Telstra reckons the Samsung Galaxy S9 has the mettle to handle the Australian bush

Not every handset released Down Under can cut it in the Australian bush. There’s an elite list of just 20 phones that Telstra has awarded the Blue Tick certification to, meaning these handsets deliver excellent coverage in rural and regional areas.

After rigorous testing, Samsung’s latest flagship phones join this elite band, taking that number up to 22.

Telstra began this program 11 years ago to help rural customers choose a handset that was suited to their needs. To receive the Blue Tick, devices are put through receiver sensitivity tests in a laboratory first, then are put through the paces in rural areas covered by Telstra’s mobile network.

Kevin Teoh, Telstra’s head of mobiles, said that although the telco has the most extensive and reliable network in Australia, customers also need a good handset for the best user experience.

“For this reason Telstra established Blue Tick certification to recommend products which have passed specific testing and which will, as a result, deliver superior voice coverage performance for our customers in regional and rural areas,” Mr Teoh explained.

“We are happy to report that the new Samsung Galaxy S9 and S9 Plus both came through our extensive field and lab tests with flying colours and are duly awarded our Blue Tick certification.”

Samsung has done well with phones that cater to the Outback, with the Galaxy A5, Galaxy J1 and J1 Mini, Galaxy J3, Galaxy S7, the Note 8 and the Galaxy S8 and S8 Plus also having received the certification in the past.