Introduction
The the Samsung Galaxy Note9 is now official. It wasn't too hard to guess what the next Galaxy Note will be like - it's a bigger Galaxy S9+ with an S-Pen. But that's us oversimplifying it. This phone employs every cutting-edge technology Samsung has right now and builds on the legacy that once ignited the phablet revolution.
It's been a while since Samsung improved the S-Pen and that's probably the biggest change since the Note8. Sure, there is a new chipset, an upgraded camera, and a larger battery, but the Note8 is still a beast even a year later. The S-Pen on the other hand, every Note's key feature, was put on hold for a few generations. That changes with the Galaxy Note9.
The new S-Pen looks a lot like the old one but has some new eye-catchy color accents. But now it has a battery, connects via Bluetooth, and doubles as a remote control for various occasions. And to make things even sweeter, the Note9 doesn't need a DeX pad for Samsung's Desktop mode, you just need a proper cable. That's certainly one way to reinvent those power-point presentations.
The Note9 design hasn't changed much, and it got most of its internals from the Galaxy S9+ - the chipset, the dual-camera with variable aperture, even the selfie snapper. There is more storage and RAM, of course, and a larger battery, but it's the Galaxy you know.
Samsung Galaxy Note9 specs
- Body: Aluminum frame, Gorilla Glass 5 front and back; IP68 certified for water and dust resistance. Midnight Black, Coral Blue, Titanium Gray, Lilac Purple color schemes.
- Display: 6.4" Super AMOLED 'Infinity Display', 2,960x1440px resolution, 18.5:9 (2.06:1) aspect ratio, 514ppi; HDR10 compliant (no Dolby Vision).
- Rear camera: Primary 12MP, Type 1/2.55" sensor, f/1.5-2.4 aperture, 26mm equiv. focal length, dual pixel PDAF, OIS; Secondary 12MP, Type 1/3.4" sensor, f/2.4 aperture, 52mm equiv. focal length, autofocus, OIS; 2x zoom. 2160p/60fps, 1080p/240fps slow motion, 720p/960fps super slow-motion video recording.
- Front camera: 8MP, f/1.7 aperture, autofocus; 1440p/30fps video recording.
- OS/Software: Android 8.1 Oreo; Samsung Experience 9.0; Bixby virtual assistant; Smart Connect, Smart Connect Home
- Chipsets: Qualcomm Snapdragon 845: octa-core CPU (4x2.7GHz Kryo 385 Gold & 4x1.7GHz Kryo 385 Silver), Adreno 630 GPU. Exynos 9810: octa-core CPU (4x3rd-gen Mongoose 2.7GHz + 4xCortex-A55 1.8GHz), Mali-G72 MP18 GPU.
- Memory: 6/8GB of RAM; 128/512GB of storage; microSD slot for cards up to 512GB.
- Battery: 4,000mAh Li-Po (sealed); Adaptive Fast Charging (same as S7/S8/S9); QuickCharge 2.0 support; WPC(Qi)&PMA wireless charging.
- Connectivity: Single-SIM, Dual-SIM available in certain markets (hybrid slot); LTE-A, 4-Band/5-Band carrier aggregation, Cat.18 (1.2Gbps/150Mbps); USB Type-C (v3.1); Wi-Fi a/b/g/n/ac MU-MIMO; GPS, GLONASS, Beidou, Galileo; NFC; Bluetooth 5.0.
- Misc: Bluetooth-enabled S-Pen stylus with 4096 pressure levels and multimedia controls, Fingerprint/iris/face recognition; stereo speakers tune by AKG; 3.5mm jack; bundled AKG headphones; DeX dock compatibility.
The Galaxy Note9 is jam-packed with features - that's why we love the Notes. It has everything a phablet should have and more. There is no notch on the iconic Super AMOLED screen, thankfully, and it seems Samsung might successfully wait this trend out. Probably for the best!
