By now between the Oscars Galaxy sponsorship & a lot of tech Vloggers going wild about the Samsung handset you should be pretty well informed on the Galaxy S9 capabilities. We covered it last week and went into the particulars of the super slow Motion feature which allows for 0.2 seconds of recording at 720p in 960fps frame rate. Needless to say, we were unimpressed with the quality initially based on early tests and we called it out for not really delivering 720p but some low-res aliased abstraction.
But with the new crop of video samples, we were impressed by some footage and let down by other attempts. There is a lot to like in this phone but also something to keep in mind is that a dedicated slow-motion camera will keep the edge over a phone at least for the next few years in quality and detail retention. Dig in for the samples and judge for yourself…
Samsung Galaxy S9 Plus – super slow-mo 960 fps by Marcin Połowianiuk:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EvN3faVlI5c
Samsung Galaxy S9+ super slow motion video 960fps by Fun4sure:
Samsung Galaxy S9: slow motion 960fps – I migliori by AndroidWorld.it:
Samsung Galaxy S9 and S9+: Super Slow-Mo Camera by Tom’s Guide:
Galaxy S9 960 FPS Super Slow-mo – A Close Look! by C4ETech:
Galaxy S9 960 FPS Super Slow-Mo 60 FPS – Cinematic Video! by C4ETech Tamil:
Samsung Galaxy S9 720p slow-mo video sample #3 by GSMArena:
Samsung Galaxy S9 Super slow-mo Würfel by Markus Schöck:
Samsung Galaxy S9 720p slow-mo video sample #2 by GSMArena:
Samsung Sessions: Meet The Slow Mo Guys by Samsung:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sONQezLgffk
Samsung Galaxy S9 720p slow-mo video sample #1 by GSMArena :
Tạo ảnh GIF slow-mo cực chất trên Galaxy S9! by Schannel:
Super Slowmotion Galaxy S9 by Dũng Tiến:
samsung galaxy s9 slow motion test by ALL INDIA VIDEOS:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O_tdMfT82gc
Galaxy S9 | S9+: Super Slow-mo by Samsung Belgium:
Galaxy S9 super slow motion test-ETtoday 3C by ETNEWS:
【Galaxy S9 Super Slow Motion】Clips Collection by mobile01:
What about 240fps in Full HD 1080p?
While we could only find a single example of the 240fps mode on the web, the phone disappointed us with aliased lines and moire patterns. You can record continuously in this mode with no apparent time limit but the quality is not that great. We give the nod to the iPhone X and 8 in this respect as the 240fps 1080p quality is better in every way.
Galaxy S9 240p 108p- Slow Motion Diving Test by Cape Town Guy:
What about 4k 60fps?
We are happy to report that the Samsung Galaxy S9 does excellent 4k 60fps video with just a little bit of aliasing patterns seen in diagonal lines and a lot of detail. It is broadcast quality for news media easily. We liked the color, dynamic range and low light capabilities and of course the fact that it records audio in this mode as well.
Galaxy S9 Disney World Camera (4K 60fps) by Danny Winget:
Galaxy S9 Final Notes:
There is no question the Galaxy S9 and S9+ are incredible smartphones that offer better value than most everything out there as Samsung has opted to stay below the $900 price tag instead of exceeding 1,000USD like in the case of other devices like the iPhone X.
The 4k 60fps is excellent as is the regular 4k UHD modes. The 240fps mode leaves a sour taste as it is not as detailed or usable as the iPhone’s version but it is still more detailed than previous Samsung efforts in that frame rate. We would still not consider it 1080p but an upscaled 720p at best. Keep that in mind.
As for the main slow motion flagship feature of 960fps at HD 720p which records for 0.2 seconds or 6.4 seconds of playback at 30fps, it shows just how limited and still low quality super slow motion can be on phones. Sure it can create some very cool shots and for sharing on social media most people would find them fun and memorable but not if you plan to use this feature in a production or Vlogging environment. You are better off getting any of the top 10 cameras on our Camera Guide for producing much more compelling material with quality that is several notches up on the S9.
The Sony Xperia XZ2 also launched at MWC 2018 last month but we found it very limiting in 1080p with a resolution that is lower than advertised and just 0.1 seconds record time which translates to just 3.2 seconds at 30fps playback. We will have an article reviewing that phone’s slow-motion feature and comparing it to the S9. Stay tuned!
Maybe the best part about the Galaxy S9 is that it is a solid phone all around that will be able to keep up with your tech needs for more than a couple of years. The 4k video is beautiful as is the still image quality. We would opt for the S9+ with the dual camera setup as it will produce better Bokeh separation. However, the regular S9 is also a very good phone and 95% as good for a lot less money.
Now that Samsung has delivered their 2018 flagship phone for the masses it will be interesting what Apple has in store as well as Google to counter punch the Galaxy S9. Will super slow motion with better quality grace the new devices? We certainly hope so and for crying out loud, if you advertise 1080p or 720p video quality in slow motion, stick to real resolution and do not feed us a sub-par image, this is something that needs fixing. -HSC
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