Review of the Samsung Galaxy Note9 smartphone: almost flawless. Pleasantly surprised, but nothing more

Wow! We are at the Samsung presentation. And we have already been shown a new charged Galaxy Note9 with an upgraded S-Pen.

The designers were clearly satisfied with the current appearance of the smartphone, so they did not make any special changes. The frames became slightly smaller, the fingerprint scanner moved under the camera, and the camera itself became horizontal.

But inside - bucket of changes.

Iron for which you can only praise

The new product is equipped with a huge “limitless” 6.4-inch QHD Super AMOLED display with a resolution of 2960x1440 and a pixel density of 516ppi. In addition to the cool screen, the company, as usual, has introduced powerful AKG stereo speakers with Dolby Atmos support.

The top processor acted as the “brains” Exynos 9810, built on the Snapdragon 845. The amount of RAM was 6 or 8 GB depending on the model, and the built-in memory was 128 or 512 GB.

It's funny, but the selfie camera has also been upgraded a bit. If anyone blinked, Note9 will tell you about it.

But this is not the main achievement of Korean engineers. We are already accustomed to the fact that Note smartphones are closely related to the use S-Pen. And it evolved logically.

The electronic pen has support for Bluetooth Low-Energy (BLE). With the help of the new “pencil” you can do literally everything: Remotely take selfies, group photos, control presentations in PC mode, start/stop videos, and so on.

Third-party developers will have access to key features of the new S-Pen.

In addition, Galaxy Note9 is equipped with a powerful 4,000 mAh battery. The company claims that in active use mode the smartphone will “live” almost two full days.

Technical characteristics of Samsung Galaxy Note9:

operating system: Android 8.1 Oreo
Display: 6.4", Quad HD+ Super AMOLED, resolution 2960×1440, 516ppi
CPU: 10nm, 8-core Exynos 9810 processor
RAM: 6/8 GB
Built-in memory: 128/512 GB (+ SD card slot up to 512 GB) Main camera: double (wide-angle lens with Super Speed Dual Pixel technology * 12 MP with autofocus, F1.5/F2.4, optical stabilization (OIS) and main lens 12 MP with autofocus, F2.4 and optical stabilization (OIS)), 2x optical zoom, 10x digital zoom, dual aperture
Front-camera: 8 MP, autofocus, F1.7 Battery: 4,000 mAh, fast and wireless charging
Wireless connections: NFC, MST, LTE Cat.18, Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac (2.4/5GHz), VHT80 MU-MIMO, 1024QAM,
Bluetooth® v 5.0 (LE up to 2 Mbit/s), ANT+, USB Type-C, NFC, geolocation (GPS, Galileo*, GLONASS, BeiDou*)
Authentication: iris scanner, fingerprint scanner, face recognition Sensors: accelerometer, barometer, fingerprint scanner, gyroscope, geomagnetic sensor, Hall sensor, heart rate sensor, proximity sensor, RGB sensor, iris scanner, pressure sensor Dimensions: 161.9 x 76.4 x 8.8 mm
Weight: 201 g.

How much will Samsung Galaxy Note9 cost in Russia?

Sales start scheduled for August 31. Pre-order opens today and is available until August 30. As a gift, Samsung will give everyone who pre-orders a branded wireless charger.

The cost of Samsung Galaxy Note9 was:

RUB 69,990 for 6GB/128GB model
RUB 89,990 for 8GB/512GB version

Samsung DeX is now just a wire

If previously you used an entire docking station to transform your smartphone into a PC, now the company has simplified user interaction with the system.

The updated Samsung DeX is now a regular cable with a small adapter inside. The interface is standard for image transfer. This is HDMI.

Fortnite rumors turned out to be true

Along with the new smartphone, the company announced Fortnite for Android. True, initially it will be exclusive to the company’s devices.

The Koreans managed to stand out and introduce a new skin for the game called Galaxy.

Fortnite is available for Note9 and Tab S4 starting today.

Pleasantly surprised, but nothing more

Samsung Galaxy Note9 is what the last generation flagship should have been. It combines the company's best technology, harmoniously combined with a cool body.

Personally, I still don’t understand the purpose of the stylus, because Steve Jobs made it clear that no one has needed this device for a very long time. And I have no idea why Samsung keeps making it. Even with such a huge screen.

