You Can Now Get a Microsoft Edition of the Samsung Galaxy S9

Microsoft has started selling its own edition of Samsung’s latest flagships, the S9 and the S9 Plus. The Microsoft Edition Galaxy S9 and S9+ are available for pre-order now from the Microsoft Store online in the United States, and it starts shipping on March 16.

The Microsoft Edition Galaxy handsets aren’t too different from the regular Galaxy S9 and S9 Plus. “A Microsoft customization is applied to the Samsung Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9 Plus Microsoft Edition when the devices are unboxed and connected to Wi-Fi,” a Microsoft spokesperson told TrustedReviews. This means it will come pre-installed with Microsoft’s Office suite and a couple of other Microsoft apps, but the experience will not be too different from the regular Galaxy S9.

Windows Intelligence In Your Inbox

Sign up for our new free newsletter to get three time-saving tips each Friday — and get free copies of Paul Thurrott's Windows 11 and Windows 10 Field Guides (normally $9.99) as a special welcome gift!

"*" indicates required fields

This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Hardware wise, Samsung’s new Galaxy S9 is more of a minor upgrade to last year’s S8. The device packs a seriously improved camera with the world’s first mechanical aperture system, improved design, stereo speakers, and more.

If you are interested, you can get the Microsoft Edition of the Galaxy S9 or S9+ here.

Tagged with

Share post

Please check our Community Guidelines before commenting

Conversation 28 comments

  • PeteB

    09 March, 2018 - 8:50 am

    <p>No thanks.</p><p>But it's adorable watching MS try and try to worm their way into being a part of the mobile conversation somehow. They never will because to consumers they no longer exist as a brand.</p><p><br></p>

    • dontbe evil

      09 March, 2018 - 8:58 am

      <blockquote><a href="#251761"><em>In reply to PeteB:</em></a></blockquote><p><br></p><p>mmm … ok</p><p><br></p><p>for me it's a no thanks, only because it's a Samsung… my android device has all MS apps and no google apps (except the store) … waiting for a lineage os rom compatible</p>

    • Stooks

      09 March, 2018 - 4:03 pm

      <blockquote><a href="#251761"><em>In reply to PeteB:</em></a></blockquote><p>"t's adorable watching MS try and try to worm their way into being a part of the mobile conversation somehow.&nbsp;"</p><p><br></p><p>you forgot to add "using someone else's platforms". It is a complete joke and honestly they deserve this. </p><p><br></p><p>Microsoft used its muscle to control the PC world. No one could compete. Well those players quit playing that "PC" game started playing a new game "mobile". Microsoft heckled them "Balmer and the iPhone" and then the mobile market exploded and Microsoft tried to jump in……way too late. Game over. </p><p><br></p><p>Microsoft is a Enterprise focused, cloud based, subscription service company that…………..has a gaming console????</p><p><br></p><p>If Nadella stays around for a while he will get rid of the Xbox.</p>

    • Fuller1754

      11 March, 2018 - 3:32 am

      <blockquote><a href="#251761"><em>In reply to PeteB:</em></a></blockquote><p>Their launcher has 10 million downloads. Considering that most users probably just use the default launcher when they buy a phone, and that of those who install a new launcher, there are many to choose from, that's none too shabby. And that's a launcher! Word and Outlook each have 100 million downloads. I'm not suggesting they're taking over the world or anything, but Microsoft has plenty of name recognition and users in the mobile consumer space. </p>

  • hometoy

    09 March, 2018 - 9:23 am

    <p>It's a nice idea. No, truly it is and I appreciate the gesture.</p><p><br></p><p>But I also remember the Windows Phone backstabbing and really don't want to risk it again. So if I get an Android I have little incentive to install anything Microsoft-related other than to integrate with Windows 10 on the desktop, and my Outlook.com.</p><p><br></p><p>But maybe I am a lone bitter old fart and people will be quicker to forgive and forget.</p>

    • evox81

      Premium Member
      09 March, 2018 - 10:19 am

      <blockquote><a href="#251767"><em>In reply to hometoy:</em></a></blockquote><p>I don't really get your concern. Since all they do is install Launcher, Outlook. Word, Excel and PowerPoint, even if all of those apps went away (which isn't happening as long as Office 365 exists) you'd still have a fully functional phone. You can always go back to native or an alternative.</p><p><br></p><p>If Microsoft stopped supporting Android completely the day after you bought this phone, you'd still have a fully functional, fully supported phone. </p>

      • Stooks

        09 March, 2018 - 3:58 pm

        <blockquote><a href="#251791"><em>In reply to evox81:</em></a></blockquote><p>If you going to buy an Android phone it will ALWAYS work better with Google software. </p><p><br></p><p>I would NEVER buy this phone from Microsoft. Just buy it some other place an add any Microsoft software that you might like.</p>

        • Jeremy Petzold

          09 March, 2018 - 6:51 pm

          <blockquote><a href="#251891"><em>In reply to Stooks:</em></a></blockquote><p>Apparently you have never actually used their launcher.</p>

          • Stooks

            10 March, 2018 - 10:09 am

            <blockquote><a href="#251919"><em>In reply to Jeremy_Petzold:</em></a></blockquote><p>I have tired on my 2017 Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 9.7inch tablet. My favorite feature was the changing wall paper that is like the Bing home page. I removed it after a week or so and went with the Google Now launcher because I like the stock look and feel of Google Android.</p><p><br></p><p>I wish I could completely remove the Touchwiz/Samsung/Microsoft software. It is nice hardware but it nags me that I cant use barebones Google software with out jailbreaking it. The fact I can only turn off Skype and not remove it, because it is burnt into the ROM along with Touchwiz irks me to no end.</p><p><br></p><p>What exactly is your point? That I did not try it and I am missing out on some great stuff? I have and it was nothing to write home about.</p>

