The Galaxy Note 9 is official. After months of rumors and leaks that have anticipated practically every feature, Samsung has made it official with an event held in the Barclays Center in New York the new Galaxy Note 9. We speak as always of a high-end product, indeed, very high, to which this year it seems not to miss anything. A smartphone that collects the best of what is now seen on the Note series, mixed with the innovations integrated in February in the latest S9 and S9 + and combined with some new specifications aimed at further improving the user experience.
DESIGN AND MATERIALS
The design of the new Note 9 is very similar to that of Note 8 last year. Some details have been refined, the front glass has been slightly curved, and the fingerprint recognition sensor has been repositioned, which is now under the camera compartment and can be reached much more easily than last year.
The materials are identical, with two glass panels that protect front and back and an aluminum frame that this year connects with the front glass in a more harmonious way thanks to a tapering of the metal that makes the handle more comfortable. There is also no IP68 certification.
Obviously, because of the large display, ergonomics are a bit sacrificed. We have indeed the dimensions of 161.9 x 76.4 x 8.8mm, and a weight of 201 grams. Perhaps it would have been possible to optimize even more the frames using a solution like a notch but, at least personally, I prefer to have those few mm more frame than having to compromise the “notch.”
DISPLAY AND CAMERA
The front of the smartphone we find the large display that reaches the size of 6.4 inches. Let’s talk about a Super AMOLED panel that is characterized by a QuadHD + resolution of 2960×1440 pixels. As always by default, the resolution is scaled to full HD + but just a lap in the settings to be able to adjust it on two other parameters – HD + or, in fact, QHD +. This is a panel that we immediately thought was up to the latest Samsung solutions – very bright, with an excellent angle of mink, bright colors, deep blacks and a contrast ratio that is always very high. In short, the usual Samsung display that hardly disappoints, especially on top of the range.
Turning the smartphone instead we find the dual rear camera. This is a dual-cam that follows what has already been seen on S9 and S9 +, or two modules with a 12-megapixel resolution sensor but with different characteristics. The former offers a 2x zoom lens, while the latter has a standard wide-angle lens but provides the possibility to change the aperture of the diaphragm (f / 1.5-f / 2.4), just like on S9 +.
The real novelty of this dual camera, however, is the ability to exploit the capabilities of the so-called Artificial Intelligence to not miss a single shot. In fact, the algorithms recognize up to 20 scenes and automatically adjust the shooting settings so as to obtain the best possible result with minimum effort. But not only that, Note 9 will be able to recognize even when a photo is moved or when the subject of our portrait has closed his eyes and even before showing us the preview we can suggest to retake the picture.
There is also a front module of 8-megapixel resolution and aperture f / 1.7, as we have the ability to record video up to 4K resolution at 60fps or slow motion up to 960fps.
HARDWARE AND BATTERY
Inside the Italian version of Note 9 beats a heart Exynos, to be precise an Exynos 9810, the same chip that we have inside of S9 + and which offers 2.7GHz octa-core CPU of maximum operating frequency and ARM Mali G72 GPU MP18. A SoC that has already demonstrated that it can support all the workloads that we entrust to it and that in this Note 9 is accompanied by two possible combinations of RAM and ROM memory.
The basic version is characterized by 6GB of RAM and 128GB of ROM, while the most powerful (and expensive), offers 8GB of RAM and 512GB of storage. In both cases, the storage memory can be expanded via microSD (up to 512GB) and is UFS 2.1. Also in this case, as happens for all the top Samsung range for some time now, we also have a version with Qualcomm SoC, to be precise a Snapdragon 845, but it will not be commercialized in our latitudes.
According to first impressions and the first moments of use, the whole system seems to run smoothly and extremely responsive. Samsung has also studied a new cooling system that uses a carbon foil to transport the heat produced by the CPU to the outside and will allow all components to be exploited to their full potential even for long periods of time.
