The Samsung Galaxy A9 Pro was the sleeper hit of 2016. It was a large 6″ phablet that saw limited release and lacked a stylus, but proved to be highly popular. Samsung now attempts to replicate that success with the new Samsung Galaxy C9 Pro (SM-C900F) phablet. Let’s see how well they did!
The Galaxy C9 Pro vs. Galaxy A9 Pro Comparison
The Samsung Galaxy C9 Pro (Amazon | Lazada) appears to be a direct evolution of the Galaxy A9 Pro phablet. Here is a specification comparison of those two phablets.
| Specifications | Samsung Galaxy C9 Pro | Samsung Galaxy A9 Pro |
|---|---|---|
| Model | SM-C900F | SM-A910F |
| Display | 6.0" Super AMOLED - 1080 x 1920 pixels (369 ppi) | 6.0" Super AMOLED - 1080 x 1920 pixels (367 ppi) |
| Protection | Gorilla Glass with 2.5D edge | Gorilla Glass 4 |
| Operating System | Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow | Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow |
| Platform | Qualcomm Snapdragon 652 (MSM8976) | Qualcomm Snapdragon 652 (MSM8976) |
| Processor | 4 x ARM Cortex-A72 cores (1.95 GHz) 4 x ARM Cortex-A53 cores (1.4 GHz) | 4 x ARM Cortex-A72 cores (1.8 GHz) 4 x ARM Cortex-A53 cores (1.4 GHz) |
| Graphics Processor | Qualcomm Adreno 510 (621 MHz) | Qualcomm Adreno 510 (621 MHz) |
| Memory | 6 GB LPDDR3 (933 MHz) | 4 GB LPDDR3 (933 MHz) |
| Storage | 64 GB internal flash storage microSD slot (up to 256 GB) | 32 GB internal flash storage microSD slot (up to 256 GB) |
| Front Camera | 16 MP Samsung S5K4H5YC sensor with f/1.9 lens | 8 MP Samsung S5K4H5YC sensor with f/1.9 lens |
| Main Camera | 16 MP Samsung S5K3L2 sensor with f/1.9 lens, dual LED flash and PDAF capability | 16 MP Samsung S5K3L2 sensor with f/1.9 lens and single LED flash |
| Connectivity | 4G : LTE Cat6 WiFi : 802.11a/b/g/n/ac (2.4 GHz and 5.0 GHz) Bluetooth : 4.2 | WiFi : 802.11a/b/g/n/ac (2.4 GHz and 5.0 GHz) Bluetooth : 4.2 |
| SIM Capability | Dual SIM, Dual Standby | Dual SIM, Dual Standby |
| GPS Support | GPS, GLONASS, Beidou | GPS, GLONASS, Beidou |
| Fingerprint Sensor | Yes, integrated with Home button | Yes, integrated with Home button |
| Other Sensors | Accelerometer, Proximity, Geomagnetic, Light, Gyro | Accelerometer, Proximity, Geomagnetic, Light, Gyro |
| Battery | 4,000 mAh lithium ion battery (non-removable) - Supports fast charging | 5,000 mAh lithium ion battery (non-removable) - Supports fast charging |
| USB Port | USB Type C (USB 2.0) | micro USB 2.0 |
| Dimensions | 80.7 mm wide 162.9 mm tall 6.9 mm thick | 80.9 mm wide 161.7 mm tall 7.9 mm thick |
| Weight | 188 g | 210 g |
Unboxing The Samsung Galaxy C9 Pro
The Samsung Galaxy C9 Pro (Amazon | Lazada) comes in the usual white cardboard box that Samsung uses for their mid-range devices. The only difference is the size – it’s quite a bit larger. Let’s take a look inside!
Inside the box, you will find the following items :
- One Samsung Galaxy C9 Pro (Amazon | Lazada) phablet
- One set of Samsung Galaxy C9 Pro documents
- One 15 W Samsung adaptive fast charger
- One USB Type C cable
- One micro USB to USB Type C adaptor
- One pair of Samsung earphones
- One SIM card tray ejector pin
Next Page > The Samsung Galaxy C9 Pro, Card Trays & Fingerprint Sensor, Front & Rear Cameras
Support Tech ARP!
If you like our work, you can help support our work by visiting our sponsors, participating in the Tech ARP Forums, or even donating to our fund. Any help you can render is greatly appreciated!
