Samsung Galaxy Note9 review

20 August 2018
How time has passed - we're at nine now. Seven years after the original, the Samsung Galaxy Note9 stands before us. The numbers don't add up, no, because Samsung chose to skip the 6, and it didn't really quite work out splendidly with the Note7. But that's all in the past and we're looking ahead.

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  • Rabie
  • NhS
  • 22 Aug 2018

Excellent review, thank you.

    AnonD-762416, 22 Aug 2018The Exynos models also tend to be better optimised for Sams... moreYeah, I've heard that Exynos models are better optimized and are intended to work best with the firmware. Snapdragon models are better for gaming, while Exynos is better for battery life and standby time. The latter is more important for me.

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      • AnonD-762416
      • JbS
      • 22 Aug 2018

      LilSweetLin, 22 Aug 2018I don't do anything graphics-intensive, so the GPU isn't a ... moreThe Exynos models also tend to be better optimised for Samsung's firmware. Their Snapdragon firmware appears to be a port of the Exynos firmware.

        I had the LG V30 for about a month before I sold it because of crap reception and radios. I LOVED the quad DAC and the battery life on it, though. I hated giving up the quad DAC. Is headphone audio on the Note 9 comparable to the V30 when using high impedance headphones?

          Lol at people who look at design over function.

            Anonymous, 21 Aug 2018Do not buy the exynos. It has weak gpuI don't do anything graphics-intensive, so the GPU isn't a big deal to me.

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              • AnonD-762416
              • JbS
              • 21 Aug 2018

              Schumi, 21 Aug 2018People please tell me, in Friday 24.08 i should choose betw... moreAperture beats pixel count for night photos. Increasing the pixel count helps little if they don't get light. Two times nothing is still nothing. So, I'd confidently say the Note 9 will beat the Huawei handily for low light imaging.

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                • AnonD-762416
                • JbS
                • 21 Aug 2018

                You know it's a beast when one of the cons is "Where them Alcantara cases this year, Samsung?!"
                Really? Why would that even count as a con on a phone review? :)

                  Droidtard, 21 Aug 2018They're using the same camera since Note 8. That's why.What are you smoking? Same sensors? Sure, MAYBE because of the resolution, but the blades are different and rotary, it's sharper, and the Telephoto is longer lenses than N8 (and I used N8)

                    AnonD-632062, 21 Aug 2018Nope, you're wrong. All Opinions, reviewers, specifications... moreI agree with you, excellent! ^~^

                      Schumi, 21 Aug 2018People please tell me, in Friday 24.08 i should choose betw... moreGo with your heart. And more MP doesn't NECCESARILY mean better low light preformance. Imo: NOTE 9 all the way. But up to you

                        Great review as usual, although I'm not switching to a Note 9, GSM arena is the go to choice for unbiased and detailed reviews.
                        But what about the last con, is it for real??? Come on!

                          Shanti Dope, 21 Aug 2018You mean that the Note 9 has 4000mAh battery but delivers s... moreNo offense, but you really sound like a someone who can't accept facts. Note 9's display is the best mobile display to date. Not only Display mate says so, lots of reviews agree with it. You need numbers? Just look at the charts regarding color temperature, min and max brightness, reflectivity, and delta RGB values. These are top notch across the board. You can't just disregard such information.
                          That battery powers a bigger display than the competition and it's still better than most. The P20 Pro can't compete although it has same battery size, a smaller display and less powerful chipset. You want more proof? Check youtube.
                          RAM, Storage and cameras are top quality. Don't bring up products Sony has not released, we all know they're not the best while implementing their HW to their own SW, such a shame. They'd rather remove features like the headphone jack.
                          What about the rest of the features, there is no single phone with more features than the Note 9. Wireless charging, headphone jack, no notch, micro sd, stereo speakers, 128GB base storage, IP68, DeX without dock....

                            s-pen pusher, 21 Aug 2018that's the thing. i was considering the nova 3 or nova 3i b... morewell i hope u enjoy it.i heard is a really fast and fluid phone but not the brightness of the screen which is low but thats a personal preference .

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                              • SDS
                              • Ikf
                              • 21 Aug 2018

                              Anonymous, 21 Aug 2018In the bezeless era Samsung makes the bezels thicker over i... moreHave you even looked at the dimensions?

                              Note 9: 161.9 x 76.4 x 8.8 mm (6.37 x 3.01 x 0.35 in)
                              Pixel XL: 154.7 x 75.7 x 8.5 mm (6.09 x 2.98 x 0.33 in)

                              It's marginally bigger then a 2 year phone with a screen that's nearly a full inch smaller. It is in no way shape or form unpocketable unless big phones THAT EVERYONE MAKES are already too big for you.

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                                • Anonymous
                                • vjw
                                • 21 Aug 2018

                                Shanti Dope, 21 Aug 2018You mean that the Note 9 has 4000mAh battery but delivers s... moreyawn

                                  Nick Tagataka, 21 Aug 2018While Galaxy Note 9 has: -The world most color accurate 3K... moreExactly

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                                    • allanon
                                    • nM5
                                    • 21 Aug 2018

                                    Might the unconvincing camera performance in lab tests due to the fact that the tested model has Samsung's ISOCELL sensors rather than Sony's IMX?

                                      Nick Tagataka, 21 Aug 2018While Galaxy Note 9 has: -The world most color accurate 3K... moreYou mean that the Note 9 has 4000mAh battery but delivers similar battery life to phones commonly with 3500mAh battery??
                                      And f/1.5 lens with insane corner softness??
                                      Stereo speaker that's super tinny despite being loud??

                                      And most accurate display? From where? That Samsung's subsidiary brand named DisplayMate, who only test out 4 out of more than 10 brands and then declares a world champion?? LMAO what a concept!

                                      S Pen is the only thing to make this phone to stand out. 512GB storage will start to become a norm as early as next year as well. Sony will announce a new generation sensor with improved super slow motion video capabilities, maybe something that could record 10s of 960fps in 1080p.

                                        It got the best battery endurance, as a flagship its hard to find alternative. Was inferior in past to plus version, now its not. Exynos is great even in tablets. Shame that most of hw is half year old, hard to buy for that money, but as its still unparalleled as whole package, they can afford to do that. This will change however with new coming flagships bringing new hw.

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