Samsung Galaxy A9 - good alternative for the S10

Samsung Galaxy A9 is a premium smartphone for under $500 - our opinion

We have reviewed many smartphones in 2018 and most of them were Samsung from the A and J series. For 2019 we plan to test the brand new Galaxy S10 but before that lets take a look at the awesome A9 (2018). With four main cameras, fast processor and RAM, fast charging and a premium 6.30-inch Super AMOLED display it really stands out from the crowd.

Before we continue with the review I have to point out the fact that this A-series smartphone is not cheap at all with a price of almost $500. But it is definitely worth that price, everything that we see in this phone says quality. We can't say the same thing about all members of the A-series from last year, most of which are basic and reminded us of the more budget Samsung J-series smartphones.

Not to waste any time, here is a good video review of the 2018 Samsung Galaxy A9:

Samsung Galaxy A9 specifications (2018 model):

Network technology
GSM / HSPA / LTE
Status: Available. Released 2018, November
Body: Dimensions 162.5 x 77 x 7.8 mm (6.40 x 3.03 x 0.31 in)
Weight 183 g (6.46 oz)
SIM Dual SIM (Nano-SIM, dual stand-by)
- Samsung Pay
Display: Super AMOLED capacitive touchscreen, 16M colors
Size 6.3 inches, 100.2 cm2 (~80.1% screen-to-body ratio)
Resolution 1080 x 2220 pixels, 18.5:9 ratio (~393 ppi density)
OS: Android 8.0 (Oreo), planned upgrade to Android 9.0 (Pie)
Chipset Qualcomm SDM660 Snapdragon 660 (14 nm)
CPU Octa-core (4x2.2 GHz Kryo 260 & 4x1.8 GHz Kryo 260)
GPU Adreno 512
MEMORY Card slot microSD, up to 512 GB (dedicated slot)
Internal 64/128 GB, 6/8 GB RAM
MAIN CAMERA Quad 24 MP, f/1.7, 27mm (wide), 1/2.8", 0.9µm, PDAF
8 MP, f/2.4, 12mm (ultrawide), 1/4.0", 1.12µm
10 MP f/2.4, 52mm, (telephoto), 1/3.9", 1.0µm, 2x optical zoom
5 MP, f/2.2, 24mm (wide), 1/5.0", 1.12µm, depth sensor
Features LED flash, panorama, HDR
Video 2160p@30fps, 1080p@30fps
SELFIE CAMERA Single 24 MP, f/2.0, 27mm (wide), 1/2.8", 0.9µm
Features HDR
Video 1080p@30fps
SOUND Loudspeaker Yes
3.5mm jack Yes
- Active noise cancellation with dedicated mic
- Dolby Atmos
COMMS WLAN Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, dual-band, Wi-Fi Direct, hotspot
Bluetooth 5.0, A2DP, LE
GPS Yes, with A-GPS, GLONASS, BDS, GALILEO
NFC Yes
Radio FM radio
USB 2.0, Type-C 1.0 reversible connector
FEATURES Sensors Fingerprint (rear-mounted), accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass
- ANT+
BATTERY Non-removable Li-Ion 3800 mAh battery
Charging Fast battery charging 18W
MISC Colors Caviar Black, Lemonade Blue, Bubblegum Pink
SAR 0.27 W/kg (head) 0.84 W/kg (body)
SAR EU 0.35 W/kg (head) 1.59 W/kg (body)
Price About 600 EUR
TESTS Performance Basemark OS II: 2768 / Basemark OS II 2.0: 2353
Basemark X: 20322
Display Contrast ratio: Infinite (nominal), 4.220 (sunlight)
Camera Photo / Video
Loudspeaker Voice 69dB / Noise 72dB / Ring 77dB
Audio quality Noise -90.6dB / Crosstalk -93.8dB

Well, that is a short review of the Samsung Galaxy A9. You are probably already familiar with most of this phone's specs and performance features. We just wanted to say that we liked it a lot, just like the rest of the 2018 A-series model line. You can also check our first impressions of the A6+ which looked much more like a budget phone rather than premium device but still pretty good.