Samsung Galaxy Note 9 – The latest offering by Samsung. A lot of people gave rave reviews about the device the day it was launched. The skeptics were varied in its daily usage, all-day battery life claims and basically want a thorough test to be done on the device.
I have been using the device for more than 3 weeks now and I feel now I can give you a better review of it. I have the 128GB Internal Storage – 6GB RAM – Samsung Exynos 9 Octa 9810 – Ocean Blue version of the Samsung Note 9 which runs Android 8.1.
What you get in the box
The Phone – Fast Charger Adapter – USB A to USB C Cable – AKG-tuned Earphones – MicroUSB to USB C Adapter
Looks & Handling
Let’s start with the look & handling – The 4 color options available are Ocean Blue, Midnight Black, Lavender Purple & Metallic Copper with matching S-Pen. All 3 finishes look very classy with the Glass finish, I personally preferred the Ocean Blue with the vibrant Yellow S-Pen. The bezels on this phone are more than the previous Samsung Phones (83.4% to 84.2% Body to Screen Ratio of Samsung Galaxy S9+) which actually improved the usability as now the palm does not interfere when trying to reach the other end.
Display & Stereo Speakers
The Quad HD+ Super AMOLED screen is 6.4″ and has a resolution of 2960×1440 pixels. Note phones has always given the best movie/video watching experience on a phone. The Stereo speakers are nice but I use the earphones with the phone… always (don’t like disturbing others).
Battery
Now, this is the area where Note Phones have not performed well.. historically. With a 4000mah battery, the Galaxy Note 9 packs a good battery for such a heavy-duty phone but does it really perform? What about the heating problem? Does it really go all-day without charging? So basically all these issues are quite resolved by Samsung in this device. I have gone all day without charging and sometimes the phone has gone a day and a half without charging and this is the regular phone usage test results. For the heating problem Samsung has installed the Water Cooling system but I don’t think it will come into play until you are a heavy duty gamer. For now I am satisfied with the battery but as Samsung has a history of battery drain problem – will wait and watch.
Storage & RAM
I have the Note 9 with 128GB Internal Storage and 6GB RAM. There is also a variant with 512GB Internal Storage and 8GB RAM. Both the variants come with an Extendable Storage option upto 512GB making Galaxy Note 9 the first 1TB Storage phone. External storage is an amazing option that gives the user a lot of flexibility in terms of data storage.
S-Pen
The Note line’s S Pen is without a doubt its most unique feature. That has been the case since it was first introduced, though. But while an S Pen has always been there, it’s the Note 9 that finally turned it up another level. We’ve got Bluetooth on board! The Note 9’s S Pen gives you the ability to control the phone from a distance. That Bluetooth connectivity lets you tap on the Pen’s button to change songs, take pictures, flip between slides, pause video, and open a frequently-used app. It’s an incredibly useful upgrade. The Pen charges while within the phone and does so within about a minute, even as it provides you with what seems like hours of use. Beyond having Bluetooth connectivity, the standard S Pen tricks are here, like screenwriting, note taking, GIF creation, coloring, scrolling, live messaging, and more. It can’t be placed in backward either, and that addictive-yet-obnoxious clicky button is still there too.
Camera
On the back of this phone, you’ll find two cameras, both 12-megapixel and capable of some serious mobile shooting. One lens is wide-angle, with the other being labeled as a telephoto lens. The camera system features dual aperture capabilities, as well as optical image stabilization (OIS), leading to passable photos and videos regardless of your shaky hands or lighting. Specs-wise, the wide-angle is listed as a Super Speed Dual Pixel shooter with AF, F1.5/F2.4, and OIS. The telephoto has AF, F2.4, plus OIS. For zoom range, there is 2X optical zoom, as well as up to 10X digital zoom. On the front for your selfies, you’ll find an 8-megapixel shooter with AF and F1.7. There are so many features on the camera that it is hard to touch each and every one in detail but Super Slow-Mo is awesome, AI integrated on the camera really brings out the best in the photo and if you are into photography then do try the ‘Pro’ mode – it gives you the manual mode feel of the DSLR cameras. I love the Pro mode and the videos shot on this device are super crisp with great audio. Great camera experience.
Other Features
- FingerPrint Scanner – Placed better this time, below the dual camera system. Works fine.
- Intelligent Scan – This is a combination of Iris Scan & Face ID. This is what I have been using and it seems to work fine.
- Dual Sim – I use 2 sims on the phone and it has been working fine.
- Note 9 has the IP68 ratings i.e Dust & Water Resistant.
- DEX – An amazing feature to have a desktop experience with just a USB C to HDMI Adapter.
- Bixby Button on the device – I am not a fan of Bixby but for those who are, there is a direct button which cannot be disabled.
Verdict
After using it for a while now I can say that the experience of using the Samsung Galaxy Note 9 has been the best so far for any handheld device. The device satisfied me on all my testing parameters. I will be switching on to Samsung Galaxy Note 9 as my permanent mobile device from now on. For me it is the best phone in the market.