Apparently, Koreans have a different vision of the development of large-screen smartphones. And many people agree with this. Alas, I don't understand.

Today we’ll look at the new Korean phablet Samsung Galaxy Note 9: what’s good about it, what interesting things does it offer and who might need it? And most importantly, is the price of the Samsung Galaxy Note 9 adequate for all its capabilities?

Let's talk about prices right away.

I have a 6/128 GB version for review, which costs 69,990 rubles. There is also an older model, with 8/512 GB of memory - it will cost 89,990 rubles. Otherwise, the models are identical, so let's move on to the review.

Equipment

In appearance, an ordinary small box contains a bunch of additional gadgets that will really be useful to the user. Let's start with the standard set: power supply, USB Type-C cable and key for the SIM / SD card tray.

Next come the headphones with an additional set of pads and a holder. What was included with them was not a case and film, but an OTG adapter and an additional adapter from Micro USB to USB Type-C. In general, as is the case with .

For the set - a solid five.

Design

I received a device with a blue body. Galaxy Note 9 looks strict and intelligent, like a business-class device, which is what it was intended to be. At the back you can find many differences from the same. Everything here is very symmetrical: a rectangular camera window, under it is an almost rectangular fingerprint scanner, below is a logo, and all this is aligned in the center - it looks neat, beautiful, and pleasant to look at.

The front panel is no less pleasing to the eye. First of all, the complete absence of side frames and the display creeping onto the edges of the body. Actually, just like in the original Galaxy S9. I have only one complaint - about the chin. I understand that it is not that wide, but still 70,000 rubles...

Along the edges of the case, the same arrangement of elements as in : on top is the tray, on the right is the power button, on the left is the Bixby button and volume rocker, on the bottom is the headphone jack, the USB Type-C port and... that’s the only difference. Special compartment for the S Pen stylus. We will talk about this magic pen below.

A little about the additional Bixby button, which launches the intelligent assistant. At first, there is a risk of confusing it with the power button, because it is usually located under the volume control. But the confusion for me personally did not last long; already on the second day I got used to the arrangement. Probably because the power button is on the right side, and it’s very convenient to press it with your right thumb. Personally, I did not make a mistake and did not press Bixby by accident, but this option is possible, we mean it.

By the way, it doesn’t hurt to protect your smartphone with a case or film. The device came into my hands with a couple of scratches on the front and back; I left a couple more on the screen, although I used it as carefully as possible. So it’s scary to even think about falling. Traces will certainly remain, and perhaps not weak ones.

True, dropping the Note 9 on the floor is surprisingly not so easy. Surprisingly, despite its considerable dimensions, the smartphone has good ergonomics. It is comfortable to hold and does not slip out of your hands. Yes, it’s difficult to reach the top of the screen with one hand, but the screen is large and very cool.

Display

I remember recently in some foreign news source I saw material that the Galaxy Note 9 has the best screen at the moment. Of course, I haven’t held every smartphone in the world in my hands and I can’t personally compare it, but I still agree with this judgment without hesitation.

The smartphone has an incredibly clear and colorful display.

It’s a pleasure to look at such a huge screen. The colors are very saturated, but they are not dazzling and do not irritate the eyes. The picture is smooth, playful, just a sight for sore eyes. Temperature and contrast, of course, can be adjusted in the settings.

You can also choose one of the proposed display options: for example, with one click you can configure the display for games or videos.

It is also possible to change the screen resolution, and there are three resolutions to choose from: HD+ (1480 x 720), FHD+ (2220 x 1080, default) and WQHD+ (2960 x 1440).

Display settings

Setting the resolution

Always-On-Display

What about auto brightness? Everything is fine with it, auto-adjustment works quickly and does not slow down when the lighting changes. The maximum brightness level in the sun is quite enough. And the minimum one drops low enough to make it comfortable to look at the phone in complete darkness. The viewing angles are also excellent.

In general, you don’t want to look away from the display of the Samsung Galaxy Note 9. It’s a pleasure to watch movies, play games, and even read books.

S Pen stylus

Perhaps this is the most controversial aspect of the Galaxy Note 9. If only because the stylus has long become an atavism and an extremely specialized tool: it is probably most needed by designers and artists. But Samsung decided to improve and thereby popularize the wand. I think they succeeded.

