As you follow along below, check out full-resolution versions of the pictures here.

First, a quick overview of the S9+'s new tools. It has a Dual Aperture feature which has the primary camera jump from an aperture of f/2.4 to f/1.5 when it senses that the scene isn't bright enough. The wider opening lets in more light, and is currently the biggest on a smartphone, breaking the record previously held by the LG V30 at f/1.6.

Then there's multi-frame noise reduction, which was introduced in the S8 but enhanced in the S9 thanks to dedicated RAM built right into the sensor. This way, the camera can more quickly process the 12 images it uses per shot to reduce noise. Together with the dual pixel sensor that debuted in the S7, this is supposed to make for speedy and clear autofocus, even in challenging conditions.

Other features, like the S9+'s dual camera and the new super slow-mo video capture are less specific to low-light photography, but we tested them out in a variety of situations anyway.

Overall impressions

Before we dive into the specific features, it's worth noting that in general, the S9+ takes pretty good photos. Samsung has more or less nailed its smartphone cameras, so this comes as no surprise. Both pictures and video have great colors and clarity, especially in daylight. Scenes that are largely shrouded in darkness appear well-lit, too -- to the point where they look even brighter than in real life, especially when shot in full auto mode.

Dual Aperture

The Dual Aperture is largely responsible for the brighter images. Since you only have the option of jumping between f/2.4 or f/1.5 (instead of choosing stops in between), there's no way to finesse your settings to get a more realistic shot, unless you go into Pro mode. That's what I'd recommend, though.

One of the downsides of shooting at as wide an aperture as f/1.5 is that dynamic range suffers. Parts of the scene that are bright will be blown out, such as the restaurant in the background of my shot of a fountain. Switching over to Pro mode, I was able to use an aperture of f/1.5, push up my shutter speed and decrease ISO to not only reclaim some of that information, but also get a clearer, less noisy picture overall.