Newsletter
The Samsung Galaxy S9 and S9 Plus are now official having been introduced by Samsung today during the company’s MWC 2018 event. Along with the announcement, Samsung has provided some details regarding general – specific to US consumers – pricing and availability. For example, and while prices will vary somewhat if purchased through a carrier, Samsung has confirmed the standard unlocked price for the Galaxy S9 will be $719.99 while the Galaxy S9 Plus will come with a $120 premium attached, coming in at $839.99. Samsung is, however, offering consumers the option to finance the Galaxy S9 at $30 per month over a 24-month basis, or the Galaxy S9 Plus at $35 per month over 24 months.
For those looking to be the first to get their hands on the latest Samsung Galaxy phones, both models are becoming available to pre-order starting from March 2 with a view to becoming generally available online and in store starting from March 16. Initial pre-orders will be available from Samsung directly, although Samsung has already confirmed both phones will be available to buy from March 16 through a number of carriers including AT&T, Cricket Wireless, MetroPCS, Sprint, T-Mobile, U.S. Cellular, Verizon Wireless and Xfinity mobile, as well as through retailers including Best Buy, Amazon, Costco, Sam’s Club, Target and Walmart. Along with the option to pre-order, Samsung has confirmed consumers will have the option to take part in a trade-in program where as much as $350 can be wiped off the purchase cost. Like most trade-in deals, the discount available will be dependent on the age, tier, and condition of the phone being traded-in. More details on the program are available through the official Samsung website.
While these two phones are largely the same phone, the two have never been more different compared to previous releases. As Samsung is certainly now positioning the Plus model as the more premium version. Not only does it come with an increased screen size (6.2-inches vs 5.8-inches), but also a greater amount of RAM (6GB vs 4GB), a greater capacity battery (3,500 mAh vs 3,000 mAh), and a dual rear camera setup – compared to the single rear camera provided with the standard Galaxy S9. So the difference in price this year really does result in a heightened product in many areas. Although both models are designed to be premium in general, sporting the same Galaxy S stylish build quality and look, along with an ‘Infinity Display’ which results in taller and thinner display due to the employment of a 18.9:5 aspect ratio. In addition to the inclusion of Android 8.0 (Oreo), both models also do come with a number of AI and AR-focused software tweaks to improve the overall experience and especially in the camera department.