Now the S Pen is as close as possible to a real pen, only smaller in size. In my case it is yellow.

A quick technical note: the S Pen charges directly in the smartphone body in 40 seconds, and then works continuously for about half an hour.

There is one single button on the body that performs a bunch of functions. For example, using the stylus you can fully control the camera, flip through photos, control music and the browser. Moreover, the button is customizable, that is, the functionality can be completely changed to suit your needs.

Later, more and more applications will begin to support the functionality of the stylus - developers will receive the corresponding API.

The S Pen is also good for entertainment. For example, Samsung’s proprietary PENUP coloring game is very addictive, where you just need to use the stylus (third screenshot). The only question is whether this fun is worth as much as 70 thousand, at best.

So, thanks to the S Pen, the smartphone offers very interesting functionality - but not useful or necessary for everyone. And all these features add a considerable share to the price of the device. So before buying, you should think about whether you need all this?

Specifications Samsung Galaxy Note 9

Now let’s take a closer look at what the smartphone has under the body. By the way, if you want to compare the new product with last year’s Samsung Galaxy Note 8 in all respects, then. Here we will focus on the hero of our review.

Samsung Exynos 9810 processor (10 nm, 4 Custom CPU cores at 2.9 GHz and 4 Cortex-A55 cores at 1.9 GHz) / Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 (SDM845, 8 Kryo 385 cores at 2.8 GHz)
graphics Mali-G72 MP18 / Adreno 630
RAM 6/8 GB LPDDR4
physical memory 128 / 512 GB
support Micro SD up to 512 GB
6.4-inch display with a resolution of 2960 x 1440 pixels (WQHD+, Super AMOLED, 516 ppi)
dual main camera:
12 MP (main, f/2.4, optical stabilization, optical zoom x2 + digital zoom x10)
12 MP (wide-angle, Super Speed Dual Pixel, automatic aperture f/2.4 / f/1.5, optical stabilization, optical zoom x2 + digital zoom x10)
front camera 8 MP (f/1.7)
4000 mAh battery (wireless + fast charging QC 2.0)
Android 8.1 Oreo system + Samsung Experience proprietary shell
sensors: accelerometer, barometer, gyroscope, compass, Hall sensor, heart rate monitor and pressure sensor, proximity sensor, RGB sensor, iris and fingerprint scanner
Connectors: USB Type C (with OTG support), 3.5 mm audio output
Dimensions: 161.9 x 76.4 x 8.8 mm, weight 201 g
S Pen dimensions: 5.7 x 4.35 x 106.37 mm, weight 3.1 g
IP68 protection

Wireless interfaces:

4G LTE Cat. 18 (lanes: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 12, 20, 28, 29, 30, 38, 39, 40, 41)
two Nano SIM cards
Wi-Fi (802.11 a / b / g / n / ac), Bluetooth 5.0, MU-MIMO, NFC, GPS, Galileo, GLONASS, BeiDou

We are offered three types of unlocking at once: by finger, by face and even by iris. They all work quickly and accurately. There was never a failure, not even once. The only drawback: the fingerprint scanner itself is a little small and awkwardly shaped, so sometimes your finger just doesn’t fit.

It's good to see that the 3.5mm audio output is still there. Although this was expected, because it was also present in S9 and S9+. But I still note that I personally am always pleased to see the headphone jack in place.

The tray, unfortunately, is combined, so we choose: either two SIM cards, or a SIM card and a memory card. True, if there is 512 GB in the older version, you can sacrifice additional storage. But it depends on who.

Performance

The speed and smoothness of the interface is excellent. No glitches, no freezes, nothing negative. You don’t even need to mention this, because what problems could there be for that kind of money? True, sometimes flagship devices suddenly begin to behave incorrectly in places, but the Galaxy Note 9 copes with a bang.

In synthetic tests, the device lags not only behind a dozen devices, but even behind the Samsung Galaxy S9 and S9+. True, it lags behind quite a bit, because the hardware of all three brothers is almost identical (if we take Exynos devices, which we sell).

But let's move on to games, this will be more revealing. Here the smartphone is expectedly good.

PUBG Mobile works exclusively on maximum settings. Nothing freezes or slows down, only a couple of times the game jerked slightly, barely noticeable. After 35 minutes of playing, the device warmed up noticeably - up to 37.4 degrees (according to CPU-Z). Statistics say that 4% of the charge was consumed in half an hour, but in reality 11% was consumed.

