Main Diffrences Between Samsung Note 9 And Note 8; Price, Full Specifications And Review.
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Barely a week after launching the Samsung Tab S4, Samsung Mobile has also released Galaxy Note 9, the successor to the last year's Samsung Note 8. Physically, Apart from the re-positioning of the fingerprint scanner and the S-pen's new look and functions, Galaxy Note 9 and Note 8 share almost the same look.
But under the hood, Galaxy Note 9 packed more processing power, higher RAM and more storage option. The new Galaxy Note also comes with other features that are absent in the Galaxy Note 8. For instance, Galaxy Note 9 camera featured variable aperture lens, the latest Note phone also features Super Slow-Mo video recording, AR Emoji etc.
The Note 9 price for standard version i.e. 6GB RAM and 128GB ROM is $1,000 (£899 or AU$1,499) while the higher version with 8GB RAM and 512GB ROM comes with the price of $1,250 (£1,099 or AU$1,799).
Design: From the front view and despite having slightly bigger screen size than its predecessor, it's hard to tell apart the new Galaxy Note 9 from the previous Note 8. This is because the two phones shares almost the same dimension and bodily shapes, but you can easily differentiate them by their chins (bottom bezels). Because Galaxy Note 9's chin is thinner than that of the Galaxy Note 8.
Also, when you turn them over, you'll discover that the fingerprint reader, which is next to the camera lens on the back of the Note 8, is now found below the rear cameras of the Galaxy Note 9. Furthermore, Galaxy Note 9 is a little wider than the Galaxy Note 8, but the new Note is slightly shorter than its predecessor.
Also, the 201g weight of the new Galaxy Note 9 makes it a little heavier than the Galaxy Note 8 which has a weight 195g.
Meanwhile, just like in Galaxy Note 8, at the bottom edge of the Note 9 located 3.5mm headphone jack, USB-C port, Speaker and S pen slot. At the left edge of the phone is Volume button and Bixby button, while at the right edge is the Power button. And at the top edge of the new Note is SIM Card/ microSD Slot.
Note 9 colours are region-dependent, but in all, and like Note 8, Note 9 has a total number of 4 colours option, i.e. Midnight Black, Ocean Blue, Lavender Purple and Metallic Copper. However Orchid Gray and Maple Gold in Note 8 are now being replaced with Lavender Purple and Metallic Copper in Note 9.
Almost the same screen size: almost because the screen sizes of the new Note 9 and that of the Note 8 are nearly identical. In fact, their difference lies in less than an inch size (0.1-inch precisely), therefore, while the previous Note has 6.3-inch display, that of the new Note 9 is 6.4-inch. Apart from that small increase in size, the two phones share similar display properties; thus Note 9 features the same Infinity, near edge-to-edge super AMOLED display; though there are reports that the new Note's display is more vivid than that of its predecessor. The screen resolution is still Quad HD+ (2960x1440) and the aspect ratio is also 18.5:9, the top and bottom bezel (chin) of the Note 9 is also similar to those of Note 8, but like i mentioned earlier, Note 9's chin is thinner.
More RAM and Storage Space Option; like in the Note 8, the new Note 9 standard version still comes with 6GB of RAM, but the base storage space of 64GB that can be found in the previous Note has been cancelled and replaced with 128GB. Apart from that, the new handset also offers a higher RAM option of 8GB, which is quite a remarkable upgrade over the standard 6GB of RAM of Note 8 and Galaxy S9+. However, this high 8 GB RAM option can only be found in the Note 9 version with 512GB storage space. This indicates that the new Note 9 comes in only 2 options of RAM; first is the option of 6GB memory that can only be found in the version with 128GB storage space, while the second and final option has 8GB of RAM with 512GB storage space.
Still on the storage space, the Note 9 still comes with microSD card slot, and the handset's microSD card option can be expanded up to 512GB, presenting the buyers of the 8 GB RAM version of the handset with the option of whooping 1 TB (512 ROM+512 microSD) storage space in their Note 9.
Processor and Softwares: Better than Note 8's Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 (which also used in the recent Galaxy Tab S4), Note 9 comes with more powerful Snapdragon 845 which can also be found in some of the high-end phones of 2018, including the Galaxy S9 and S9+. Meanwhile, in some region, including Europe, Note 9 features Exynos 9810 processor. On software, although the new Samsung Note and latest Android 9 (Pie) were released almost at the same time, Samsung offers Android 8.1 (Oreo) in the new Note. Also, the new Note users are presented with the opportunity to enjoy new Fortnite Game on their phones.