Also thanks to this new feature, Note 9 supports DeX functionality without having to connect it to a special docking station. In fact, a cable or a USB-C / HDMI adapter is enough to connect the smartphone to a monitor and make the most of its productivity thanks to an interface that is very similar to that of our PCs.
Complete equipment also with regard to connectivity, with L TE Cat.18, Bluetooth 5.0, NFC, GPS and all that is needed regarding sensors. The audio component is also promising with a stereo speaker and AKG headphones bundled inside the package.
Last but not least, the battery. With this Note 9, Samsung did not want to spare and inserted a 4000 mAh module in its flagship. Considering the hardware practically identical to that of S9 + and the good performance of the latter in terms of autonomy we could venture a positive judgment already; we still wait to try it a little better in the coming days. A Note 9 that also offers quick charging, as well as wireless charging support could not be missing.
TECHNICAL FEATURES
|
Galaxy Note9 |
|
|---|---|
| Display | 6.4-inch Quad HD + Super AMOLED, 2960×1440 (516ppi)
* Screen measured diagonally as a full rectangle without accounting for the rounded corners * Default resolution is Full HD + and can be changed to Quad HD + (WQHD +) in Settings |
| Room | Rear – Dual Camera with Dual OIS (Optical Image Stabilization)
– Wide-angle – SuperSpeed Dual Pixel 12MP AF, F1.5 / F2.4, OIS – Telephoto – 12MP AF, F2.4, OIS – 2X optical zoom, up to 10X digital zoom Front – 8MP AF, F1.7 |
| Body | 161.9 x 76.4 x 8.8mm, 201g, IP68 (BLE S Pen – 5.7 x 4.35 x 106.37mm, 3.1g, IP68)
* Carrying IP68 dust and water resistance rating. Based on test conditions of submersion in up to 1.5 minutes |
| AP | 10nm 64-bit Octa-core processor (Max 2.7 GHz + 1.7 GHz)
10nm 64-bit Octa-core processor (Max. 2.8GHz + 1.7GHz) * May differ by market and mobile operator |
| Memory | 6GB RAM (LPDDR4), 128GB + MicroSD slot (up to 512GB)
8GB RAM (LPDDR4), 512GB + MicroSD slot (up to 512GB) * May differ by market and mobile operator * User memory is less than the total memory two to storage of the operating system Device features. Actual user experience will vary depending on the operator and may change after the software upgrades are performed. |
| SIM Card | Single – one Nano SIM and one MicroSD slot (up to 512GB)
Hybrid – one Nano SIM and one Nano SIM or one MicroSD slot (up to 512GB) * May differ by market and mobile operator |
| Battery | 4,000mAh
Fast Charging compatible on wired and wireless Wired charging compatible with QC2.0 and AFC Wireless charging compatible with WPC and PMA * May differ by market and mobile operator |
| OS | Android 8.1 (Oreo) |
| Network | Enhanced 4×4 MIMO, 5CA, LAA, LTE Cat.18
* May differ by market and mobile operator |
| Connectivity | Wi-Fi 802.11 a / b / g / n / ac (2.4 / 5GHz), VHT80 MU-MIMO, 1024QAM, Bluetooth® v 5.0 (LE up to 2Mbps), ANT +, USB Type-C, NFC, Location (GPS, Galileo *, Glonass, BeiDou *)* Galileo and BeiDou coverage may be limited. |
| Payment | NFC, MST
* May differ by market and mobile operator |
| Sensors | Accelerometer, Barometer, Fingerprint Sensor, Gyro Sensor, Geomagnetic Sensor, Hall Sensor, Heart Rate Sensor, Proximity Sensor, RGB Light Sensor, Iris Sensor, Pressure Sensor |
| Authentication | Lock Type – Pattern, Pin, Password Biometric Lock Types – Iris Scanner, Fingerprint Scanner, Facial RecognitionIntelligent scan – Combines iris scan and face recognition for convenient unlocking and in some cases |
| Audio | MP3, M4A, 3GA, AAC, OGG, OGA, WAV, WMA, AMR, AWB, FLAC, MID, MIDI, XMF, MXMF, IMY, RTTTL, RTX, OTA, DSF, DFF, APE |
| Video | MP4, M4V, 3GP, 3G2, WMV, ASF, AVI, FLV, MKV, WEBM |
SOFTWARE
We have had the opportunity to try the new Note 9 very little and therefore we can not dwell much on the software aspects that characterize it. Everything that had been included on Note 8 is also present in this new model with improvements to the S Pen suite, animated emoticons and custom avatars that can be managed and exploited even within the S Pen programs.
