Review: Galaxy A9 2018 ends old line with 5 cameras and good performance 692u3k

Before Samsung merge the line Galaxy J, smartphones were launched with the strategy of offering more technologies, sophisticated design and satisfactory performance for those who did not want or could not invest in the line Galaxy S, the company's main line. The last model that Samsung launched in the Brazilian market that followed this philosophy was the Galaxy A9 2018, bringing as a promotional gimmick the achievement of being the brand's first smartphone with 5 cameras. 2v4y2e

But it's not just for the cameras that the A9 2018 stands out in the huge portfolio of Samsung: it is also the biggest model of the brand, suring the most recent launch of the line Galaxy Note. Almost 5 months after being announced in Brazil, will the 5 cameras of the A9 2018 makes it the best camera phone available on the market? We received the device for testing and our full opinion you can check in this review.

Pros 6x1j2g

• 6,3” screen is ideal for multimedia content;
• Snapdragon 660 processor and 6 GB of RAM handle most applications and games;
• Amazing 3.800mAh battery;
• Gorgeous design and rigid construction;
• Fingerprint sensor is fast;
• One UI very well optimized.

Cons 7147r

• 4 rear cameras could be much better;
• In games, the processor drains a lot of battery;
• Mono audio is squeaky and headphones in the box clash with the product;
• No water or dust resistance.

Design and Construction 672o26

O Galaxy A9 2018 has the standard design of the line since the first model: it is the largest and most boxy of the family, with dimensions of 162.5 x 77 x 7.8 mm, and built all in metal and glass. Despite being big, its grip is very firm and good, but forget about trying to touch the ends of the device with just one hand – even I, who have big hands, couldn't do it.

On the back, the smartphone boasts its four cameras arranged vertically in a black rectangle, leaving the LED flash alone under them. The fingerprint sensor is positioned just above the Samsung logo in white, which makes for very nice lighting effects when placed under a light source. And speaking of effects, the blue and pink colors of the Galaxy A9 2018 give a super welcome charm to the device.

The robust construction, however, was not reflected in the weight, which is an astonishing 183g. Like us Galaxy S9. Overall, it is a set that es rigidity, sophistication and lightness.

In of ports and slots, at the top there is a drawer for two chips and memory card and dedicated microphone for noise cancellation; on the left there is only one Bixby-only button; on the right are the volume buttons and the Power button; and on the bottom is a Type-C connector, P2 headphone jack – amen! – and a mono sound output – unfortunately.

Fabric 3c653a

Adopting the new 18,5:9 aspect ratio, the Galaxy A9 2018 features a huge 6,3-inch display with Full HD+ Super AMOLED resolution that occupies about 80% of the front . The large screen makes the smartphone ideal for viewing photos, videos and games, thanks to Super AMOLED technology that makes colors more vibrant and well defined. There is also no problem viewing content under sunlight, as the brightness is quite intense and has an excellent viewing angle for the category.

A Samsung also brings here the possibility to manually configure the RGB tones or change the white balance of the screen to cooler or warmer, if you prefer. Regardless of these options, the screen of the A9 2018 already stands out without any intervention. Point for Samsung that always seeks a standard in its displays and manages to achieve in this model.

Camera 2xzk

first smartphone from Samsung to bring a quadruple set of cameras at the rear, the Galaxy A9 2018 comes with: 24 MP main sensor, f/1.7 aperture, 27mm; 8 MP secondary sensor, f/2.4 aperture and 120° ultra-wide-angle lens; the third has 10 MP with an aperture of f/2.4 and a telephoto lens (2x optical zoom); and the last one has 5 MP focused on depth effects to help with the famous blur effect.

You know that famous saying that "Quantity is not synonymous with quality"? O Galaxy A9 2018 fits perfectly. Its camera array doesn't do a bad job, but for the hype that the Samsung put it in the publicity, it could have been better. In good light conditions, all cameras record great images, with sharp and instant colors.

as usual from Samsung, the post-processing can be a little strict and apply a beautification when we don't want to, making the clicks a bit artificial. Unfortunately, we don't have very effective HDR in A9 2018; compared to the Galaxy S8, for example, photos look a little washed out and blurry. Always used to the cameras of the line Galaxy S, I really missed a good HDR.

