MWC 2018: Samsung Galaxy S9 Press Event Live Blog (5pm UTC, Noon ET)
by Ian Cutress & Anton Shilov on February 25, 2018 11:30 AM EST11:55AM EST - This is it. The biggest unkept secret in recent tech media, now coming to Mobile World Congress. Samsung's show is busy, and we're sitting as far forward as we were able to get, after queuing for two hours. This is Samsung, let us be your guides.
11:56AM EST - You've got all three of us here for the Samsung event - Ian on text, Anton on images, and Andrei working on secret projects :)
11:56AM EST - Samsung is in a different venue this year, using Fira Hall 1 from the old venue. Samsung used to be at a different venue across town, now taken by Huawei
11:57AM EST - But there seems to be nearly 5000 people here for the press event. It's huuuge
11:57AM EST - Three minutes to go. We think
11:57AM EST - For the show Samsung is using AR, based on the badges we have
12:02PM EST - Here we go
12:02PM EST - Andrei's article just went live: https://www.anandtech.com/show/12460/samsung-announces-the-galaxy-s9
12:02PM EST - Or follow the live blog here to get witty commentary of the announcement
12:02PM EST - Video time
12:03PM EST - I just saw a washing machine and a smartwatch
12:03PM EST - 'Do What You Can't'
12:04PM EST - Lots of people saying can't
12:04PM EST - Then lots of people doing the thinks they were told they can't do
12:05PM EST - President, Head of IT comms division, DJ Koh
12:05PM EST - The odd venue means he is difficult to see directly
12:05PM EST - It's an exciting time to be at MWC - incredible advances in technology have created the perfect conditions for innocation and change
12:06PM EST - Virtual Reality, AI, powerful processors, IoT
12:06PM EST - Now Hardware AI
12:06PM EST - The Intelligence of Things - the new IoT
12:06PM EST - Companies from our industry how they plan to change the world
12:06PM EST - but Samsung has a different view
12:06PM EST - Samsung believes the impact is overestimated - it is people that change the world, not technology
12:07PM EST - The world is only changed when the technology is in peoples hands, and our lives are transformed
12:07PM EST - Creators and innovators
12:07PM EST - New possibility that opens the door to a universe of new experiences
12:07PM EST - There is no better proof than the mobile phone
12:08PM EST - When we saw what the smartphone could do, we wondered what else was possible
12:08PM EST - Taking pictures, watching videos, listening to music
12:08PM EST - Samsung is inspired by questions that customers ask
12:08PM EST - A company of innovators, designers, engineers, committed to listening to customers
12:08PM EST - Take the challenge to work harder to get tomorrows essential capabilities
12:09PM EST - Samsung built the first MP3 player, first phone with a camera - we created the phablet, and pioneered the infinity display
12:09PM EST - For all the progress we have made, there is lot of work still to do
12:10PM EST - Technology is still too complicated - too many features are still left unused
12:10PM EST - Committed to open innovation, so all smart devices work seemlessly across a connected life
12:10PM EST - Today unveiling a new Galaxy smartphone with software and services to manage every facet of your connected life
12:10PM EST - The smartphone learns from you, to simplify
12:10PM EST - New SmartThings App
12:11PM EST - To congrol all your smarthings devices
12:11PM EST - across SmartTV to refridgerator
12:11PM EST - Help you live better
12:11PM EST - and healthier
12:11PM EST - Smartphone with a built-in heart-rate monitor. Now an optic sensor to show how hard your heart is beating
12:11PM EST - UCSF first program to use this sensor
12:12PM EST - Tracking health and fitness
12:12PM EST - But for all the changes we have seen, nothing is more important than images replacing words
12:12PM EST - Images convey who we are
12:12PM EST - The most important function of a phone is no longer making calls
12:13PM EST - It is all about visual communication
12:13PM EST - Sharing videos and emoji
12:13PM EST - Transform the way we use the phones
12:14PM EST - We still squeeze a camera into a device based for talking
12:14PM EST - Low-light and action shots are difficult problems to solve
12:14PM EST - At Samsung it is time for a new smartphone that takes great pictures
12:14PM EST - Built around an amazing smartphone
12:14PM EST - Inspired to take us to places we would never imagine to go
12:14PM EST - First smartphone built for how people use their phone today
12:15PM EST - All about how to experience the world tomorrow
12:15PM EST - I give you: Galaxy S9 and S9+
12:15PM EST - Video time
12:16PM EST - There seems to be a rose colored phone on the video
12:17PM EST - S9 and S9+
12:18PM EST - SVP Product Marketing, Justin Denison, to the stage
12:18PM EST - The way we use smartphones is changing
12:19PM EST - We use our phones in front of our face, not held up our ear
12:19PM EST - The most personal devices we own
12:19PM EST - Committed to making phones that reflect our users
12:19PM EST - For the social and visual generation
12:20PM EST - Infinity Display
12:20PM EST - More screen in less space
12:20PM EST - Built on this foundation, refining it
12:20PM EST - Uninterrupted display
12:20PM EST - There's no notch
12:20PM EST - Refined the back of the phone
12:20PM EST - We still have it
12:21PM EST - Moved the fingerprint to underneath the camera
12:21PM EST - Giving users more choice by introducing Intelligence Scan
12:21PM EST - key elements of face recognition and iris scanning
12:21PM EST - Feedback extends to colors
12:21PM EST - Four colors - midnight black, titanium grey, coral blue, and lilac purple
12:22PM EST - Using AR to simulate what an S9 is like
12:23PM EST - Can check out the phone
12:23PM EST - a sleek refined the display
12:23PM EST - 'Looks great in your hand'
12:24PM EST - >I guess that's a cheap way of showing off a phone that isn't mass produced yet...
