Feature
Toughest Android flagship to beat Samsung Galaxy S9+ in 2018
New Delhi: We’ve seen Samsung introducing major improvements in its flagship Galaxy S series over the years and this year’s launches — Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9+ — are no different.
A section of users are of the view that Galaxy S9 series is not a radical departure from its predecessors. However, the new line-up has a plethora of small changes which will come in handy.
At Rs 64,900 (for 64GB onboard storage variant), Galaxy S9+ comes with dual aperture and dual primary camera as its USPs. Does the smartphone pack in enough to compete against other flagships? Here is our view.
With the same curved glass-sandwich design, metal sides and bump-less camera setup on the rear, Galaxy S9+ looks almost identical to its predecessor.
The front is dominated by a big, gorgeous 6.2-inch Quad HD+ AMOLED display which made black colour look deep and rich.
The display with 18.5:9 ratio curves away on each side to meet the frame that made it look alluring, thus making Galaxy S9+ one of few devices that deliver an immersive viewing experience.
We particularly liked how Samsung has squeezed the display into a narrow frame that made it surprisingly easy to hold when compared to its rivals such as Google Pixel 2 XL.
This is still a big device, but one key change over last year’s Galaxy S8+ is the position of the fingerprint scanner on the rear. It now sits below the rear cameras, making it much easier to reach.
The tiny bezels at the top house the iris scanner, various sensors and a selfie camera.
The primary 12MP dual cameras with optical image stabilisation (OIS), “Dual Pixel” AF is a major upgrade from last year.
The company has debuted dual or variable aperture for the first time on its device where the lens can go from f/1.5 to f/2.4. Notably, this is not a mere software gimmick but we could actually see the aperture closing and opening.
When in a dark environment, the lens opens up to a wide aperture of f/1.5 to let in more light, quite like a human eye. Meanwhile, in bright conditions, the lens defaults to f/2.4 aperture.
This is the best Android camera that produced photos with great dynamic range and well-balanced details, irrespective of the lighting scenarios. The low-light camera performance was impressive.
Features of Android Samsung Galaxy S9+ smartphone available at Rs 64,900:
The camera app interface has been tweaked and made much easier. The various modes are now selectable by swiping right or left on the display.
The 8MP AF (f/1.7) front camera is one of the best selfie cameras out there. It captured detailed self-portraits and did fairly well in dim-lighting conditions.
One great thing about the camera is the super slow-motion mode that can shoot videos at 960 frames per second.
Samsung has also debuted Augmented Reality (AR) emoji with the device. Some found that creepy while others took it as fun. We found it both fun and easy to use.
You can create your virtual avatar by clicking a photo and the smartphone generates a version that can be customised with several hairstyle and outfits.
Galaxy S9+ is powered by Samsung’s latest homegrown “Exynos 9810” chipset coupled with 6GB RAM and 64GB/128GB/256GB onboard storage which can be upgraded up to 400GB via microSD card slot.
The flagship processor ensured excellent performance and there was no stutter during multi-tasking or gaming with high-end graphics.
Galaxy S9+ retains a standard 3.5-mm headphone jack which should appeal to most users. Samsung has also made the device weatherproof with IP68 dust and water resistance.
The device is one of the first Samsung smartphones to run Android 8.0 Oreo Operating System. It comes with “Samsung Experience 9.0” on top.
S9+ has the capability to duplicate messaging apps such as WhatsApp, Facebook and Messenger where the users can run two social media accounts at a time.
What does not work?
We did not find any significant improvement in the company’s own personal assistant “Bixby” from last year.
There is a dedicated Bixby button which cannot be customised to perform other functions.
Conclusion: Galaxy S9+ sure has a head-turning design, amazing display and excellent camera with snappy performance. It packs everything a user would expect from a single premium package.
Also see video related to this news:
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We've seen Samsung introducing major improvements in its flagship Galaxy S series over the years and this year's launches -- Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9+ -- are no different.
-
A section of users are of the view that Galaxy S9 series is not a radical departure from its predecessors. However, the new line-up has a plethora of small changes which will come in handy.
-
At Rs 64,900 (for 64GB onboard storage variant), Galaxy S9+ comes with dual aperture and dual primary camera as its USPs. Does the smartphone pack in enough to compete against other flagships? Here is our view.
-
With the same curved glass-sandwich design, metal sides and bump-less camera setup on the rear, Galaxy S9+ looks almost identical to its predecessor.
-
The front is dominated by a big, gorgeous 6.2-inch Quad HD+ AMOLED display which made black colour look deep and rich.