There is also Samsung Dex (desktop) mode; which was introduced in the new Galaxy Tab S4. It is a mode in the Note 9 that switch your normal Android interface to desktop-PC like interface which gives you the opportunity to use your new Note as desktop PC. Dex mode requires no Dex station or Pad like in the Samsung S9s, it only requires HDMI Dongle.
The Samsung virtual assistant i.e Bixby is back again with its dedicated Hotkey below volume rocker, just like in the Note 8. Meanwhile the Note 9 comes with Bixby 2.0, a new and improved version of Bixby which is more user friendly, however, if you don't like using Bixby, Samsung is working on updates that lets you disable it. And Besides Bixby, there is an option of Google assistant on Note 9.
All new Bluetooth enabled S-pen: The signature of the Samsung Notes is the S-pen or stylus, and like that of note 8, the Note 9's S-pen still comes with 0.7mm tip and 4096 pressure level, which make drawing and writing experience on the Note 9 close to that of traditional pen and artistic pencil. The S-pen also helps you navigate your phone, especially when your fingers are soiled and you don't want to smear your phone's screen with dirt. The Off Screen Memo, which was found in Note 8 is also back in Note 9; this feature allows you to quickly jot down notes on the screen of your Note 9 without unlocking it. Other features of Note 8 that are found in the new Note are Live message and S-pen Translate which translates foreign texts.
That's where the similarities between Note 8 S-pen and Note 9 S-pen ended.
The new all Bluetooth enabled S-pen can now act as a remote control for your Note 9. From up to 10 metres (over 30 feet) distance from your new Note, and depending on what you want to do, you can long press, short press even double press the new S-pen button to remotely carry out a few functions on your new Note 9 such as launching of camera app, switching between front and back camera, taking pictures, playing (or pause) music, you can even skip the currently playing song to your favorite track and it can also be used to pause your YouTube's video. From mentioned distance, the new S-pen can also serve as a remote control to Navigate, in succession, your photos in the photo gallery of the new Note.
Because the S pen makes use of tiny battery to power itself, therefore, it needs charging. And it can be charged by putting it back into the Note's S pen slot, of which Samsung said that on a single charge of 40 seconds, the S pen battery can last up to 30 minutes of standby.
Furthermore, the yellow S pen that comes with Ocean Blue colour Note 9 also also have yellow ink text, same with the lavender purple colour Note 9 which also have purple colour S-pen and writes in matching purple ink too.
Repositioned Fingerprint reader and Intelligent Scanning: Though you'll still find the rectangular fingerprint scanner at the back of the handset, but unlike the Note 8 that has its fingerprint sensor placed next to the 2 horizontally-arranged back cameras, the Note 9 fingerprint sensor is placed directly under the horizontally aligned dual camera. I believe this Samsung's move is a response to some Note 8 users who express their dissatisfaction over the positioning of the previous Note's fingerprint reader. Meanwhile, the Iris scanner and face recognition that are found in Note 8, are also implemented in Note 9. The Intelligent Scanning involves combining the duo (Iris scanner & Face recognition) for convenient unlocking and security enhancement of your new Note.
AI enable Variable Aperture camera: The note 9 back-camera is also dual and it is still arranged horizontally, like that of Note 8. Also, the two rear cameras are still 12-megapixels each, and the dual camera still comes with Optical Image Stabilizer (OIS) which helps you to take steady pictures while your hand is shaken. Optical Zoom; which allows you to zoom in distant object before taking the shot, is another note 8 feature that is also found in the new Note. However, the new Note's cameras have improved and more interesting features. Meanwhile, like the previous Note, Note 9 still comes 8MP Selfie camera.
First is the Introduction of Dual or Variable Aperture (f/1.5 and f/2.4) to the Note 9 Camera. First introduced in S9s, the variable aperture can now be found in the Note 9 too, this feature allows your phone to take clear and detailed pictures in extreme light conditions i.e. in low light and bright environments. It does this by automatically adjust the dual aperture (in the lens) to regulate the amount of light that enters the lens for better pictures.
