The Galaxy Note 9, considered the last true Note by many users as Samsung started removing (sometimes overhyped) features such as a headphone jack with the Note 10 series, was struck off the list of Samsung smartphones that are still eligible for updates back six months back, which was expected as the Note 9 completed four years market in the second half of last year.
But what we didn't expect is that Samsung will release a new update for the Galaxy Note 9 in such a short time after the phone was supposed to stop receiving updates. Yes, Samsung does release random updates for old devices now and then, mostly when it discovers a critical issue. Still, this new Note 9 update comes as a welcome surprise.
As for the changelog, your device will be updated to the February 2023 security patch, that's pretty much it. However, it seems that the update started rolling out late last month but has only reached the United Kingdom and Ireland in the week since then.
Galaxy Note 9 gets a surprise update… in some markets
That doesn't necessarily mean that only some markets will get the update, although it is a possibility considering regular update support for the Note 9 has ended. Samsung doesn't mention anything about what's new or whether a critical issue has been addressed with the new firmware, and the details for the last three months' security patches make no mention of the Galaxy Note 9.
For now, UK and Ireland users should be able to dowload the update (firmware version N960FXXSAFWB3) directly to their device over the air – just tap the Download and install option in its Settings » Software update menu. The newer software can also be installed on the phone using firmware that you can download from SamMobile and a Windows PC.
As mentioned earlier, we can't be certain if this Galaxy Note 9 update will be rolled out in other parts of the world. But you can always check our firmware archive to find whether a new update for your device and country is waiting for you. You can also use our dedicated tool for quickly determining if you're running the latest software.
