How many cameras are enough? How many are too many? The Samsung Galaxy A9 (2018) came out around 6 years ago and it was the first ever quad camera phone. It promised a lot of versatility, allowing you to switch between three focal lengths to get the best possible framing for your shot, as rendering a shallow depth of field normally possible only with the large sensors of DSLRs. Let’s look at the camera roster of the A9. There were three usable cameras on the back and one utility module (we’ll get to the front-facing camera later). 24 MP primary camera, f/1.7 aperture, 4K video recording at 30 fps 8 MP ultra wide-angle (120° FoV, 12 mm) 10 MP telephoto (2x optical magnification, 52 mm) 5 MP depth sensor.
With the tech available at the time, the most straightforward way to offer multiple focal lengths was to use multiple modules. Unfortunately, it was saddled with an old Android 8.0 Oreo. Even so, the Samsung Experience 9.0 software included split-screen multitasking, so you could make the best out of the 6.3 inches and the relatively powerful chipset. And, thankfully, the 9.0 Pie updated arrived quickly, with a rollout starting a few months after launch.
While cameras were the headlining feature, the Galaxy A9 (2018) also stood out with its size – its 6.3” display was one of the largest you can get back then, especially if you wanted a high-quality Super AMOLED panel. It was bright, had great color accuracy and supported the sRGB, Adobe RGB and DCI-P3 color spaces. It was one of the best screens you could have, outside of the flagship Galaxy S and Note series. In the end, the A9 was a good idea executed poorly.
Maybe Samsung got overambitious, even the Galaxy S9+ and Note9 couldn't fit both a telephoto and an ultra wide module, despite working with a higher budget. Still, we appreciate the attempt - the ambition is what made the Galaxy A9 (2018) a memorable phone.
Source: GSMARENA
