Much has been rumored about the Galaxy Note 9 specs so far, and we will continue to hear more reports about the new flagship in the coming weeks. Samsung has now confirmed that it's going to officially make the Galaxy Note 9 announcement on August 9 at a special event in New York City.
The Galaxy Note 9 takes the baton from the Galaxy Note 8, which was a very important handset for Samsung. It was the company's saving grace after the failure that was the Galaxy Note 7. It showed that despite that one setback, the Galaxy Note lineup is here to stay. Samsung redeemed itself with the Galaxy Note 8, so it's time now to look to the future and see what we can expect from the Galaxy Note 9.
Galaxy Note 9 specs, design, features and price
Galaxy Note 9 Display
The Galaxy Note 8 features a 6.3-inch curved Infinity Display with 2960×1440 pixel resolution and most reports suggest that the same will be retained for the Galaxy Note 9. The panel quality will likely be improved to enhance color reproduction, but there's little hope for a bump in the resolution.
One report has claimed that the Galaxy Note 9 may feature a nominally larger 6.4-inch display. It remains within the realm of possibility as the gains could be derived from slimming down the bezels. Just like its predecessor, it won't have physical home and navigation buttons.
While we're on the subject of the display, it's pertinent to mention here that despite a plethora of rumors claiming that Samsung will introduce its in-display fingerprint sensor with the Galaxy Note 9, it's highly likely that this won't happen. All signs point to the Galaxy S10 being the first Samsung flagship with a display-based fingerprint sensor.
Galaxy Note 9 Specs
The Galaxy Note handsets historically have specs similar to the Galaxy S flagship that Samsung releases earlier in the same year. This will be the case for the Galaxy Note 9 as well, but a few reports have suggested that the new phablet will have some differences.
The Exynos 9810, Samsung's flagship mobile processor for 2018, will power the Galaxy Note 9. In select markets where Samsung uses Qualcomm chips, the Snapdragon 845 will be utilized much like how it is on the Galaxy S9/S9+. The Snapdragon 845-powered Galaxy Note 9 variant was the first to surface on Geekbench before the Exynos variant eventually arrived as well.
The Galaxy Note 8 was the first Samsung smartphone to have 6GB RAM on all variants. The company previously used to release variants of its flagship devices with 6GB RAM only in select markets. For the Galaxy Note 9, it might have a variant with 8GB of RAM.
Like its predecessor, the base model of the Galaxy Note 9 will most likely be available with 64GB of storage. Customers who don't mind paying a bit more will have the option to choose 128GB and 256GB of internal storage. Samsung may also release a 512GB model of the Galaxy Note 9 in select markets, and it's this model that may possibly have 8GB of RAM. All models will feature support for external expansion through microSD cards.
Galaxy Note 9 Camera
The Galaxy Note 8 was Samsung's first smartphone with a dual camera system at the back, and reports suggest that Samsung is revamping the Galaxy Note 9 camera. Even though it opted for a vertical placement of the dual camera on the Galaxy S9+, Samsung may keep the horizontal placement of the Galaxy Note 8's dual camera due to battery considerations.
The Galaxy Note 9 camera is said to be one of the main features of the new device. The reports are slim on details about what improvements Samsung is making, but the company has announced its new ISOCELL Plus camera sensor which promises significant improvements in image quality and color fidelity. The Galaxy Note 9 is likely going to be Samsung's first smartphone to feature its new ISOCELL Plus technology.
Galaxy Note 9 Battery
If you weren't impressed by the Galaxy Note 8's 3,300mAh battery, you will like the Galaxy Note 9. All reports have so far suggested that Samsung is going to increase the battery capacity. The exact battery size is expected to be between 3,850mAh and 4,000mAh.
There have actually been multiple reports about the Galaxy Note 9 featuring a 4,000mAh battery. The handset is also expected to support faster wireless charging as the FCC has recently certified a new Samsung wireless charger. The new charger has an input rating of 12 volts and 2.1 amperes, higher than the 9 volts and 1.67 amperes input rating of the convertible wireless charger it launched with the Galaxy S9 earlier this year.
Galaxy Note 9 Design
The Galaxy Note 9 design is mostly going to be similar to its predecessor with some refinements. A recent major leak suggests a slightly refined design for the dual camera setup, with the fingerprint sensor placed below the camera sensors instead of alongside it as it is on the Galaxy Note 8. If the leak is accurate, the fingerprint sensor will be higher up on the body compared to the Galaxy S9+. It will still be more accessible than the fingerprint sensor on the Note 8, though.
The handset itself is said to be 0.2mm thicker than its predecessor. This is despite reports that Samsung is making the Galaxy Note 9's display glass thinner by 0.5mm to improve the feeling users get when they hold it in their hand. With a height and width of 161.9 mm and 76.3 mm respectively, it may also be slightly wider.
Expect similar button placements, with the Bixby button included as well. There's nothing to suggest that Samsung will be removing the 3.5mm headphone jack, either.
Galaxy Note 9 S Pen
Samsung makes improvements to the S Pen with every new iteration of the Galaxy Note series. For the Note 9, Samsung could make improvements to the S Pen's precision and add a couple of new features. It merits mentioning here that Samsung has specifically said in the past that it will improve the S Pen for the Galaxy Note 9.
Rumor has it that a significant upgrade has been planned for the S Pen, that it may feature a microphone and Bluetooth support which will enable users to utilize the S Pen for making calls. Even Samsung's official teaser focuses on the S Pen, though no concrete evidence exists to support any of the rumors.
Galaxy Note 9 Software
Don't keep your fingers crossed for Android P at launch. Since the Galaxy Note 8 came with Android 7.1 out of the box, it's quite likely the Galaxy Note 9 will ship with Android 8.1 Oreo. The benchmark listing mentioned earlier also had the device running Android 8.1 Oreo.
The handset will have support for two major Android platform updates like all of Samsung's flagships. The Galaxy S9 and S9+ are likely to be the first Samsung devices to get Android P, and unless the company can put Project Treble to good use, the Galaxy Note 9 might not get the Android P update before 2019.
Bixby 2.0
Samsung officially confirmed earlier this year that Bixby 2.0 will be launched with the Galaxy Note 9. It has said that Bixby 2.0 will be a “bold reinvention” of its AI assistant platform, and the company wants to transform this basic assistant into an intelligence tool. It has been designed to address many of the pain points that users have experienced with Bixby 1.0 and will also feature enhanced natural language capabilities.
Samsung also revealed recently that Bixby 2.0 will feature enhanced noise resistance capability and quicker response times. Samsung was largely focused on rolling out its assistant swiftly with Bixby 1.0, so it will be interesting to see the kind of improvements Bixby 2.0 will bring with the Galaxy Note 9.
Galaxy Note 9 Price and Release Date
There haven't been any reports so far to suggest that Samsung will increase the price of the Galaxy Note 9. The Galaxy Note 8 price was $950 at launch, so we can expect a similar price tag for the Galaxy Note 9.
Despite Samsung confirming that it will unveil the Galaxy Note 9 on August 9, its release date is unknown. If history is any guide, South Korea and the United States will the Note 9 before other markets.
This is all that's known about the Galaxy Note 9 specs, design, features and price at this point in time. We'll continue to update you as more information surfaces. Expect to see more leaks in the coming weeks as Samsung's official event for the new phablet approaches.
Are you excited for the Galaxy Note 9? Let us know what you expect from the new flagship in the comments below.
