Samsung Galaxy S9 and S9+ flagships now available in Canada

Samsung's Galaxy S9 and the larger S9+ are now available in Canada. The new flagships boast powerful new processors, class leading cameras with Dual Aperture lenses offering the best low-light performance we've seen in a smartphone yet at the F1.5 setting. Also outstanding is the super slow-motion video recording which manages 960 frames per seconds on HD recording.

Aside from a fingerprint reader, the Galaxy S9 also has iris and face recognition access control. Check out our full review of the smaller Galaxy S9 here. 

The Galaxy S9 and S9+ sell unlocked for $960 and $1,100, respectively. Canadians who trade in their old phones will also get a minimum of $100 off in addition to the trade in value when you purchase the Galaxy S9 or S9+ February 25 through April 9, 2018. Also available today are new Disney AREmoji featuring Mickie and Minnie Mouse, showing Samsung's openness to third party content providers.

First impressions of the Samsung Galaxy S9

By Gadjo Cardenas Sevilla

On the surface, the new Samsung Galaxy S9 and its larger brother, the S9+, seem to look identical to their predecessors from last year. The near edge-to-edge display is still there, as is the tapered metal frame sandwiched in luxurious glass.

Samsung's gone for two extremes in colour this year. Canadians will have to choose between the austere yet elegant Titanium Silver or the striking Lilac Purple. Samsung Canada says there's a 60/40 split on pre-orders between the two colour choices. Do you like Audi grey or are you going for a Lamborghini purple? Depends on your style. 

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First impressions of the Samsung AR Emoji on the new Samsung Galaxy S9

Text and photos by Nicole Batac

You’ve probably already heard of Samsung’s own take on Apple’s Animoji. The South Korean company is calling it AR Emoji. How Samsung stepped up on its own is by letting you create a 3D avatar based on your looks. This is possible with use of a 3D modeling algorithm and face-tracking technology. We got some hands-on time with the Samsung Galaxy S9 and was able to play around with this feature for a bit.

The default camera app on the S9 brings this feature to life. There is an AR Emoji mode available for both the front and rear cameras of this device. And it’s a simple enough process to setup. There is an option on the app to start the process. It’ll just take a photo of your face and it advises you to take off your glasses or anything that might obstruct its view. Once it captures your likeness, it’ll ask if you’re male or female and from their it generates your 3D avatar. We’re not sure how many 3D avatars you can make but we were able to make two so far during our brief testing of the feature.

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Samsung Canada reveals Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9+ flagship smartphones, touts revolutionary dual-aperture camera

Photo by Nicole BatacBy Gadjo Cardenas Sevilla

Samsung revealed the Galaxy S9 and S9+ flagship devices at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain. Adhering to the look and design introduced last year on the Galaxy S8 and Note 8 devices, the Korean electronics giant has focused instead on catching up on features that are available on the iPhone X as well as enhancing its key differentiators such as the camera and the ability to act as a PC replacement.

Samsung says the latest Galaxy S9 has a revolutionary camera with a Dual Aperture featuring F1.5 and F2.4 modes. Installed on the rear camera (S9)/rear wide camera (S9+, stereo speakers tuned by AKG, and a refined Infinity Display. Other features include a Super Slow-Mo mode, the ability to create emoji based on your face and updated Bixby vision. Both devices are available for pre-order today.

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