And after an hour of playing World Of Tanks, the device lost only 10% of energy and heated up to the same temperature as in the case of PUBG. The toy also runs at the highest settings, without a single lag at 60 FPS.

Camera

Filming at the highest level.

The automatic mode produces stunning images, adequate in color and saturation, detailed and clear. The dual 12-megapixel module with an optical stub does its job perfectly. Below is a gallery of photographs taken indoors and outdoors:

By the way, it will be very useful to study all the photos on your computer in the original resolution. Here is a link to the archive.

The HDR mode most often does not play any role; the automatic camera copes perfectly with the light and shadows in the picture without it. HDR can be useful, for example, when there is a heavily illuminated area (the wall of a building):

It can also be a good idea to turn on HDR in rooms with low light. But, again, the difference is minimal:

So you can safely set the Auto HDR mode so that the smartphone decides when to use it. Yes, and manually switching it is inconvenient, because there is no button placed on the main screen of the camera; for it you have to go into the settings.

To enlarge the image there is a double optical zoom. There is already a convenient button for it in the lower right corner of the screen, so the increase can be done very quickly. And the quality of such a photo is almost as good as a regular photograph without zoom:

As for night photography, there are no night modes here. There is only a variable aperture, which selects light sensitivity independently depending on the lighting. You can learn more about this feature.

In the meantime, let's look at examples of pictures at night:

I also tried to use the mentioned zoom at night, the result was excellent:

The front camera is 8 megapixel. It allows you to blur the background, take panoramic selfies, and also create your own masks and Animoji or use ready-made ones. At night, the front sensor also takes good pictures using the on-screen flash: the person in the frame turns out to be clear, but the surroundings are a little blurred.

I took a lot of photos, and the result was the same everywhere. So this point was underdeveloped, and it unpleasantly spoils the generally cool front camera.

Video

The smartphone can record video in 4K format (60 frames per second). The quality is incredibly cool, but stabilization does not work here, so the picture shakes slightly. But not critical. But there is simply a 4K Ultra HD format, without 60 FPS, and there the stabilization already works as it should, leveling the picture. The quality is great both there and there. Let's watch both videos and compare.

There is also a slow motion option. The manufacturer indicates that recording occurs at a speed of 960 frames per second. And the smartphone says that only with 480 fps. Moreover, there are two modes: “auto”, where the camera itself detects a moving object, and “manual” mode, where everything falls on the user’s shoulders. So, for “manual” the speed is 480 fps, but for “auto” nothing is indicated at all. So it’s unclear exactly what parameters the smartphone uses to record slow-motion video.

Sound

In the original headphones included in the kit, as well as in good third-party “ears”, the sound quality is excellent. The lows and highs are in place, there are no wheezing or noises. The software does not provide a native player, so I tested everything in AIMP. And listening to music on headphones definitely made me happy.

But the external speaker seemed hoarse to me. Although the smartphone has two stereo speakers, top and bottom, and this stereo really makes the sound spacious and cool. But the speaker itself wheezes and spoils the impression. This is heard most clearly at maximum music volume.

For the external speaker - put a minus.

But watching movies or videos in stereo is a pleasure, where sound problems are invisible and seem to be absent altogether.

Autonomy

The smartphone showed a decent battery life with its screen and hardware.

In total, taking into account the full load (games, music, camera, GPS, contactless payment, e-reader, calls, Internet, social networks), the device worked from 9:30 a.m. to 11:00 p.m.

For the first half of the day, I almost didn’t let go of the phone, and even if I put it aside, it still had music playing. As a result, by 15:00 half the battery remained, the screen worked for almost 4 hours. Later, towards evening, the mode was more gentle, the display lit up less often. By 21:00 there is 15% charge left. After a couple of hours, the smartphone almost died.

The total screen operation was 7 hours for the whole day.

With such a large screen with a very high resolution, with a ton of active functionality and really powerful hardware, I think this is a good indicator. It’s definitely enough for an active work day or a long walk while photographing the area.

But charging raises questions.