Another new feature is Scene Optimizer; which intelligently and automatically identifies and supplies the name or mode (Sky, Birds, Street scenes, Beaches) of the subject matter the camera is about to capture, then the Scene Optimizer proceed to give optimum colour settings that best suit the subject matter before you take the picture. In total, Note 9's Scene Optimizer are equipped with 20 modes.
There is also Flaw Detection; which intelligently detects the flaws such blinks or blur in the picture you about to take and notifies you (so that you can adjust) before taking it.
Then comes Super Slo-mo; Samsung first used this in Galaxy S9. With the Super Slow mo, the Note 9 camera captures the video of your cherished fleeting moments and rapid scenes at super speed of 960 frames per second (fps) and play the video back to show you those wonderful moments with incredible details. However, just like in S9, Super Slo mo video only supports HD (720p) resolution. Therefore, if you want the video in 1080p resolution, the video will be normal Slow Motion and it will also be at 240 fps.
AR Emoji: Also introduced in S9, and it's now in Note 9, with improvements though. AR Emoji allows you to create your personal Avatar. This is done by taking your Selfie and then proceed to follow step-by-step process of customization which then result into your Avatar. With this newly created Avatar, you can take your Selfie (with the Avatar as your new self) and you can also record your avatar video. Therefore, you can share either your avatar Selfie or video with your loved ones online. Meanwhile, in the new Note 9, added to the AR Emoji is Disney AR Emoji, which allows you to transform your avatar into your favorite Disney and Pixar animated character such as Mickey and the Incredibles.
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Battery & Speakers: Note 9 has AKG-tuned stereo speakers with surround sound, the volume and audio quality of the new Note speakers dwarf that of Note 8, it should be noted that some people said the Note 8's speaker doesn't offer much sound output.
The previous Samsung Note 8 came with a 3300mAh battery, note 9 offers higher battery capacity of 4000mAh, this is also higher than galaxy S9+ 3500mAh. As usual, the phone offers fast charging through the USB-C port, and it also has fast charging for its wireless charging feature.
Below are the full specifications of the Samsung Note 9 and Note 8
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But under the hood, Galaxy Note 9 packed more processing power, higher RAM and more storage option. The new Galaxy Note also comes with other features that are absent in the Galaxy Note 8. For instance, Galaxy Note 9 camera featured variable aperture lens, the latest Note phone also features Super Slow-Mo video recording, AR Emoji etc.
The Note 9 price for standard version i.e. 6GB RAM and 128GB ROM is $1,000 (£899 or AU$1,499) while the higher version with 8GB RAM and 512GB ROM comes with the price of $1,250 (£1,099 or AU$1,799).
Also, when you turn them over, you'll discover that the fingerprint reader, which is next to the camera lens on the back of the Note 8, is now found below the rear cameras of the Galaxy Note 9. Furthermore, Galaxy Note 9 is a little wider than the Galaxy Note 8, but the new Note is slightly shorter than its predecessor.
Also, the 201g weight of the new Galaxy Note 9 makes it a little heavier than the Galaxy Note 8 which has a weight 195g.
Meanwhile, just like in Galaxy Note 8, at the bottom edge of the Note 9 located 3.5mm headphone jack, USB-C port, Speaker and S pen slot. At the left edge of the phone is Volume button and Bixby button, while at the right edge is the Power button. And at the top edge of the new Note is SIM Card/ microSD Slot.
Note 9 colours are region-dependent, but in all, and like Note 8, Note 9 has a total number of 4 colours option, i.e. Midnight Black, Ocean Blue, Lavender Purple and Metallic Copper. However Orchid Gray and Maple Gold in Note 8 are now being replaced with Lavender Purple and Metallic Copper in Note 9.
More RAM and Storage Space Option; like in the Note 8, the new Note 9 standard version still comes with 6GB of RAM, but the base storage space of 64GB that can be found in the previous Note has been cancelled and replaced with 128GB. Apart from that, the new handset also offers a higher RAM option of 8GB, which is quite a remarkable upgrade over the standard 6GB of RAM of Note 8 and Galaxy S9+. However, this high 8 GB RAM option can only be found in the Note 9 version with 512GB storage space. This indicates that the new Note 9 comes in only 2 options of RAM; first is the option of 6GB memory that can only be found in the version with 128GB storage space, while the second and final option has 8GB of RAM with 512GB storage space.
