Galaxy S9: Microsoft is treating us to another customised Samsung flagship

Last year, Microsoft decided that the Samsung Galaxy S8 was great and all, but it was missing a little something: Microsoft apps. To that end, they started selling the S8 in their US stores. When opened and connected to the in-store WiFi, the phones would download Office, OneDrive, Cortana, OutLook, Wunderlist and LinkedIn automatically, making you immediately productive, before you could even turn your mind to Snapchat.

Presumably, some people thought that was worth leaving the house for because Microsoft is doing the same trick for the Samsung Galaxy S9. Once again TouchWiz remains in place, you just get a bunch of free apps, and the ability to add people to your network on LinkedIn right away. “A Microsoft customisation is applied to the Samsung Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9 Plus Microsoft Edition when the devices are unboxed and connected to WiFi,” a Microsoft spokesperson said in a statement to TrustedReviews.

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There’s no other advantage. It still retails for $839.99 on the Microsoft Store. But hey, it will feel a bit like buying a Windows Phone in 2018, and there are precious opportunities to do that elsewhere.

Incidentally, Microsoft calling it a “Microsoft Edition” in the statement above might cause a little bit of tension between the two companies. Back in November, Samsung was quite clear that no such thing existed: “There is not a “Microsoft Edition” brand of any Samsung Galaxy products,” a company statement read, adding that this was merely an opportunity for “small-to-midsize business owners and entrepreneurs” to enjoy “a best-in-class productivity experience”.

Either the companies have had a change of heart and the S9 genuinely is a Microsoft Edition, or someone at Microsoft will be on the receiving end of a terse email right about now. Either way, as the S8 Microsoft Edit… – sorry, version – never reached the UK, it seems unlikely that its follow up will either.