More precisely, charging technology. Samsung, why Quick Charge version 2.0? Why is it when all new devices over the past couple of years have already installed QC 3.0 and even QC 4.0? And for some reason the premium Korean flagship, for a lot of money, makes do with the old version, which is inferior both in speed to the new ones and in terms of safety for the battery itself (in case of overheating, for example).

Of course, this affects charging time. To fully replenish the battery capacity from the original unit (5V / 2A), the smartphone needs two hours. Yes, the battery is rather large, 4000 mAh, but the normal indicator in this case is an hour and a half. The difference is small, but it is there, and this is thanks to the outdated QC 2.0.

Bottom line

After using the device for a long time, I realized that it would be impossible to say anything definitive about the Samsung Galaxy Note 9.

Firstly, because you can’t call it an absolutely perfect smartphone: there are problems with the speaker, a front camera bug (blurring of the background), strange technical aspects such as “fast charging”. Of course, against the background of other advantages, these are trifles, but I would like to see a device in this price segment impeccable.

Secondly, I personally have a serious question regarding who can I recommend a smartphone to? On the one hand, business and creative people who are often forced to use it for work purposes. On the other hand, the device is also suitable for the average user, because the Koreans have made the same stylus a universal tool that can now help in everyday life (let’s take remote control of a camera or music, for example).

Yes, our hero has a stylus and a cool variable aperture. But the S Pen for the average user is more like just a toy, and such an aperture is also available in , which costs a little, but is still cheaper. At the same time, it offers almost everything the same, and according to statistics it turns out to be even more productive.

As for professional purposes such as drawing or working with documentation, the Galaxy Note 9 seems to be a more suitable option. First of all, as a compact device that offers little more than a regular smartphone. The problem is that all this is very subjective: it will suit some people, it will be inconvenient for others, it’s a matter of taste and preference. So it’s also impossible to count on a specific audience.

This is how controversial the new Korean flagship of the Note line turned out to be. What do you think about him?

You shouldn't expect any revolutions from the Samsung Galaxy Note 9. This is a modified and slightly improved version of last year's Note 8, where the main emphasis was placed on the ability to interact with the system and work with the S-Pen. And thanks to these improvements, the Note 9 becomes more like a compact computer than a smartphone.

Design and appearance

The biggest change that catches your eye is that the fingerprint scanner has moved under the camera. It has become more convenient, but now it all doesn’t look as neat as in Note 8. Otherwise, the device is very similar to last year’s smartphone, although there are other changes, such as a changed angle of the screen or camera design. But these are such unnoticeable things that the new product feels exactly the same as last year’s version. A large, rectangular, solid and serious smartphone made of glass and metal. The colors have changed. In addition to the standard black, there is copper, lavender and indigo (aka blue). To be honest, last year’s blue color looked more impressive, but the “indigo” version has its own bright accent - a yellow stylus. Perhaps the most beautiful color is copper.

Samsung Galaxy Note 9 is a very large smartphone. No one-handed operation to speak of, but it's a handy tool for the job. In fact, the positioning of the smartphone tells us that it is more designed for business people, and therefore the requirements for it are somewhat different.

Display

The display in the new product measures 6.4 inches, it has increased by 0.1 inches compared to last year’s model, hence the similar dimensions. Although it has become a little wider, thicker and heavier. SuperAMOLED display, QuadHD+ resolution, but the default is Full HD and in this mode the charge is consumed less, and you won’t see much of a difference. The Samsung Galaxy Note 9 display has many settings, including changing the color profile. The default setting is “Adaptive Mode”, in which the colors are very bright and saturated. In the “Basic” mode, the colors become more natural and faded, but this is up to your taste and choice. Samsung's signature Always On Display feature allows you to see information on the locked screen and there are a lot of options for customizing it. From scheduling when Alwas On Display is active to what information to display.

Unlock

The unlocking options are no less generous in the smartphone. From fingerprints to iris unlocking. In principle, everything works, but the most preferred mode is “Smart Scanning,” which simultaneously uses both the face and the irises of the eyes. In this mode, performance decreases and accuracy increases. In general, the speed of unlocking by face and eyes is not the highest. In any case, you always have the opportunity to unlock your smartphone using your fingerprint, although the scanner is still located quite high. By the way, it is not necessary to press the power button every time, because Samsung, starting with the Galaxy S8, has implemented a virtual button at the bottom of the screen. You can click on it when the smartphone is locked and it is activated.