12:24PM EST - Device is designed for the social and visual generation
12:24PM EST - Extends to the camera
12:24PM EST - Create the phone around the camera
12:25PM EST - Make the camera adapt to the environment
12:25PM EST - Jon Wong to the stage, Director Product Marketing
12:26PM EST - Taking a dark group photo
12:26PM EST - Samsung has always been committed to leading the industry with camera technology
12:26PM EST - Taking brilliant photos at any time of day
12:26PM EST - Modeled on the human eye
12:27PM EST - adjusting the aperture size based on light levels
12:27PM EST - S9 has a dual aperture smartphone camera, designed to work like the human eye
12:27PM EST - If it is bright, the camera will use the smaller aperture
12:27PM EST - In the dark, it uses the widest ever aperture in a smartphone
12:27PM EST - F/1.5 and F/2.4
12:27PM EST - S9 has a DRAM chip directly into the camera
12:28PM EST - new SuperSpeed Dual Pixel Image Sensor
12:28PM EST - Can process 4x data than before
12:28PM EST - Result: taking incredible shots in super bright or super dark
12:28PM EST - The S9 camera adjusts instantly, quicker than the human eye
12:29PM EST - Everyone loves slomo
12:29PM EST - It makes everything look epic
12:29PM EST - Make everyday moments epic
12:29PM EST - Taking slomo to even more epic
12:29PM EST - The DRAM powers the new Slomo experience
12:30PM EST - Record videos up to 960 FPS (at 720p)
12:30PM EST - Invited the Slo Mo Guys to do a demo on stage
12:30PM EST - Not on stage, just a video
12:31PM EST - One of the Slo Mo Guys will be doing demos after the press event
12:32PM EST - Typical SloMo is 240 FPS, S9 is 960 FPS
12:32PM EST - Multi-take allows up to 20 different SloMo scenes in a single take
12:33PM EST - Auto-capture enables slo-mo when anything happens in a certain area
12:33PM EST - Also create gifs
12:33PM EST - Live Demo
12:33PM EST - >It only records slomo for 0.2s
12:33PM EST - demo on stage of water in a glass
12:34PM EST - Automatic background music can be added
12:34PM EST - Set slomo video as the lock screen
12:35PM EST - Partnering with The Dodo and Buzzfeed to make videos
12:35PM EST - microSD up to 400 GB
12:35PM EST - >Does Samsung even make a 400GB microSD yet?
12:36PM EST - S9+ gets a dual camera wide-angle and telephoto lens. OIS in both
12:36PM EST - take clear focus shots
12:36PM EST - Capture more of the action
12:36PM EST - Live Focus enabled bokeh portraits during and after the shot
12:36PM EST - IP68 rating
12:36PM EST - 'Do not recommend using in a swimming pool'
12:37PM EST - This is what it means to reimagine the camera
12:37PM EST - Also visual intelligence
12:37PM EST - Erin Willis to the stage, Senior Manager for Channel Marketing
12:38PM EST - People are always looking to personalize the way they communicate
12:38PM EST - S9 is using augmented reality to map your features and expressions
12:38PM EST - create emojis that look like you
12:38PM EST - AR emoji
12:38PM EST - Easy to create and personalize
12:39PM EST - As simple as taking a selfie
12:39PM EST - Takes about 15 seconds to create
12:40PM EST - Post personalization to adjust hair color, hair amount, accessories, skin color etc
12:40PM EST - Can also add voice message
12:40PM EST - Create 18 personalized emoji
12:40PM EST - Share AR emoji with any other smartphone
12:41PM EST - Can be used with third party apps
12:42PM EST - >Now doing emoji demos
12:43PM EST - Can also use familiar faces - Mickey Mouse
12:43PM EST - partnership with Disney
12:43PM EST - Now Bixby
12:43PM EST - Introduced last year
12:43PM EST - Bixby uses AI to translate and show search results
12:44PM EST - Now using Google Translate via Bixby to translate a menu
12:45PM EST - Also use Bixby AI to detect what food you have, and logs food info into Samsung Health
12:45PM EST - Can also use the AI for shopping
12:45PM EST - Bixby Makeup Mode
12:46PM EST - Try on makeup in a virtual context, and use Bixby to buy it through the camera
12:46PM EST - At launch, available in US/Canada/China
12:46PM EST - Compatible with AR Core
12:47PM EST - Mark Notton, Director Product Portfolio, to the stage
12:47PM EST - Talking about the rest of the phone
12:47PM EST - The S9 and S9+ displays are totally immersive
