Samsung launches new S9 phone with augmented reality features

Samsung's new S9 and S9 Plus devices are displayed after a presentation ceremony on the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain February 25, 2018. REUTERS/Sergio Perez

Samsung unveiled its new flagship smartphone on Sunday with a cope with augmented actuality choices as a result of it seeks to take care of its title as a result of the world's largest smartphone maker.The South Korean company showcased the Galaxy S9 on the eve of the official start of the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, which comes after a 12 months of flat smartphone product sales.

With no completely different primary handset maker using the annual event, the world's largest cellphone current, to launch a model new flagship gadget this 12 months, Samsung had the possibility to grab the spotlight.

The S9 choices primarily the an identical design as remaining 12 months's earlier flagship, with the overall show display screen and curved glass fringe of the S8, which was adopted by Apple's iPhone X and others.

Nevertheless it consists of louder sound, a sooner processor and software program program that turns selfies into animated emojis, which might enchantment to consumers who're increasingly preferring to utilize their telephones to ship textual content material messages fairly than talking.

Samsung moreover included a twin lense camara on the Galaxy S line for the first time, which might improve low-light seize and enhance sluggish motion video, which is widespread on social media.

A service powered by artificial intelligence (AI) permits clients to degree its digital digicam to right away translate a sign in a worldwide language.

Moreover it's one in all many few flagship telephones left that additionally comes with an unusual headphone jack.

"No matter these incremental enhancements, Samsung ought to neatly leverage its mannequin and promoting machine to appropriately place the model new smartphones to a viewers," talked about Forrester analyst Thomas Husson.

Worldwide smartphone product sales fell by 6.three % inside the fourth quarter due to slower than anticipated Christmas product sales, according to evaluation company IDC.

Whole world smartphone product sales for 2017 had been practically flat -- down zero.1 % at 1.47 billion fashions -- as cellphone makers struggled to give you enhancements that encourage prospects to enhance their devices.

Value points

Samsung suffered a humiliating recall of its Galaxy Observe 7 gadget in 2016 after quite a few devices exploded, nonetheless its Galaxy eight smartphone was a shopper and vital success.

Whereas it saved its lead over Apple as a result of the world's largest vendor of smartphones in 2017 with a 21.6 % market share, up from 21.1 % inside the earlier 12 months, Samsung faces stiffer rivals from Chinese language language rivals like Huawei and Xiaomi that present cheaper handsets with many high-end choices.

The S9 will promote for 859 euros ($1,055), a price which analysts warned could flip off many patrons.

Whereas the S9's digital digicam is "markedly completely completely different" in prime quality from older smartphones that folk already private "consumers may delay purchase as a result of rising flagship prices," IHS Markit talked about in a evaluation bear in mind.

"Samsung ought to work laborious to market some great benefits of these designs to counter detrimental pricing notion."

Huawei unveiled a model new laptop computer laptop and capsule in Barcelona earlier on Sunday nonetheless will present its new flagship smartphone the P20 on March 27 in Paris.Thomas talked about this may occasionally allow it to "improbable tune its promoting message based mostly totally on how the model new Samsung S9 devices are perceived by consumers".

Earlier on Sunday South Korea's LG unveiled the V30S -- an updated mannequin of its flagship V30 smartphone launched six months prior to now -- which choices larger memory and artificial intelligence-based utilized sciences that consider pictures and voice recognition.

Higher than 100,000 individuals are anticipated to descend on Barcelona for the annual current, which choices driverless carmakers, social media giants and chip companies together with handset makers.