-
The display with 18.5:9 ratio curves away on each side to meet the frame that made it look alluring, thus making Galaxy S9+ one of few devices that deliver an immersive viewing experience.
-
We particularly liked how Samsung has squeezed the display into a narrow frame that made it surprisingly easy to hold when compared to its rivals such as Google Pixel 2 XL.
-
This is still a big device, but one key change over last year's Galaxy S8+ is the position of the fingerprint scanner on the rear. It now sits below the rear cameras, making it much easier to reach.
-
The tiny bezels at the top house the iris scanner, various sensors and a selfie camera.
-
The tiny bezels at the top house the iris scanner, various sensors and a selfie camera. The primary 12MP dual cameras with optical image stabilisation (OIS), "Dual Pixel" AF is a major upgrade from last year. The company has debuted dual or variable aperture for the first time on its device where the lens can go from f/1.5 to f/2.4. Notably, this is not a mere software gimmick but we could actually see the aperture closing and opening.
The State Scores Extra High on Gaming-Friendly Industry Index
Meghalaya scored 92.85 out of 100 possible points in a Gaming Industry Index and proved to be India’s most gaming-friendly state following its recent profound legislation changes over the field allowing land-based and online gaming, including games of chance, under a licensing regime.
The index by the UK India Business Council (UKIBC) uses a scale of 0 to 100 to measure the level of legalisation on gambling and betting achieved by a state based on the scores over a set of seven different games – lottery, horse racing, betting on sports, poker, rummy, casino and fantasy sports
Starting from February last year, Meghalaya became the third state in India’s northeast to legalise gambling and betting after Sikkim and Nagaland. After consultations with the UKIBC, the state proceeded with the adoption of the Meghalaya Regulation of Gaming Act, 2021 and the nullification of the Meghalaya Prevention of Gambling Act, 1970. Subsequently in December, the Meghalaya Regulation of Gaming Rules, 2021 were notified and came into force.
All for the Tourists
The move to legalise and license various forms of offline and online betting and gambling in Meghalaya is aimed at boosting tourism and creating jobs, and altogether raising taxation revenues for the northeastern state. At the same time, the opportunities to bet and gamble legally will be reserved only for tourists and visitors.
“We came out with a Gaming Act and subsequently framed the Regulation of Gaming Rules, 2021. The government will accordingly issue licenses to operate games of skill and chance, both online and offline,” said James P. K. Sangma, Meghalaya State Law and Taxation Minister speaking in the capital city of Shillong. “But the legalized gambling and gaming will only be for tourists and not residents of Meghalaya,” he continued.
To be allowed to play, tourists and people visiting the state for work or business purposes will have to prove their non-resident status by presenting appropriate documents, in a process similar to a bank KYC (Know Your Customer) procedure.
Meghalaya Reaches Out to a Vast Market
With 140 millions of people in India estimated to bet regularly on sports, and a total of 370 million desi bettors around prominent sporting events, as per data from one of the latest reports by Esse N Videri, Meghalaya is set to reach out and take a piece of a vast market.
Estimates on the financial value of India’s sports betting market, combined across all types of offline channels and online sports and cricket predictions and betting platforms, speak about amounts between $130 and $150 billion (roughly between ₹9.7 and ₹11.5 lakh crore).
Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Delhi are shown to deliver the highest number of bettors and Meghalaya can count on substantial tourists flow from their betting circles. The sports betting communities of Karnataka, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh and Haryana are also not to be underestimated.
Among the sports, cricket is most popular, registering 68 percent of the total bet count analyzed by Esse N Videri. Football takes second position with 11 percent of the bets, followed by betting on FIFA at 7 percent and on eCricket at 5 percent. The last position in the Top 5 of popular sports for betting in India is taken by tennis with 3 percent of the bet count.
Local Citizens will Still have Their Teer Betting
Meghalaya residents will still be permitted to participate in teer betting over arrow-shooting results. Teer is a traditional method of gambling, somewhat similar to a lottery draw, and held under the rules of the Meghalaya Regulation of the Game of Arrow Shooting and the Sale of Teer Tickets Act, 2018.
Teer includes bettors wagering on the number of arrows that reach the target which is placed about 50 meters away from a team of 20 archers positioned in a semicircle.
The archers shoot volleys of arrows at the target for ten minutes, and players place their bets choosing a number between 0 and 99 trying to guess the last two digits of the number of arrows that successfully pierce the target.
If, for example, the number of hits is 256, anyone who has bet on 56 wins an amount eight times bigger than their wager.
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