Samsung Galaxy Note 9 first-take: Bluetooth S Pen points the way to phone perfection
Following the official announcement at the Samsung Unpacked event, I had the chance to spend a couple of hours using the new Samsung Galaxy Note 9 with an evaluation unit now in hand to use for a full review. We'll be working on that over the next week so please leave any specific questions in the comments.
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After just a couple of hours, it looks like the Galaxy Note 9 improves upon the Note 8 with the following:
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I was starting to get bored with smartphones, but after putting my SIM back into an evaluation Note 8, it became clear to me that the S Pen is essential for my daily usage, so I was excited to get some time to use the Note 9 in New York City.
Galaxy Note 9 Specifications
The key differences in specifications over last year's Galaxy Note 8 are the new processor, improved manual dual aperture rear camera, increased battery capacity, increased internal storage options, reconfigured fingerprint scanner, and stereo speakers tuned by AKG. The Note 9 is heavier, thicker, and wider than the Note 8.
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Hardware first thoughts
The Note 9 design is not radically different than the Note 8, with the exception of the S Pen that we have detailed and will continue to explore. The fingerprint scanner has thankfully been moved to the center of the back and several internal specs have been updated.
The display is slightly larger, but nothing anyone will notice. It's a Super AMOLED display and in typical Samsung fashion it is stunning. The edges still have slight curves with Edge Panel support too so screen protectors will remain a bit of a challenge to install.
Rather than having a default black model, with a couple of colorful options, Samsung is going all in on colors this year by offering only Ocean Blue and Lavender Purple. They both look great, but blue is my favorite color so that one is a natural pick for me. I am also a major fan of the yellow S Pen. It looks slick and the color will help ensure you won't easily lose it too.
Samsung is one of the few remaining that includes the 3.5mm headset jack and while my life is filled with Bluetooth headsets, my Bose noise-cancelling earbuds I travel with use 3.5mm and other headsets have that option when the battery dies.
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Yes, there is still a Bixby button on the left side of the Note 9 and while it can be turned off, it cannot be reprogrammed to do something else. Bixby 2.0 is included on the Note 9 so hopefully it has improved enough to justify dedicating a hardware button.
The battery is 700 mAh larger than the Note 8 so we will definitely test out this feature in the weeks ahead. The Note 8 incorporates Samsung's 8-Point battery safety check. This is the most rigorous in the industry with battery capability also validated by UL and Exponent. Samsung clearly applied lessons learned from the Note 7 and it is nice to see them pushing ahead with large capacity batteries on the Note series.
I have only taken a few photos with the Note 9 so far, but we expect the dual rear cameras to perform the same as the Galaxy S9 Plus since they share the same hardware. There are improvements in the software that we will need time to test out.
Software first thoughts
While Google just named the latest version of Android Pie, it has only rolled out to those devices included in the Android P beta program. The Samsung Galaxy Note 9 launches with Android 8.1 Oreo and Samsung Experience 9.5.
I went through the list of improvements in Android Pie and as we have seen in the past Samsung is always ahead of Google's official software releases with features and functions specific to Galaxy devices. This is the case again as we see that Samsung includes Pie features such as adaptive brightness, hotspot timeout, magnifier pop-up during text selection and more on the Galaxy Note 9.
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Samsung will eventually update the Note 9 to Android Pie, but check out the device and buy it based on the way the software currently runs. You should never buy a device that relies on a future software update to make it functional as Google and Apple are the only ones you can rely on for an aggressive update strategy.
Thankfully, Samsung continues to include its own Gallery app so you can manage photos right on your device and perform advanced editing of your camera content. Google Photos is fine for many things, but I cannot stand it for editing. The Gallery is needed to take advantage of some of the unique things Samsung does with the camera, such as the super slow motion video creation.
As always, there are Samsung apps and utilities on the Note 9, including Samsung Internet browser (my preferred browser on all Androids), Samsung Health, Samsung Notes, SmartThings, file browser, calendar, email, Samsung Music, Samsung Pay, Samsung Gear, Samsung Pass, and more. Most of these enhance the Samsung experience and I don't consider them to be bloatware. Unfortunately, US carriers may add additional apps and utilities that corrupt the overall Samsung experience.
Price and availability
The Samsung Galaxy Note 8 launched last year in the $950 range and we heard last week that the Note 9 would be reasonably priced. Carrier pricing is coming soon from each company, but Samsung is pricing the 128GB Note 9 at $999.99 and the 512GB model at $1,249.99. These are the highest prices we have seen of any Samsung phone to date, but ZDNet's Larry Dignan presented a few reasons that this price may indeed by reasonable.
As a T-Mobile customer, I can exercise my Jump On Demand option by trading in my iPhone X for the Note 9. Based on a past experience with the expensive Apple iPhone X, I am estimating that T-Mobile will charge $300 as a down payment at the time of purchase and then charge $40 per month for 24 months. We will soon hear about carrier availability.
Preorders for the Galaxy Note 9 start Aug. 10 with availability Aug. 24. The 128GB Galaxy Note 9 will be available at Amazon, Best Buy, Samsung, Target, Walmart and other retailers. The 512GB Galaxy Note9 will be available at AT&T, T-Mobile, Verizon, U.S. Cellular and Samsung.
Closing thoughts
After spending a bit of time with the Note 9, there is no doubt it is the best Note ever and Note fans are sure to enjoy the experience. The Bluetooth S Pen was a surprise to me since I didn't think it was possible to get a stylus with a Bluetooth radio and ability to hold a charge in such a slim piece of kit. This is one of the most exciting features of the Galaxy Note 9 and I can't wait to further explore it.
The hardware and design of the Note 8 was nearly perfect. I prefer that it is a bit flatter than the S series, so the Note 9 should follow with its minor design improvements. The camera now matches the S series, with more intelligence too, so I'll start shooting the world around me immediately.
The advancements in DeX and the ability to connect and use this desktop experience with nothing more than a cable and dongle are exciting. As the office starts to move to remote work, functionality like DeX are enabling smartphones and providing the tools to make your phone serve as a computer a reality. Make sure to check out the new Samsung DeX Executive Guide.
I will be spending lots of time with the Note 9 as my primary daily driver with my own T-Mobile SIM inside. Stay tuned for more details on the battery life, camera performance, S Pen capabilities, and other productivity improvements realized by using the Note 9 over time.
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