The Note9 is shaping to be the best professional smartphone on the market, and that's not a stretch - the previous Notes have been known for being excellent versatile pros. The only devices to come close to be as professional are LG's V series, though they lack a stylus. But the pen is not dead yet, it was re-imagined so, LG might have to reconsider adding one for the V40.
Let's cut to the chase though. We have spent some quality time with the Galaxy Note9 and the impressions are in.
Design and hardware
Samsung made just subtle changes to the Galaxy Note8 design, but all of those combined improve the overall experience and handling of the new Note9.
For starters, the Note9 uses the Samsung's favorite glass-sandwich design. The Gorilla Glass pieces, both front and rear, are curved towards the longer sides of the frame. At first, we thought Samsung had flattened a bit those curved, but upon further inspection we found those to be the same as on the Note8.
The metal frame is different though. It's shape differently on Note9's longer sides and completely flat on the shorter. But what's really nice is that the frame has a matt finish and ends on diamond-cut bevels.
The now grippy and flattened aluminum frame improves the overall grip by a mile and we really appreciated it. The chamfers give some additional sense of security when using the Note9 in landscape orientation, especially for the camera.
The Note9 is as big as the Note8, despite having a larger screen and a bigger battery. It weighs just 6g over the Note8 at 201g.
Samsung managed to keep the same footprint but added a slightly bigger 6.4" Super AMOLED screen. This of course was possible by trimming the bezels - the bottom black bar is slightly thinner than it was on the Note8. But the screen aspect ratio and resolution are the same as before - 18.5:9 and 2,960 x 1,440 pixels. Samsung will ship the Note9 set at 1080p resolution by default, but you can go in QuadHD+ from Setting.
While most of the front is Super AMOLED, there is a lot more than meets the eye. Above the screen is the earpiece, which now doubles as a speaker. The iris scanner is here to stay, of course, there is an RGB LED notification light, and the excellent 8MP selfie snapper with f/1.7 lens, autofocus and large pixels just can't really get better than that, can it?
Samsung is sticking to its pressure-sensitive Home key - the sensors are once again at mid-bottom and work as on the S9 and Note8.
A peek around the sides of the Note9 reveals the SIM and microSD tray on top, while the bottom has the USB port, the 3.5mm audio port and the other speaker.
The Bixby button is staying, sorry guys, but some extended functionality is coming.
The back of the Note9 has seen the most notable exterior change - the fingerprint scanner has been moved below the camera, which puts an end of the excessive finger-stretching and always smudgy lenses!
The camera deck looks as big and odd as before, but that has been Samsung's take on it for quite some time. The optically-stabilized dual setup is absolutely the same as on the S9+ - a 12MP main camera, with variable aperture (f/1.5-2.4) and a telephoto lens, with a 12MP sensor and f/2.4 aperture. There is a single LED flash and right next to it is the heart-rate sensor.
As far as the exterior is concerned, it's hard to tell a Note9 from a Note8. The visual changes are minor and if it weren't for the now thoughtfully positioned fingerprint scanner, it would have been close to impossible. But Samsung did make enough improvements on the frame and the grip benefits the most from them.
The Note9 is waterproofed, just like the Note8, and since the S-Pen now has some technology inside, it got water-insulation as well. The pen itself pops-up just like before, and don't you worry, you can't insert it from the wrong side.
It's nice we don't have to worry about charging the S-Pen - it doesn't really have a battery, but some sort of a capacitor that charges within the phone and it takes just 40 seconds. The charge is enough for up to 30 minutes of use over BLE connection, or 200 clicks on the remote. The maximum range is 10 meters.
And when the charge is depleted, it's the good ol' S-Pen from the Note8 - you can still write, draw, swipe, and use its key in close proximity to the screen.
The Galaxy Note9 supports fast wireless charging, as well as fast wired charging. There haven't been any standard upgrades though - it's the familiar Samsung adaptive charging and QuickCharge 2.0 - speeds. Which is somewhat disappointing - that large 4,000 mAh battery would take a while to charge over QC2.0 for sure.
