Looking at the Galaxy S9 on Fonehouse but not quite sure if it’s the phone for you? Don’t be fooled by the phone’s similar appearance to the S8. Samsung had to do quite a lot to stay competitive with Google and Apple (News - Alert) this year. Speaking of staying competitive, most of the truly impressive options are in the camera department.

Let’s dive in.

1. The Super Slow Motion Video Capabilities

Nowadays, smartphone cameras are expected to rival their traditional counterparts. Samsung (News - Alert)'s newest model is doing just that.

Samsung’s new Galaxy boasts a camera with the ability to slow down a video clip to 960 frames per second. For the instagram fanatic- this is serious upgrade from the S8’s capability. Better yet, Samsung included an automatic detection system that slows the frames down for you. But if you need creative control- you can turn on manual mode and control your own slow-motion settings.

2. An Awesome Variable Aperture

Lighting is a constant problem. Even with all the progress smartphones have made in the camera department, it’s highly likely the complaints you have about your current smartphone revolve around the camera.

Say goodbye to frustrating low light settings and concert memories that didn’t quite record the way you remembered them. The new S9 has a dual aperture, which lets in 28% more light than the S8’s lens. Though the Google (News - Alert) Pixel 2 still has better aperture settings, this is incredible in comparison to competitors.

3. A Better Dual Lens

S8 owners are no stranger to blurry selfies. Though there was a front facing camera on the S8, it’s quality left much to be desired.  The difference between the front facing camera and the regular view were astonishing. With this newest model, Samsung has taken the criticism and replaced the terrible front-facing lense with a 2x optical zoom that now only allows for better selfies but much better photos overall. For you Instagram stars that translates to breathtaking portrait features.

4. An Intelligent Scan that is Actually Intelligent

The S8 could scan barcodes, infuriate you with Samsung Pay that rarely worked when you needed it, and keep your personal information safe. This go around, Samsung took a deep look into the intelligent scanning features.

Instead of asking you to use alternate methods of intelligent scanning, the S9 will automatically employ and facial and iris scanning. If one fails, the other will be used automatically to reduce the amount of your frustration on your end.

Don’t think we forgot fingerprint scanning. The beloved fingerprint scan will still be available. In fact, you’ll also be able to use that fingerprint scanner to unlock your phone.

5. Bixby Becomes Useful

Though the initial release of Bixby was a bumpy road, many have come to enjoy the assistant.  Unfortunately, just as many Samsung S8 users have come to absolutely loathe Bixby. With the new S9, Samsung is making strides to make Bixby legitimately useful by including:

• Camera translation. Traveling? Don’t speak Chinese? Bixby can help. Once you’ve opened the camera, toggle over to Bixby and point the camera at the sign your struggling to understand. Bixby will translate it.
• On the go calorie counting. Say goodbye to calorie apps and let Bixby do the work. Once in camera mode, Bixby will give you the calorie counts of foods by simply hovering over them.
• Makeup and instant purchase. Can’t get enough of Sephora? With the new Bixby, you can try on different shades to find your true match. Thanks to a Sephora integration, you can also add those shades to your cart and start collecting more Beauty Insider points.

6. Premium Stereo Speakers

The S9’s new speaker system is fine-tuned by AKG, a known leader in the audio game. According to Samsung, the speakers are 1.4 times louder than the speakers found on the S8. More importantly, the S9 has leveled the sound on the phone by providing a speaker on top of the phone as well as the bottom.

To the untrained ear, you may not notice a different. But if you’re an audiophile listening to music on your phone everyday, the difference will astound you. Especially if you listen to his res music or video.

7. New Colors

Ask and you shall receive! Samsung advocates have desired new colors for a long time. Though this doesn’t make the smartphone any better or worse- it’s a high selling point for many. The new color sets include:

• Midnight Black
• Sunrise Gold
• Coral
• Blue
• Purple

In many reviews, you’ll hear one indisputable fact: The purple is breathtaking in person. If none of the colors suit your tastes, keep your eye out. Sunrise Gold wasn’t available until June. Samsung has been known to release limited edition colors as well. If all else fails, there are dozens of phone cases that can fulfill your color needs.

Conclusion

Long story short? If you’re purchasing a phone based on the camera and can’t quite swallow the price tag (News - Alert) on the Google Pixel 2, the Samsung S9 is the next best choice. With most of the new features being in the camera department, the newest model from Samsung has take a serious turn towards photo.