DPReview.com is closing April 10th - Find out more

Pixel 2 or S9?

Started Nov 1, 2018 | Discussions thread
PhotoFactor Veteran Member • Posts: 4,171
Re: Pixel 2 or S9?

phil from seattle wrote:

PhotoFactor wrote:

I would say that the Pixel 2 hardware is not as good overall as the S9. The S9's screen is gorgeous and I believe the overall HW reliability may be better on Samsung.

However I did have an S8 briefly (very similar to the S9) and then a Pixel 2 XL.

The camera with native processing is clearly better on the Pixel. The software overall (not just camera) is fluid and smooth on the Pixel. The Pixel gets monthly security updates right on time every month and gets major OS updates as soon as they come out (probably for another year for the Pixel 2).

Samsung's software is full of bloat IMHO. Duplicate browsers, messaging, store, etc. And uninstallable. Bixby is inferior and the hardware button is a pain and easy to hit when you reaching for the volume controls. The fingerprint sensor is rectangular instead of round and is much more finicky to register than the Pixel.

For these reasons, for me, I prefer the Pixel. If you are more into the fancier screen and hardware then you might also prefer the S9. Also consider the warranty and support for each brand in your country.

a bit late to this but though I would put it out there anyway.

I have a pixel 2 and my wife has the S9. Both of us dislike the S9 because it has control buttons everywhere (well, in a lot of places) on it's screen. She can't hand it to me (like to read something or use the map or ...) without one of us inadvertently putting it in some other mode. It's a real pain. I can hand her my P2 and it doesn't go off somewhere else. The camera on the P2 is better than the S9.

That is all consistent with my experiences as well.

 PhotoFactor's gear list:PhotoFactor's gear list
Sony a6400 Sigma 30mm F2.8 EX DN 7artisans 25mm F1.8 Sony E 18-135mm F3.5-5.6 OSS Sigma 56mm F1.4 DC DN | C (X-mount) +3 more
Keyboard shortcuts:
FForum PPrevious NNext WNext unread UUpvote SSubscribe RReply QQuote BBookmark MMy threads
Color scheme? Blue / Yellow