Connect with us

Android

Galaxy S9 Performance Mode: What to Know

Published

on

During the setup of your new Galaxy S9 or Galaxy S9+ you likely saw Samsung’s performance mode in settings. This is one of many neat tools and power management options on your phone. In this guide we’ll explain what it is, how performance mode works, and everything you need to know.

While we’ve shared a list of the first 10 settings every owner should change, it doesn’t mention performance modes. That’s because you shouldn’t have to change it on your Galaxy S9 often, if ever.

Read: 5 Best Quick Chargers for the Galaxy S9

Performance Modes on the Galaxy S9 balance things like battery life, screen resolution, brightness, extra sound profiles and other things for specific situations. Either by delivering the highest performance or a balanced and optimized experience. Whether you’re gaming or for everyday usage, these modes are very helpful.

You can choose between three different modes on the Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9+.

Samsung Galaxy S9 Performance Modes

  • Optimized: Balance battery life, screen resolution and more for everyday use
  • Entertainment: Enjoy music & videos with ultra high-quality sound and enhanced images
  • High Performance: Experience the highest quality display, sound, and performance settings

What to Expect

So, what do these modes actually do? Not much, really. Each selection will optimize the device for the best overall experience and battery life for any given situation. Similar to boost modes on a computer, but without overclocking the processor.

Selecting any of these will have a big effect on your device though. Both of the increased Galaxy S9 modes will change the screen resolution to Quad-HD, increase the brightness, and add features like the video enhancer and UHQ upscaler. Basically, enhancing the quality of content. Keep in mind that most of these will change the display resolution. As a result, it will likely completely re-order icons on your home screen.

Then, you’ll notice an increase in screen brightness by 10%, which isn’t very much. It’s the video enhancer that cranks the brightness and contrast to 100% that will make your videos and games look amazing. Which, gets turned on when you use entertainment or high-performance mode.

Read: How to Fix Bad Galaxy S9 Battery Life

Honestly, most games will run better at the default 1080p HD your Galaxy S9 uses out of the box. Meaning you might experience poorer performance with these modes, and drain the battery faster. The Galaxy S9 is one of the most powerful phones on the market and doesn’t need help with apps and games. Just turn up the brightness yourself, and change the screen resolution yourself if you want.

How to Change Galaxy S9 Performance Modes

So now that you know what to expect, try them if you’d like. A few taps in settings will have your phone running faster or the screen more bright with better audio. Here’s how to change modes.

Instructions

  • Head into Settings from the app tray, or pulldown bar
  • Navigate to and select Device Maintenance 
  • Before or during its scan select the Performance Mode tachometer icon
  • Now just Select the Performance Mode you’d like
  • Users can also customize each mode individually to fit their needs

After you make a selection you’ll see a pop-up with additional information. This explains what is changing, what to expect, and gives you the option to cancel before the changes take effect. Now, just hit Apply, wait a few seconds for it to finish and you’re all set.

In closing, keep in mind that these Galaxy S9 performance modes won’t make as big of a difference as you think. It’s not making the processor faster for better performance during games or making the speaker any louder when you watch movies.

Basically, these modes increase the screen brightness, its resolution, and turns on a few features hidden in the settings menu on the phone. And while you’ll likely enjoy the results while you’re playing games or watching Netflix, it’s hardly worth the trouble of toggling it on and off. Either way, give them a try today and let us know what you think in the comment section below.

1 Comment

1 Comment

  1. Steve R.

    09/24/2019 at 10:21 am

    Will the higher performance settings affect video output at the USB-C port, for example, if adapted to an HDMI projector, will the port output higher resolution to the projector or is only the phone screen resolution adjusted?

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.