    • Bsobotta

      09 March, 2018 - 11:27 am

      <p><a href="#251767"><em>In reply to hometoy:</em></a><em> I am right with you. My wife doesn't understand my bitterness towards microsoft, but I have little reason to look backwards any more</em></p><p><br></p>

  • mrdrwest

    09 March, 2018 - 9:36 am

    <p>Android is still a cesspool phone OS, but I don't have a choice b/c, well, there's Apple/iOS and that's not happening.</p>

    • glendo calrissian

      Premium Member
      09 March, 2018 - 10:46 am

      <blockquote><a href="#251769"><em>In reply to mrdrwest:</em></a></blockquote><p>My exact thoughts as I look at my 2+ year old 950XL (that needs to go away). No truly good choices, just less bad ones.</p>

      • lwetzel

        Premium Member
        09 March, 2018 - 12:28 pm

        <blockquote><a href="#251797"><em>In reply to glendo calrissian:</em></a></blockquote><p>My question is which is the least painful. </p>

        • mrdrwest

          11 March, 2018 - 11:43 pm

          <blockquote><a href="#251826"><em>In reply to lwetzel:</em></a></blockquote><p>I write this as milk spews from my nose, but iOS is likely less painful.</p>

  • wolters

    Premium Member
    09 March, 2018 - 11:02 am

    <p>I'm glad to see this. I am a Microsoft fan but beyond my XBOX, Surface Book and Dell Tower (File/Media/PLEX server), I've kind of resigned myself to the fact Microsoft is truly going to be a productivity and cloud company. It is nice to have the Microsoft apps pre-loaded but also easy to do from the store. </p><p><br></p><p>I still prefer a Pixel phone over any other due to the updates and pure Android experience. Still loving the camera…</p>

  • Stooks

    09 March, 2018 - 3:56 pm

    <p>How pathetically sad. I bet there is a long, long line at your local Microsoft store on day 1……NOT.</p>

    • Fuller1754

      11 March, 2018 - 3:17 am

      <blockquote><a href="#251889"><em>In reply to Stooks:</em></a></blockquote><p>There isn't, because it's still just Android. </p>

  • Eric Dunbar

    09 March, 2018 - 8:34 pm

    <p>To be honest I've been underwhelmed by Microsoft's apps. So far I've tried the launcher and Office Lens for non trivial amounts of time. The launcher is not bad but it tries to be too fancy and you can't disable enough of the effects for it to be a clean experience. On my pure Android 7 phone I use the stock open source Android launcher. It's free from Google search. It's stable. It's fast. It's nearly as good looking at the Android 8 default launcher.</p><p><br></p><p>Office Lens was an exercise in frustration. Not worth it.</p><p><br></p><p>Cortana wasn't worth the space. Google's voice recognition AI was decidedly less frustrating to use and more effective (many Cortana queries failed) than Cortana and now that Google seems to have allowed me to hide click bait advertising disguised as news I don't even mind using Google's voice assistant.</p><p><br></p><p>Microsoft needs to be BETTER than Google on Android to be relevant on Android. Right now it's only kind of, sort of there with apps that are only nearly as good :(</p>

  • ponsaelius

    10 March, 2018 - 7:09 am

    <p>When Microsoft sell PCs they advertise the fact that these are "signature editions" free of bloat and crapware.</p><p><br></p><p>Other than pre-installing Microsoft apps the Samsung brand is well known for their own launcher, crapware, Samsung branded apps, Bixby and the like.</p><p><br></p><p>There is nothing wrong with selling a Samsung, since Microsoft don't have a mobile hardware play, however it seems that the traditional expectations of a Microsoft retail experience of clean non-adulterated devices isn't going to be part of the deal. </p>

  • BravoCharlie

    10 March, 2018 - 3:23 pm

    <p>Paul preordered the S9. With all of the inside info he has access to, I wonder if it was the Microsoft Edition.</p>

  • BravoCharlie

    10 March, 2018 - 3:34 pm

    <p> Would be interested to know if the customisations could be applied to a 'normal' S9 without a hack. Seems unlikely – especially outside the US, since US models use Snapdragon 845 chipset. Probably depends on whether it is a ROM image or just a bundle of apps</p>

  • Fuller1754

    11 March, 2018 - 3:15 am

    <p>People who are going to use Microsoft Launcher are going to use it anyway. I do, in addition to Edge, Outlook and SwiftKey, simply because these give me the best experience. Ironically, of all the top tier Android launchers I've used, Google's is the worst. But like I was saying, anyone deliberately sauntering over to the Microsoft store to buy a new phone is likely already a Microsoft devotee (as a part of the MS Launcher Google+ group, I can tell you that many of us are ex-Windows Phoners), so this is really just saving some people the trouble of downloading their favorite apps themselves, rather than luring new sheep into the fold. Still, it makes sense that Microsoft wants to customize Android phones that will be selling at their own stores. They kind of have to do it. </p>

  • Marius Muntean

    12 March, 2018 - 7:27 am

    <p>:)))</p>

Windows Intelligence In Your Inbox

Sign up for our new free newsletter to get three time-saving tips each Friday

"*" indicates required fields

This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Thurrott © 2024 Thurrott LLC