The Note9 will be available in Metallic Copper, Lavender Purple, Ocean Blue, and Midnight Black. Samsung didn't cave under the competition and stuck to its usual color schemes instead of going for the gradient or faux-transparent trends. But that's not a surprise, Samsung is hardly a trend-follower - you can't see a notch on a Galaxy, can you? We are glad the maker did use some of those paints on the S-Pen though - it looks cooler, and well, fresher now.
The Note9 is the Note you know, nothing really surprising or unexpected. Maybe Samsung will change the design for the NoteX, maybe not. But it's still a flagship shape, with premium feel and the minor improvements do matter. There are also new colors, and doubled base storage, so we can' t really ask for more. Not this year, at least.
Samsung Experience on top of Android Oreo
Since we've already established the Note9 is more of an incremental update to the Note8, design-wise, it should come as no surprise that the same logic mostly applies to software, as well. In this respect, however, the newer Galaxy S9+ seems to be the foundation, upon which the Korean giant based the Note9 Samsung Experience.
This should not be misconstrued as criticism, though. Samsung's custom skin has really come a long way in recent years, mostly shedding the bad reputation of old, for being slow and "laggy". Now, it's probably one of the most mature and popular custom Android ROMs around.
That being said, both newcomers and long-term fans need to adjust their expectations accordingly, going into the Note9's UX. It's essentially the same Samsung Experience, imbued with a few Note-line extras, here and there. Also, still running on top of Android 8.1 Oreo.
If you've never encountered Samsung's Android builds for yourself, there are definitely certain bits to love and others to hate. Bixby - Samsung's AI assistant is still around and still just as good at controlling the phone, via voice and executing command sequences, but mostly lagging behind the competition in more traditional aspects, like surfacing online info.
Samsung isn't backing down from its AI effort and Bixby is still front stage and center on the Note9, with its own dedicated Bixby hardware button a separate home screen in the launcher and deep integration into the camera, for nifty, if not exactly reliable, visual searching and AR functions. Thankfully, Bixby is easy enough to ignore after you disable the hardware button and pretend it's not there.
That being said, Samsung's insistence on the polarizing AI is very indicative of the company's overall approach to software and services. Mainly, that Samsung strives for a certain level of
From a pure end-user standpoint, this, however, means that there are plenty of Samsung pre-loaded apps, you may have to deal with if you are an Android purist. We can't exactly claim that the Samsung app store is really necessary in a Western, Google-supported market, but other Samsung apps are genuinely great to use, like the default browser, complete with ad-block support. Then there are things like the Secure Folder, which really provides added functionality. Based on Samsung's acclaimed Knox security platform, this is arguably one of the best secure spaces on any Android device, currently out there. It is also conveniently integrated deep within the OS, complete with access to all the Note9's biometric security options, including the Iris Scanner and now re-positioned fingerprint reader. There is even a convenient, auto-fill password manager, that works system-wide, as part of the mix.
DeX is another great value-added feature, especially for more business-oriented usecases. Again, it's one of the better desktop environments, currently available, within the Android realm. With only Huawei's own implementation coming off as a viable alternative. Especially now that Samsung made it even better.
The DeX version, debuting on the Note9, has taken some hints from Huawei and now offers trackpad and pen input functionality on the phone, while it is connected to an external display. The handset can also be used for keyboard input, although, that's not nearly as convenient, as leveraging it as a touchpad. This could, theoretically, limit the need for a separate mouse, for certain tasks and could power interesting new usecases for digital artists.
Another likely Huawei-inspired novelty to come to DeX is the ability to use it without a docking station. The latter has always been rather cumbersome and requires power input. Now, a simple dongle is enough for DeX to work. Samsung has been offering such dongles for quite some time now, but until now, the DeX environment was limited to the dock.
If you still prefer to carry around a set of input peripherals, now you can free the UI of the Note9 entirely. When It doesn't have to pull double-duty as a mouse/keyboard, the phone actually remains perfectly usable. You can keep using it, without having to close the DeX desktop experience. The new S-Pen can offer some nifty remote input in DeX as well. But, more on that in a bit.
