Samsung's S9 tops consumer report ranking
Samsung Electronics' Galaxy S9 and S9 Plus smartphones / Courtesy of Samsung Electronics
By Baek Byung-yeul
Samsung Electronics' latest top-of-the-line smartphones swept the smartphone rankings list of the U.S.-based Consumer Reports magazine.
In the latest evaluation of the magazine that came out on April 13, the Korean tech giant's Galaxy S9 and S9 Plus received 81 overall points each to make it the top of the list.
The handset maker's Galaxy S8 ranked third with 80 overall points, followed by Samsung Galaxy S8 Active (79 points) and Galaxy S8 Plus (79). Its rival Apple's iPhone X placed eighth with 78 points while the iPhone 8 Plus and iPhone 8 took sixth and seventh places with 79 points each.
The magazine said the Galaxy S9 family made “only a modest leap forward” compared to the Galaxy S8 phones, but the upgrade was “worth a look.”
“The new phones offer upgraded security features, super slow-motion video, and a camera that can turn your image into a personalized emoji,” the magazine reported. “In the end, though, it was durability, speedier processing, and top-quality sound that nudged the S9 and S9 Plus just ahead of the competition in an exceptionally crowded field.”
Samsung unveiled its latest phones on Feb. 25 and officially rolled them out on March 16 all over the world.
In terms of durability, Consumer Reports said the Samsung Galaxy S9 phones had just a few minor scratches after submitting the phone to 100 drops in a tumbling machine. This is much improved from its previous flagship Galaxy S8 and S8 Plus as the displays in the S8 were badly broken and not functional after just 50 drops.
The magazine added the overall speed of the S9 is “impressive.” “Apps open in a snap and mobile websites load quickly when you have a fast Internet connection,” the magazine reported. The Galaxy S9 is powered by Qualcomm's top-performing Snapdragon 845 chipset in North America while Samsung uses its own Exynos 9810 processor in other regions.
The Consumer Reports also praised the good sound quality of the S9 phones as they feature stereo speakers but they still lack in battery life.
Based on the magazine's test, the S9's battery lasted 22.5 hours, down from 26 hours for the S8. And the S9 Plus lasted 24 hours, down from 25.5 hours of the S8 Plus.