Mabuhay, Manila.
Fresh from China, this smartphone that’s pushing the phablet category is just begging to be your next daily driver.
This is the full review of the Samsung Galaxy C9 Pro.
Design
Upon seeing the device, the mighty 6.0-inch display size has to be the second biggest smartphone of Samsung, the Galaxy W currently holds the record at 7”.
Aside from the screen that mostly occupies the front space, there will be the selfie camera, the earpiece, ambient light/proximity sensor and the LED notification light.
The chin will be housing two backlit navigational keys and the home button that doubles as a fingerprint sensor.
A nifty always-on display feature is available on the C9 Pro.
The C9 Pro is clad in metal unibody that curves to the sides that allows a seamless feel.
Samsung is introducing the next-generation design of antenna lines, consisting of three subtle cuts that are found at the top and bottom backing.
The Korean giant calls this the “Micro-Slot Antenna” or MSA that aims to improve performance and connectivity speeds as well as signal reception.
Aside from the antenna lines, the slightly raised main camera comes with dual-tone flash and the Samsung moniker below.
The power button, dedicated microSD card, and dual-nano sim tray are all found at right side while at the opposite end will be the volume rocker.
Nothing can be seen at the top apart from the noise cancelling mic; while at the bottom is where the 3.55mm headphone jack and the USB Type-C port resides.
Joining them will be the microphone and a speaker grille.
The curved sides helped in providing grip to the device and feels very thin yet solid to the hands. For sure you will need both hands to wield the device properly.
Display
The huge 6.0-inch display is rocking a Super AMOLED panel at 1080p that’s equivalent to 367ppi.
As expected, colors are more vivid with a touch of saturation. Using the phone under broad daylight is no problem.
Should you wish to change your viewing experience, screen mode is available in the settings, allowing you to pick from certain options depending to your liking.
The always-on display feature is also available that shows the time and date, battery meter and your notifications.
Camera
The main camera employs a 16MP f/1.9 setup with dual-tone flash.
Shooting in broad daylight was handled well with sharp details. H
However, dark areas were underexposed and the trees here tend to have a darker shade.
The same can be said with indoor shooting sans the underexposure. A decent bokeh effect is also present for macro shots.
The main camera will start to struggle in low-light shooting, however. Fortunately, the dual-tone LED flash can aid you in this department.
Recording a video can take up to 1080p @ 30fps that was underexposed.
Unfortunately, The Samsung Galaxy C9 Pro does not come with any video stabilization features.
The selfie camera which also stands at 16MP is also a solid shooter.
The colors are accurate, details are great, and it even has that slight bokeh effect.
Performance
Under the hood will be a Snapdragon 653 SoC octa-core CPU clocked at 1.9Ghz, paired with Adreno 510 GPU, and 6GB of RAM.
Our antutu benchmark test gave us a score of 82k points.
Average daily tasks will be a piece of cake for this device as it can handle almost all the graphic intensive apps and games.
The extra 6GB RAM will also prove sufficient should you wish to juggle multiple applications.
The fingerprint sensor was quick with an 8 out of 10 recognition rate for us.
Battery
The 4000mAh battery should be enough to last you more than a whole day with varied usage.
Charging it from 0 to 100 percent took only an hour and 37mins which is pretty impressive considering the battery capacity.
Audio
The single bottom-firing speaker is pretty standard and a touch tinny with loud audio but lacks bass.
Pricing and verdict
The Samsung Galaxy C9 Pro is priced at Php27,990(Gold color) or $558.
If performance is what you seek then the C9 Pro can deliver even in camera category.
However, key details like OIS and hi-res audio playback support will not be present in the device.
Samsung Galaxy C9 Pro Full Specs, Official PH Price, Release Date in the Philippines
| SPECS, PH Price | Samsung Galaxy C9 Pro |
| Display | 6.0-inch 1080p FHD display Super AMOLED, 367ppi |
| Size | 6.9mm thick, 189g weight |
| Design | Metal unibody, MSA lines |
| Colors | Gold and Pink Gold |
| Chipset | Snapdragon 653 octa-core chipset |
| Processor | 4 x 1.4 GHz Cortex-A53 | 4 x 1.95 GHz Cortex-A72 |
| Graphics | Adreno 510 |
| Memory | 6GB RAM, 64GB internal, dedicated microSD card up to 256GB |
| Main Camera | 16 MP, f/1.9, phase detection autofocus, dual-LED (dual tone) flash |
| Multimedia | 1080p @ 30fps |
| Front camera | 16MP f/1.9, 1080p |
| Connectivity | GSM: 850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz | WCDMA: 850/900/2100MHz | 4G LTE, WiFi ac, Bt 4.2, GPS, dual-nano sim, Samsung Pay |
| OS | Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow |
| Software | TouchWiz UI |
| Battery | 4000mah |
| Ports | USB Type-C, 3.55mm headphone jack |
| Official Price | Php27,990(Gold color) or $558 |
| Availability date | April-6-2017 |
| Where to buy | Samsung Stores, Lazada |
nice review brow, what store can i buy this phone in manila? thanks