Poll: Samsung Galaxy A9 (2016) - hot or not

The Samsung Galaxy A9 (2016) went official a few days ago, for the first time taking the A-series beyond the Notes' 5.7 inches. Even though it's the first of its kind, it also gets the model year in brackets as part of its name to stress its ties to the completely updated premium-built A family.

The 6-inch FullHD display may be a hint at what to expect from future Notes, and also mean the death of the sole even numbered A model, the 5.7-inch Galaxy A8. Whatever the implications, the A9 (2016) is the best-specced smartphone the company has to offer north of the Note5's diagonal.

Powered by the Snapdragon 652, a top-class performer the A9 must be, despite the 6 in Qualcomm's chip designation. Dual quad-core CPU with a quartet of Cortex-A72's in charge, coupled with 3GB of RAM should make even demanding tasks a breeze, and the GPU will appreciate the conservative choice of resolution.

A 13MP sensor behind an f/1.9 lens, together with optical image stabilization makes for flagship grade imaging, at least on paper, and the 8MP front shooter offers plenty of resolution to please selfie enthusiasts. Fingerprint recognition and Samsung Pay mean that you can leave bank cards at home, so you can cut down on the stuff you're carrying, though obviously that's not a top concern with a 6-inch 200g phone. And all of this should be able to run for quite a while on a generous 4,000mAh battery, complete with fast charging.

Overall, the Samsung Galaxy A9 (2016) is a comprehensive package for big-screen lovers. In a way, it's a larger Galaxy Note without the S-Pen, and that could help rationalize past its $500 price. So what do you reckon, hot or not?