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Samsung Galaxy S9
- Thread starter jamezr
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We really need to get away from all these stupid which mobile phone load apps faster tests.
Real world tests on photo editing, video editing performance, JavaScript application performance is much more relevant.
I did a few tests with Adobe Lightroom for photos, premiere clip for videos and running a heavy analytics web app thinking that based on what Samsung had about the new Exynos chip that it would be competitive with Apple. But it was way slower.
Now reading this detailed review I understand why
Klyster
macrumors 68020
I prefer test that replicate everyday use rather than synthetic benchmarks and cherrypicked tests, where one phone shines over another.
Those are the tests I'd like to see us getting away from.
Side by side testing with videos results means more to me than exaggerated graphs pulled from synthetic benchmarks that mean nothing to 99 percent of smartphone users.
What is relevant to the majority of people isn't necessarily what you're calling relevant, I'm guessing people actually are more app based and probably not as technical as you are thinking they would be.
People want to know Facebook will work properly, Auntie Gillian's photos will be stored nicely, words for friends won't crash, the camera will take great pictures and emails will be received.
But for sure, show us some side by side videos of Lightroom and some heavy web analytics side by side, iphone x vs Galaxy S9+ and why not throw S9+ Exynos vs Snapdragon doing the same because I'm thinking the difference won't be that huge.
Do you have a video to share?
Or are we just taking your word for it?
I'm not that big on anecdotal evidence, whether it's from an individual or a website.
So like I said, not bad for a dud don't you think?
Didn't it do well against the super dooper iPhone?
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Let me know how it goes if you do decide to go this route. I'm curious if they'll help you in store or make you go through Samsung.
You’ve got to be joking if that’s a real world test. No one in the right mind would be loading app after app like that. If you really do that with your phone, then good on you. The Samsung is the phone for you. If you look at the entire history of pc/laptop performance testing no one has ever tested this way. Not sure why suddenly for mobile phone this stupid method of testing has become popular. It is retarded.
The tests that anandtech runs were real world tests that simulate how users actually use their phones. I.e the PCMark tests as well as speedometer for web performance. Speedometer is endorsed by Apple and google to test web performance at a system level.
also a real video encoding test here where the iPhone was 4x faster than the s9 (snapdragon)
https://www.tomsguide.com/us/galaxy-s9-s9-plus,review-5198.html
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iPhone X is FIVE times SLOWER in lte download speed than s9+ in the test. That's everyday usage 😛
Klyster
macrumors 68020
Yeah, we all run benches and look at graphs all day, we don't use multiple apps in the background right?
It's kinda funny how the S9+ plus and it's dud Exynos professor was the first Android phone to beat the iPhone at the video encoding test, on video, according to Everything Apple Pro's video.
The battery doesn't seem to be as bad as anandtech is making it out to be too, then again, I've never seen a favorable Samsung review there, funny that.
Anyway, you have fun with your web analytics and video encoding and I'll do what the majority of people do send take photos, surf the web and use multiple apps simultaneously.
Well that video encoding app seems not optimised on iOS at all. Why would the iPhone need to compile and then save the video as a 2 step process. That added a huge amount of time. Other iOS video apps I’ve used can save directly while encoding. That includes iMovie, Apple clips, adobe premiere and lumafusion.
In any case, I’m glad you like your s9 and it seems to perform everyday non cpu heavy tasks well. But for me and my use of some apps that require real cpu power, the iPhone trumps it by big margin.
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Good morning S9 friends! I am trying to figure out how to turn off the Google Maps picture in picture mode when the app is minimized. I have found a guide for stock Oreo, but those settings don't exist in the Samsung Experience, as far as I can tell. Anyone had luck turning that off?
Wow, I just dropped in to post something my husband told me this morning and here y’all talking about iPhone X vs Samsung speed.
My husband said much to his shock his S9+ is noticeably faster and smoother than his iPhone X in his daily usage. He does a lot of calls, emails, checks Twitter and Facebook, plays a couple of games and then works with a lot of financial services apps. He also does some office productivity work on his phones but I’m not sure what exactly that entails.
He loves the speed and fluidity of our AT&T Snapdragon S9+. However, he is not satisfied with battery life so far. So he may end up upgrading to a Note 9 if they put a big battery into that one.
He says iOS app quality is still better than the Android counterparts for the apps he uses. Mainly it’s the fact that iOS apps integrate biometric log-in access and most of the Android versions he uses, especially for banking and financial services, make him copy his password in from his password app and insert the password that way. Pain in the tail.
For my own experience, comparing the iPhone 8 Plus to the S9+ they serve me equally well for what I do. But when it comes to taking pictures and videos and enjoying anything pretty to look at, I’m going to reach for the Samsung first. Though both have beautiful displays.
