Samsung unveiled the Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9+ at the Galaxy Unpacked 2018 event in Barcelona on Sunday, grabbing headlines a day before the Mobile World Congress (MWC) kicks off. While the smartphones look virtually identical to their predecessors, they do pack in some significant upgrades in the...

It's interesting when a company uses a bold statement like: "The camera reimagined," all while referring to a smartphone. It actually took me a few days to understand the purpose for a camera to be added to my Motorola V600 back in 2004.

- Best allrounder; - Camera innovation with variable aperture; - Great design; - Software brings secure features like Secure Folder; - S8+ complaints fixed

Large; slippery and fragile; Camera needs update for low light; AR Emoji needs work; Version of Android Oreo already outdated; Inteligent Scan needs update

One final attribute for the Galaxy S9+ that we need to weigh in is cost. Fortunately, we're already seeing both the with a March 16th availability date. The Galaxy S9+ retails for $839 unlocked while an S9 weighs in at $719.

Gorgeous; Refined; Slightly Smaller Design; Samsung Super AMOLED Is The Best; Fastest Android Phone On Market Now; Amazing Camera Performance; Innovative Features; Solid Battery Life

Pricey; Camera Modes Twitchy With Accidental Actuation; Black Units Are Smudge Magnets

Simply put, the Samsung Galaxy S9 Plus is a bigger version of the Samsung Galaxy S9. (Check out our Samsung S9 review to find out more about the S9 Plus's smaller sibling.) And this comes without the S9 Plus being that much different to last year's Samsung Galaxy S8, either.

Standout dual-lens camera system; Luxe 6.2-inch Super AMOLED display; Better-placed fingerprint sensor

Similar to Galaxy S8 Plus; More expensive than S9

Last year's Galaxy S8+ was slightly held back by a few annoying niggles, such as the awkward fingerprint sensor placement, all of which have been rectified in the Galaxy S9+. Samsung could certainly be accused of simply recycling last year's design, but it was really great in 2017 and is just as...

128GB + microSD card slot; wireless charging; IP68; fantastic screen; excellent camera; iris scanner + face recognition combo; great fingerprint scanner; notification LED; headphone socket

battery life could be better; very similar to S8+ design; Bixby button can't be remapped

It's not revolutionary, but the Samsung Galaxy S9+ sets the bar for smartphones in 2018, with the best hardware features you can get.

Gorgeous screen; Beautiful body; Spectacular network performance; Dual main cameras with excellent low-light capture; Loud audio

Camera software oversharpens images; AR Emoji and Bixby disappoint

The Galaxy S9 ( $719.99 at Amazon.com ) is great, but the Galaxy S9 Plus is objectively the better phone, and the one power users should get if they can't choose between the two. In previous years, the Plus model was the same as the Galaxy S, but bigger, with a larger battery, too.

The Galaxy S9 Plus one-ups the excellent Galaxy S9 with a second rear camera for taking portrait photos

Battery life fell short of last year's model in our early tests, and the Galaxy S9 Plus suffers from the same underbaked extras as the smaller Galaxy S9; The dual-aperture camera tends to overexpose low-light photos in auto mode

It seems like every year we declare Samsung's flagships the best ever in their class. It's becoming repetitive, but it doesn't make it any less true – the Korean chaebol's newest flagships are the best to come out so far this year and their best ever.

When we reviewed Samsung's large-screened new Galaxy smartphone last year, the Galaxy S8+ , we described it as "futuristic" for its huge display and edge-to-edge design. But the future arrived quickly afterward as most major smartphone makers, Apple included, adopted some version of a large,...

As always, the Samsung Galaxy S9+ isn't the perfect smartphone, but then what really is? Manufacturers on the Android system have found their niches and specialities; while OnePlus might be known for its performance and speed, Google Pixel phones are reputed for camera and software.