The Samsung Galaxy C9 Pro Phablet
The Samsung Galaxy C9 Pro (Amazon | Lazada) is a 6″ phablet with Samsung’s signature Super AMOLED display. It is protected by Corning’s Gorilla Glass (unspecified version) with a 2.5D edge, and a full metal unibody chassis.
The Galaxy C9 Pro (Amazon | Lazada) runs on the same Qualcomm Snapdragon 652 SoC as the Galaxy A9 Pro. But the Cortex-A72 CPU cluster has a small clock speed boost from 1.8 GHz to 1.95 GHz. Samsung also gave the Galaxy C9 Pro 50% more memory and twice the internal storage.
The Galaxy C9 Pro (Amazon | Lazada) maintains the standard Samsung button placement of the Power button on the right, and the Volume buttons on the left. The separate SIM and microSD card trays are located on the right side, just under the Power button.
Like many thin devices, the audio port on the Samsung Galaxy C9 Pro (Amazon | Lazada) is located at the bottom, next to the bidirectional Type C USB port. The package includes a micro USB to USB Type C adaptor, so you can reuse your old cables and OTG drives. But note that it is still using USB 2.0 standard, not the latest USB 3.1 standard.
Card Trays & Fingerprint Sensor
The Samsung Galaxy C9 Pro (Amazon | Lazada) has dual SIM, dual standby capability. It has a dedicated tray for two nano SIM cards, and a separate tray for the microSD card (up to 256 GB). Both card trays are located on the right side, just under the Power button.
The Galaxy C9 Pro (Amazon | Lazada) has an all-aspect fingerprint sensor that is integrated into the Home button. Our tests showed that it requires about 20 finger presses to register a fingerprint. However, it is very fast and accurate in recognising the registered fingerprint.
[adrotate banner=”5″]
Front & Rear Cameras
The Samsung Galaxy C9 Pro (Amazon | Lazada) boasts a 8 MP front camera that uses Samsung’s own S5K4H5YC BSI sensor. It is capable of recording 1080p videos at 30 fps. Thanks to its f/1.9 lens, it will have great low-light capability equivalent to that of the Samsung Galaxy S6 edge (Amazon) smartphone. It will come in handy since the front camera does not have flash support, not even screen flash.
The main camera uses the same 16 MP Samsung S5K3L2 sensor from the Galaxy A9 Pro, paired this time with a dual-tone LED flash. It boasts the same fast f/1.9 lens, which allows for better low-light performance. We will take a look at sample pictures and videos later in the review.
Next Page > The Initial Setup, Ergonomics, Memory & Storage
Support Tech ARP!
If you like our work, you can help support our work by visiting our sponsors, participating in the Tech ARP Forums, or even donating to our fund. Any help you can render is greatly appreciated!
Setting Up The Galaxy C9 Pro
The Samsung Galaxy C9 Pro (Amazon | Lazada) runs on Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow, and is very easy to set-up. If you are setting it up as a new device, it should take you only 5 minutes to finish the setup process.
The Ergonomics
The Samsung Galaxy C9 Pro (Amazon | Lazada) is a large 6″ phablet that is just over 8 cm wide, so this is definitely a two-handed device. The Super AMOLED display is excellent as always, and the large screen with its full HD resolution is just perfect for watching movies.
The anodised aluminium chassis is smooth to the touch, with a nice satin finish that imparts a nice shine and yet is resistant to fingerprint smears. It actually feels easier to grip than the Galaxy A9 Pro, probably because it’s thinner and lighter.
[adrotate banner=”5″]
Available Memory & Storage
The Samsung Galaxy C9 Pro (Amazon | Lazada) comes with a whopping 6 GB of LPDDR3 memory, of which 3.8 GB (63.3%) is available for use. That is more memory than many smartphones actually ship with! Needless to say – you will never run out of memory with the Galaxy C9 Pro.
The Galaxy C9 Pro (Amazon | Lazada) also has 64 GB of internal flash storage. Of that, 51.9 GB is available to use, which is just awesome. If that’s not enough, you can top it up with a microSD card (up to 256 GB).
Next Page > Camera Performance – Photos & Videos
Support Tech ARP!
If you like our work, you can help support our work by visiting our sponsors, participating in the Tech ARP Forums, or even donating to our fund. Any help you can render is greatly appreciated!