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The 2x optical zoom of the Galaxy A9 2018 It manages to be satisfactory in great light conditions, but the f/2.4 aperture doesn't hold when it comes to night photos and indoor environments. And I can also put the camera with the ultra-wide-angle lens on the cake. If the lighting doesn't favor it, it's common to see a lot of grain and a very low definition.

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A very welcome feature and the Samsung good is the dynamic focus mode, which the 5 MP auxiliary lens produces an interesting blur, without blurring or distortions in the main object. Overall, the Galaxy A9 2018 suffers precisely from the problem of wanting to innovate in of number of cameras and not being able to deliver the same innovation in of quality.

The 24 MP front camera with an aperture of f/2.0 and HDR is of good quality, but it also lacks in post-processing. In video recording, the Galaxy A9 2018 can record in 4K (2160p) at 30fps without image stabilization and HDR and in Full HD (1080p) at 30fps with digital stabilization. The front camera, in turn, also records in Full HD (1080p) at 30fps.

Perfomance 1i5e6z

O Galaxy A9 2018 has a competent set that places it as one of the best intermediaries in the Brazilian market. It features a Snapdragon 660 processor from Qualcomm, which is octa-core subdivided into a 2.2GHz quad-core Kryo 260 and a 1.8GHz quad-core Kryo 260, 512MHz Adreno 300 GPU, 6GB of RAM and 128GB of internal storage with expansion for 1 more TB via memory card.

In our tests, the Snapdragon 660 proved to be competent in most games and applications. Yu-Gi-Oh Duel Left, Subway Surfers, Minecraft ran without stutters or crashes, with the 6GB of RAM keeping everyone in memory without rebooting. The situation complicates when running heavier games, such as Fortnite, which struggles to maintain an fps closer to 30.

Interestingly, the Snapdragon 660 of Galaxy A9 2018 performed better in Fortnite than the Exynos 8895, present in the Galaxy S8+, released two years ago. Even though it's old, a mid-range from the end of 2018 can take the hit more than an old top of the line is an interesting brand.

In applications, the 6 GB of RAM is more than enough to leave social networks, messengers, heavy applications like Adobe Photoshop or 99 open without rebooting, stuttering or crashes. The same goes for the 128 GB storage, which in this era of cloud storage is ideal for storing files, photos and videos without weighing the device down.

Operational system 1a5246

After suffering a lot of criticism with the latest interfaces, One UI is a breather for the Samsung. The interface based on Android 9 Pie is simple, with a less aggressive color palette than in previous versions, nicer icons and very welcome functions. Among the main novelties of One UI are the Night Mode, which gives an extra charm to the smartphone, changing the entire color palette to gray, black and white, and the Blue Light Filter, which reduces the emission of blue light from the screen so that it does not attack the eyes, apart from all customization of themes, icons, application grid, fonts and text of the Galaxy A9 2018.

In addition, the transitions of the new One UI are smooth and, unlike the nightmare Touchwiz, it doesn't weigh too much on the system. Points for Samsung! What remains negative and Samsung continues to insist on its devices is Bixby, the company's virtual assistant. At the Galaxy A9 2018 there is a dedicated button for it, allowing you to carry out some voice commands and search without touching the device. Unfortunately, the assistant is still limited enough that the dedicated button is useless. Fortunately, in the settings it is possible to change it to trigger the Google Assistant with a double click on the key.

Audio 3n1j5g

The audio of Galaxy A9 2018 it's high for a single mono output, but its quality isn't the best. At most, the standard sound is poorly equalized and has almost no bass – it gets a little shrill and bothers in the mids and highs. The headphones that come in the box A9 they are the same ones that came in the company's old intermediaries, which are not excellent but also do not disappoint.

Because it is a smartphone with an expensive and top-of-the-line price, at least a model in partnership with AKG should come in the box. However, phone by phone, if you know the minimum of EQ and want to have a more acceptable experience with A9 2018, risk doing it.