Overall, just like the rest of the OS, the new DeX seems to offer incremental updates and refinements, rather than a major lap forward. Still, the added functionality could, potentially, be a game-changer for many, finally making it a viable tool to explore.
DeX and a slightly more intelligent camera aside, the list of new, purely-software features to debute with the Galaxy Note9 is rather thin. Samsung did draw attention to its revamped Live message feature, which now works with AR Emoji.
All new S-Pen
The S-Pen has long been a staple of Samsung's Note line. The concept of a stylus is hardly new. In fact, it's more of a remnant of a bygone era of pocket PC's and personal organisers. Even so, the Korean giant's implementation is one of the few that survived the test of time and is still sticking around in the new smartphone era.
Over the last few Note generations, Samsung's stylus has remained essentially unchanged in functionality and operating principle. A few ergonomic tweaks aside, the S-Pen has typically been a reliable accessory, always present and favoured by Galaxy Note fans.
The Note9 S-Pen does come with some extra functionality, thanks to the addition of Bluetooth LE technology. On the surface, you wouldn't really guess there is anything fundamentally different about this iteration of the S-Pen. Well, perhaps, it's a bit chunkier than the Note8 alternative, measuring 5.7 x 4.35 x 106.37mm and weighing in at 3.1 grams. Holding the two at the same time does reveal the difference, but some extra heft and size are kind of welcome on a stylus, making it more comfortable to hold.
The other visual difference is the color. Historically, the S-Pen has been monochromatic. This time around, Samsung decided to match its body with the finish of the phone. We kind of like the added personality. Especially on the Coral Blue variant, which is the exception to the color-matching approach and is paired with a bright yellow S-Pen.
The design team even went as far as to make the Screen-off memo writing color match the color of you particular S-Pen, by default.
Back to the added functionality then - Bluetooth LE allows the pen to be constantly connected to the phone, with a range of up to 10 meters. This, of course, means the stylus is no longer passive. To power the small Bluetooth circuit, Samsung has included a tiny capacitor inside, which is good for about 200 clicks or 30 minutes outside the S-Pen groove, in the phone. Once inside, the capacitor charges up fully in about 40 seconds.
It's a pretty neat system. Also, Samsung didn't forget to ensure the same IP68 waterproofing rating for the S-Pen, to match the rest of the phone.
In terms of functionality, the new BLE S-Pen currently recognises a short press, a long press and double tap. It can be used as a remote shutter, within the camera app, with a single press. Double tapping, switches between the primary and selfie snapper. There is also integration for the new clicker within DeX, for things like a presentation remote, to change between slides. The S-Pen can also be used to control multimedia playback.
Probably best of all, though, is the fact that Samsung will be releasing an SDK for the pen button, for third-party developers. So, the possibilities are limitless and could include things like innovative game input mechanics. Some apps, like Snapchat and YouTube already support the S-Pen clicker, out of the box.
And, just in case you were wondering what would happen if the capacitor ever breaks or runs out of juice: The S-Pen, basically looses the BLE functionality and becomes a standard S Pen. Complete with its traditional hover detection, quick actions, mapped to the button and 4,096 detectable pressure levels. Just like the one on the Galaxy Note8.
Performance
Yet another area, where Samsung opted for incremental improvement, rather than any fantastic leap forward. Well, depending on your priorities, that is. From a purely hardware standpoint, the Galaxy Note9 utilizes the same chipset options, like the Galaxy S9+. That means either an Qualcomm Snapdragon 845: octa-core CPU (4x2.7GHz Kryo 385 Gold & 4x1.7GHz Kryo 385 Silver) and Adreno 630 GPU in most places or a Qualcomm Snapdragon 845: octa-core CPU (4x2.7GHz Kryo 385 Gold & 4x1.7GHz Kryo 385 Silver) and Adreno 630 GPU in the US and China.
There is, however, a higher tier RAM option of 8GB. The base option, still sitting at a hefty 6GB. We won't really get into the whole RAM usability argument on Android. However, if you do opt for the higher-tier Note9, you also get 512GB of on-board storage. That's also good news for the base model, which now gets 128GB. Apparently, Samsung felt that users are starting to film more and more 4K video, so the extra storage is necessary. We can't really complain.
