I waited until the Pixel 2 came out last year and chose between that and the S8. The specs on those two phones are pretty similar- but the Pixel had display issues at launch, so I ended up getting the S8.
But the S9 is objectively a better phone in every way. Latest processor, more memory, better camera, etc.
If bloatware is that big of a deal for you, get the Pixel. But just know that Samsung bloatware isn't nearly as invasive as it used to be. The only two bits I saw out of the box on my phone were the Bixby voice assistant and Samsung Pay. Both can be easily deactivated. And I actually find Samsung Pay pretty useful- you can rack up some nice rewards by using it. In fact, they sent me a $200 prepaid Visa just for activating the service.
I bought a Samsung Gear S3 Frontier watch about a month ago and even though I have an LG phone, I was still able to setup and use the Samsung Pay function through my watch. It's neat, but I find myself still reaching for my debit card out of habit.
Rumor is our corporate cell phone guy will be sending me a S8 in the coming weeks.. so I'm anxious to try it. Nothing wrong with my LG G4, but I was told they are sending me a diff phone anyway. Maybe we're switching providers. Looking forward to it.