Performance

Of course, Samsung and hardware were updated. Galaxy Note 9 is powered by an eight-core Exynos 9810 processor, which it inherited from the S9. The amount of RAM and the amount of internal memory depend on the version. The most affordable one received 6 GB of RAM and 128 GB of internal memory. The second version, which is also the most expensive, has 8 and 512 GB, respectively. By adding a 512 GB micro-SD card to such a smartphone, you can get a device with a built-in memory capacity of 1 TB. It is worth considering that such cards cost from $300 and above. Synthetic tests show 249,000 points in AnTuTu - this result is comparable to the Galaxy S9 and ranks approximately 10th in the overall ranking. In Geekbench, the results are better and the smartphone comes out on top even in the basic version. In real life, the Note 9 is actually very fast. It's faster than the Galaxy S9 and most other flagship smartphones. It seems Samsung managed to overcome some of the sluggishness of its own launcher. However, it does not appear immediately, but after some time.

Sound and S-Pen

It should also be noted that the smartphone now has stereo speakers. The sound is loud, high-quality, and the implementation is reminiscent of how it is done on the iPhone. But what's most encouraging is that Samsung continues to equip its flagships with a headphone jack. Koreans in this segment are one of the few who did not give up the mini-jack. Included with the smartphone is a headset from AKG already familiar to fans of the brand. The same company also helped with setting up the sound from the speakers.

And speaking of sound, we must mention the new capabilities of the S-Pen. From now on, the stylus has a built-in battery and Bluetooth, which allows you to control your smartphone from a distance. For example, you can turn music on or off and even switch tracks by pressing the stylus button once or twice. The function is unusual, but controlling the camera with a stylus looks more interesting. You can take pictures with the camera at a distance without the need for a shutter timer. In the same mode, it is convenient to take pictures in Pro mode, when you are shooting at shutter speed and the smartphone must be motionless.

Easier DeX connectivity

The ability to conduct presentations also looks interesting. Connect the Samsung Galaxy Note 9 to a projector or TV, for this, by the way, you now only need an HDMI adapter, go to DeX mode and flip through the presentation using the S-Pen. The DeX station is no longer needed because Samsung has worked on cooling the Note 9 separately, using an additional heat sink inside the case. There are quite a lot of settings for the stylus. It runs for about half an hour on a single charge, and is fully charged in 40 seconds, so there should be no problems with charging.

Camera

In principle, everything you know about the Galaxy S9+ also applies to the Note 9. Dual camera with a 12 megapixel main module and a variable aperture from f/1.5 to f/2.4. The camera is truly one of the best on the market. The aggressive noise reduction typical of Samsung is noticeably less here, and the overall quality of the images has increased. If you consider the Galaxy Note 9 as a good camera, then this is an excellent choice.

The camera has a bunch of additional features, a pro mode, 2x optical zoom and a background blur mode. The second camera module is responsible for these functions - also 12 megapixels, with f/2.4 aperture. There is optical stabilization, and it works great in video. The video itself is recorded up to 4K 60 fps; there is a super-slow motion mode, when a small fragment is taken at 960 fps and then stretched. The camera is definitely the strong point of this smartphone.

Shell

The branded shell remains for everyone. However, this is always a matter of taste, even though in recent years the launcher has been heavily redrawn and looks quite modern. However, Samsung has something to spoil you with. For example, the Edge panel, which always seemed useless. This is the menu that appears when you swipe from the right side of the screen. In the settings, you can choose which panels will appear, for example, music controls, frequent contacts, or weather. You can find a few more different options in the Samsung app store. In general, the thing is comfortable, once you get used to it. It’s also captivating to work with the stylus, which allows you to do a lot - from screenshots or copies to convenient notes on the locked screen. Dual applications, distributing music via Bluetooth to two devices at once, working in computer mode and a lot more. Perhaps the most controversial point in this smartphone is the Bixby button and the smart assistant of the same name. Bixby was updated, but still didn’t speak Russian. Fortunately, since the existence of a separate button for the smart assistant, separate software has appeared that allows you to assign different actions or applications to pressing. The speed of updates also remains open, but Note 9 will definitely be updated to Android Pie, but for now it runs on Android 8.1.