If not for my fondness for the Apple Watch and reliance on it for notifications when I’m working, I could easily make the S9+ my daily driver/main phone. I could possibly even break the dependence on iMessage for it. It would be a massive pain in the rear and cause some interim consternation, but I would be willing to contemplate it.
However, the Android side seriously needs to come up with a wearable that I am willing and eager to give up my Apple Watch for. It’s got to be small like my Apple Watch but just as capable or I will turn my nose up at it. I admire so many things about my Samsung Gear watches, but they’re too danged big and their design isn’t as comfortable or sensible to work with. Switching bands is a nightmare. Materials aren’t as good as the stuff that gets used for Apple Watches.
Okay that’s my contribution to the discussion. I return you to your regularly scheduled arguing. 😛
My husband said much to his shock his S9+ is noticeably faster and smoother than his iPhone X in his daily usage. He does a lot of calls, emails, checks Twitter and Facebook, plays a couple of games and then works with a lot of financial services apps. He also does some office productivity work on his phones but I’m not sure what exactly that entails.
He loves the speed and fluidity of our AT&T Snapdragon S9+. However, he is not satisfied with battery life so far. So he may end up upgrading to a Note 9 if they put a big battery into that one.
He says iOS app quality is still better than the Android counterparts for the apps he uses. Mainly it’s the fact that iOS apps integrate biometric log-in access and most of the Android versions he uses, especially for banking and financial services, make him copy his password in from his password app and insert the password that way. Pain in the tail.
For my own experience, comparing the iPhone 8 Plus to the S9+ they serve me equally well for what I do. But when it comes to taking pictures and videos and enjoying anything pretty to look at, I’m going to reach for the Samsung first. Though both have beautiful displays.
If not for my fondness for the Apple Watch and reliance on it for notifications when I’m working, I could easily make the S9+ my daily driver/main phone. I could possibly even break the dependence on iMessage for it. It would be a massive pain in the rear and cause some interim consternation, but I would be willing to contemplate it.
However, the Android side seriously needs to come up with a wearable that I am willing and eager to give up my Apple Watch for. It’s got to be small like my Apple Watch but just as capable or I will turn my nose up at it. I admire so many things about my Samsung Gear watches, but they’re too danged big and their design isn’t as comfortable or sensible to work with. Switching bands is a nightmare. Materials aren’t as good as the stuff that gets used for Apple Watches.
Okay that’s my contribution to the discussion. I return you to your regularly scheduled arguing. 😛
nburwell
macrumors 603
I feel your pain. Would it not be for my Apple Watch, I would probably have gone to Android full time with the S9 (I might still). Plus the fact that my wife absolutely loves iMessage would make it hard for me to switch full time since she is very anti-texting apps (there is always good ol' SMS). For now, I thoroughly enjoy playing with my S8 when I'm at home and don't feel like picking up my X or IPP.
I'd really like to see Samsung up the ante with their wearables. I have a few co-workers who have a Gear watch and I think they're pretty sharp. However, I still prefer my Apple Watch to any Gear wearable at this point.
Klyster
macrumors 68020
I don't have an S9, I'm not getting one either.
I just think your criticism of the processor was a bit much, it's hardly a dud, as evidenced in videos of it not being a dud.
It sounds like the software could improve performance and battery life but this is true of many processors.
It has raw speed and the battery life is good compared to its competitors as evidenced in many videos.
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I've found similar to your hubby in my daily usage. It's kind of a reminder how far Apple has fallen in software, but also underlines how far Samsung has come. I also wish Android would use biometrics for log ins as widely Apple has integrated it. Face ID is a killer feature on iPhone X.
Roadstar
macrumors 68000
It’s the same for me. Slow security updates alone might not have been enough to push me back to the iPhone, but the Apple Watch also played a major part in that. I had a Gear S3 Frontier, but I ended up rather wearing my S0 Apple Watch (now I’ve upgraded to the S3, though). While there was a lot to like about the S3, I think I had it when things were a bit rough with Tizen 3.0. I had multiple occasions where my wrist buzzed but the notification was nowhere to be seen or it lagged considerably. In addition, when the S3 was unable to make payments (no Samsung Pay here, but we do have Apple Pay nowadays) and also unable to control my IKEA Trådfri lights, the Apple Watch ended up being more useful for me.
But still I might end up giving the next Gear watch a try unless I’ve gotten rid of my S8+ by the time it’s launched.
I have a Samsung Gear Fit 2 Pro on order from Amazon. I was trying to decide between that and one of the less expensive Fitbit bands.