Battery 554u5p

O Galaxy A9 2018 is a drum champion! The smartphone's 3.800mAh is more than enough to stay away from the socket in moderate use for a whole day and stay charged even at the beginning of the second. In one of our tests, I came out with the A9 2018 from home at 8 am and I constantly used social networking apps, electronic messengers, some games and used the camera to photograph something here and there. I got home at 20pm averaging 30-40%, an impressive mark as the 6,3 inch was 80% bright all the time and the mobile network was always on.

When playing video on Netflix, on Wi-Fi and maximum brightness, the A9 2018 remained steady and strong even after five 2 hour or so movies. That is, you might as well get angry again with the last season of Game of Thrones all with just a smartphone charge and then vent on Twitter that he would still be there with you.

In games, when the Snapdragon 660 and its GPU need to render heavier graphics (like Fortnite), the battery drains quickly, showing that if you are going to use it as a gaming device, you will always need to carry a charger in your backpack. As I'm not a who plays a lot on my cell phone, I was quite pleased that the processor was optimized to handle daily tasks competently.

Extra Features 5615i

In addition to the 4 rear cameras, the Samsung had to remove some features to make the price a little less expensive, such as the IP67/68 certification, present in other models of the line, which was left out here. However, the Galaxy A9 (2018) features a fingerprint sensor on the back, which is very fast and accurate, by the way, Dolby Atmos technology to improve the sound experience with headphones, Bluetooth 5.0, P2 connector, which is no longer an obligation and has become an extra feature in smartphones, and 18W fast charging. Nothing impressive, it's the basic set that every self-respecting smartphone should have.

Price 4t2ce

O Galaxy A9 2018 entered Samsung's history for yet another feat: in addition to being the first to bring 4 rear cameras and the company's largest model so far, it is also the most expensive mid-range smartphone in the world at its official launch price. In January of this year, the Korean announced the smartphone in the Brazilian market for an absurd R$ 3.199. It is by far a bad model, but for that price you could buy the company's latest flagship at the time, the Galaxy S9, or a Chinese cell phone, for example. For the purposes of comparison, the A8 2018 was launched for R$ 2.400.

Frankly, if Samsung made the Galaxy A9 2018 because of the rear cameras, the least it could deliver would be a more satisfying result for them. Today it can be found for around R$ 2.000, the Xiaomi Mi 8 Lite, for example, has the same processor at half the price. Of course, we're talking about different builds and features, but don't be put off by the idea that the camera set justifies its price – it DOESN'T.

Conclusion 60664y

O Galaxy A9 2018 it's not a bad smartphone. Its Full HD+ infinite screen is of good quality, amazing performance with Snapdragon 660 and fluidity in applications and games thanks to 6 GB of RAM, not to mention a battery that lasts for more than a day. The problem with this particular model is the relationship between what it offers x how much you will pay for it, because one of the best highlights of the A line is being a more affordable alternative to the Galaxy S and Note lines, allowing a little bit of innovation.

At the moment when a model that should be much cheaper almost crosses the price range of a smartphone, you start to question whether it is worth investing in this idea.

Galaxy A9 2018 specs 2i1i2r

Córdoba	Galaxy A9 2018
Fabric	6,3” Full HD+ 18,5:9 aspect ratio HDR technology and 80% utilization
Processor	Snapdragon 660 (4x 2.2GHz Kryo 260 + 4x 1.8GHz Kryo 260) Adreno 512 300MHz GPU
memory and storage	6 GB of RAM 128GB storage + 1TB via Micro SD
SO	One UI based on Android 9 Pie
Back camera	24 MP (f/1.7) 27mm with HDR 8 MP (f/2.4) ultra-wide-angle 120° 10 MP (f/2.4) telephoto and 2x optical zoom 5 MP depth-focused
Frontal camera	24 MP (f/2.0) with HDR
Video recording	4K (30fps) without stabilization and HDR Full HD (30fps) with stabilization and HDR
Battery	3.800mAh with 18W fast charging
Audio	Suit
Extra Features	Fingerprint sensor, Dolby Atmos, Bluetooth 5.0 P2 connector for headphones
Colors	black, blue and pink
Price	R$1.952,07