Samsung Galaxy Note 9 – UK release date, latest news, features rumours and expert predictions

THERE'S no shortage of rumours and leaks about the Samsung Galaxy Note 9 – the upcoming iPhone killer.

Here's what we know so far, including the latest Galaxy Note 9 UK release date news, plus details on specs and price from a top analyst.

Samsung Galaxy Note 9 – what is it?

Samsung's 'Note' smartphones are generally the company's most powerful and impressive devices.

They're built for power users who want top performance, and who are willing to spend a lot of money on their new device.

It's also the line of phones that produced the Galaxy Note 7, which was eventually scrapped after it kept bursting into flames.

This year's Galaxy phone will be a direct competitor to Apple's high-end iPhone X, and will have class-leading features.

Samsung Galaxy Note 9 release date – when is it out?

Samsung generally waits until late summer or early autumn to launch its Note phones and this year is no different.

This gives the company a chance to get in ahead of Apple, which typically unveils a new iPhone in September.

The Galaxy Note 9 is being launched on Thursday, August 9, in Brooklyn, New York.

The launch will be live-streamed, with the event set to kick off at 4pm UK time.

In 2016, Samsung revealed the Note 7 on August 2, and released the handset for sale on August 19 – that's a gap of about two-and-a-half weeks.

Last year, Samsung first showed off the Note 8 on August 23 but didn't put it on sale until September 15 – a three-week delay.

Samsung Galaxy Note 9 specs, design and features – the latest news and rumours

We asked Daniel Ives for his predictions about the Galaxy Note 9 design and specs, and here's what he came up with:

"Fingerprint Sensors" – Some phone makers (Apple included) are moving away from fingerprint scanners, as other forms of user identification become more popular.

But Ives reckons Samsung will retain the feature, possibly mounting the scanner on the front of the phone, underneath the display. However, an investor note from another top analyst suggested the scanner won't be under the screen at all.

"All-Glass Screen" – It's becoming much more popular to fill the front of smartphones with screen, reducing the bezel (the bit that surrounds your display) to near non-existence.

Samsung will likely stretch its 'Infinity Display' even further, filling out almost all of the Note 9's tough glass exterior with screen. Look out, iPhone X.

"Advanced Camera Features" – One of the biggest mobile battlegrounds these days is the smartphone camera.

The Note 9 will almost certainly have a dual-lens camera, which should provide great zoom, low-light image capture, and better depth-of-field.

We also might see some augmented reality features, which use 3D scanning tech to let you map computer images onto the real world around you.

"Facial Recognition Technology" – Apple wowed the tech world with its Face ID feature on the iPhone X. It allowed users to unlock their iPhones simply using their faces, which is a relatively secure method of verifying someone's identity.

Android phone makers (like Samsung) are now playing catch-up to add a similar feature to their own phones, and we're likely to see this on the Galaxy Note 9.

Samsung already offers an iris scanner – which authenticates your identity by scanning your eyes – on Note phones, but there's no proper 3D-mapped Face ID rival on a Samsung phone just yet.

Storage boost – Separately, We've also heard a rumour that Samsung will kit its next Note phone out with a generous 512GB of storage.

That's according to an insider source tapped up by tech blog Android Headlines.

If true, it would be a major leap upwards from the amount of storage you'd normally find on a smartphone.

For instance, a new Apple iPhone 8 or iPhone X comes in either 64-gigabyte or 256-gigabyte versions.

And the maximum storage on this year's Samsung Galaxy S9 is 256 gigabytes, too.

That means Samsung may be looking to double the storage on its next smartphone.

Samsung Galaxy Note 9 price – how much will it cost?

It's impossible to say exactly how much the Galaxy Note 9 will cost at this stage, but we do know that smartphone prices are generally rising for Brits.

The Galaxy Note 7 retailed for a hefty £749, but this was eclipsed by the staggering £869 price tag on the Galaxy Note 8.

Last year's iPhone X rocked the boat even further, costing between £999 and £1,149.

Speaking to The Sun, expert Daniel Ives said he expects to see "price points between £800 and £1,000, depending on the model", for the Galaxy Note 9.

It's very likely that the top model will come close to (or run over) the £1,000 mark, as Samsung will want its phones to appear as premium as Apple fare.

But Samsung hasn't confirmed any details about its new handset, so take any rumours with a pinch of salt for now.

What would you like to see from the Samsung Galaxy Note 9? Let us know in the comments!

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