Mi 9T vs Galaxy S9+

[LaggyTech567]

I'm in the market for a new smartphone. I've narrowed my options down to two phones: the Xiaomi Mi 9T (NOT the pro model) and the Galaxy S9+. Which do you think I should get?

 

I checked the LTE bands, and the 9T is sufficient for my area. 

 

The 9T is $289.99 on AliExpress (128gb)

The S9+ is $279.99 refurbished on eBay (64gb)

 

Also, if you think I should get something else, my budget is around $300 or $300 or less.

 

My current phone is the Moto G5 Plus. The reason why I'm getting a new phone is because part of the screen is shattered, because I dropped it a week ago. I recognize that getting the glass replaced is cheaper, but my phone has other issues as well. There are white dots on the screen itself, due to water getting inside of it. Therefore, I thought getting a newer, better phone would be better than getting the screen and glass of my current phone replaced.

 

I use my phone for web browsing, texting, calling, listening to music, and watching video. Therefore, a phone with a nice big screen would be nice. Also, I would like the phone to have a headphone jack, though I could live without it. Also, I will probably use this phone to record videos with the rear camera, because I want to start making videos for YouTube. As for the selfie camera, I rarely takes selfies, but I sometimes do video calls, so having a good selfie camera would be a bonus.

 

I mainly use a fingerprint sensor for unlocking, but face unlock would be nice (if it was fast). 

 

I would like this phone to have a long battery life, at least for a full day of use.

 

I don't really game on my phone, but I might stream games over the internet or on my local network from my PC.

 

I intend to use this phone for at least a few years.

[Epimetheus]

How much do they cost? I think the Samsung has a worse camera but performs better, and that's why it tends to cost much more

[LaggyTech567]

Oh, I should've stated how much they cost.

 

I edited the main post; now it shows the costs.

Edited September 10, 2019 by LaggyTech567

[LaggyTech567]

I agree with you; I should've done that earlier. I edited the main post so that it shows my needs.

 

[LaggyTech567]

2 hours ago, huilun02 said:

What are you currently using?

Why are you getting a new phone?

How do you use your phone?

What do you not like, or wish was better, about your current phone?

What do you like, or consider absolutely essential, about your current phone?

Do you take selfies or video calls often? Do you intend to rely on face unlock?

For how long have you been using your current phone, and does the frequency of having to charge bother you?

How long do you want the new device to last?

 

The more you can answer, the better I will be able to zoom in on the ideal choice for you.

Be mindful when taking suggestions. People suggest things they like and suit their needs, not yours.

 

Tell me what you want, so I can find the right product for you.

Sorry, I just read your signature. I listed my needs above.

[LaggyTech567]

I've decided to get the mi 9t. Dave Lee convinced me.

 

[LaggyTech567]

16 hours ago, huilun02 said:

From the info you provided, the S9+ is the overall better choice unless you have beef with its smaller battery and internal storage.

 

It has an iris scanner for more secure face unlock, in addition to the front camera not being mechanically activated. This means you dont have to wait for the camera to pop up every time you want to face unlock. The front camera on the Mi 9T is pretty slow.

 

Also the main camera of the S9+ is clearly superior (OIS, 4k60 recording, HDR recording, optical zoom, stereo recording)

 

It is IP68 rated so junk dont get inside to mess with things (as long as you dont shatter the screen again)

 

The SD845 is marginally ahead of the SD730. But this should not make much of a difference considering you dont game.

 

The screen of the S9+ is still superior, at 1440p. This provides a better reading experience with less aliasing of text. GPU using more power to run the higher resolution is not a big deal because you are not gaming.

 

It has less internal storage but has a microSD slot unlike the Mi 9T. Has audio jack, and superior DAC with stereo speakers if you care about those.

 

The only significant drawbacks are:

• Curved edge screen, more prone to shattering when dropped. Difficult to apply rigid protectors.
• Fingerprint sensor is on the back. Thus it cannot be unlocked easily when its lying flat on the table. But it means you can still unlock the device when you somehow lose proper touchscreen input. 

after reading your post now I'm starting to get unsure if I really want the mi 9T again. 

About the DAC, the Mi 9T has an overlooked feature. It has a high-quality headphone DAC that can be used when activating "Hi-Fi mode." 

Also, the Mi 9T should have way better battery life, as it has a bigger battery and a lower-res screen. Besides, at that screen size, I don't think I'll be able to tell the difference. Plus, if I downscale the display in order to save battery life, what's the point of getting a 1440p phone?

 

Also, it would be nice if I had 128gb of internal storage. I appreciate the micro SD slot, but I'm pretty sure micro SD is currently slower than ufs storage.

 

However, the stereo speakers are nice, and the better cameras are also nice.

 

Which do you think is better? Bigger screen with better battery life, or better specs?

[LaggyTech567]

46 minutes ago, huilun02 said:

The WCD9370 of the SD730 (192kHz/24bit) is very good yes, but still inferior to whats in the SD845 

User feedback suggest it is excellent wired quality. For the vast majority of people, wont be able to tell the difference.

 

Yes the Mi 9T has superior battery life for sure. I am not suggesting to run a 1440p screen at lower resolution.

Your Moto G5 Plus runs an IPS screen with a 3,000mAh battery. How much of an improvement to target is up to you.

 

I agree internal storage is always faster than microSD card. How much internal storage to go for, depends on your use case. There are people particular about having microSD to store very important stuff, so that if the phone dies it will (very probably) not take the important data with it.

 

Stereo speakers are nice. Although they are useless if you dont blast music. But if you intend to use it a lot, keep in mind the audio quality will still be butchered by the Mi 9T's single speaker, no matter how good the DAC is.

 

The Mi 9T having a larger screen is not much of a point unless you find reading difficult on phone screens. Where it makes a big difference is both device's implementation of the front camera, and how suitable they are if you happen to want to use face unlock. 

 

I can't decide for you. You will have to weigh out the pros and cons by yourself. For me though, I never use the selfie camera, and I am obsessed with hardware longevity. As such I would take a Mi 9T over an S9+ anytime. But that just me. You are not me.

The Mi 9T has been ordered. Thank you for your advice and support! (especially huilun02)