 (2018) included. The high-end Note9 is in a pre-Pie, pre-One-UI state of Android 8.1 and Experience 9.5, but for practical purposes the UI is the same, minus the missing features obviously.
The experience starts with the always on display feature, which seems to be on any Samsung phone with an AMOLED display these days. As usual, you get a host of different layouts and clock options, plus the choice to keep it on all the time or only according to a schedule.
Always on display
Unlike the A7 (2018) with its side-mounted fingerprint reader, the Galaxy A9 (2108) relies on a conventional sensor placed on the back. You can enroll a fingerprint in a single swipe, though you can tap instead if you so desire. Unlocking is pretty fast, but, as usual, Samsungs aren't record-holders for speed. A basic, non-IR face unlock is also an option.
Fingerprints and security
The fingerprint sensor can also be set to bring down the notification shade and quick toggles, and that's much more fool proof than the A7's side-mounted solution that really got in the way as we often triggered it accidentally. You can also enable the 'quick-open notification panel' feature, so you can swipe on an empty homescreen area to pull the notifications shade.
Lockscreen • Homescreen • Folder view • App drawer • Homescreen settings
Nothing has really changed on the lockscreen, homescreen, or the notification shade. The task switcher (now with optional list view) is the place where you can initiate multi-window or pop-up apps - Samsung's really unmatched in the versatility of its multi-tasking implementation.
Notifications • Quick toggles • Task switcher • List view • Multi-window
Just like other Galaxies, the A9 (2018) supports themes, and there's a ton available in the store. Secure folder is also present on the A9, and it's where you can keep files, memos and apps away from prying eyes. Then there's Game launcher to keep your games in one place and in-play Game tools to disable notifications and the nav bar as well as take screenshots or record gameplay.
Theme store • Random theme • Secure folder • Dual apps • Game launcher • Game tools
Samsung is using its own Gallery app where the Pictures pane is a timeline of photos and screenshots, while Albums has them sorted by origin instead. Stories is Samsung's take on shareable collaborative albums, which we'd be surprised if anyone uses. There's a powerful editor on board for when you're away from a PC.
Oddly, there was no music player at all pre-installed on the Galaxy A9 (2018). We hit the Play Store and downloaded Google Play Music to check if the usual Samsung sound customizations would be available, and indeed they are - a simple two dial adjustment or a proper 9-band equalizer is at your disposal. So is the Adapt Sound feature which tunes the EQ to your hearing and your particular pair of ears and headphones by playing multiple frequencies and asking how well you hear them. An FM radio receiver is also available.
Gallery • Photo Editor Pro • Google Play Music • Sound settings • Adapt sound • FM radio
Synthetic benchmarks
The Galaxy A9 (2018) is powered by the Snaprdragon 660 chipset, as opposed to the A7, A8, and A8+ (2018) that each pack an in-house Exynos 7885 SoC. The 660 is substantially more powerful than the 7885 and undoubtedly a better fit for the A9's position atop the A-series. The chip is a familiar Qualcomm midrange offering with an octa-core CPU (4x2.2 GHz Kryo 260 & 4x1.8 GHz Kryo 260) and the Adreno 512 GPU. The A9 is offered in 6GB and 8GB RAM trim levels and ours is the 'base' model.
In the single-core GeekBench test, the A9 (2018) falls in the high-performance group of Snapdragon 660 phones, posting very similar (if marginally lower) scores to other phones with the Snapdragon 660 like the Nokia 7 Plus and the Xiaomi Mi A2 and Mi 8 Lite. The other group of S660 handsets includes the vivo V11, Asus Zenfone Max Pro M2, and the Realme 2 Pro, which are lagging behind. Meanwhile, Snapdragon 710 devices like the Oppo RX17 Pro and and the Mi 8 SE are noticeably ahead in this test, with the high-end Snapdragon 845 making the OnePlus 6T unreachable at the top of this chart.