12:48PM EST - 5.8-inch and 6.2-inch
12:48PM EST - 18.5:9 display
12:48PM EST - Boosted the brightness in the screen - vivid viewing day or night
12:49PM EST - S9 has speakers on both ends of the device. Loudest ever in a Galaxy device
12:49PM EST - Tuned by AKG, partnered with Dolby Atmos
12:49PM EST - Moves sound all around in three dimensions
12:50PM EST - Now making jokes about 3.5mm jack. These phones have them
12:50PM EST - Aiming for a better experience
12:50PM EST - Using the most advanced chipsets on the market
12:50PM EST - Fastest downloading speeds available on a smartphone
12:51PM EST - Improving the multitasking experience
12:51PM EST - Suitable apps can open notifications in a small window without interrupting what you are doing
12:51PM EST - Seemlessly switching between tasks
12:51PM EST - Homescreen supports horizontal orientation
12:52PM EST - Fast wireless charging
12:52PM EST - Quick convenient charge without cords
12:52PM EST - An experience that is more intune with how you live your life
12:52PM EST - It revolutionizes how a generation things what smartphones can be
12:52PM EST - S9 is Samsung's vision for the future of mobile phones
12:53PM EST - EVP Head of Software and AI, ES Chung, to the stage
12:53PM EST - Using the power of technology to make life easier
12:54PM EST - From feature phones to smartphones
12:54PM EST - new frontiers of VR, AR, AI, and ML
12:54PM EST - Provide the best possible experience between hardware and software
12:54PM EST - Having a profound impact
12:54PM EST - Becoming a global leader in chips and sensors, and software and services
12:54PM EST - The mobile device at the center of your connected life
12:55PM EST - Getting the most out of the phone - making the experience faster, better, and more intuitive
12:55PM EST - Samsung Pay
12:55PM EST - Now available in 20 market
12:55PM EST - Still expanding
12:56PM EST - Samsung Health
12:56PM EST - Experience is as simple as touching a sensor, taking a photo of food, or wearing a watch
12:56PM EST - Also controlling devices in the home
12:56PM EST - Bixby is the intelligence platform that makes it easier to use the phone how you want
12:56PM EST - Understanding the world around you
12:57PM EST - Just the tip of the iceburg
12:57PM EST - Companies need to handle sensitive data with care and responsibility
12:57PM EST - Samsung Knox
12:57PM EST - Knox has recieved more security approvals from governments and businesses than any other platform
12:57PM EST - Knox is enterprise ready
12:58PM EST - Full suite of services for corporate management
12:58PM EST - Knox works for business, even when businesses change rapidly
12:58PM EST - Creating productive workspaces with DeX
12:58PM EST - Enterprise Mobility
12:59PM EST - New DeX pad and Knox integration
12:59PM EST - this is an exciting frontier for technology
12:59PM EST - Multi-layered approach to software
12:59PM EST - Intelligence is now embedded over everything
01:00PM EST - The goal for Bixby is: Ubiquitous, Personal, Everywhere, and Open
01:00PM EST - Engineers are pushing the boundaries for mobile intelligence to the next level
01:00PM EST - Bixby 2.0 coming later in the year
01:00PM EST - 'I'll be back'
01:00PM EST - DJ Koh back to the stage
01:01PM EST - Very excited about the S9
01:01PM EST - Coming March 16th
01:01PM EST - Pre-order at Samsung.com and partners
01:01PM EST - also Trade-Up and Save
01:02PM EST - S9 Enterprise Edition for enterprise customers also available on March 16th
01:02PM EST - S9 will make your life more fun
01:03PM EST - And that is a wrap. Time for final video and hands on.
01:04PM EST - .
10 Comments
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Shahidbaber - Sunday, February 25, 2018 - link
No comments yet?prophet001 - Monday, February 26, 2018 - link
ehNot impressed.
Just a phone for the sake of selling phones.
Jedi2155 - Tuesday, February 27, 2018 - link
I don't see a big reason to update to what the S9 is offering if you're coming from the 8th gen series.Biggest selling points for those from the last gen are:
960 FPS camera
Dual Speakers
Slightly shifted fingerprint reader.
Everything else is just mild updates (slightly faster SOC, software improvements etc.).
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