After a long wait, Samsung just launched the Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9+. The pair featured regularly on the rumor mill over the past couple of months. So, as is the case with a lot of flagships, today's launch event serves as a mere confirmation for details which have surfaced regularly over the past 3-4 months. As expected, the Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9+ are incremental upgrades over their predecessors. So without further ado, let's take a look at what has changed and what hasn't.

The Samsung Galaxy S9 And Galaxy S9+ Are Official; Feature Qualcomm's Snapdragon 845, 4/6GB RAM, [X]MP Rear Camera Resolution With Little Overall Form Upgrades

After Apple launched the iPhone X with FaceID last year, the smartphone world changed significantly. Prior to the September iPhone launch event, the big new features for flagships were edge to edge displays and 10nm processors. Apple raised the bar in both of these and added its proprietary True Depth camera setup in the mix as well. All these combined put Android on the back foot. Users and industry followers looked to Samsung for a reply - since it's the only company with adequate resources and experience to take on Apple.

With the Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9+, Samsung looks unfazed and comfortable in its own skin. The Korean tech giant follows through with its Galaxy S8 form factor. The S9 pair look similar to their predecessors, and upgrade only in key specifications. These include the rear cameras and the processors. Apart from that, they offer pretty much the same features.

Performance:

The Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9+ feature Qualcomm's Snapdragon 845. The processor is second generation 10nm, and brings several performance improvements to the devices. Dividing them into computing and graphics, it's the latter which once again takes the lead on Qualcomm's flagship processor. The Snapdragon 845 features four Kryo Gold and four Kryo Silver cores. These are modeled on ARM's Cortex A75 and Cortex A55 respectively. The Gold cores can reach 2.88GHz while the Silver cores can reach 1.8GHz frequencies.

The CPU is accompanied by Qualcomm's Adreno 630 GPU - which is its strongest points. We've manged to get our hands on some preliminary benchmarks for both the CPU and GPU. These suggest that while the Snapdragon 845 lags behind Samsung's Exynos 9810 and Apple's A11 in computing scores, it comfortably leads in graphics. So, if you love smartphone gaming, do consider buying the Galaxy S9 or Galaxy S9+. Qualcomm will not disappoint, that's for sure.

RAM is one area where Samsung does disappoint this year. The Galaxy S9 comes with 4GB and the Galaxy S9+ with 6GB. For 2018 flagships, especially those powered by second generation 10nm processors, this is inadequate. Performance will take a hit and the pair will not achieve output that the processor is capable of generating.

Moving towards battery life, capacity remains unchanged over the year. The Galaxy S9 feature a 3000mAh battery pack. The larger Galaxy S9+ features a 3500mAh cell. Both of these are similar to the Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+. However, owing to upgraded processors, the S9 and S9+ will offer greater battery life, even though battery specifications remain unchanged over their predecessors.

Design And Display:

Display is perhaps Samsung's strongest aspect when it comes to smartphones. The Korean tech giant is the world's largest smartphone display manufacturer - and this shows in all of its devices. The Samsung Galaxy S9 has a 5.8" Super AMOLED Capacitive touch display. The S9+ features a similar 6.2" display. However, surface area for the display increases this year. Top and bottom bezels are slightly thinner than those on the Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+, as promised by the rumor mill.

Right now, it's not certain whether the Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9+ feature Y-Octa displays. Last year, Y-Octa made it only on the Galaxy S8. Display resolution for both the smartphones is 1440x2960, resulting in a 18.5:9 aspect ratio. They also feature 3D touch. Samsung also equips the smartphones with a MicroSD slot, available for only the dual SIM variants. Samsung makes sure that the design is as seamless as possible. The Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9+'s Iris scanner is now invisible and the home button is pressure sensitive - located under the screen.

Aesthetically, the Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9+ are very sleek smartphones. Samsung changes the rear fingerprint sensor's position this year. It is now located under the camera sensor, which will improve usability. The edge to edge displays blend in perfectly with the overall form. The back of the devices is made of glass and sides are metal. The devices are also IP68 dust and waterproof. Samsung also equips the smartphones with a 3.5mm earphone jack, refusing to follow the bandwagon led by Apple. Finally they are available in four colors. These are Black, Blue, Purple and Gray.

Camera And Miscellaneous:

The biggest upgrade on the Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9+ is for the camera. Exhibiting a laser like focus on the feature, Samsung makes big upgrades on its 2018 flagship smartphones. These are partly motivated to keep up with Google, whose Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL outperform nearly every smartphone in the market when it comes to photography.

The Samsung Galaxy S9 features a variable aperture rear camera setup, allowing the device to shift between f/1.5 and f/2.4. However, Samsung will allow only f/1.5 or f/2.4, no widths in between. The Galaxy S9+ on the other hand comes with a dual camera setup - a first for the Galaxy S9 lineup. It will also feature a variable aperture setup and reduces overall image noise through 4-frame stacking. Overall, the Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9+ reduce image noise by as much as 30%.

Camera resolution is 12MP for the Galaxy S9 and 12+12MP for the Galaxy S9+. The Galaxy S9 and the S9+'s smaller sensor have similar 26mm focal lengths and 1.4µm pixel size. The Galaxy S9+'s secondary camera sensor features a 52mm focal length, a f/2.4 aperture and 1 µm pixel size. The standout feature for both the smartphones is that their camera adjusts instantly to take the shot.

This results in much accurate capture of light, a feature which Samsung claims drew inspiration from the human eye. The Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9+ can also record 4K video at 60fps. With super Slo-mo, you can also record video at 960fps. One of the best features of both the smartphones is Samsung's AI for slo-mo.

This allows them to begin recording automatically, so if you have trouble capturing shots such as balloons popping, Samsung's got your back. You can set these super Slo-mo videos as your lock screen as well, which is a really cool addition from Samsung. Emojis are also official, with the Galaxy S9/S9+ are able to create 18 different AR emojis. OIS, Dual Pixel Auto Focus and a single LED flash are also present.

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Price, Availability And Miscellaneous:

A big and very important upgrade on the Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9+ is support for Dolby Atmos. According to Samsung, the pair's new speaker system, which includes front facing grilles, bounces sound around in 3D around the device. This creates an immersive, surround sound experience. At its keynote, Samsung went to a special length to ensure that users understand the importance of Samsung Knox. According to Samsung, Knox is the most widely approved platform by both customers and governments.

The devices will be available in stores starting March 16th. Samsung also improves grip and ergonomics, with subtle attention paid on the pair's sides. The Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9+ will be available in 64, 128 and 256GB variants. Samsung has truly delivered with the camera this year, paying attention to nearly every specific detail and specifications which matters. Bixby, will take photographs of your food and show you how much calories you're about to consume. For all the ladies, when you buy your makeup, Bixby will allow you to 'try it on' virtually.

Pricing and specifics for availability are yet to be announced. Thoughts? Let us know what you think in the comments section below and stay tuned. We'll keep you updated on the latest. And, looking for some images? We've got your back. Here are 33 official images for the Samsung Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9+. Enjoy.

Update: Here are pricing details for the smartphones, for carriers and Samsung unlocked.