Galaxy Note 9 hands-on review – can Samsung’s biggest-ever Note topple the iPhone X?
Samsung's 6.4-inch smartphone is incredibly fast and packs a massive battery, but is it worthy of your dosh?
The Galaxy Note 9 is a huge smartphone with a beastly processor and masses of storage and RAM on its £1,099 high-end model.
But, at that price, who's going to buy it?
Business users who want a phone that doubles up as a productivity-oriented PC using just a USB to HDMI connection?
Mobile gamers keen to play Fortnite for Android on a powerhouse smartphone?
Or creative types looking to doodle and capture remote photos with the new Bluetooth S Pen stylus?
Samsung's hoping all three. But, with so much variety on offer, the firm risks alienating its core customer base – the so-called Note "loyalists" who keep coming back for more.
Galaxy Note 9 Specs
The tech specs in detail...
- Screen: 6.4-inch QHD+ Curved Super AMOLED display
- Chip: Samsung Exynos octa-core processor (64-bit, 2.7GHz +1.7 GHz)
- RAM: 6GB / 8GB
- Storage: 128GB / 512GB
- Battery: 4,000mAh
- Dimensions: 162 x 76.4 x 9mm
- Weight: 205 grams
- Waterproof: Yes (IP68)
- Rear Camera: 12-megapixel (f/1.5-f/2.4) with OIS
- Front Camera: 8-megapixel (f/1.7)
- Price: £899 / £1,099
We tried out the phone at Samsung's London launch event today (which also featured the newly-announced Galaxy Watch and still fresh Galaxy Tab S4), but it didn't offer any easy answers.
To avoid confusion, let's get one thing out of the way: the Note 9 is a stellar smartphone that's as fast as they come.
You will not be disappointed with its speed, dual-lens 12-megapixel rear camera with added AI tricks and massive 4,000 mAh battery (21 percent bigger than the Note 8).
All this, however, comes at a steep price: The standard Note 9 costs £899 for 128GB storage and 6GB RAM, while the 512GB storage version (expandable to a whopping 1 terabyte with Samsung's upcoming 512GB microSD card) and 8GB RAM will cost you £1,099.
We tested the former.
Videos on YouTube loaded quickly and looked sharp on the huge Quad HD+ AMOLED screen.
The lack of bezels on the sides, thanks to that Infinity Display borrowed from the Galaxy S range, adding to the rich visual experience.
It may look identical to its predecessor, even retaining the headphone jack (hurray), but don't let that fool you – the real upgrades are under the hood.
The newbie also packs more screen than the iPhone X (6.4-inches compared to 5.8). And Both Note 9 models offer more storage than Apple's supremo, with the high-end version boasting double the amount of space than the 256GB iPhone X for £150 less.
That's a bonus for hardcore users who don't want to worry about how much space their downloads are zapping on a phone that comes pre-loaded with productivity-oriented apps from Google, Microsoft and Samsung.
But no matter how hard we tried to love it, we couldn't block out that massive price tag.
So who will buy the Note 9? Well, we can't say for sure. But we do know who won't buy it.
The younger gamers Samsung is targeting by piggybacking off the success of Fortnite will surely ignore it.
Mainly because they already own the free game on consoles or iOS devices, and can even sign up to play the beta on a bunch of older Galaxy handsets, starting from the S7. So why pay £900 to play it on a new Android phone?
And a stylus isn't enough to draw in creative types, even though Samsung's product specialists (on hand at the event) described it as the phone's defining feature.
Sure the S Pen is fun – you can use it to control the phone remotely from up to 10 feet away, snapping selfies and skipping tracks with a click of a button – but it's hardly revolutionary.
It charges in 40 seconds, while inserted in the slot beneath the phone, and lasts for 30 minutes a pop.
That's impressive but not a deal-clincher. Especially when you can snag Apple's latest iPad, with Apple Pencil support, for just £319.
Casting inhibitions aside, we used it to take a remote selfie and it worked a charm. The phone's AI-enhanced camera even alerts you when your eyes are closed with a subtle notification, so you can take another snap should you screw up.
Our full review (coming soon) will dish all the details on that dual-aperture rear snapper too.
That leaves business users who will undoubtedly be drawn to the phone's DeX feature, which sees it turn into a sort-of desktop PC when hooked to a monitor.
In the past, this would've required a separate dock, but now all it takes is a cheap USB-C to HDMI adaptor.
Plug it into the big screen and the phone itself will transform into a trackpad or keyboard depending on the task.
If the term "hot desking" means nothing to you, you'll likely ignore DeX. But that's not to say it isn't handy for those who hop around for work.
Ultimately, the Note 9 is a premium device with all the pros (power, power, and more power) and cons (price) that entails.
The only thing that's missing is Android Pie (the phone ships with Android Oreo 8.1) but the update should arrive before the year is out.
If you love the Note series, you'll be floored by the Note 9. It delivers everything users adore about Samsung's super flagship range with all the fun and flair it's been lacking.
Everyone else will ignore it in favour of Apple's upcoming iPhones and the next Galaxy S range.
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