10 reasons why you should buy the Samsung s9

By Okpo Favour

Either Apple is making it easier for Samsung phones to stand out, or Samsung is just getting really, really good at making smartphones.

After using the flagship devices from Apple and Samsung, I've come up with a few ways that the Galaxy S9 beats the iPhone X.

Don't get too upset now, iPhone X users. Your phone has plenty of great features that the Galaxy S9 doesn't have, and that list is coming soon.

For now, though, check out 10 ways the Galaxy S9 beats the iPhone X:

1. The iPhone X's OLED display is great, but the Galaxy S9's is better.

Apple may finally have given one of its iPhones an OLED display, but it still doesn't quite compare to Samsung's own glorious OLED displays.

Samsung's OLED display on the Galaxy S9 produces even more vibrant colors than the iPhone X, and contrast between light and dark parts of the screen is stunning. Apple may have gone for a more "true-to-life" color, brightness, and contrast tuning for its iPhone X display, but if you want something closer to reality, you could just look at the world around you.

2. The Galaxy S9 comes with fast charging right out of the box.

Fast-charging is a feature that has often come in handy, and it comes standard with the Galaxy S9.

Meanwhile, if you want to take advantage of the iPhone X's fast charging, you either need to buy a separate charging brick and cable from Apple, or use the USB-C charger that comes with Apple's more recent laptops. Either way, you'll need to buy Apple's USB-C-to-Lightning cable.

Basically, Apple makes you spend extra for something that comes included with the Galaxy S9.

3. The Galaxy S9's camera can take better shots in low light.

There's no argument here. The Galaxy S9 can widen its camera aperture to a whopping f/1.5 - which allows more light into the lens than the iPhone X's f/1.8 aperture (the smaller the number, the wider the aperture).

Combined with some of Samsung's camera wizardry, the Galaxy S9 can take better shots in dark situations than the iPhone X.

4. The Galaxy S9 has a built-in heart rate monitor.

Feel like checking up on your heart rate? Don't own a smart watch? Go right ahead with the Galaxy S9. It's not a massively popular feature, but hey, it's there if you want it.

5. The Galaxy S9 has a fingerprint scanner.

Apple's decision to remove the fingerprint scanner from the iPhone X has put me off the $1,000 device permanently. Face ID never worked properly when I used the iPhone X for about a month, and I didn't have a fingerprint scanner to fall back on when it failed.

6. The Galaxy S9 has a headphone jack.

No dongles or adapters required here for Galaxy S9 users. The headphone jack is there if you want it on the Galaxy S9, and Samsung still managed to make a sleek smartphone.

7. Android does a few things far better than iOS.

There are a few important things that Android does better than iOS.

For one, notifications are much better designed on Android than they are on iOS. Pretty much everyone I've spoken with who has tried both Android and iOS agrees.

Android is also highly customizable, and you can create some amazing and beautiful home screens as a result, like the one pictured above. If any iPhone X user can make their homescreen look as good as the S9's above, I'd love to see it. Shoot me a tweet or email with your valiant - yet likely futile - efforts. Thanks to Redditor Anithera for the inspiration.

8. The Galaxy S9 doesn't have a notch.

Some don't mind the iPhone X notch, others hate it. Either way, the notch — that module towards the top of the phone that houses the front-facing camera and sensors required to make Face ID work — helped Apple give the iPhone X its beautiful bezel-less design.

Samsung's Galaxy S9 don't have notches, but it means they also come with larger bezels than the iPhone X, at least on the top and bottom of the display. Still, it's not like the Galaxy S9 looks like an old phone with an outdated design. On the contrary, it still looks sleek and modern, even with its narrow bezels.

9. I love Samsung's audio settings, which make music sound better for me.

Buried deep within its settings, the Galaxy S9 has a few audio features that I find enhances music when I use headphones.

The Dolby Atmos feature is like an overall booster of music to make it sound a little more dynamic and exciting.

The UHQ upscaler can give a sound quality boost to your music, even if it's artificial.

The Tube Amp Pro setting gives music a warmer, rounder sound that's similar to classic tube amplifiers.

There's also a Concert Hall setting that basically gives an echo boost to your music, but I don't like it very much. Still, it's there for Galaxy S9 owners to try.

10. To top it all off, the Galaxy S9 is cheaper than the iPhone X.

Anyone keeping track of the Galaxy S9's announcement was pleasantly surprised with its pricing. Samsung sells the regular Galaxy S9 for $720, and it charges $840 for the larger Galaxy S9 Plus model.

Compare that to the iPhone X's minimum $1,000 price tag while considering all the features included with the Galaxy S9, and you'll wonder why anyone would pay quadruple figures for a smartphone.