Still on the storage space, the Note 9 still comes with microSD card slot, and the handset's microSD card option can be expanded up to 512GB, presenting the buyers of the 8 GB RAM version of the handset with the option of whooping 1 TB (512 ROM+512 microSD) storage space in their Note 9.
There is also Samsung Dex (desktop) mode; which was introduced in the new Galaxy Tab S4. It is a mode in the Note 9 that switch your normal Android interface to desktop-PC like interface which gives you the opportunity to use your new Note as desktop PC. Dex mode requires no Dex station or Pad like in the Samsung S9s, it only requires HDMI Dongle.
The Samsung virtual assistant i.e Bixby is back again with its dedicated Hotkey below volume rocker, just like in the Note 8. Meanwhile the Note 9 comes with Bixby 2.0, a new and improved version of Bixby which is more user friendly, however, if you don't like using Bixby, Samsung is working on updates that lets you disable it. And Besides Bixby, there is an option of Google assistant on Note 9.
That's where the similarities between Note 8 S-pen and Note 9 S-pen ended.
The new all Bluetooth enabled S-pen can now act as a remote control for your Note 9. From up to 10 metres (over 30 feet) distance from your new Note, and depending on what you want to do, you can long press, short press even double press the new S-pen button to remotely carry out a few functions on your new Note 9 such as launching of camera app, switching between front and back camera, taking pictures, playing (or pause) music, you can even skip the currently playing song to your favorite track and it can also be used to pause your YouTube's video. From mentioned distance, the new S-pen can also serve as a remote control to Navigate, in succession, your photos in the photo gallery of the new Note.
Because the S pen makes use of tiny battery to power itself, therefore, it needs charging. And it can be charged by putting it back into the Note's S pen slot, of which Samsung said that on a single charge of 40 seconds, the S pen battery can last up to 30 minutes of standby.
Furthermore, the yellow S pen that comes with Ocean Blue colour Note 9 also also have yellow ink text, same with the lavender purple colour Note 9 which also have purple colour S-pen and writes in matching purple ink too.
AI enable Variable Aperture camera: The note 9 back-camera is also dual and it is still arranged horizontally, like that of Note 8. Also, the two rear cameras are still 12-megapixels each, and the dual camera still comes with Optical Image Stabilizer (OIS) which helps you to take steady pictures while your hand is shaken. Optical Zoom; which allows you to zoom in distant object before taking the shot, is another note 8 feature that is also found in the new Note. However, the new Note's cameras have improved and more interesting features. Meanwhile, like the previous Note, Note 9 still comes 8MP Selfie camera.
Another new feature is Scene Optimizer; which intelligently and automatically identifies and supplies the name or mode (Sky, Birds, Street scenes, Beaches) of the subject matter the camera is about to capture, then the Scene Optimizer proceed to give optimum colour settings that best suit the subject matter before you take the picture. In total, Note 9's Scene Optimizer are equipped with 20 modes.
There is also Flaw Detection; which intelligently detects the flaws such blinks or blur in the picture you about to take and notifies you (so that you can adjust) before taking it.
Then comes Super Slo-mo; Samsung first used this in Galaxy S9. With the Super Slow mo, the Note 9 camera captures the video of your cherished fleeting moments and rapid scenes at super speed of 960 frames per second (fps) and play the video back to show you those wonderful moments with incredible details. However, just like in S9, Super Slo mo video only supports HD (720p) resolution. Therefore, if you want the video in 1080p resolution, the video will be normal Slow Motion and it will also be at 240 fps.
.
Battery & Speakers: Note 9 has AKG-tuned stereo speakers with surround sound, the volume and audio quality of the new Note speakers dwarf that of Note 8, it should be noted that some people said the Note 8's speaker doesn't offer much sound output.
The previous Samsung Note 8 came with a 3300mAh battery, note 9 offers higher battery capacity of 4000mAh, this is also higher than galaxy S9+ 3500mAh. As usual, the phone offers fast charging through the USB-C port, and it also has fast charging for its wireless charging feature.