Moisture protection and autonomy

Of course, there is IP68 water and dust protection, wireless charging, fast wired charging and even an increased battery capacity. Yes, the smartphone has become a little thicker for a reason; the battery here is 4000 mAh. It can’t be said that the smartphone has become much more autonomous than last year’s version, but it does provide 6 hours of screen operation. Most likely, in the long run, a larger battery will perform better.

Price and conclusions

Samsung Galaxy Note 9 looks and feels expensive and rich. It’s actually not cheap, and it’s not intended for everyone. The 128 GB version costs $1,000, the older one will cost $1,250. In Russia, the price tag is approximately the same due to the fall of the ruble, but in Kazakhstan the new product will cost $1,100 for the younger version. In Ukraine it’s 1280 dollars.

Galaxy Note 9 as a daily smartphone.

“It's not easy every year,” said Koh, president and CEO of Samsung Mobile at the Galaxy Note 9 launch event. He talked about breaking boundaries with flagship smartphones, and after spending a few days with the Galaxy Note 9, we understand why he speaks.

The fingerprint scanner on the back has been moved under the dual cameras, which is much better than having it on the side. Even with this change, the phone is large enough that some people may find it difficult to reach the scanner.

REVIEW: CHARACTERISTICS AND NEW S-PEN

The Samsung Galaxy Note 9 we tested is powered by the Exynos 9810 chipset that also powers the Galaxy S9. Combined with 6GB of RAM, the Note 9's interface flies, with apps launching and switching instantly. For advanced users, Samsung offers a version with 8 GB of RAM and 512 GB of internal memory.

Network performance has also been improved with the Galaxy Note 9 to support LTE at 1.2Gbps, although we couldn't find a network that was fast enough to support such speeds.

The Samsung Galaxy Note 9 relies on the stylus as its main difference from the competition, it features low energy Bluetooth and a rechargeable battery that can offer 30 minutes of use after 40 seconds of charging.

You can use the S-Pen to control presentations or the camera to take pictures and switch between the front and rear cameras. To be honest, we don't see much value in this solution, but Samsung also releases an SDK for app developers. It'll be interesting to see where this leads - we'd love to see Nintendo DS style games.

REVIEW: BATTERY

Samsung says that the Galaxy Note 9 offers the largest battery in the series' history. With a capacity of 4,000 mAh, the Note 9 has a 20% larger battery than its predecessor.

The first three days of using the Galaxy Note 9 were mixed in terms of battery life, which is to be expected from a new phone. Loading applications and setting them up while constantly connected to the network can consume battery power quite quickly. We'll leave the battery decision to the full review.

REVIEW: CAMERA UPDATE ( AI)

The cameras on the new Galaxy Note 9 are the same dual camera module that you might have seen on the Galaxy S9 Plus launched earlier this year. The camera array now has a horizontal orientation, but you get the same 12-megapixel primary sensor with dual aperture, as well as a 12-megapixel secondary sensor fixed at 2x zoom.

Samsung has made changes to the software, such as the camera app now getting scene recognition, which allows you to identify up to twenty scenarios and take better photos. We have seen a similar solution on other Android smartphones such as . You can turn this off if you don't like the software interfering with your photography process.

Samsung is also adding a flaw detection feature that kicks in immediately after you take a photo and tells you if the photo was blurry or if the person in the photo has their eyes closed. We tried to test this feature but couldn't get it to work.

Here are some sample photos of the Galaxy Note 9 camera in different lighting conditions.

A walk through the central park.

Photograph in the direction of the sun.

Standard magnification.

2x magnification.

Portrait mode.

REVIEW: MORE TESTS

At first glance, the Samsung Galaxy Note 9 may seem like an iterative update that's very similar to last year's phone, but it's much more complex. Even though it doesn't offer revolutionary solutions, the Note 9 becomes the best Android smartphone currently available in the market.

The official release of Galaxy Note 9 has taken place. In a nutshell, it turned out to be a cool flagship with a very capacious battery, a modernized S Pen stylus, a top-end processor under the hood combined with 8 GB of RAM and up to 512 GB of internal memory, plus everything here has the usual 3.5 mm headphone jack and a camera with artificial intelligence. And all this is wrapped in a beautiful wrapper with thin frames around the front and without a top cutout like the . Sounds tempting! It's time to start a detailed review of the new product and analyze all its technical characteristics.

