Samsung Launches Galaxy A9 in China: Giant Screen, Giant Battery

And you thought Apple's iPhone 6s Plus or Samsung's Galaxy S6 Edge+ were big. The latter has officially debuted the Galaxy A9 in China, and the smartphone sports a six-inch screen that's surely getting to the point at which one would have to buy some special pair of pants just to carry it around (we figure).


All that size isn't just for screen space, though. Samsung is also stuffing a 4,000 mAh battery into the A9, which should give around one and a half to two days of total talk time—especially since the smartphone is using a pretty new (and power-efficient) processor, the 64-bit, eight-core (or octa-core) Snapdragon 652, and it's not using a Quad HD screen, just a 1920x1080 display. The phone's size and resolution puts its pixel density at 367 ppi, or just a little lower than the aforementioned iPhone 6s Plus (at 401 ppi).
Unlike the Samsung Galaxy A3, A5, and A7, which each have a thickness of 7.3mm, the A9 comes in a hair thicker at 7.4mm. In total, the Galaxy A9 is about 2mm wider than the iPhone 6s Plus, and its edges are slightly curved (2.5d). The smartphone's glass-and-metal design looks similar to its Galaxy A5 and A7, and all three smartphones have built-in fingerprint sensors for extra security.


The A9 comes with a 13-megapixel rear-facing camera that supports optical image stabilization and an 8-megapixel front-facing camera for all one's selfie needs. It has 32GB of total storage, which you can expand using the smartphone's built-in microSD slot (up to 128 extra gigabytes of space). The smartphone has 3GB of built-in memory and it runs Android 5.1.1 Lollipop.
According to Samsung, the A9 will launch in China later this month. It's unclear just what it might cost, as Samsung hasn't shared any pricing details yet. We also don't know whether Samsung will be launching the A9 elsewhere and, if so, when that might happen.

Though you won't be able to just walk into your favorite retailer and get one of these yourself—American readers, that is—Samsung's new smartphone does hint a little bit at what the company has been up to with its smartphone designs. Don't expect to see a 4,000 mAh in the company's to-be-announced Galaxy S7, however, as it's likely Samsung is sticking something similar to the 2,550 mAh battery used by its current flagship, the Galaxy S6.