Is the Galaxy Note 9 worth the $1000 price tag? For Note fans, it totally is if you can afford to spend that much or get it in some kind of trade-in or discount. If you have a Note 8, sure, wait until the Note 10 or whatever Samsung brings next year. If not, the Galaxy Note 9 is the Note flagship to get. The S Pen has received useful new functionality, the battery is finally capable of handling the abuse power users throw at their phones, and there’s plenty of onboard storage to go around. Other things, such as the display, audio, performance, and design are all top-notch as well.
However, if you’re not one to use a stylus, the Galaxy Note 9 may not change that for you as much as you would think. While the S Pen’s remote control features are quite handy, you need to remove the stylus from its slot first. If you never found the reason to do that before, it’s possible you might not have a reason now. Indeed, while I was happy to use the S Pen for taking pictures during the review period, I’m not sure if the same will be the case after a couple of weeks or a month or two down the line.
So unless you must buy a new phone now, it’s best to wait for the Galaxy S10 if you aren’t a regular Note user. There will always be something newer around the corner, but while that can be a good reason to wait for the next device, it’s even more so now because the Galaxy S10 might be quite special being the tenth-anniversary device in Samsung’s mainstream flagship lineup. Again, that’s if you aren’t generally a fan of the Note smartphones and would be happy with a Galaxy S phone as well, in which case you can also save some money and buy the Galaxy S9+.
But for power users and Note aficionados alike, the Galaxy Note 9 is well worth that $1000 price tag. After the Galaxy Note 4, this is the first Galaxy Note flagship to pretty much have it all, and if you own any of the pre-Note 8 devices, it’s time to cave in and make the upgrade.
However, if you’re not one to use a stylus, the Galaxy Note 9 may not change that for you as much as you would think. While the S Pen’s remote control features are quite handy, you need to remove the stylus from its slot first. If you never found the reason to do that before, it’s possible you might not have a reason now. Indeed, while I was happy to use the S Pen for taking pictures during the review period, I’m not sure if the same will be the case after a couple of weeks or a month or two down the line.
So unless you must buy a new phone now, it’s best to wait for the Galaxy S10 if you aren’t a regular Note user. There will always be something newer around the corner, but while that can be a good reason to wait for the next device, it’s even more so now because the Galaxy S10 might be quite special being the tenth-anniversary device in Samsung’s mainstream flagship lineup. Again, that’s if you aren’t generally a fan of the Note smartphones and would be happy with a Galaxy S phone as well, in which case you can also save some money and buy the Galaxy S9+.
But for power users and Note aficionados alike, the Galaxy Note 9 is well worth that $1000 price tag. After the Galaxy Note 4, this is the first Galaxy Note flagship to pretty much have it all, and if you own any of the pre-Note 8 devices, it’s time to cave in and make the upgrade.
