Samsung Galaxy Note9 hands-on review

09 August 2018
The latest UNPACKED event is over and the Samsung Galaxy Note9 is now official. It wasn't too hard to guess the next Galaxy Note though - it's a bigger Galaxy S9+ with an S-Pen. It employs every cutting-edge technology Samsung has right now and builds on the legacy that once sparked the phablet revolution.

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  • D
  • Droidtard
  • Q0x
  • 09 Aug 2018

So its just a Galaxy Note 8 with bumped up specs? No thanks! It will fail like the Note 8 did. No innovations from Samsung anymore.

    • c
    • caleb kel
    • r3H
    • 09 Aug 2018

    i cant wait to swap my note 8 for this beast of am phone called NOTE 9. note 8 is awesome so i can wait to experience the super awesomeness of the note 9...

      • P
      • Pubg mobile
      • tuf
      • 09 Aug 2018

      I cant buy anymore note series cause that price :(

        • D
        • AnonD-762416
        • JbS
        • 09 Aug 2018

        Anonymous, 09 Aug 2018Designwise = front = nice, back = horrid. Specs = you pay f... more3 million users on Penup disagrees with you. That's only the ones using it for slightly more serious drawing and doodling. Most others use it for the simple things, like quick notes or more convenient web browsing. ...Or even games made for the pen instead of greasy fingers.

          • ?
          • Anonymous
          • D01
          • 09 Aug 2018

          Geric.770, 09 Aug 2018Get a life. Are you expecting Samsung to price it $600 below!?World will not end if they priced it below 600$

            • ?
            • Anonymous
            • q{b
            • 09 Aug 2018

            Anonymous, 09 Aug 2018"The camera does 4-frame image stacking, three times, and t... moreyour comment is embarassing

              • N
              • Nerd
              • 63H
              • 09 Aug 2018

              > Samsung strives for a certain level of independence, trying to rely on as few AOSP services as possible

              There is no such thing as Android Open Source Project (AOSP) services. There is Google Closed Source Proprietary Privacy-breaching Services.
              If AOSP Apps is what they meant then it is a matter of preference but I like Samsung Apps more.

                Anonymous, 09 Aug 2018dat price tho for the 512gb model... i pass :(Get a life. Are you expecting Samsung to price it $600 below!?

                  • J
                  • Josh
                  • CDI
                  • 09 Aug 2018

                  Anonymous, 09 Aug 2018dat price tho for the 512gb model... i pass :(So you expected that high capacity storage to sell at 500 bucks??!!! Get a life dude!!!

                    Nothing new, better stay with my Note 3.

                      Anonymous, 09 Aug 2018Yawn 😴 nothing that exciting, nothing innovative from Samsu... more2018, in general, is just stale for smartphones, except for the Find X, the Nex, and the Red Hydrogen One. Innovations will appear next year mostly, but until then, you get a boring, but nearly perfect phone in the Note 9

                        • A
                        • Anonymous
                        • 3cX
                        • 09 Aug 2018

                        No, i still don't like it.. mneeh.. maybe next year !?

                          • S
                          • S Yu
                          • tLG
                          • 09 Aug 2018

                          Anonymous, 09 Aug 2018"The camera does 4-frame image stacking, three times, and t... moreI suppose potential issues here are stabilization, alignment, and processing precision. First is that it needs to align even images that come out blurry due to movement during exposure, second is that even in a steady shot alignment isn't guaranteed, third is that high precision processing could really take some time, LR's HDR DNG takes 3 images and aligning and merging these images take seconds, seconds that the average smartphone user definitely will not bear with, so though the images come out clean, taking it this slow is not an option for Samsung.
                          So 30% reduction "on all images" means 30% reduction...to the 100th percentile, not to the 50th or 90th or something, so it could prove better in practice.
                          Well, I'm hoping, at least.

                            • C
                            • Cata
                            • LaD
                            • 09 Aug 2018

                            It's getting out of the discussion because of the exaggerated size. Samsung, we want to buy phones, not tablets!

                              • ?
                              • Anonymous
                              • M}G
                              • 09 Aug 2018

                              No IR ;((((

                                • S
                                • S Yu
                                • tLG
                                • 09 Aug 2018

                                "The camera is now intelligent (we like how Samsung didn't use AI)"
                                lol I like that too.

                                The S-Pen combined with DeX seems to turn the Note 9 into a digitizer? That sounds like a great idea.

                                  innovation 0, same screen crapmoled, same camera s9 same hardware s9

                                    • ?
                                    • Anonymous
                                    • gww
                                    • 09 Aug 2018

                                    No 4k NO Thx
                                    4k video without 4k screen Genius!

                                      "The Best Smartphone of 2018!"
                                      ...
                                      No, it's iPhone XX!
                                      Nuh uh, Pixel 3 XL!
                                      Unoriginal notches lol... Mate 20 FTW!!!

                                      Hold your horses.
                                      Do those phones have the complete package like Samsung flagships? I don't think so!

                                      (Even the Galaxy Note 8 is still a great buy.)

                                        My god that purple fingerprint sensor on copper back's ugly.

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