What's good
- Blazing performance
- Sleek design
- IP68 waterproofing
- Great low-light camera performance
- All-day battery life
- Rapid charging
- microSD card support
- Front-facing stereo speakers
What's bad
- Bloatware
- Glass front and back means you’ll want a case
- Price
- Not a significant upgrade over the S8 unless you want a better camera
Verdict
Unless you already own the Samsung Galaxy S8, the S9 offers an experience you won’t find with many other phones on the market. Whether you’re looking to play games, take pictures, or simply have a phone that will last all day without worrying about charging, the Samsung has you covered… albeit for a premium price.
Motorola Moto G Stylus 5G (2024)
- OS
- 6.7"Display size
- 50+ MP Camera
- 2.2 GHzProcessor
- 256 GBStorage
- Yes4G
What's good
- Affordable access to 5G
- Excellent battery life
- Bright display
What's bad
- Weak low-light camera performance
- Only one guaranteed software upgrade
- Bulky and heavy
Verdict
The Motorola One 5G Ace worked well and for a lesser price than other 5G capable phones on the market. In order to achieve such a fair price, sacrifices were made -- including camera quality and screen resolution. However, reviewers felt the One 5G Ace pulls its own weight while looking stylish.
Samsung Galaxy S10+
- OS
- 6.4"Display size
- 12+ MP Camera
- 2.8 GHzProcessor
- 128/512/ 1000 GBStorage
- Yes4G
Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra
- OS
- 6.9"Display size
- 48+ MP Camera
- 2.84 GHzProcessor
- 128/256/ 512 GBStorage
- Yes4G
What's good
- Great multitasking and gaming
- Comfortable in the hand
- Beautiful 120hz HDR screen for movies and videos
- All-day battery life
- 5G support
What's bad
- Fingerprint scanner is slow
- Tons of pre-installed apps
- No headphone jack
- High price tag
Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra
- OS
- 6.8"Display size
- 108+ MP Camera
- 2.84 GHzProcessor
- 128/256/ 512 GBStorage
- Yes4G
What's good
- Lovely AMOLED screen
- Best battery life for its tier
- S-pen support
- Fast refresh rate
What's bad
- Very expensive
- No MicroSD expansion
- Ads in Samsung software
Verdict
Having to pay extra for more storage up front is a new change for Samsung. In terms of everything else, there’s not a lot to say about the phone in terms of failings. At the end of the day, the simple question is, can you afford it and do you need a phone this powerful?
What's good
- Ultra-rugged design
- IP68/IP69 rating
- Loud loudspeaker
- Excellent battery life
- Wide network support
- Three-year worry-free warranty
- Glove-friendly display
What's bad
- Price
- Older Android version (4.4.2)
- No microSD support
- Proprietary charge cord
- Lackluster display