Introduction
The Samsung Galaxy C9 Pro, a smartphone we never thought will be selling in Malaysia, has been around for quite a while. It is the first Samsung smartphone with a massive 6GB RAM, even the Galaxy S8 in Malaysia only has 4GB RAM. On paper, the phone seems pretty similar to the Galaxy A Series (2017). However, can it achieve the same positive review as the 2017 A series? Here’s the quick review!
Familiar Metal Design
Unlike the Galaxy A Series (2017), the C9 Pro features a more boxy design with metal backing. It actually looks pretty much like the old Samsung devices, only that it has a better build material. Not to mention that the antenna lines on top and bottom look pretty familiar…
The front panel is still covered by a 2.5D curved glass, typical design for smartphones nowadays. The home button below the display also doubles as a fingerprint sensor, which works pretty fast. Unlike the A series, the phone will unlock when you just place your the registered finger on it, without pressing the home button.
The rest of the design is pretty much the same, the bottom of the phone houses the speaker, USB-C port, and 3.5mm audio jack.
Big Super AMOLED Display
The C9 Pro sports a 6-inch Full HD Super AMOLED display, which offers deep black and eye-pleasing colors. As the screen is now even bigger, watching movies or videos on it is quite enjoyable, to be honest.
Qualcomm Snapdragon 653 SoC
Unlike the A series, Samsung decided to fit a Qualcomm Snapdragon 653 SoC into the C9 Pro. As I mentioned in the beginning of this review, the phone features 6GB RAM, first for Samsung. In terms of performance, the phone actually performs quite well, but temperature can get uncomfortable sometimes. Overall, I have to say that the Exynos 7880 processor in the A series has a better thermal control, and its performance is pretty impressive as well.
Same User Interface
The C9 Pro runs on Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow with Samsung UX on top. Overall, it has a pretty similar experience as the A series.
You’ll still get features like Always On Display, Split Screen View & Pop-Up View, Game Tools, Samsung Pay, and more. Sadly, the phone isn’t IP68 water and dust resistance like the A series, which means you won’t get moisture detection.
16MP Front and Rear Cameras
Camera wise, the C9 Pro has the same 16MP front and rear cameras like the A series. Both front and rear cameras have a f/1.9 aperture lens. You can launch the camera app quickly by just tapping the home button twice, it’s really the fastest camera launch speed ever. Unfortunately, the device doesn’t come with Dual Pixel tech, but it still has PDAF tech for fast enough focusing speed. Just don’t expect it to have the fast focusing speed like the S8/S8+.
Image quality generally is pretty much similar to the A series, which has a good amount of detail and low noise level. However, you have to make sure your hands are steady to make sure the photos you captured are blur-free.
Impressive Battery Life
The device packs a huge 4,000mAh battery with fast charging supported and it has a great battery life. Based on my test, I was able to get through a day easily with 6 hours of screen-on-time.
Final Words
Officially retails at RM2,299, the Samsung Galaxy C9 Pro is currently available at Lazada Malaysia with a free clear cover. The phone is pretty much the bigger Galaxy A7 (2017), which we reviewed before, with a bigger screen, more RAM, and bigger battery. However, it is not IP68 water and dust resistance certified. To be honest, I think it’s better to save some money and get the Galaxy A7 (2017), or even the Galaxy S7 edge, which is currently selling at RM2,399 with a free Gear VR.
Yay
- Impressive big display
- Impressive battery life
Nay
- No IP68 water and dust resistance
- Pricey