Its competitors might have to worry, says Ashish Narsale, after the phone was unveiled in New York.
If you have been following all the scuttlebutt regarding this phone, let me tell you they are almost alright.
The Samsung flagship Galaxy Note9 might look like just an upgrade from its earlier iteration, the Galaxy Note8, but has more to showcase.
For example, it takes the camera from the Galaxy 9 and arms it with AI and has a higher capacity battery and an S Pen powered to work as a remote.
Let's dig in and find out more about the Galaxy Note9.
Design
Yes, it's has Samsung's edge-to-edge curved screen infinity display with NO notch.
At 6.3", the phablet body is marginally shorter than its previous avatar but its screen size increases to 6.4”, which is 0.1” inch more than the Galaxy Note8.
The front and back have a curved protective glass laid on a metal frame, which protects the innards.
The phablet boasts 18.5:9 aspect ratio, 2960 x 1440 pixels and a HD+ resolution Super AMOLED display.
Hardware
It is powered by Samsung's own Octa-core Exynos 9810 CPU, with embedded Mali-G72 GPU for Europe, the Middle East and Asia and Qualcomm's Octa-core Snapdragon 845 CPU with embedded Adreno 630 GPU for USA/Latin America and China.
While gaming, the heat generated by the CPU is taken care by a water-cooling system which diffuses the heat for efficient cooling.
The phablet will be available in two variants -- 6 GB RAM/ 128 GB ROM and 8 GB RAM / 512 GB ROM.
In addition, the phone will support memory expansion up to 512 GB using a micro SD card that gives the 512 GB phone variant a whopping one terabyte storage space.
The hardware is protected from dust and water and has a rating of IP68.
The S Pen
The Galaxy Note series is incomplete without it.
This time, the S Pen is armed with Bluetooth radio, which enables it to act as a remote to control the phablet wirelessly for taking pictures, running a Microsoft Power Point presentation or controlling music.
Other than these, it can be customised to control an array of listed functions.
It can be charged by docking it in the phablet. This takes less than a minute and the charge will last for up to 30 minutes.
Even when the S Pen is not charged, it can be used as a stylus.
Camera
The phablet carries forward the same camera setup as Samsung Galaxy S9+ but, this time, it's armed with AI.
This AI is used for scene recognition and optimises camera settings according to lighting conditions and the subject.
The dual cameras on the rear have a 12 MP main sensor with dual aperture 1.5/f mode/2.2/f mode; the second 12 MP camera comes with a telephoto sensor having aperture of 2.4/f.
The dual aperture camera automatically shifts the aperture according to lighting conditions; 1.5/f is used in low light and 2.2/f in a well-lit environment.
Both the dual cameras have Optical Image Stabilisation and support 2x optical zoom.
For selfies, it has an 8 MP camera with aperture of 1.7/f.
Like the Samsung Galaxy S9+, the camera supports AR Emojis and 960fps slow motion video.
The phablet supports Samsung DeX, a PC-like experience, which can be accessed by just hooking it to the external display, for example a monitor or television via a HDMI adapter.
Sound
The phone comes with AKG tuned stereo speakers, which has Dolby Atmos technology to support Surround sound.
The phablet is bundled with AKG tuned wired earphones, which comes in the box.
Battery
Samsung has increased the battery capacity to 4000 mAh to give you a full day's juice.
The phone supports fast charging through wire using a Type-C connector; you can also opt for the wireless dock which is sold separately.
Verdict
Every year, with new advances in technology, the Samsung Note series is shrinking the high end PC, camera and gaming console so that it fits in your pocket.
Priced at 999 dollars (approximately ₹68,774) for a 6 GB/128GB version and 1,249 dollars (approximately ₹85,899) for an 8 GB/512, it might feel expensive but is well priced compared to its competitors and keeping in mind the features it is packed with.
The phone is yet to be released in India.
