The US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) recently certified the Galaxy Note 9 with model numbers SM-N960F, SM-N960X, and SM-N960F/DS (dual-SIM model). The FCC listing confirmed Samsung as the applicant, but didn’t shed light on the Galaxy Note 9 features. Fortunately, the rumor mill and supply chain leaks have done a terrific job revealing the upcoming phablet’s design, features, and other details.
Samsung is set to unveil the Galaxy Note 9 at an Unpacked event in New York City on August 9th at 11 AM ET. The event is taking place at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, and it will be live streamed on Samsung’s official website. The phablet is expected to go on sale in launch markets a couple of weeks later. Ahead of the official unveiling, let’s take a look at the Galaxy Note 9 features, design, and other details.
Galaxy Note 9 design & display
Dutch publication TechTastic has learned from inside sources that the Note 9 would look a lot like the Galaxy S9 Plus with only a few minor differences. It will still have slim bezels at the top and bottom of the screen. It measures 162 x 76.4 x 8.8mm, making it slightly thicker and wider than last year’s Note 8. According to reliable Russian blogger Eldar Murtazin, the Note 9 will sport a 6.4-inch Super AMOLED Infinity display with a 2960 x 1440 resolution and an 18.5:9 aspect ratio.
According to leaked renders, the phablet will have a horizontally-arranged dual camera system on the back. You’ll find the fingerprint sensor placed below the camera module, meaning the device will launch without the in-display fingerprint scanner. The phablet will retain the 3.5mm headphone jack and the microSD card slot.
An upgraded stylus with Bluetooth support
Chinese tipster Ice Universe recently said the S Pen would be one of the most important Galaxy Note 9 features. Later leaks have since confirmed that the stylus is getting a major upgrade including Bluetooth support. Folks at Droid Life have spotted the new S Pen passing through the US FCC. According to the FCC filing, Samsung’s new stylus with model number EJ-PN960 is a 2.4GHz Bluetooth LE device. The “N960” in its model number matches up with the Note 9’s SM-N960.
The Galaxy Note9 SPen can be used to control long-range self-timer, control music playback, because it is a Bluetooth device, it will do something unrelated to the pen. pic.twitter.com/WPS83xUskq
— Ice universe (@UniverseIce) July 1, 2018
Ice Universe claims the improved S Pen will let users to control music playback and long-range self-timer with the stylus. It could also allow you to capture photos from a distance such as when the phone is placed on a tripod. The rumor mill claims it will also have some work-related features to lure business users.
Improved camera capabilities
It’s no secret that the Galaxy Note 9 will have a dual camera system on the back. And we expect it to be a major improvement over the Note 8. Samsung will include the Super Slo-mo and dual apertures that it introduced with the Galaxy S9 and S9 Plus. The dual aperture functionality allows the camera to switch between two apertures automatically depending on the lighting conditions to take the best possible photo.
SamMobile reports that the Note 9 camera will use the new ISOCELL Plus technology which allows for better color accuracy and light sensitivity, especially in low-light conditions. Samsung claims the ISOCELL Plus sensors will improve light sensitivity by up to 15%.
Galaxy Note 9 processing power and storage
The upcoming phablet will be powered by the same chips that run the Galaxy S9 and S9 Plus. The US version of Note 9 will run Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 845 while the international variant would feature the Exynos 9810 processor. Both variants have been spotted on Geekbench. The Exynos-powered Note 9 with model number SM-N960N scored 2737 points in single-core and 9064 points in multi-core tests.
In contrast, the Snapdragon variant had scored 2190 in single-core and 8806 points in multi-core tests. The Exynos versions tend to be faster and more energy-efficient than their Snapdragon counterparts because Samsung can more tightly integrate its processor into the system. Anyway, these benchmark scores were achieved with pre-release software that wasn’t optimized for the final hardware. The consumer version of the device could perform even better.
According to TechTastic, the Galaxy Note 9 will be available in 6GB and 8GB RAM variants. There will be 64GB, 128GB, and 256GB storage options. Some countries such as China could also get a 512GB storage variant.
A bigger battery
It is one of those features that consumers will love, unless the battery starts exploding like Galaxy Note 7. According to the rumor mill, the Galaxy Note 9 would pack a huge 3,850mAh or 4,000mAh battery. By comparison, the Note 8 had a 3,300mAh battery and the Galaxy S9 Plus features a 3,500mAh battery. Battery life will be one of the most important Galaxy Note 9 features. The larger battery should lead to better battery life.
The primary reason Samsung chose to arrange the Galaxy Note 9’s rear cameras horizontally instead of vertically is the battery. As the image below shows, the horizontal camera orientation frees up more space for the battery compared to vertical cameras.
Galaxy Note 9 features: Software
Samsung’s current flagship devices run the Samsung Experience skin on top of Android Oreo. According to Ice Universe, the Korean company will introduce a new Crown UX with the Note 9 that will offer a smoother user experience. We expect the Note 9 to run Crown UX on top of Android 8.1 Oreo.
Samsung’s mobile business head DJ Koh has told fans that the Note 9 would come with an upgraded Bixby 2.0 AI assistant. The company is currently testing it with more than 800 partners worldwide. The Bixby 2.0 will enable a faster response time and a more natural communication between the user and the device.
Galaxy Note 9 listed on Samsung’s official website
The Note 9 unveiling is still several months away, but Samsung has already listed the device on its official website in many countries such as Denmark, France, and Norway. At this point, the Note 9 support pages do not reveal much the device. They only feature the model number and a handful of video tutorials that are generic to Samsung smartphones.
Several Support pages for the Galaxy Note9 (SM-N960F/DS) are now live:
Tuki Suomi: https://t.co/Vh75RZTB0t
Denmark: https://t.co/0bmnNlHQIC
France: https://t.co/TTwOBErBMd
Norway: https://t.co/LP1j2stmNc— Max Jambor (@MaxJmb) July 4, 2018
The official support pages are for the model number SM-N960F/DS, which is the dual-SIM variant of Note 9. Protective cases for the device are also now available for pre-order on MobileFun.