Galaxy Note 9 review

The new generation flagship continues the Note line and has clear similarities with its predecessor. Most of the leaks have been confirmed, so for those of you who have carefully followed the news feed and a series of rumors on the Internet, there will already be a lot of familiar information. Let's start with the design.

Design

The smartphone, as always, turned out to be elegant, slightly curved display, beautiful glass body. Four different colors will be available to the user. The style is very similar to . The case is waterproof, there are minimal frames on the front, no cutouts in the style of the iPhone X. At first glance, it may seem impossible to distinguish Note 9 from Note 8, but the former’s frames have become a little thinner.

If you look at the new product from the back, the differences are more noticeable. The first thing that catches your eye is the new location of the fingerprint scanner - it is now located under the camera, and not next to it. The flash and sensors are now positioned horizontally.

Specifications

Super AMOLED Quad HD+ display with a resolution of 2960 x 1440 pixels and a density of 516 ppi. Diagonal 6.4 inches.
Battery 4000 mAh.
Snapdragon 845.
Main camera dual: 12MP (wide-angle lens), f/1.5-2.4 + 12MP Telephoto (2X), f/2.4
Front camera - 8MP AF, f/1.7.
Optical image stabilization on both cameras.
RAM - 6 GB/8 GB.
Built-in memory – 128 GB, 512 GB. Expansion via microSD.
OS – Android 8.1 Oreo
Water protection IP68
Wireless charger
Iris recognition scanner, face recognition function.

New S Pen stylus

The S Pen is one of the distinctive features of the smartphone, which is why users prefer the Note line. The stylus is a wireless device that can control your smartphone via Bluetooth LE. In other words, this is a mini remote control. In real life, you can find several scenarios for using it, for example, using a button press to pause a YouTube video. Or double tapping will switch you to the next video. You can also use the stylus to control things like playing music, scrolling through your photo gallery, or activating the shutter of the main or selfie camera. You can generally customize the functionality of this button as you wish.

All functions are performed provided that the accessory is located no further than 10 meters from the phone. By the way, Samsung has provided the opportunity for application developers to also use the new functionality for their creations. Another interesting fact is that you can charge the stylus in just 40 seconds, giving you 30 minutes of use.

Price, start of sales

Buying the Samsung Galaxy Note 9 is definitely not going to happen cheaply. You need to understand that this is another “beast” in the mobile arena, for which you will have to pay a hefty amount of money. According to official data, in the US the price of the Samsung Galaxy Note 9 for the basic version will start at $999 (6 GB RAM / 128 GB). The older version with 8 GB of RAM and 512 GB of internal storage will cost users $1,249.

Pre-orders begin on August 10. The new product will be available on the market in all markets in about a couple of weeks - August 24.

Bottom line

When comparing the Note 9 to the Note 8, there are a few clear differences. The display of the new product has a slightly larger diagonal (6.4 versus 6.3 inches), the density has decreased slightly. But at the same time it is still the same bright screen with rich colors.

The Note 9's camera is very similar to what we saw on the Galaxy S9+, but here it has a horizontal layout. From a technical point of view, it can automatically recognize about 20 different scenes and adjust the final picture. In other smartphones, similar capabilities are usually called artificial intelligence. In addition, the camera is capable of detecting spots on the lens, blurred images, etc.

The new chip will allow for a twofold increase in performance compared to the Note 8. Gamers may be pleased with the news of the implementation of an innovative water cooling solution. As for the amount of internal memory, the Galaxy Note 9 is far from the first phone with 512 GB of memory on board. This was first done by Huawei's Mate RS. The fact that even the most basic version of the Note 9 comes with double the amount of memory is also good news. Remember, Note 8 had a minimum memory capacity of 64 GB, Note 9 had 128 GB. This amount of memory gives you more freedom to shoot video and video without having to worry about running out of space.

The Galaxy Note 9's battery is 21% larger than the Note 8's. It remains to be tested in practice how much this will affect. The increased battery capacity will allow the phone to easily last throughout the day without the need to additionally recharge the device.

First hand video

To better evaluate the new flagship, of course, you need to test the device in everyday life. For now, we can note that there are improvements compared to its predecessor, and they are quite solid. Below you can see an infographic from Samsung that compares the Galaxy Note 8 and Galaxy Note 9 in detail.