The Samsung customization is virtually identical to that of the Galaxy S9 with some small news that we have seen with the arrival of Oreo 8.1. Particularly efficient multitasking, lots of RAM in the model with 512GB of internal memory and of course the possibility of using desktop mode. In this case, however, a DeX base will not be necessary, but any Type-C cable or external adapter will suffice. And finally!
Talking about speed, performance and fluency are superfluous. Those who have used S9 + will find virtually the same reactivity and pleasantness of use. A product that is always ready that does not use immediate and very fast animations, but that always remains reactive and vehement.
PRICES AND AVAILABILITY
The new Samsung Galaxy Note 9 will be available in few countries from 24 August, in the 128GB versions (public price is 1029 euros) and 512GB (public price is 1279 euros), in Ocean Blue, Midnight Black, and Lavender Purple colors.
However, it will be possible to pre-order the new Samsung smartphone from today until August 23, thus accessing the international Samsung trade-in campaign, which will estimate up to 600 euros the old smartphone of consumers.
SAMSUNG
Moreover, it will be possible to buy the Galaxy Note 9 with the Samsung Smart Rent formula on the samsung.com website in addition to the trade-in program – with Samsung Smart Rent, consumers can get the new flagship with an advance of 99 euros and 24 installments of 44.90 euros (for the 512 GB version) and 35.90 euros (for the 128 GB version) with coverage against damage and theft included.
Pricing:
- $999 for 128GB of storage and 6GB of RAM
- $1,249 for 512GB ROM with 8GB of RAM
BEST BUY
Best Buy’s preorder offer will take $200 off the total price of the Note 9 when you purchase it through Verizon, AT&T, or Sprint, though you won’t see the savings up front. It will pay you back in monthly installments through your carrier.
You’ll also save up to $450 if you trade in an iPhone X, Google Pixel 2 XL, Samsung Galaxy S9 or S9 Plus. It’ll be less if your phone isn’t as current.
VERIZON
Preorders for the Note 9 open at Verizon at 12:01 AM ET on August 10th.
Pricing:
- 128GB model is $999, or $42 per month for 24 months
- 512GB option is $1,249, or $52 per month for 24 months
AT&T
Preorders open up for AT&T starting at 12 AM ET on August 10th.
Pricing:
- 128GB model is $33 per month for one year with Next, otherwise $41 per month
- 512GB model is $42 per month for one year with Next, otherwise $52 per month
T-MOBILE
Preorders open up for T-Mobile at 12 AM on August 10th.
Pricing:
- 128GB model is $999 outright or $30 per month after $279.99 down at purchase
- 512GB model is $1,249, or $30 per month if you put $529 down
US CELLULAR
Preordering through US Cellular will earn you $150 off, paid back in a monthly credit on your statements, but only if you’re a new customer.
XFINITY MOBILE
For new members who activate their service with Xfinity Mobile and port their number over, a $300 prepaid card is waiting for you. Both models are available for purchase here for $999 and $1,249.
OTHER RETAILERS
The 128GB version of the Samsung Galaxy Note 9 will also be available at Amazon, Costco, Sam’s Club, Straight Talk Wireless, Target, and Walmart. Just keep in mind – if you pick it up at launch, you won’t be eligible for the preorder special mentioned above.
