Samsung has released a new update for the Galaxy Note 9 in China, but it's not Android Pie. The new update brings the January 2019 security patch and is based on Android Oreo. However, this shouldn't come as a surprise to those who have been following Pie-related coverage here on SamMobile. Samsung China has had February as the time frame for both the S9 and Note 9 Pie updates from the start, so we guess it's a good thing the company isn't holding back on the January security update till then.
Of course, not every country will have to wait until February for Android Pie. Samsung has released the Note 9 Pie update in a number of countries in the last couple of days, and we can expect more markets to join the party as the month progresses. The worldwide rollout will hopefully complete by February, though, at least for unlocked units, as many Galaxy S9 or Note 9 owners will otherwise be quite disappointed.
In any case, the new update for the Note 9 in China can be downloaded from the Settings » Software update menu on the phone. We have the full firmware in our database as well as an alternate method for jumping onboard the new software, which comes with build number N9600ZCS1ARL7.