Samsung Galaxy A9 2018, the latest high-end smartphone from the South Korean phone maker, has four rear cameras. That's right, you didn't get it wrong. It was also the first smartphone in the world to have so many rear cameras. It seems that Samsung is trying to convince buyers that more cameras yield a better result.

In fact, Samsung claims that the 2018 Galaxy A9 2018 is "optimized for Instagram", and that is enough to see which type of users the brand is trying to aim with this phone: young users who consider the camera one of the most important factors when buying a smartphone.

Of course, the biggest highlight of the Galaxy A9 2018 is the rear four-camera cluster, but that doesn't mean the rest of its specs should be overlooked. The device is equipped with a 6.3-inch Super AMOLED screen with FullHD + resolution (2220x1080 pixels), Qualcomm Snapdragon 660 processor, 6GB / 8GB RAM, 128GB internal memory with memory card slot, 3800 mAh battery with fast charging support and 24MP selfie camera. But is that enough for the Galaxy A9 2018 to compete with Chinese competitors such as Huawei or Xiaomi?

Samsung Galaxy A9 2018: Design

While Samsung is still reluctant to go for the notch design started by its biggest rival Apple, the brand has decided to use the gradient design that many Chinese phone makers have widely used. The Galaxy A9 2018 is Samsung's first smartphone to follow the gradient design, as part of its new strategy in the mid-range / high-end segment: Bringing new features and designs to its mid-range smartphones first then deploying them to the flagship S and Note line.

Samsung Galaxy A9 2018: Display

Galaxy A9 2018 uses a 6.3-inch Super AMOLED screen, featuring a 18.5:9 aspect ratio, Full HD + resolution (1080 x 2220 pixels), and a pixel density of 392 ppi. The quality of the panel still carries the full characteristics of the Super AMOLED screen: good brightness, comfortable outdoor use, wide viewing angle, high contrast, and deep black. Samsung's "display optimization" mode pushes the color saturation significantly up, making the image more fresh and flattering. Of course, Samsung also has different types of AMOLED panel. The Super AMOLED panel on the S and Note series is a tier above compared to the one on the A series.

One of the biggest advantages of AMOLED screens compared to LCD screens is the Always On Display feature, which displays basic information (date and time, notifications, ...) when you are not using and it doesn’t consume a lot of battery.. Users can also schedule this feature, such as turning off when going to bed from 12am to 7am the next morning to save even more battery.

Samsung Galaxy A9 2018: Performance

In terms of performance, the Galaxy A9 2018 is equipped with Snapdragon 660 SoC. This mid-range chipset is 20 percent more efficient than the Snapdragon 636 and is 79 percent more efficient than the Snapdragon 625. Compared to Samsung’s inhouse Exynos 7885 on the Galaxy A7 2018, the Snapdragon 660 is more powerful. For normal multitasking needs, 6GB RAM is more than enough. If you need to store a lot of data and 128GB isn’t enough, Samsung provides a microSD card slot that you can use to expand the phone’s storage up to 512GB.

The device has a fast app opening time. You won’t also have to wait long for the device to load games or process photos. It can handle popular games well like Dead Triggers 2 or CrossFire: Legends at highest graphics settings with 58 to 60 fps on average. However, somehow the Galaxy A9 2018 can’t handle PUBG Mobile as it only achieves around 25 fps with the game while other phones with the same hardware configuration can get 30 fps. You might feel the phone heat up during heavy gaming sessions.

Samsung Galaxy A9 2018: Camera

The quad rear camera setup is certainly a feature that many users are paying attention to on the Galaxy A9 2018. Obviously, having more cameras doesn't necessarily mean having higher camera quality. However, with quad rear cameras, you will have more options in taking pictures. For example, smartphones with dual camera setup usually have a main camera and a wide-angle or a depth sensor camera. 

Meanwhile, the Galaxy A9's quad rear camera setup includes a 24MP primary shooter, an 8MP ultra-wide-angle camera with a 120-degree viewing angle, a 10MP telephoto lens with 2x optical zoom and a 5MP portrait camera. On the front, it gets a 24MP selfie camera.With such a versatile setup, the Galaxy A9 2018 is a very good pick for those who love taking pictures.

In terms of software, the camera app of the  A9 2018 is nearly the same with that of the Galaxy A7 2018. It has multiple camera modes such as panorama, professional (Pro), portrait, beauty, slow-mo video, Hyperlapse, and AR Emoji. 

Samsung Galaxy A9 2018: Battery

The GAlaxy A9 2018 has a fairly beefy battery with 3,800mAh in capacity. In our regular battery test, the handset achieved a very impressive result. We could watch movies for 14 hours and 11 minutes or play games for 6 hours 3 minutes or surf websites for 7 hours and 12 minutes. It is worth noting that we only calculate the battery life from 100% to 10% percent, so it means the battery life of this phone could be longer than what we have tested.

According to AccuBattery's data, the device has an on-screen time of about 9 hours 16 minutes. In standby mode, the device consumes about 1.8% per hour when 4G / Wi-Fi is turned on continuously to receive notifications, and Always On Display is only turned off during the period from 12:00 to 7:00 am.

The Galaxy A9 2018 still integrates Samsung's Adaptive Fast Charging technology, equivalent to Qualcomm's Quick Charge 2.0. The charger included inside the device is a fast charger, but unfortunately the device does not support wireless charging technology.