GeekBench 4.1 (single-core)
Higher is better
- OnePlus 6T
2431 - Xiaomi Mi 8 SE
1890 - Oppo RX17 Pro
1835 - Nokia 7 plus
1634 - Xiaomi Mi 8 Lite
1628 - Xiaomi Mi A2
1617 - Samsung Galaxy A9 (2018)
1611 - Huawei Mate 20 Lite
1595 - Realme U1
1567 - Samsung Galaxy A8 (2018)
1532 - Samsung Galaxy A7 (2018)
1524 - ASUS ZenFone Max Pro M2
1465 - Realme 2 Pro
1462 - vivo V11
1457 - Xiaomi Redmi 6
820
Under multi-core loads, the A9 (2018) is again that little behind the best of S660 devices, which rival ones using the S710. Other S660 phones still fall short of the A9's performance. It's in the multi-core test where the A9's superiority over the A8 and A7 becomes more readily apparent than in the single-core portion of the benchmark.
GeekBench 4.1 (multi-core)
Higher is better
- OnePlus 6T
8977 - Realme U1
6004 - Oppo RX17 Pro
5944 - Xiaomi Mi 8 SE
5908 - Xiaomi Mi 8 Lite
5894 - Nokia 7 plus
5893 - Samsung Galaxy A9 (2018)
5763 - Huawei Mate 20 Lite
5574 - vivo V11
5535 - Realme 2 Pro
5531 - ASUS ZenFone Max Pro M2
5169 - Xiaomi Mi A2
4625 - Samsung Galaxy A7 (2018)
4446 - Samsung Galaxy A8 (2018)
4418 - Xiaomi Redmi 6
3639
The A9 (2018) additionally has a significant advantage over its stablemates in graphics benchmarks where it's routinely capable of outputting 50% higher framerates. It's also consistently ahead of other S660 devices that would beat it in the CPU benchmark. Of course, the S710's more powerful GPU allows the Oppo RX17 Pro and the Mi 8 SE to pull ahead.
GFX 3.0 Manhattan (1080p offscreen)
Higher is better
- OnePlus 6T
83 - Xiaomi Mi 8 SE
33 - Oppo RX17 Pro
32 - Samsung Galaxy A9 (2018)
23 - Nokia 7 plus
23 - Xiaomi Mi A2
22 - Xiaomi Mi 8 Lite
22 - Realme U1
22 - Realme 2 Pro
21 - vivo V11
20 - ASUS ZenFone Max Pro M2
20 - Huawei Mate 20 Lite
20 - Samsung Galaxy A8 (2018)
16 - Samsung Galaxy A7 (2018)
16 - Xiaomi Redmi 6
9.6
GFX 3.0 Manhattan (onscreen)
Higher is better
- OnePlus 6T
59 - Xiaomi Mi 8 SE
30 - Oppo RX17 Pro
28 - Samsung Galaxy A9 (2018)
21 - Nokia 7 plus
21 - Xiaomi Mi A2
21 - Xiaomi Mi 8 Lite
20 - Realme U1
20 - ASUS ZenFone Max Pro M2
19 - Huawei Mate 20 Lite
19 - vivo V11
18 - Realme 2 Pro
18 - Xiaomi Redmi 6
17 - Samsung Galaxy A7 (2018)
15 - Samsung Galaxy A8 (2018)
14
GFX 3.1 Manhattan (1080p offscreen)
Higher is better
- OnePlus 6T
60 - Xiaomi Mi 8 SE
23 - Oppo RX17 Pro
23 - Samsung Galaxy A9 (2018)
15 - Nokia 7 plus
15 - Xiaomi Mi A2
15 - Xiaomi Mi 8 Lite
15 - vivo V11
14 - Realme 2 Pro
14 - Huawei Mate 20 Lite
14 - ASUS ZenFone Max Pro M2
13 - Realme U1
13 - Samsung Galaxy A7 (2018)
10 - Samsung Galaxy A8 (2018)
9.9 - Xiaomi Redmi 6
5.9
GFX 3.1 Manhattan (onscreen)
Higher is better
- OnePlus 6T
53 - Xiaomi Mi 8 SE
22 - Oppo RX17 Pro
19 - Samsung Galaxy A9 (2018)
14 - Nokia 7 plus
14 - Xiaomi Mi A2
14 - Xiaomi Mi 8 Lite
13 - Huawei Mate 20 Lite
13 - vivo V11
12 - Realme 2 Pro
12 - ASUS ZenFone Max Pro M2
12 - Realme U1
12 - Xiaomi Redmi 6
11 - Samsung Galaxy A7 (2018)
9.4 - Samsung Galaxy A8 (2018)
8.7
In Antutu, the Galaxy A9 (2018) shows much the same performance relative to other Snapdragon 660 devices - in the upper half of that bunch, but still bested by a few of them.
