We’re days away from Christmas and if you’re guilty about pushing gift-shopping to the last minute, the good news is you haven’t missed out on great savings. If you happen to know someone who could really use an upgraded smartphone, Best Buy has both the Samsung Galaxy S9 and Note 9 along with whopping discounts. These phones may not be the current flagship models but neither one looks any less premium and each of them packs all the features you need; speedy performance, up-to-date software, impressive camera, and tremendous battery life. And if you’re not into the wireless trend, you’ll appreciate that both phones still have the headphone jack in place.
Samsung Galaxy S9 — $450 ($150 Off)
Although the S9 may not look much different from the S8, it appears to be slightly shorter with thinner bezels surrounding the same 5.8-inch Super AMOLED screen while its Infinity display keeps its edge with a Quad HD+ resolution of 2,960 x 1,140, for 568 pixels per inch. It fits perfectly in the palm of your hand and you are guaranteed sharp and vivid pictures flaunting a great deal of color accuracy. Bingeing on Netflix and streaming multimedia content will be a delight as its bottom-firing speakers are pro-tuned by AKG and backed up by Dolby Atmos for a room-filling sound that makes for a truly immersive viewing experience.
The S9’s performance is more than acceptable with Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 845 processor along with 4GB of RAM. It will surely keep up when you’re multitasking or playing games like Tekken or The Sims: Mobile during your downtime. It also packs 64GB of internal storage which is relatively enough to support your growing collection of apps and media without compromising its fluid interface but you can always opt for more by expanding its memory up to 400GB with a MicroSD card.
As for its camera, the S9 is similar to the S10e’s main camera. Its 12-megapixel dual aperture lens can snap highly detailed photos in both bright and low-light conditions with a variety of modes and effects you can apply. It is also capable of capturing 960 frames per second and when Super Slow Motion is employed, you’ll be able to enjoy it frame by frame.
With an IP68 rating, the Samsung Galaxy S9 can survive splashes, spills, and even remain for half an hour in 1.5 meters of water while its 3,000mAh battery can last you a full day. The S9 passed our own evaluation with a near-perfect 4-star rating in our review and now is your chance to get it at a steal for only $450 instead of $600 from Best Buy.
Samsung Galaxy Note 9 — $700 ($550 Off)
Fans of a massive screen won’t be disappointed as the Note 9 still has one of the largest screens to date. Its 6.4-inch screen is even bigger and boasts a higher resolution of 1,440 x 2,960 (for 516 pixels per inch) than the Note 10’s 6.3-inch screen and resolution of only 1,080 x 2,280 (for 401 pixels per inch). Since both phones sport a Super AMOLED display, the only distinction the Note 10 has at this point is its HDR10+ rating — the Note 9 lacks the plus. With a vibrantly crisp display and loud stereo speakers, the Note 9 is likewise a solid bet for streaming and gaming.
The Galaxy Note 9 is still one of the fastest phones in the market. Like the S9 it is powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 845 processor but it steps up with 6GB of RAM. Storage is unlikely going to be the issue as it has now been doubled to 128GB. The Note 9 also packs a 4,000mAh battery complemented with a fast-charging capacity of 15W so running out of power is hardly going to be the case.
The Galaxy Note 9 may not be the latest phone out there but it’s oddly better than the more recent Note 10 with a sharper screen, 500mAh more battery, and a 3.5mm audio port. And with a $550 discount from Best Buy, it’s also a lot more affordable at only $700 from $1,250.
Looking for more smartphones at a bargain? Browse through our curated deals page for iPhones, and more.
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