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The Samsung Galaxy S9+ builds on all of the pillars that make Samsung phones great. It has a beautiful metal and glass build, is filled with all of the top-end specs you expect in a phone today and has a really good dual camera system. There are tons of extra features to be had, and the price is manageable for most people buying unlocked.
Our pick
Samsung Galaxy S9+
The best unlocked Android phone.
Choosing the Samsung Galaxy S9+ is pretty easy — it can do everything, and looks great doing it, with few real downsides. It's beautiful, has a fantastic screen, isn't missing any hardware features and has one of the best camera experiences available in a smartphone today.
Who should buy this phone
When you want to buy an unlocked phone and bring it to your own carrier, the Galaxy S9+ is an excellent choice. The phone has a large screen to get everything done, but isn't so big that you can't use it with one hand. It has high-end specs, good battery life and an impressive camera. If you can afford it, it's a great choice for just about anyone.
Is it a good time to buy this phone?
The Galaxy S9+ is several months old now, but has only been supplanted (in some respects) by the very-similar Galaxy Note 9. It's still a great modern phone that isn't due to be replaced until the Galaxy S10 in March 2019.
Reasons to buy
- Sleek and beautiful hardware
- Top-notch specs
- Waterproofing, wireless charging and more
- Excellent display
- Up to 256GB of storage available
- Great dual cameras
- Dual speakers and a headphone jack
Reasons not to buy
- Lots of unnecessary apps installed
- Software can be cumbersome to configure
- Slow software update cadence
There are so many great Android phones available, but this one stands out
Samsung does an amazing job creating phones that are appealing to a wide audience of potential buyers. That's why the Galaxy S9+ has so many great features and specs, because Samsung doesn't want to leave anything behind. The Galaxy S9+ has high-end specs from top to bottom, and you get to experience one of the best displays available in a phone today.
Samsung builds a phone that just about anyone will love.
You can also listen to its stereo speakers, or utilize the headphone jack for private listening. Up to 256GB of internal storage is available (when you buy the Galaxy S9+ from Samsung), but there's also an SD card slot for future expansion. The phone's waterproof, like so many other phones today, but you can also charge it wirelessly thanks to its glass-backed construction.
Samsung's cameras aren't the best in every situation, but when you look at what they're capable of capturing in a wide range of situations, it's an impressive feat. The telephoto rear camera enables lossless 2X zoom and portrait mode, and the main camera has a switching aperture to make sure you get the best shot in every scene.
For people who want to buy unlocked to take to their own carrier, Samsung is a fantastic choice. The unlocked phone is available with a full warranty no matter where you buy it, and there's financing available through Samsung's own website.
Alternatives to the Samsung Galaxy S9+
The Galaxy S9+ has mass appeal, but it isn't for every single person out there. There are several other awesome picks to choose from depending on your specific needs.
Upgrade pick
Samsung Galaxy Note 9
An incredible phone with a huge price to match.
The Galaxy S9+ is great, but the Galaxy Note 9 is even greater. It does everything the GS9+ does, but adds in a larger screen, more storage, longer battery life and an S Pen stylus. But that's why you pay almost $200 more for it.
The Galaxy Note 9 is undeniably a better (and bigger) phone than the Galaxy S9+ — but the problem is the improvements aren't big enough for most people to justify the larger price. If you don't need the S Pen, then it'll be tough to spend another $200 to get Samsung's latest big phone.
Value pick
OnePlus 6
Great value for an amazing, feature-rich phone.
The OnePlus 6 is pretty much everything you expect in a high-end phone, but for $200-300 less. You don't give up much with this $529 phone — mostly screen and camera quality — and in many ways, you get a better software experience than the competition.
We don't blame you one bit for not wanting to spend extra money on a Samsung flagship. Thankfully, there are great phones like the OnePlus 6 that give you much of the same experience for hundreds of dollars less. Get the same great build quality and specs, with just a few shortcomings, and save a bunch. It's a perfect match for the type of person who wants an unlocked phone.
Amazing camera
Huawei P20 Pro
A high-end device that checks all the right boxes.
The Huawei P20 Pro is all about the cameras — a 40MP main sensor is assisted by an 8MP telephoto camera and a 20MP monochrome camera to give you so many shooting options and out-of-this-world results. It's a photographer's dream.
You may think that the "Leica" branding is a bit of a joke at first, but don't let that turn you away — the Huawei P20 Pro has an amazing set of cameras that can produce the best photos of any smartphone today. The combination of a 40MP main sensor, an 8MP telephoto camera and a 20MP monochrome sensor give you unending shooting options, and the software pulling it all together knows all of the tricks to create stellar photos.
Great at a discount
Google Pixel 2 XL
Stellar software and performance with a superb camera.
The cleanest, smoothest and most Google-friendly phone available. It has sleek hardware, simple software, and a killer camera with years of guaranteed updates and unlimited Google Photos storage. Pick it up if you can get one on sale.
Google's Pixel 2 XL is a year old now, but it's still an amazing phone. At this point its appeal is really dependent on the price, though — don't pay the full retail, but if you can get it for a few hundred dollars off it's still a great phone with lots of life left in it. A perfect match for inexpensive cell service.
Bottom line
The Samsung Galaxy S9+ has the design, features and specs to appeal to most people who want a high-end phone to bring to their own carrier. It has great specs, nice design, good cameras and every hardware feature you could ask for. It's also available unlocked at a reasonable price so you can take it to any carrier you choose.
Update September 2018: The Galaxy S9+ is the best unlocked Android phone, with wide-reaching appeal and great unlocked availability. But it isn't the only phone we recommend — there's the Galaxy Note 9, OnePlus 6, Huawei P20 Pro and Google Pixel 2 XL that offer different features and price points as well.
Credits — The team that worked on this guide
Andrew Martonik is the Executive Editor, U.S. at Android Central. He has been a mobile enthusiast since the Windows Mobile days, and covering all things Android-related with a unique perspective at AC since 2012. For suggestions and updates, you can reach him at andrew.martonik@androidcentral.com or on Twitter at @andrewmartonik.
Daniel Bader is the Managing Editor of Android Central. As he's writing this, a mountain of old Android phones is about to fall on his head, but his Great Dane will protect him. He drinks way too much coffee and sleeps too little. He wonders if there's a correlation.
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