Camera Performance – Photos
The Samsung Galaxy C9 Pro (Amazon | Lazada) uses the same excellent Samsung ISOCELL camera as the Galaxy A9 Pro, just upgraded with a dual-tone LED flash. The full 16 MP resolution is attained with the 4:3 aspect ratio. Each picture has a resolution of 4608 x 3456 and a file size of between 4.5 to 5.5 MB.
Here are 6 high-resolution samples for you to check out. Click on them to load the full-sized photos, which you can also download to examine.
As the pictures show, the Galaxy C9 Pro’s main camera performs best in natural light. It occasionally has white balance problems (see the Dala horse sample) under artificial lighting. The camera isn’t the sharpest we have seen, but the noise level is low, even in low light conditions. With suitable distance, you can even get a pretty nice bokeh (see the flower sample).
[adrotate banner=”5″]
Camera Performance – Video Recording
Despite sporting a 16 MP sensor, the Samsung Galaxy C9 Pro (Amazon | Lazada) is only capable of recording videos of up to 1080p in resolution. This is likely Samsung’s way of differentiating the Galaxy C9 Pro from their more premium models like the Samsung Galaxy S7 edge. Let’s take a look at some sample videos.
Test #1 : Piano Recital
The first thing you will notice is how jerky the video appears. It is readily apparent that the Galaxy C9 Pro’s camera lacks both optical image stabilisation (OIS) and electronic image stabilisation (EIS). Noise cancellation was also sub-par. However, it showed pretty good control of the highlights in the background.
Test #2 : Food Trucks
We did this short take of some food trucks to test out the image stabilisation capability. Obviously, the Galaxy C9 Pro (Amazon | Lazada) didn’t do well in this test, because it lacks OIS or even EIS capability.
Test #3 : Night Dancing
The Samsung Galaxy C9 Pro (Amazon | Lazada) performed well in this test of its low-light capability. Its wide f/1.9 lens had no problem handling the low-light situation. It continued to exhibit good control of the highlights – the much brighter background was not completely washed out, as we have seen in many other smartphones.
Next Page > Work Performance, Battery Life & Recharging Speed
Support Tech ARP!
If you like our work, you can help support our work by visiting our sponsors, participating in the Tech ARP Forums, or even donating to our fund. Any help you can render is greatly appreciated!
Work Performance – PCMark
We tested the Samsung Galaxy C9 Pro’s performance using PCMark, which simulates work applications like web browing, playing video, writing text and editing photos.
| Samsung Galaxy C9 Pro | ASUS ZenFone 3 Ultra | Samsung Galaxy A7 (2017) | OPPO F1s | |
| Work Performance Score (Average) |
5180 | 6313 | 4954 | 3884 |
| Web Browsing | 4539 | 6257 | 5143 | 3688 |
| Video Playback | 3989 | 4287 | 4515 | 3789 |
| Writing | 5689 | 7166 | 4948 | 4141 |
| Photo Editing | 6991 | 8262 | 5243 | 3933 |
The Samsung Galaxy C9 Pro (Amazon | Lazada) did well in this test, coming in just ahead of the Samsung Galaxy A7 (2017).
Battery Life – PCMark
We then tested the Galaxy C9 Pro’s battery performance using PCMark. It basically ran the PCMark work tests until its battery capacity dropped to 20%.
One of the Samsung Galaxy A9 Pro‘s main attraction was its large 5,000 mAh battery. To make the Galaxy C9 Pro (Amazon | Lazada) thinner though, Samsung reduced the battery capacity to 4,000 mAh. However, we are glad to note that it only reduced the battery life by 11.5% to 11.5 hours.
[adrotate banner=”5″]
Battery Recharging Performance
The Samsung Galaxy C9 Pro (Amazon | Lazada) comes with an adaptive fast charger with a power output of 15 W. Take a look at how fast it recharged the 4,000 mAh battery.
It took the Galaxy C9 Pro (Amazon | Lazada) just 74.5 minutes (1 hour 14.5 minutes) to recharge its battery from 19% to 100%. That is 80% faster recharging than the Galaxy A9 Pro, and a battery life : recharging ratio of about 9.4 : 1 – a truly amazing performance.
Next Page > Gaming & Overall Performance, Our Verdict & Award
Support Tech ARP!
If you like our work, you can help support our work by visiting our sponsors, participating in the Tech ARP Forums, or even donating to our fund. Any help you can render is greatly appreciated!