AnTuTu 7
Higher is better
- OnePlus 6T
293994 - Xiaomi Mi 8 SE
170218 - Oppo RX17 Pro
154861 - Realme U1
144436 - Xiaomi Mi 8 Lite
143257 - Nokia 7 plus
140820 - Samsung Galaxy A9 (2018)
140500 - Huawei Mate 20 Lite
136583 - Realme 2 Pro
132958 - Xiaomi Mi A2
130927 - ASUS ZenFone Max Pro M2
124039 - Samsung Galaxy A7 (2018)
123883 - Xiaomi Redmi 6
75182
In the end, the Galaxy A9 (2018)'s performance can be summed up as predictably good. It's one of the better implementations of the Snapdragon 660 chipset and the 660s it beats, it beats by a wide margin, while the ones it loses to, it loses only just. As expected, the Snapdragon 710 handsets deliver more, but the A9's by no means underpowered. Then again, for about as much money in a lot of the world you can have the OnePlus 6T with the high-end Snapdragon 845, so the A9's price/performance ratio isn't strictly award-winning.
A whole bunch of cameras
At the time of announcement in October, the Galaxy A9 (2018) was one of select few smartphones to pack 5 cameras total - it was this and the LG V40, essentially. More importantly though, the A9 was the first handset with 4 cameras on its back - a feat in which it still remains unmatched.
There's a caveat, however. One of these cameras isn't a standalone module that you can take actual pictures with - instead, it's a 'Depth Camera', to be used for 'Live Focus', in Samsung's own terms. Naturally, it begs the question 'why bother' when there are two other cameras to use for that. Marketing sure does benefit from it. Anyway, this depth camera uses a 5MP sensor with an f/2.2 aperture lens - for the sake of thoroughness, not that it really matters.
The other three modules, on the other hand, are self-sufficient and form the trifecta of cameras you want to have on your smartphone. There's the 'primary' one flanked by an ultra-wide angle and a telephoto on each side (in terms of focal length, that is, not an actual arrangement).
The primary cam is the second module from the bottom, right above the depth module. It's got a more-than-necessary 25MP resolution sensor behind a fast f/1.7 lens with a focal length that's reported as 27mm.
Next up is the telephoto camera which uses a 10MP sensor coupled with an f/2.4 lens that delivers the field of view of a 52mm lens in 35mm camera terms, EXIF data says. This is actually the only telephoto camera on a Samsung midranger as of now.
Then there's the ultra-wide module on top - an 8MP sensor behind an f/2.4 aperture lens that delivers a 120-degree field of view. Now, that technically corresponds to a ridiculous 12mm equivalent, but the EXIF data reports 18mm, and in reality we think it's something in between. This one has no autofocus, nor does it absolutely need it at this focal length.
The camera app is very much the same as on any current Samsung, only with more icons in the viewfinder to control which camera is being used. The icon with 3 trees means ultra wide-angle cam, 2 trees denote the regular camera, and 1 tree means the telephoto. It's similar on the A7 (2018) minus the 1-tree-to-telephoto for lack of such a cam.
Pinch to zoom is also available. From ultra wide to regular and vice versa, it's like a toggle - it just switches between the two cameras. Zooming in from regular (1.0x) upwards it goes in 0.1x increments all the way to 10x, with no hard stop at 2.0x where the regular cam makes way for the telephoto. It's tough to hit the 2.0x mark with the pinch gesture and once you go past 2.0x, the only way to go back to the native 2.0x telephoto is by switching to one of the other two cams and then back to the telephoto.
Basic operation is business as usual with side swipes for cycling through modes and an up/down action for toggling between the rear and front cameras. There's an AI-powered Scene optimizer mode that should recognize certain types of scenes and adjust parameters accordingly. We kept it off, as it doesn't make that much of a difference, plus we tend to prefer to add the effects after. The shown modes, as well as their arrangement, can be tweaked in settings.