Below are the full specifications of the Samsung Note 9 and Note 8
GENERAL
|
Maker
|
Samsung
|
|
|
Name
|
Note 9
|
Note 8
|
|
Year Announced
|
August 2018
|
August 2017
|
|
Weight
|
201g
|
195g
|
|
Thickness
|
8.8mm
|
8.6mm
|
|
Colour
|
Ocean Blue, Midnight
Black, Lavender Purple and Metallic Copper.
|
Orchid Grey, Midnight
Black, Deep Blue Sea and Maple Gold.
|
DISPLAY
|
Screen Type
|
Infinity, near
bezel-less, Super AMOLED edge-to-edge Display.
|
Infinity, near bezel-less,
Super AMOLED edge-to-edge Display.
|
|
Size and Resolution
|
6.4-inch Quad HD+ (2960x1440)
pixels.
|
6.3-inch Quad HD+ (2960x1440)
pixels.
|
|
Aspect ratio
|
18.5:9 (516 ppi)
|
18.5:9 (521 ppi)
|
|
Protection
|
Corning Gorilla Glass
5.
|
Corning Gorilla Glass
5.
|
HARDWARE AND
SOFTWARE
|
Chipset
|
Snapdragon 845/ Exxon
9810
|
Snapdragon 835/ Exxon
8895
|
|
Processor
|
(2.8GH+1.7GHz),
Octa-Core.
|
(2.3GH+1.7GHz),
Octa-Core.
|
|
RAM Memory
|
6GB/ 8GB
|
6GB
|
|
ROM Memory
|
128GB/ 512GB
|
64GB/128GB/256GB
|
|
MicroSD-Card
|
Yes, up to 500GB.
|
Yes, up to 256GB
|
|
Bixby
|
Hotkey and AI Digital
Assistant.
|
Hotkey and AI Digital
Assistant.
|
|
Operating System
|
Android 8.1 (Oreo),
Samsung UI.
|
Android 7.1 (Nougat),
Samsung UI.
|
SIM, NETWORK
AND CONNECTIVITY
|
SIM
|
Dual, Nano.
|
Dual, Nano.
|
|
Network
|
GSM, HSPA+ and LTE
(Cat 18 modem)
|
GSM, HSPA+ and LTE
(Cat 16 modem)
|
|
Connectivity
|
USB-Type-C,
Bluetooth 5.0, WiFi,
Location (Geo, Glonass), NFC.
|
USB-Type-C,
Bluetooth 5.0, WiFi,
Location (Geo, Glonass), NFC
|
CAMERA AND
MULTIMEDIA
|
Rear Camera (Dual)
|
12MP, AF, with Dual
Aperture ( f/1.5 & f/2.4) And 12MP, AF, with f/1.8.
|
12MP, AF, with f/1.7)
And 12MP, AF, with f/1.8.
|
|
Front Camera
|
8MP, AF, f/1.7.
|
8MP, AF, f/1.7.
|
|
3.5mm Headphone jack
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
|
Video Playing Formats
|
MP4, M4V, 3GP, 3G2,
WMV, ASF, AVI, FLV, MKV, WEBM.
|
MP4, M4V, 3GP, 3G2,
WMV, ASF, AVI, FLV, MKV, WEBM.
|
|
Audio Playing Formats
|
MP3, M4A, 3GA, AAC,
OGG, WAV, WMA, AMR, MID, MIDI, AWB, FLAC.
|
MP3, M4A, 3GA, AAC, OGG,
WAV, WMA, AMR, MID, MIDI, AWB, FLAC.
|
BIOMETRICS
AND SENSORS
|
Biometrics
Security/Sensors
|
Fingerprint reader (below
the dual-camera), Face recognition and Iris scanning.
|
Fingerprint reader (beside
the dual-camera), Face recognition and Iris scanning.
|
|
Sensors
|
G-sensor, Proximity
sensor, RGB Light sensor, Accelerator and Barometer sensor.
|
G-sensor, Proximity
sensor, RGB Light sensor, Accelerator and Barometer sensor.
|
BATTERY AND
WATER RESISTANCE
|
Lithium-Ion
|
4000mAh.
|
3300mAh.
|
|
Non-Removable
|
Yes.
|
Yes.
|
|
Fast Charging
|
Yes.
|
Yes.
|
|
Wireless Charging
|
Yes.
|
Yes.
|
|
Wireless Fasting
Charging
|
Yes.
|
N/a.
|
|
IP68 Certified Water
Resistance
|
Yes.
|
Yes.
|
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