Gaming Performance – 3DMark
We tested the Galaxy C9 Pro’s gaming performance using 3DMark, using the Ice Storm Unlimited test.
| Samsung Galaxy C9 Pro | ASUS ZenFone 3 Ultra | Samsung Galaxy A7 (2017) | OPPO F1s | |
| Gaming Score | 17587 | 17719 | 13540 | 7666 |
| Graphics | 22940 | 21124 | 13548 | 7511 |
| Physics | 9680 | 11328 | 13510 | 8265 |
| Graphics Test 1 | 127.4 fps | 115.2 fps | 81.1 fps | 49.4 fps |
| Graphics Test 2 | 81.9 fps | 76.3 fps | 46.2 fps | 24.4 fps |
| Physics Test | 30.7 fps | 36.0 fps | 42.9 fps | 26.2 fps |
The Samsung Galaxy C9 Pro (Amazon | Lazada) did well in this test, matching the ASUS ZenFone 3 Ultra in performance, and beating even the Samsung Galaxy A7 (2017).
Overall Performance
AnTuTu is a nice benchmark for testing various performance aspects of Android devices.
| Samsung Galaxy C9 Pro | ASUS ZenFone 3 Ultra | Samsung Galaxy A7 (2017) | OPPO F1s | |
| TOTAL SCORE | 84892 | 76096 | 56431 | 41486 |
| 3D SCORE | 20812 | 18816 | 15458 | 4868 |
| – 3D (Marooned) | 12069 | 10861 | 10511 | 3188 |
| – 3D (Garden) | 8743 | 7952 | 4947 | 1679 |
| UX SCORE | 33130 | 26794 | 18496 | 17640 |
| – UX Data Secure | 6684 | 5077 | 5295 | 4885 |
| – UX Data Process | 4290 | 4198 | 2612 | 2542 |
| – UX Strategy Games | 8163 | 7503 | 3671 | 2829 |
| – UX Image Process | 9626 | 6879 | 3373 | 3885 |
| – UX I/O Performance | 4367 | 3137 | 3545 | 3499 |
| CPU SCORE | 23253 | 23689 | 16459 | 14336 |
| – CPU Mathematics | 8083 | 6950 | 3132 | 3142 |
| – CPU Common Use | 6787 | 6311 | 5199 | 4805 |
| – CPU Multi-Core | 8383 | 10428 | 8128 | 6389 |
| RAM | 7697 | 6797 | 6018 | 4643 |
The Samsung Galaxy C9 Pro (Amazon | Lazada) did well in this test, beating the ASUS ZenFone 3 Ultra by 11.6%, and the Samsung Galaxy A7 (2017) by a full 50%!
Our Verdict & Award
If you liked the Samsung Galaxy A9 Pro, you will love the Samsung Galaxy C9 Pro (Amazon | Lazada). It is literally an improved Galaxy A9 Pro, with a faster processor and a lot more RAM and storage. Samsung also upgraded the front camera with a 16 MP sensor, and gave the main 16 MP camera a dual-tone LED flash.
The Samsung Galaxy C9 Pro (Amazon | Lazada) also features a thinner, curvier design that fits better in the hand. The only downside – it has a 20% smaller battery, with a 11.5% shorter battery life. The good news – it takes just under 1 hour 15 minutes to fully recharge the Galaxy C9 Pro!
The Samsung Galaxy C9 Pro’s cameras lack stabilisation, so if you are taking videos, it’s best to use a tripod or a gimbal. But both front and back cameras have great resolution and low-light capability, thanks to their wide f/1.9 lenses.
[adrotate banner=”4″]If you wish to use two SIM cards and a microSD card simultaneously, you will be glad to know that the Galaxy C9 Pro (Amazon | Lazada) has dedicated trays for two nano SIM cards and a microSD card.
Arguably, the main attractions are its large beautiful Super AMOLED display, coupled with its performance and large memory and storage capacities. They make the Galaxy C9 Pro a truly excellent entertainment / gaming device. Whether you like to watch movies or play 3D games, the Galaxy C9 Pro is well-suited to the task.
The Samsung Galaxy C9 Pro (Amazon | Lazada) is a great option for those who want a large phablet, and do not need a stylus. We like it so much, we think it deserves no less than our Reviewer’s Choice Award. Congratulations, Samsung!
Support Tech ARP!
If you like our work, you can help support our work by visiting our sponsors, participating in the Tech ARP Forums, or even donating to our fund. Any help you can render is greatly appreciated!
