Galaxy Note 9 review: Design
The Galaxy Note 9 looks exactly like the Galaxy Note 8 from the front at first glance. But Samsung has made a few changes, some of which debuted on the Galaxy S9 and some specifically to fit in the bigger battery and the ever-so-slightly bigger screen (6.4 inches). Like the Galaxy S9, the Galaxy Note 9ās top bezel is darker to better hide the iris sensor and front-facing camera. The phone is also slightly wider. That isnāt noticeable, however, unless you compare it side-by-side with an S9+ or Note 8, as Samsung has used a process called dia-cutting for the phoneās edges to make it look slimmer than it is. Not that the Note 9 isnāt a big phone, but itās not necessarily less convenient to use than a Galaxy Note 8 or even a Galaxy S9+.
The back is where the most noticeable change has taken place. The fingerprint sensor now resides below the dual camera setup. Sadly, the camera sensors are placed horizontally as they were on the Note 8, so the fingerprint sensor isnāt as easy to access as the S9+. You donāt exactly need to change your grip to access the fingerprint sensor to unlock the phone and start using it, but a not-so-ideal stretch of the index finger is required. Folks with large hands will also find themselves smudging the camera lenses too often, but thatās just an unavoidable downside of Samsungās fingerprint sensor placement on all of its modern plus-sized flagships. Those in-display fingerprint sensors canāt get here soon enough.
Overall, the Galaxy Note 9 feels as premium and well made as a $1000 smartphone should. Iām just not sure if that yellow S Pen that Samsung is bundling with the Ocean Blue variant of the phone looks classy enough. Youād do best to check the blue version out in person before making a decision on which color to choose. The yellow S Pen doesnāt look bad, far from it. But it just seems like an odd choice for Samsung to make for a Note smartphone, especially since all of the other color variants have the same color for the phone and the stylus.
Display and sound
The 6.4-inch Super AMOLED Infinity display on the Galaxy Note 9 is awesome. Do I really need to say more? Samsungās been at the top of the game when it comes to phone displays, and the Note 9 even gets improvements in areas where the consumer canāt really tell a difference. All you need to know is that itās vivid, extremely bright (and dim when you want it to be), and a joy to use. Itās not the most accurate screen by default, but you can switch to the basic display mode in the phoneās settings if you want it to be true-to-life.
As mentioned in the design section, the top bezel is darker this time around, so the screen flows into the all-black bezels more seamlessly. The bezels arenāt totally dark and not too small, either, but Samsungās decision to stay away from notches makes the companyās implementation of an all-screen display the most sensible. Thatās especially true for the specs and hardware Samsung is offering on its flagships, which trumps anything else on the market whether you count the Galaxy Note 9 or not.
The Galaxy Note 9ās stunning display is accompanied by stereo speakers, a first for the Note lineup following the introduction of stereo speakers on the Galaxy S9 earlier this year. And the audio quality remains as good as ever, despite one of the speakers being embedded in the earpiece. Thereās plenty of bass, Dolby Atmos support makes for a noticeable change in audio separation between the two speakers, and distortion at the highest volume isnāt a problem as long as the content being played has a high enough bitrate.
Last but not the least, thereās a pair of AKG-tuned earphones in the box, which are also unchanged from what we had on the Galaxy S9; they are among the best bundled earphones you get with a phone. Yes, that also means thereās a headphone jack on the Note 9, which further makes it stand out from the mainstream competition.
Camera in next post
The Galaxy Note 9 looks exactly like the Galaxy Note 8 from the front at first glance. But Samsung has made a few changes, some of which debuted on the Galaxy S9 and some specifically to fit in the bigger battery and the ever-so-slightly bigger screen (6.4 inches). Like the Galaxy S9, the Galaxy Note 9ās top bezel is darker to better hide the iris sensor and front-facing camera. The phone is also slightly wider. That isnāt noticeable, however, unless you compare it side-by-side with an S9+ or Note 8, as Samsung has used a process called dia-cutting for the phoneās edges to make it look slimmer than it is. Not that the Note 9 isnāt a big phone, but itās not necessarily less convenient to use than a Galaxy Note 8 or even a Galaxy S9+.
The back is where the most noticeable change has taken place. The fingerprint sensor now resides below the dual camera setup. Sadly, the camera sensors are placed horizontally as they were on the Note 8, so the fingerprint sensor isnāt as easy to access as the S9+. You donāt exactly need to change your grip to access the fingerprint sensor to unlock the phone and start using it, but a not-so-ideal stretch of the index finger is required. Folks with large hands will also find themselves smudging the camera lenses too often, but thatās just an unavoidable downside of Samsungās fingerprint sensor placement on all of its modern plus-sized flagships. Those in-display fingerprint sensors canāt get here soon enough.
Overall, the Galaxy Note 9 feels as premium and well made as a $1000 smartphone should. Iām just not sure if that yellow S Pen that Samsung is bundling with the Ocean Blue variant of the phone looks classy enough. Youād do best to check the blue version out in person before making a decision on which color to choose. The yellow S Pen doesnāt look bad, far from it. But it just seems like an odd choice for Samsung to make for a Note smartphone, especially since all of the other color variants have the same color for the phone and the stylus.
Display and sound
The 6.4-inch Super AMOLED Infinity display on the Galaxy Note 9 is awesome. Do I really need to say more? Samsungās been at the top of the game when it comes to phone displays, and the Note 9 even gets improvements in areas where the consumer canāt really tell a difference. All you need to know is that itās vivid, extremely bright (and dim when you want it to be), and a joy to use. Itās not the most accurate screen by default, but you can switch to the basic display mode in the phoneās settings if you want it to be true-to-life.
As mentioned in the design section, the top bezel is darker this time around, so the screen flows into the all-black bezels more seamlessly. The bezels arenāt totally dark and not too small, either, but Samsungās decision to stay away from notches makes the companyās implementation of an all-screen display the most sensible. Thatās especially true for the specs and hardware Samsung is offering on its flagships, which trumps anything else on the market whether you count the Galaxy Note 9 or not.
The Galaxy Note 9ās stunning display is accompanied by stereo speakers, a first for the Note lineup following the introduction of stereo speakers on the Galaxy S9 earlier this year. And the audio quality remains as good as ever, despite one of the speakers being embedded in the earpiece. Thereās plenty of bass, Dolby Atmos support makes for a noticeable change in audio separation between the two speakers, and distortion at the highest volume isnāt a problem as long as the content being played has a high enough bitrate.
Last but not the least, thereās a pair of AKG-tuned earphones in the box, which are also unchanged from what we had on the Galaxy S9; they are among the best bundled earphones you get with a phone. Yes, that also means thereās a headphone jack on the Note 9, which further makes it stand out from the mainstream competition.
Camera in next post
