After this year's launch of the Galaxy S9 and S9 Plus, Samsung is now shifting its focus to the Galaxy Note 9. Reports suggest that the next iteration of the Note will be showcased at an event on 9 August and that timeline is believable. Apart from the debacle of the Galaxy Note 7 in 2016, Samsung has pretty much owned the Note segment since its debut many years back.
Will the Galaxy Note 9 offer anything different from its usual standards, and what is expected from this large-sized phone? Here’s everything that’s worth knowing about the upcoming Samsung Galaxy Note 9.
Design
Design-wise Samsung could reserve its trick book with the Galaxy Note 9, making it very similar to what we saw with the Galaxy Note 8 last year. This means a tall screen profile, switching to the in-trend 18:9 ratio screen that Samsung adopts in the form of its Infinity Display.
Samsung is likely to ditch the in-display fingerprint scanner for now, but reports suggest that the back of the Galaxy Note 9 isn’t going to carry big surprises. However, using a larger battery could end up making the phone heavier than its predecessor.
Display
We expect big changes in the display segment with the Galaxy Note 9, which is likely to sport a bigger screen size (with up to 95 percent screen-to-body ratio).
Sporting its Super AMOLED display with high-quality resolution, the Galaxy Note 9’s screen should be brighter as well as high on contrast.
Upgraded Hardware For Sure
The Galaxy Note 9 will carry the Snapdragon 845 / Exynos processor with a 6GB or even an 8GB RAM variant in the offing. Storage options ranging from 64GB to 256GB are highly expected and that’s basically been the norm every year.
But the most exciting news coming from multiple reports is the use of a 4,000 mAh battery on the Galaxy Note 9, the biggest any Samsung flagship phone has ever had. This should take care of the average battery life that most flagship phones from Samsung have delivered.
All-New S Pen
What separates the Galaxy Note series from the S Series is the S Pen and it is believed that Samsung is making a big change with its accessory this year. Reports highlight that the S Pen on Galaxy Note 9 could support Bluetooth (which means packing a battery). This could change the use-case of the S Pen, putting it in the same bracket as the Apple Pencil or Microsoft’s Surface Pen.
It will be interesting if the S Pen could finally work with other Samsung devices, freeing it up from the shackles of the Galaxy Note 9.
Camera - Quality Assured
Samsung cameras have been of flagship standard, so we’ve got no qualms feeling confident about what the Galaxy Note 9 will offer. High-quality shooters with a focus on delivering in low-light, slow-motion recording is another one that will be part of the feature list.
Going by the brand's history, the Samsung Galaxy Note 9 is going to be costlier than its predecessor. In India, expect the phone to launch in few weeks after its global debut, with an estimated price tag of about Rs 70,000.
(At The Quint, we question everything. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member today.)