I would have liked to try Fitbit since the one I was considering was very inexpensive, but some reviewers posted pics of their nasty burns they are getting from either the band or the battery charging ports. I looked that up and saw it was a widespread enough problem even now. I have autoimmune disease that when it flares up gives me enough misery with my skin. I didn’t want to risk it with this known issue even if not everyone is having problems.
Also it wasn’t water proof enough.
I just wanted to try a fitness band with a very simple notification capability. I have Samsung watches but wanted to wear a band on one wrist and my Apple Watch on the other. So I was looking for something more bracelet like. I still worry it’s going to be too big or just plain not turn out like I hope so I’ll be keeping all the packaging in case I need to return it.
Dang it I just ate a brownie while typing this. I need a shock collar that zaps me when I eat stuff like this, not a fitness band. That’s what I get for skipping lunch when there are brownies in the house. Good thing I’m hyperactive or I would be a slug.
I would have liked to try Fitbit since the one I was considering was very inexpensive, but some reviewers posted pics of their nasty burns they are getting from either the band or the battery charging ports. I looked that up and saw it was a widespread enough problem even now. I have autoimmune disease that when it flares up gives me enough misery with my skin. I didn’t want to risk it with this known issue even if not everyone is having problems.
Also it wasn’t water proof enough.
I just wanted to try a fitness band with a very simple notification capability. I have Samsung watches but wanted to wear a band on one wrist and my Apple Watch on the other. So I was looking for something more bracelet like. I still worry it’s going to be too big or just plain not turn out like I hope so I’ll be keeping all the packaging in case I need to return it.
Dang it I just ate a brownie while typing this. I need a shock collar that zaps me when I eat stuff like this, not a fitness band. That’s what I get for skipping lunch when there are brownies in the house. Good thing I’m hyperactive or I would be a slug.
Puddled
macrumors 6502a
I advise your husband to go through every setting and sub setting on the galaxy. I find that on first Go, samsung can hide an app update from the stores (wierdly enough) and that simply looking in the app settings can result in a better version. Samsung Pass is like this. You need to go into the OS settings to set it up and then into the app settings to make sure it's the latest version. A bit of a faff but worth it once complete. Samsung Pass is fantastic. Same for smart lock.
You need to spend time setting up a samsung phone. Its a pain but reaps rewards.
I'd also look to set up your apps similar between iOS and Android to judge battery properly. Google smarts can be taxing on a battery. If you don' have them on your iOS device, you are going to notice a difference.
Oh and regards to updates, i have some respect for Samsung. Samsung experience is a deep fill pizza compared to the thin and crispy pizza of stock android. Samsung have (thankfully) learned that slow and bugfree is better than fast and error strewn.
Oh, my 3 yr old S6 is still receiving security updates long after other OEMs stop.
Roadstar
macrumors 68000
You have a point there. The updates come more slowly, but at least they’re not breaking Bluetooth every second release like my more stock Androids have too often done. It’s also great that their supported lifespan is longer than that of many other Android manufacturers, but I can’t help wishing for more timely security update delivery. Especially when they’re supplying monthly updates to some regions (Samsung’s own segmenting, nothing to do with carriers) but for others the pace is slower and somehow it’s all too often a major vulnerability patch when they decide to skip a month for NEE devices.
Go into the app info by long pressing the app icon then hit the little information icon. Scroll down to picture in picture and turn it off.
Have you tried the Samsung Sport or S3. Both are really nice. I actually like them better than the Apple Watch...and I have had all three series of Apple Watch.
No, my husband has the S3 and it's huge on my wrist and the Sport looks like it would be, too. The 38 mm Apple Watch is almost pushing it, sadly. I'm barely over five feet tall and sized proportionately despite gaining some brownies. 😉 None of my rings from before midlife will fit, but through the midlife weight gain my wrists stayed really tiny.
Hm, I get "Select Items, Remove from Home, or Disable", as well as a Home and Work quick link. I don't see the information icon.
The Oreo long press is different than Nougat. Just go into apps under settings, and you'll find it there
Okay, this was weird. I thought you couldn't use VZW visual voicemail with an unlocked Sammy. However, lo and behold, I get a call the other day that goes into VM. And POOF - a blue VM icon appears and suddenly I have a visual voicemail app on my phone. No idea where it came from! When you click on "about" in the app, it just says "visual voicemail". It doesn't tell me if it's a Sammy thing or a VZW thing.
nviz22
Cancelled
Well, it’s been a good ride. All the best to you all. Decided to call it a MR forum career since I decided to move on permanently with my next phone purchase. I’ll be going S9+ Coral Blue unlocked. Was a joy discussing different products and features with everyone. Take care and enjoy your S9/S9+ phones. No more iPhone purchases for me for awhile too. Hope the S9+ is a great phone and I can use it for years to come.