It has been a few months since the Galaxy S9 was released and millions have already picked one up so far. Nevertheless, there have been countless reports about Galaxy S9 sales not being up to Samsung's expectations because of a lack of major changes compared to the Galaxy S8. Customers in Samsung's home country of South Korea seem to be particularly averse to buying the Galaxy S9 because of this reason.
Many Samsung fans who already own the Galaxy S8 don't feel the need to upgrade and would much rather wait for the Galaxy S10 next year. This is a trend that's being witnessed in the smartphone market as a whole. Premium smartphones have become more expensive and people are now holding on to their costly smartphones for longer.
So the question is should you buy the Galaxy S9 or wait for the Galaxy S10? Here's what we think about it.
Buy Galaxy S9 or wait for Galaxy S10?
Danny Dorresteijn
If you're a Galaxy S8 owner then it depends on your preferences. If you like to take a lot of photos on your smartphone then you should certainly buy the Galaxy S9 now because it offers the best photography experience of any Samsung device on the market today.
Even then, the question must ask yourself is whether you can live with your existing handset's camera quality for another 6 months or so. If yes then you should wait for the Galaxy S10 because you'll get a host of other improvements aside from the obvious camera improvements. Or if you feel the need to switch gears, maybe switch from the Galaxy S series to the Galaxy Note series by buying the Galaxy Note 9 which is due in a couple of months.
Martin Reinders
As previously mentioned, premium smartphones are getting expensive and it's quite possible that Samsung may slightly increase the price of the Galaxy S10. If you have north of $750 to spend on a smartphone then I would suggest waiting for the Galaxy S10. It's going to be Samsung's 10th anniversary flagship and we can expect the company to pull out all the stops for the device so you can expect to get great value for money.
If you don't want to spend that much on a new device then I would still suggest waiting for the Galaxy S10. That's because the Galaxy S9 will become slightly cheaper when its successor arrives so it would then be the right time to purchase the Galaxy S9 which is a veritable powerhouse in its own right.
Abhijeet Mishra
I think it all depends on how excited you are to see what the Galaxy S10 brings to the table as the 10th anniversary Galaxy S flagship. And it also depends on whether you're deciding over the regular Galaxy S9 or the Galaxy S9+. The Galaxy S9+ is a great overall package with no big negatives. In fact, it's to the Galaxy S8+ what the Galaxy S7 edge was to the Galaxy S6 edge: Perfection of a new design language, fixing the few things that were wrong with the Galaxy S8+ (basically the problematic fingerprint sensor placement). If you have a Galaxy S8, it's best to stick to it and wait for the Galaxy S10.
But, again, if you're excited for what the Galaxy S10 may bring, like an in-display fingerprint sensor, then it's worth waiting it out the next few months. If you don't want to wait, get the Galaxy S9+. If it's the 5.8-inch Galaxy S9 you're looking at, well, get it if your current device is at least two years old and you're okay with strictly average battery life, the lack of a dual camera setup at the back (and, therefore, the ability to zoom in and take Live Focus bokeh photos), and only 4GB of RAM. Don't take the lower RAM lightly, though. Samsung's software isn't the most optimized out there, so the Galaxy S9+ benefits from the two extra gigs of RAM it has at its disposal at all times and will perform better over long periods of time.
Adnan Farooqui
The Galaxy S8 was such a departure from what Samsung had been doing in the years before that I, like millions of other people, instantly fell in love with the device and have been using it daily ever since it came out. Samsung improved on that winning formula with the Galaxy S9 but I probably wouldn't have paid much attention to the device if I had been just another user and not someone who follows Samsung's every move for a living.
That's likely the case with many Galaxy S8 owners who can't justify the cost of upgrading to the Galaxy S9 because it doesn't bring any significant changes. One also has to recognize the fact that smartphone manufacturers can't rollout revolutionary changes to their smartphones every year which is why Samsung has given us evolutionary models like the Galaxy S7 and the Galaxy S9.
Even if you own an older device like the Galaxy S7 or Galaxy Note 5, I would still suggest that you wait for the Galaxy S10 because it will likely give you more bang for your buck. Samsung is expected to introduce technologies such as an in-display fingerprint sensor and a triple-camera system. Not only that, it will come with Android P out of the box and will be guaranteed to receive major Android platform updates until 2021.
What if I absolutely need to buy the Galaxy S9?
You may have your reasons for that. Maybe your existing phone is damaged or you're upgrading from a mid-range device because your usage requirements have changed. If you absolutely can't wait then it would be best to seek out some of the best Galaxy S9 deals available online so that you save some money in the process. Lucky for you, we have highlighted all of the best Galaxy S9 deals what will save you money.
Already bought the Galaxy S9? Let us know in the comments below your reasons for picking one up and do share if you're planning on buying the Galaxy S10 as well.
