It’s hard to believe that it’s been a year since the Galaxy Note 8 was pushed out into the world. But it has. Now, thanks to that announcement, we have all of the details, including device specs, price, and release date for what is sure to be the hottest phablet of the year.
As part of its Unpacked event in New York City, South Korea-based Samsung has officially introduced Galaxy Note 9 to the world. Many analysts had previously predicted that the hardware wouldn’t be a huge overhaul from last year’s device in terms of its physical product design, and that has turned out to be entirely accurate.
We have a stunning device – albeit with a stagnant design – offering a 6.4-inch 2960-by-1440 Super AMOLED display, which is mounted as part of Samsung’s “Infinity Display” design. Visually almost identical to Note 8, albeit with a slightly reduced bottom bezel.
Samsung has opted to furnish the Note 8 with a Snapdragon 845 processor complete with 6GB or 8GB of RAM depending on the model that the consumer chooses and how much they want to pay for the privilege of owning a Note 9.
The base model will offer an internal 128GB of internal storage but those who want to pay the upgrade fees and be able to flaunt the fact that they have the high-end model will be able to get 512GB alongside their 8GB of RAM. From a performance perspective, like most flagship Samsung models, users can expect something performant and highly fluid that does the Android OS total justice.
And, speaking of Android, the Note 9 will ship with Android 8.1 Oreo out-of-the-box but should benefit from an Android 9 Pie upgrade almost immediately.
Many consumers will be buying the Note model for the Samsung S-Pen and they will definitely notice an improvement with this one. It comes in a variety of new colors – 4 colors to be precise, including yellow, which has been making some buzz paired with the Ocean Blue colored Note 9. It also offers Bluetooth connectivity to the device, and will even be able to function as a non-tethered remote for things like snapping a picture via the camera due to its Bluetooth connectivity.
Samsung has also worked to improve the internal battery and the camera experience on Note 9. We will have a dual-camera system on the hardware with both sensors sitting at 12MP, and much like the S9+, features the Dual Aperture which can switch between f/1.5 and f/2.4 aperture depending on the available light. Note 9 will also ship with Samsung’s AI-based camera software which will automatically offer the best shooting mode for the perceived conditions.
Battery wise, we have a 4,000 mAh cell inside of the device, which represents a 20% boost over last year’s model and should be good for all-day usage on a single charge. Iris scanning, fingerprint detection, an improved DeX, and a partnership with Epic Games to launch Fornite on its devices during a beta program finalize this recent announcement.
The Note 9 comes in 4 different finishes, including Metallic Copper, Lavender Purple, Midnight Black, and Ocean Blue.
Pricing for the entry-level 128GB model starts at $999.99. That jumps up to $1,249.00 for those who want the 512GB option.
New Galaxy Watch and Galaxy Home
Unsurprisingly, Samsung has also announced a new and refreshed smartwatch, dubbed the Galaxy Watch available in 42mm and 46mm models. Not just this, the company has also taken the curtains off its first smart speaker, the Galaxy Home, powered by Bixby AI.
Starting off with the Galaxy Watch, you can immediately notice that the company has dropped the Gear branding of the past.
The wearable will feature 3G / LTE connectivity, support both Android and iOS compatibility, and be available in a variety of colors including Silver, Midnight Black, and Rose Gold.
The Galaxy Home, however, is a different story, with not many details from Samsung to go by. What we do know, however, is that Samsung promises “amazing sound and elegant design”, with the 6 speakers + subwoofer combo. We also know that the Seoul-based giant has partnered with Spotify which would allow you to switch over to the Galaxy Home from your phone seamlessly.
With no sure-shot release date announced for the Galaxy Home, we know that Samsung has told us that it would be talking more about the Galaxy Home “soon”; perhaps at the Samsung Developer Conference due on November 7? We’ll see.
As for the Galaxy Watch, this wearable will be available starting 24th in the US, with Korea to follow on the 31st. As for markets outside of the US and Korea, the wearable will be made available on September 14th. The price you ask? Well, the 42mm version will cost $329.99 with the 46mm version costing $349.99.
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