Samsung Galaxy C series touched the land of mountains a few weeks ago. So we also got the Samsung Galaxy C9 Pro review unit for test purposes. We used the phone as the main driver for more than a week to get the experience. We tested, benchmarked, and explored its features as fast as possible. Just to start let us state the price. Samsung Galaxy C9 Pro price in Nepal is Rs 59,000. Nepal is only getting Galaxy C9 Pro for now but people are also demanding other phones like Galaxy C5 Pro and Galaxy C7 Pro as well.
The Galaxy C series was actually meant for China. However, due its specification, build, and value the phone has made its way to other markets as well. Nepali is one such market to get the C series. We have also compared the Samsung Galaxy C series vs. the A series in an earlier article to give more idea of how the C lineup compared to the A lineup. Both phones are known as premium and mid-range models in the market. You know more about the A series on our comparisons like the Samsung Galaxy A series vs J series. For now, let us start with the specifications of the Galaxy C series.
Samsung Galaxy C9 Pro Specifications
Also Read: Samsung Mobiles Price in Nepal
Design and Build
Samsung Galaxy C9 Pro comes with a metal unibody construction and a big 6″ screen. It is a big phone with 162.9 x 80.7 x 6.9 mm dimensions and 189g weight. Aesthetically it is not a quantum leap like the S series but there are other significant features that make it stand out. First of all, it is a full metal body phone like the first A series phone and not a glass slab design like the latest A series phones or S series phones. As it is a metal body smartphone, antenna bands are also well mashed up at the backside.
It has a big battery on the inside still it is a very slim smartphone and feels quite premium. The device has a big screen on the front, a home button with a fingerprint scanner at the front bottom, an earpiece, and cameras at top front. Then at the back, there is Samsung branding, a camera, dual-tone LED flash, and antenna bands. The left side has volume rockers and the right side has the power button.
Internal Hardware and Benchmark Results
Below the gorgeous, vibrant, and big display, the Samsung Galaxy C9 Pro has a Qualcomm Snapdragon 653 SoC with an octa-core processor. The processor Snapdragon 653 is composed of two quad-core sets, one is 1.95 GHz and the next is 1.4 GHz. For memory, there is 6 GB RAM. This gives a very big head for multitasking. For storage, there is 64 GB internal with SD card support as well.
Apps run very smoothly and switching between them is fast. We experienced no lag or any such problems. Gaming with Adreno 510 GPU of Snapdragon 653 SoC is also pleasing. Thus gaming experience and normal usage are all great. We have used 4GB RAM on phones like Samsung Galaxy S7 and that was enough but 6 GB RAM is the future. Some sources are also saying that the Galaxy S8+ in China will feature 6 GB RAM. There is something special about the Chinese market and we will explain it.
Samsung Galaxy C9 Pro has a big storage and external memory card support. We like the inclusion of SD card support and 64 GB ROM. This big space will help users and people will have no problem with installing apps, giant games, storing photos, music videos, and shooting videos.
In order to power all this, the Samsung Galaxy C9 Pro holds a gigantic 4000 mAh battery. This is a big battery and in our test with medium usage, we got around 6 hours of screen on time. With high usage, we can get 4 hrs of screen on time.
In order to get more details on performance, we ran a few benchmarks. Here are the benchmark results of the Samsung Galaxy C9 Pro from Antutu and Geekbench.
Display
Samsung Galaxy C9 Pro has a massive 6” Super AMOLED screen. It comes with 1080×1920 resolution which is Full HD. This resolution and screen size gives 367 ppi pixel density. In order to protect the big screen there is Gorilla Glass 4 at the top. This is a really big screen and very few phones such scree. It is just 1″ smaller than reaching tablet size. Samsung intended to make big screen for people so that it could be an entertainment home. Big screens like these give a fantastic experience while playing games, watching movies, surfing the web, and just scrolling through the news.
The big screen is useful and entertaining but racing all corners with one hand is not easy. As maneuvering is not easy, it is a two-hand phone. Also as it is big, it is recommended to use tempered glass to protect it from accidental drops.
Camera
For almost all users camera quality is very important. So, here with Samsung Galaxy C9 Pro, Samsung is packing both sides with 16 MP f/1.9 sensors. Both front and back have 16 MP cameras but the back side has dual-tone LED flash. We tested both cameras and we are satisfied with the picture and video quality. Both cameras shoot very high-resolution photos at 4608×3456 and videos at a max resolution of 1920×1080.
This is a powerful and expensive smartphone but there is no 4K and slow-motion support which is really disappointing. We expected to see OIS (Optical Image Stabilization) or DIS (Digital Image Stabilization) but we saw none of that. There is no compromise in picture quality, shutter speed, or other aspects but Samsung could have easily provided 4K and OIS. It is now more clear that Samsung keeps such hi-fi features only for flagship smartphones.
Extra Features
The feature department is filled to the top. Samsung Galaxy C9 Pro has a new USB Type-C, Android 6.0 OS, Grace UI, Always on Display (AOD), Bluelight filter, and many more. There is are very wide range of settings and options to save power such as screen resolution changes.
Security and the latest features are baked very well. We get a fingerprint scanner with the home button. It isn’t just for unlocking the lock screen now. Samsung is now working to make bio-metric security work for the online world too. Currently, with Galaxy C9 Pro we can enjoy Secure Folder which came in Galaxy Note 7. Secure Folder provides a safe space for secure working and on top of that Secure WiFi protects you from online sniffing. Some other features of Samsung Galaxy C9 Pro are as follows.
- Smart Screen Turn-Off feature. Prevents the screen from turning on when the phone is kept in a pocket or purse. It can prevent accidental calls and mishaps.
- LED Notification
- Game Tools and Samsung Cloud
- Gif Capture while playing video
- Stereo Speakers
Why C series is special? Chinese Focus
Samsung Nepal briefed us about the launch of the C series a few weeks ago. They told us that the C series was first only meant for China but as they were good phone demand increased worldwide. As we mentioned earlier, Chinese models are a bit special. This is because smartphones made for China need to have higher RAM to tackle cheap Chinese products which also offer higher RAM.
As China is highly populated, the population density is high and it is loud in cities. People want loud music and sound so Samsung has placed a bit louder speakers. The best thing about the sound part is its stereo speaker combination. The top calling speaker also plays music and sound with the bottom main speaker. It gives a very pleasing sound.
Conclusion
What is not there to love and admire? Most people’s concern has been the screen size and yes it is there. So, the Samsung Galaxy C9 Pro isn’t suitable for everyone’s appetite. Galaxy C9 Pro is meant for people who need big-screen real estate, more entertainment, and power. It is for people who enjoy watching movies, YouTube, and playing games. It is for work and more entertainment.
In our experience too, single-handed use is hard so both hands are necessary for safe and good use. As I have a big hand, I was using it with one hand but with lots of maneuvering. Other teammates weren’t able to maneuver the C9 Pro that easily with one hand.
As for the overall review, we are getting a perfect phone with powerful hardware, enough storage, and good performance. With the large battery, giant screen, 16 MP cameras, and good battery-saving features, it can be nice for travelers. Overall we are satisfied with the Galaxy C9 Pro and it does challenge lots of top-notch flagship phones out there. If the price is a bit low, it can give a good race to many other products.
The Review
Samsung Galaxy C9 Pro
Massive phone with powerful hardware and giant screen
PROS
- Metal Body
- Processor
- Big Battery
- Features
- Screen
- Cameras
CONS
- Lack of OIS, 4K
- Maneuverability
Review Breakdown
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Screen
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Design
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Processor
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Battery
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Camera