Live focus mode is present, naturally, with all that many cameras and a dedicated depth sensor. There's also a Pro mode, but there's hardly anything pro about it - you can only choose ISO (in the 100-800 range), exposure compensation (-2/+2EV in 0.1EV steps), and white balance (presets, but no light temperature).
Camera UI
Image quality
Sadly, for all the camera hardware on board, the Galaxy A9 (2018) produces rather disappointing images. One prevalent issue we observed, and it's readily apparent even in the 200-or-so pixel thumbnails, is the strong purple color cast in all outdoor shots, and to an extent in some indoor ones, too, if there's a lot of natural light coming in.
It's the primary camera that suffers from it, just like we encountered while having the A9 (2018) at the office running non-final software some two months ago. The other two cameras aren't immune either, however, which we didn't experience back then.
And while it's persistent, there are rare occasions when a proper white balance will be chosen - you can't count on it one bit. Additionally, you can't alleviate the issue by choosing a manual white balance in the pro mode, as there are only presets (as opposed to a temperature slider) and neither one produced better results in daylight.
Additionally, the detail levels aren't what you'd expect from the 24MP number, there's a ton of noise and an overall softness to the images.
Camera samples, normal camera
The telephoto camera is generally the one that performs best in terms of not producing purple shots, though we got a fair share of those too. Oddly enough, despite the sensor's 10MP spec, by default, you'd be getting 24MP images from the telephoto cam as well - of course, not actual 24MP worth of detail.
Camera samples, telephoto camera
The ultra-wide camera produces heavily distorted images, which isn't strictly an issue all in itself - you could subjectively like that look. Pixel level quality isn't stellar, but we didn't expect anything else anyway, so we enjoyed it for what it does well - doing exaggerated perspective shots.
Camera samples, ultra wide
Low-light photos from the Galaxy A9 (2018) don't suffer from odd color casts, so you could say they're better in at least one way. If you stick to fit-to-screen magnifications you can appreciate the fact that the phone retains color saturation and it also exposes well, though highlights will get blown. On closer inspection, the level of detail is okay, especially given the unimpressive daylight shots - that's to say the ones taken at night aren't all that worse.
Low-light samples, normal camera
Telephoto shots at night are cropped and upscaled to 24MP images from the regular camera, as many other phones do it, so don't expect to have your mind blown. The ultra-wide photos are predictably not amazing as well.
Low-light samples, telephoto camera
Low-light samples, ultra wide angle camera
The next step is to head over to our Photo compare tool, where you can see how the Samsung Galaxy A9 (2018) stacks up against the competition in rendering our test charts. We picked the OnePlus 6T and the Pocophone F1 to get you started, but you can swap them out for any other two phones.
Samsung Galaxy A9 (2018) against the OnePlus 6T and the Pocophone F1 in our Photo compare tool
Portraits
With all the cameras the A9 has dedicated depth sensor included, you'd expect awesome portraits from it. Well, awesome is a stretch, but decent they are. The separation is pretty good, and the algorithm wasn't fooled by our next-to-the-wall test shot - some phones will blur objects that aren't a face, even if they're in the same focal plane.
Portrait samples
It's worth noting that the phone uses the regular cam for the taking portraits, which carries the usual caveat that you need to be very close to your subject for a headshot-style framing.
Random inanimate objects don't mind, and you can use the live focus mode for isolating those too. The A9 is not markedly different than other phones here and good subject separation is dependent on a number of variables, so take many shots and hopefully one will look right.
Portrait samples
Selfies
The Galaxy A9 (2018) comes with the same selfie camera like the A7 and a bunch of other recent Samsungs. As we observed on that previous Galaxy, you need to be careful how far away you're holding the phone if you want optimum sharpness - the plane of focus is closer than a full arm's length.
Selfie samples: Exploring different distances
If you get the distance right, and if there's plenty of light and if the scene isn't too contrasty for the HDR processing to kick in, you can get some very detailed shots. Colors are spot on too. If Auto HDR does engage, you'd lose some level of sharpness, but let's be honest - you don't really need all 24MP in your selfies.
Selfie samples
Portrait mode is available on the selfie camera as well, with just the one camera. The portraits are softer than regular selfies, with some skin retouching applied even though we turned off everything we could turn off, but if you don't pixel peep (which you shouldn't anyway), the results are good enough.