There is also a microSD slot, which Samsung has certified for up to 512GB cards. That's what allows the PR department to toss around impressive claims of up to 1TB of mobile storage. These are definitely true, as long as you can afford the eye-watering price tag of a microSD card, that big.
Another mobile trend, Samsung is clearly aware of is the increasing popularity of Android gaming. The Galaxy Note9 is distinctly better than its predecessors in this area, thanks to a number of things, including the stereo speaker setup and hefty 4,000 mAh battery. There is also another, behind the scenes improvement, Samsung is bringing attention to.
The Galaxy Note9 has an improved heat-pipe cooling design, to combat thermal-throttling and facilitate long gaming sessions. As per Samsung's reps, the Note 9 has a "water carbon cooling system" with 3 times bigger pipes than the Galaxy S7's setup. This, allegedly, results in 20-ish percent faster cool-down times on the Note9, compared to the Note8.
Now, we would love to properly test that claim, but that can only happen once we get a review unit at the office. Plus, this comparison, in particular, seems kind of flawed, to begin with, given that the Note8 uses a totally different pair of chipsets.
Regardless, we will definitely put the Note9 through its paces, even though we don't expect to see drastically different performance numbers, compared to the Galaxy S9+. Even on-screen frame rates should be rather identical, given that both phones use the same 1440 x 2960 pixel resolution.
Camera
Samsung Galaxy Note9 borrows the dual-camera setup from the most recent Galaxy S9+ flagship. It's got a 12MP sensor with a pixel size of 1.4µm (Samsung's own ISOCELL for the Exynos model) behind a stabilized variable aperture lens - f/1.5-2.4. The positions are fixed though, you can either opt for f/1.5 or f/2.4 and nothing in-between. And unless you are in Manual (Expert) mode, the camera will decide this for you. There's dual pixel phase-detection autofocus - that's what a portion of each of these large pixels is used for.
The telephoto cam is another 12MP unit, but being a smaller sensor, pixels are 1.0µm on this one. The lens has an f/2.4 aperture and is stabilized, too.
In extreme darkness or for fill flash applications, a single LED flash is there to help. Nothing has changed in this matter since the Galaxy S2 - no dual-tone quadruple-LEDs from Samsung.
The camera does 4-frame image stacking, three times, and then combines the three resulting images to cancel out noise. Samsung promises 30% less noise on all images, which is an impressive achievement right there. Combined with the bright f/1.5 aperture, the results should be cleaner low-light images with less noise and more fine detail.
The camera is now intelligent (we like how Samsung didn't use AI) - it has smart scene recognition. It has also flaw detection - the camera app will notify you for dirty lens, if you shot a blurry image, and it will even suggest taking another photo if you photograph people and someone blinked. Nice!
The smart detection for the 960fps slow-mo videos is here to stay, too.
We snapped a few samples, but as usual we'll keep our judgment for when the retail unit arrives in our office.
Developing...
First impressions
The Galaxy Note9 wasn't meant to be a tempting upgrade over the Note8. The eight Note is as power and attractive as it was on day one and it's hardly worth upgrading over the Note9. We doubt the Galaxy S9 owners would be interested either, otherwise they would have just waited until August to get the S9 with an S-Pen.
But for the rest of the world, the Galaxy Note9 is the new major threat to any recent or coming soon flagship. And there is a very obvious reason for that - it has everything you can squeeze in a smartphone sweetened with a professional-grade skillset.
The S-Pen is the Note's key feature, but no one should ignore that big high-res Super AMOLED, or the snappy chipset with large storage, or the great all-round camera experience, or the beefy battery. Except for the speed of fast charging, there is nothing that's not 2018 in the Galaxy Note9.
The best phablet in the world just got bested. Which means the Note is dead, long live the Note! Or at least that's what the Note fans are thinking after today's presentation was over.
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