With the new Galaxy Note 9, Samsung seems to have not exactly tried to deliver something entirely new. But Samsung seems to have focused on bettering what it is already offering in the Galaxy Note 8. Keeping specs aside, the new Galaxy Note 9 is essentially focusing on productivity aspects that no other flagship smartphone is offering. Galaxy Note 9 ‘reimagines’ the S-Pen stylus–the phablet series’ biggest feature. With a new Bluetooth-powered stylus, Samsung hopes to open new doors to further boost mobile productivity. The S-Pen in the Galaxy Note 9 is way more than a plastic pen for scribbling. For the first time, Samsung has tried to make the S-Pen stylus smart.
The Samsung Galaxy Note 9 is priced at Rs 67,900 (MOP) for the 6GB RAM+128GB storage version while the 8GB RAM and 512GB storage variant costs Rs 84,900 (MOP). Both the devices support up to 512GB micro SD cards.
The Galaxy Note 9 features a horizontally-places dual-lens setup with the fingerprint scanner placed at a convenient location just below the camera module. Talking about the fingerprint scanner, it’s a bit small and users will need to get used to it. Apart from these changes, the phone has stark similarity to the Note 8.
The Samsung Note 9 also features an all-glass design and the build quality is premium. It feels a bit heavy at 200 grams but it’s a solid device, built to last. As the focus this time is on the S-Pen, Samsung has introduced a new colour combination for it. The Samsung Galaxy Note 9 will be available in four colours — Black (with Black S-Pen), Purple (with Purple S-pen), Copper (with Copper S-Pen) and Ocean Blue (with Yellow S-Pen). Interestingly, the default font colour of the off-screen screen memo is now similar to the colour of the S-Pen.
In India, the Galaxy Note 9 will run on the the company’s flagship 2.7GHz 64-bit octa-core Exynos 9810 processor. This is the same processor that powers the company’s current-generation flagship Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9+ smartphones. Keeping performance in mind, Samsung claims that its Note 9 is 33% faster than the Note 8 and has deployed bigger carbon fibre heat pipes with water inside to dissipate heat. The Galaxy Note 9 runs Android 8.1 Oreo operating system out-of-the box.
Samsung has uses the same hardware module that is available in the Samsung Galaxy S9+. There is a dual-camera setup at the back with a 12MP wide-angle sensor with f/1.5 and f/2.4 dual aperture and a 12MP telephoto sensor with f/2.4 aperture. Both the lenses have optical image stabilisation. At the front, there is an 8MP camera with f/1.7 aperture for selfies.
Talking about enhancements in the camera, the Galaxy Note 9 comes with AI-power software that detects flaws in the images that you have clicked. The Galaxy Note 9 comes with a range of camera modes along with bokeh effect on both front and back. There is AR Emoji along with several live stickers. The Pro mode in the camera offers greater control while clicking images. As far as image quality is concerned, the Galaxy Note 9 clicks greats photographs in all lighting conditions and with true colours. This is, without any doubt, one of the best camera phones in the market right now. Talking about video recording, the camera supports recording up to 3840 x 2160 UHD format in 60 FPS. It supports slow-motion video along hyperlapse recording. The camera will easily impress be it for clicking photographs or while recording video.
Galaxy Note device users are already aware of the functions of the stylus and how it can really boost productivity like you can even create powerpoint presentation on-the-go. The new Galaxy Note 9’s S-Pen now supports low-power Bluetooth making it way more useful than ever.With Bluetooth, several new features are now available for the S-Pen. You can use it as a clicker during a presentation or a remote trigger to capture photos and more. You can even control playback of videos.
The Galaxy Note 9 alerts users about the battery life of the S-Pen and the stylus just takes 40-seconds to get fully-charged. In real life usage, it is difficult to drain the battery of the S-Pen. And even without battery, you can use it for all purposes except for Bluetooth connectivity. You will just have to insert the S-Pen in the Note 9 to charge it.
In the new Galaxy Note 9, you can just use any USB Type-C to HDMI dongle to connect the smartphone to any monitor to show a presentation or any other content on the big screen while contining to work independently on your device. So, despite the device being connected to a screen, you can use it to take calls or play games or to do anything else. In other words, the Samsung Dex worth Rs 10,000 is now included inside the Note 9 in the form of superior software.
To add a wireless keyboard and mouse along with external USB drives to your Note 9, then you will have to purchase a Dex Pad to transform the Note 9 into a full-fledged PC. An alternative to the DeX Pad, download the free Samsung SideSync app. With the SideSync app, you can use your PC’s keyboard and mouse to do some serious typing and also mirror the screen of the phone. The SideSync app works with any Samsung device and you would need to install the software on PC. The phone is backed by a 4,000mAh battery with fast charging. The battery life has definitely improved when compared to the older Galaxy Note 8 and users can easily expect one day’s worth of the battery life on moderate usage.