Selfie portraits
Video recording
The Galaxy A9 (2018) records video up to 2160p resolution. Naturally, there's no 2160p/60fps mode, but there's also no 1080p/60fps either, just 30fps. Videos can be captured with any of the three cameras, though the ultra-wide is capped at 1080p.
The bit rate for 4K footage is around 47Mbps, while 1080p videos get about 17Mbps. Audio is recorded in stereo at 256kbps.
4K videos from the main cam have about average detail - nothing spectacular. 1080p is okay in these terms too, and there's not much noise to speak of in either resolution. Sadly, the purple tint is here in videos as well.
Zoomed in footage is pretty good when it comes to sharpness and detail, though it's still purple. The telephoto camera also had some issues with focusing and we observed a bit more hunting than ideal.
The footage from the ultra wide-camera doesn't have award-winning detail, but it's decent as ultra wide videos go.
Stabilization is only available in 1080p recording, and not in 2160p, which makes capturing 4K videos while walking a bad idea. 1080p stabilization isn't flawless either, with more than the usual amount of shake remaining in the footage.
We've also shot our test charts with the Samsung Galaxy A9 (2018) and below you can find quick shortcuts to a comparison with the OnePlus 6T and the Pocophone F1. You can obviously pick others from the drop down menus once you're there.
Samsung Galaxy A9 (2018) against the OnePlus 6T and the Pocophone F1 in our Video compare tool
Competition
A large-screened smartphone with upper mid-range internals and a bunch of cameras - who else makes those? Practically everyone, though as we've established, not one of them can beat the Galaxy A9 (2018) for the sheer number of its rear cameras. Then again, having many cameras on board hasn't translated into great image quality for the Galaxy, so let's explore what other options you can get for the same amount of cash.
OnePlus 6T • Xiaomi Pocophone F1 • Huawei P20 Pro • Samsung Galaxy S9+
The OnePlus 6T is the first that comes to mind. Just like the A9, it has one useless camera on the back, but the one that it does use, it uses a whole lot better than the Galaxy. It's also got a more powerful high-end chipset and overall more streamlined software experience.
The Pocophone F1 caused quite the stir and for a reason - it packs some flagship-grade internals at a fraction of a flagship's price. It's also a lot cheaper than the A9, and it also has the Snapdragon 845 of the OP6T, which easily beats the A9's 660. And the Pocophone isn't really behind this particular Galaxy in any meaningful way either.
Now, if you want some of that actual flagship feel, the Huawei P20 Pro can be had for about as much as the Galaxy A9 (2018), and it is a superior phone all around, particularly in the camera department where the A9's chops lie on paper.
The curious thing, however, is that you could be getting a better phone while remaining loyal to Samsung and without spending much more than you'd shell for the A9. The Galaxy S9+ is a couple of months from its due replacement and depending on where you are, deals are to be scored any day now.
Verdict
Conceptually, the Galaxy A9 (2018) shows the direction the industry is headed - single device, all the cameras. In practice, however, it's precisely these cameras that let it down. Of course, we can't expect Samsung to make a better cameraphone in the midrange than its current top models, but the A9's image and video quality is as if it's coming from another era and it's not the future we are talking about.
Which is sad, because it's otherwise a capable phone. All the rest of the important stuff is there - a high-quality display, battery life to spare, a powerful chipset, more RAM and storage than you know what to do with - these are all covered. You know, except for the camera.
The prohibitively high price doesn't help its case either. We'd understand it if there were no major dealbreakers, but with a camera like this, it's not really so, is it?
Let's put it this way - if you're after the bragging rights for having the world's only quad-rear-cam phone, well, the Galaxy A9 (2018) is the rather obvious choice. But if you are after taking nice pictures with your phone regardless of the number of cameras it has - well, there are better options out there.
Pros
- Excellent display all around.
- Very good battery life.
- Powerful chipset, a ton of RAM, boatloads of storage and a dedicated microSD slot - it's hard to beat the A9 when it comes to the essentials.
Cons
- Really disappointing image quality, particularly for a phone that's advertised for its camera prowess.
- Old OS version, Pie update is going to take a while if it arrives at all.
- Expensive for what it is.
0 Response to "Samsung Galaxy A9 (2018) review"
Post a Comment