Samsung Galaxy C9 Pro: Return of the phablet

The C9 Pro is great for gaming and multimedia, but lags in the camera department

I  had sleepless nights pondering the matter and my friends’ conflicting views confused me further. Was there no answer in sight? I was hopelessly perplexed. My tale began with this basic premise: if you’re looking for a phone in the Indian market, there are two options. One, buy a flagship product from storied brands; and two, pick the device that could blow the socks off a flagship, from one of the newer companies (and it helped that the challenger’s phone would cost a lot lesser than the flagship). 

 But what was I to make of the Samsung Galaxy C9 Pro (Rs 38,900)? At first glance, it seemed like a sleeker successor to Samsung’s Mega phablet range. Yet, it was packed with 6GB of RAM, six-inch screen and 16-megapixel (MP) front and back cameras — features we’ve come to expect from the upstarts in the mobile market. Yet, the C9 Pro most certainly isn’t an inexpensive phone.

 The matte black review unit looked sleek and I daresay like phones from a certain Taiwanese manufacturer. Gone were Samsung’s signature shiny metal highlights. Sadly, the phone runs Android 

Marshmallow out of the box; Samsung’s familiar TouchWiz UI is surprisingly fast (like I found on the Galaxy S7 edge), though it still has bloatware. A secure folder lets one not only keep private stuff private, but also a separate WhatsApp account. But with a Snapdragon 653 octa-core processor, I had to game. Asphalt: Airborne 8, Riptide GP Renegade and Pokémon Go were my allies as I achieved glory virtually everywhere. The brilliant Super Amoled screen (with the “always on” function carried over from the S7) was a pleasure to use, even under direct sunlight. The phone did heat up a bit, especially when I multi-tasked. But there were no lags and the touch experience was top-class. 

A walk in the neighbourhood park in daylight yielded some fabulous pictures. The front camera was good at capturing groups and could be activated by voice. In a dark room, I focused a light on an object and clicked a picture; the results were encouraging. But I was disappointed with pictures clicked in low light; there was just too much noise. Also, the phone doesn’t shoot 4K videos.  

Then I got my answer. The Samsung Galaxy C9 Pro is a curious mix of features and price and could well herald the return of Samsung in the phablet segment it pioneered in India. And since it’s a phablet, the C9 Pro does very well for consuming media and playing games, besides being a capable phone. But if you want a fabulous camera, pay a few thousands extra and get the Galaxy S7 instead.

Samsung Galaxy C9 Pro

Weight: 190 g

Display: 6-inch Super Amoled

Processor:  Snapdragon 653

RAM: 6GB

Storage: 64GB, expandable 

Camera (rear/front): 16MP/16MP

Price: Rs 38,900