Samsung would like us to believe that the Note 9 is probably the most anticipated Android flagship of 2018. Given the cult following the Note line has built this decade, it’s probably not an exaggeration. ‘Speed to market’ has become a Samsung thing. Just a day after the Note 9 was unveiled in New York (on August 9, 2018), Samsung announced that the Note 9 was available for pre-order in India.
The Samsung Galaxy S9+ saw Samsung stick to a design formula that worked with 2017’s S8 and Note 8. The Note 9 is not a radical overhaul but focuses instead on key enhancements that might actually matter in everyday usage case scenarios. The vibrant Super AMOLED display (1440 x 2960 pixels) gets a marginal 0.1-inch expansion, it’s now 6.4-inches and is as immersive thanks to an 83.4% screen: body ratio. We’re relieved that Samsung has chosen not to opt for a Notch display at a time when the Notch is becoming omnipresent. It’s all the screen you need to catch videos on the go, or to indulge in intense gaming. We’re waiting to check out the brand’s Water Carbon Cooling system that keeps things cool under the hood as you push the device hard while gaming. Samsung addresses one of our gripes with the Note 8 – the placement of the fingerprint sensor, the Note 9’s sensor is now placed at a much more convenient location.
If the S9+ made a few hardware enhancements on the camera, the Note 9 banks on software enhancements and that other 2018 buzz word – AI, to further augment the formidable camera. It has the same dual aperture (f/1.5 or f /2.4) on the rear cam that truly impacts lowlight photography. The Note 9’s other big enhancements over last year’s Note 8 include the same Exynos 9810 processor that we first saw on the S9+. There’s a choice of 2 versions – 6GB RAM / 128GB ROM or the heavy duty 8GB RAM / 512GB ROM. Add support for expandable storage and you could have 1TB of storage in your device. Yes, that’s almost excessive.
The battery is the other big story – a 4000 mAh battery that we can’t wait to test. If the Note 9 nails the battery, it could well be a game changer. And of course there’s the S Pen, that seems to get better with each edition and an indispensable accessory for the Note die-hands. This one gets Bluetooth capability and a whole new bag of tricks; more on that during our deep dive.
Galaxy Note9 will be available in 128GB and 512GB variants and will be priced at INR 67,900 and INR 84,900, respectively. The flagship smartphone is being offered in three colours—Midnight Black, Ocean Blue and Metallic Copper. The Metallic Copper variant of Galaxy Note 9 will be sold in 128GB only. Consumers who pre-book the Galaxy Note9 will get a chance to own a Samsung Gear Sport smartwatch for INR 4,999. The smartwatch currently retails at INR 22,990 in India.
To pre-book: https://shop.samsung.com/in/galaxy-note9.html
