Samsung Galaxy S9 and S9 Plus Smartphone Review & Comments

razy60

I have a gear4 case which I used initially trouble is as with most of these they add bulk so I went for a skin got from xtremeskins, as for the screen protector biggest problem is finding one that fits around the curve on the screen and doesn't effect the touch screen which is why I went the route I did.

CaptnSpaulding

Which screen protector do you use if you dont mind me asking?

razy60

I use the Whitstone dome.

CaptnSpaulding

Well I finally jumped ship and still unsure if it was for the best - just little niggles!

1. Notifications are a bit here and there. I use Hotukdeals a lot and realised half the notifications don't come through when side by side with my iPhone. They also don't appear to make a sound when the phone is active, they just go to the notification bar.

2. Battery is quite poor! I've installed the August update which was supposed to help battery, but at 5pm yesterday I removed the phone from charge, and by 11pm last night I was down to 15%. This was mainly just using the Twitter app and maybe used the camera for 5-10 minutes.

I bought a £10 glass screen protector from Amazon and it's ok, not perfect though! However I've found a glass protector similar to the Whitestone Dome for £6.99 which I might try. You get a little handheld UV device rather than the big one with the frame on the Whitestone but essentially I guess it's the same idea. I just can't afford £40 on a screen protector especially if it messes up! Especially if I can't get along with the phone after a few days and decide to go back to iPhone

razy60

Battery should give better life, although I don't use Twitter I do have either Amazon music or Spotify on pretty much all day using blutooth headsets, I have NFC  on all the time, then browse various sites plus email running and can get through a day with charge left.
As for notifications never realised got deals so can't comment but most the others work.
Could you let me know what the 6.99 screen is I got the whitestone dome one but would like a back up just in case, tried a few cheap ones but there's  only one word I could use to describe them

CaptnSpaulding

Turns out it was just wrong settings in regards to the notifications - it appears every app has their own notification settings and most of the ones I had issues with for some reason had notification on, however set to the 'silent' tone and hadn't changed to the custom one I set for all notification! A bit weird but at least it's fixed now!

I just took the plunge and bought that cheap liquid glass and it's coming tomorrow so I'll give it a go. This is the one - https://www.amazon.co.uk/Daaseefee-Protector-Friendly-Anti-Fingerprint-Tempered/dp/B07F6HC71X/ref=sr_1_19?ie=UTF8&qid=1535124164&sr=8-19&keywords=liquid s9 glass

Also bought the Spigen Air Skin case as I like slim cases just to protect from scratches. I hate bulky or flip cases - although I really like the look of the Samsung Hyperknit case! Might get that next!

razy60

Cheers for that. I have a gear4 case but took it off for the same reason, looked at a few slim cases on line but want to see one in my hand before I make that decision, I have a skin  on though so stops scratches.

hype_male

Let me ask you guys a quick stupid question. With the  advancement  such as fast processor, high resolution, hdr 10,  can one use phones like samsung note 8 and 9, s8 and s9 as android TV box instead of something like the nvidia shield. I believe the note 9 and s9 can even do 4k at 30 frame per second.

CaptnSpaulding

Well the cheaper screen protector was fantastic - exactly like the dome one really but without the cradle to apply it. You just basically pour the glue in the middle of the screen, put the screen protector on top and wait for the glue to spread.

It was a little messy as some glue does come out of the sides, and you don't get the speaker guard with this like you would with the dome glass so I put some masking tape over it - however no glue came near it.

The only thing is I've had to ask for a refund because over night, some tiny bubbles appeared over the front camera and now I can't use the iris scanner or the front camera for photos as the bubbles have made it all hazy. The dome glass doesn't have this issue as it's got a full cut out along the top where as this one only has a cutout for the speaker. Had it have a cut out along the top it would be perfect so i'm gutted!

The pictures on Amazon do show it having a full cutout though so I'm worried if I order another cheap one off eBay that are similar, that the glass will be the same with only a speaker cutout.

I've heard the Whitestone Dome ones also can get these bubbles so it's nothing to do with the quality, but more the temperature and the way the glue spreads I suppose, but I'm glad I only spent £6.99 not £39.99 and I've had that back anyway!

I'm reluctant at the moment however as I'm not sure if I'm going to send the phone back and go back with iPhone. I'm really trying to like the phone but struggling. From a terrible battery, to unpolished apps. Even though I got some notifications working from my past complaint, they are still very 'random' and sometimes when I unlock my phone I get about 5 notifications together with time stamps from hours ago.

I'm also finding the screen not as responsive as an iPhone (even without the screen protectors and sensitivity option on) i.e sometimes clicking links don't work, or it even thinks I've clicked the link above or below the one I have. It feels like I have to click slightly above links to click the right one.

Camera and screen is beautiful though and screen sharing on my TV is amazing - something I would have to pay over £100 on an iPhone to do as you require Apple TV to do such a simple thing!

I have around 9 days until the end of my 14 day cooling off period to make my mind up so will see if battery gets better and if I can adjust to everything else.

razy60

I ordered one of the ones you pointed to and I have to say it is not even close to the whitestone one, it's plastic not glass to start with, as far as bubbles are concerned never had that issue with the Dome protector.
Not having had a iPhone I can't really comment on useability but the only time I've had issues is with my fat thumbs.
Given that your battery also seems to be an issue as well as the notifications and touch you may have a defective unit, I am by no stretch of the imagination a Samsung lover I dislike  a lot in the way this operates I feel I would have been better going with the Huawei p20 pro but this was too good an offer at the  time , that said getting used to s new operating system does take time.