Samsung Galaxy Note 9 Review

October 26, 2018 | Amy Davies | Rating star Rating star Rating star Rating star Half rating star

Introduction

Samsung’s latest high-end smartphone, the Galaxy Note 9, follows on from last year’s Note 8. So-called because of its use of an integrated “stylus” pen (S Pen), the Note 9 has several functions which are appealing to photographers.

In fact, the phone uses a very similar specification to the very high performing Galaxy S9+, but with the added bonus of some extra software tweaks. It’s not yet known whether these updates will be added to the S9/S9+.

One of the new headline features is the ability to alert the user when the phone detects you may have taken a bad photo. Samsung has also added advanced scene recognition to apply what it believes to be the most appropriate settings depending on what you’re photographing. Another new feature is the ability to employ the S Pen as a remote shutter release.

Like the S9+, the Samsung Galaxy Note 9 has a dual 12 megapixel camera set-up. One of the lenses features “dual aperture” control (f/1.5 or f/2.8 is available), something which was also seen on the S9+. The second lens offers a 2x optical zoom which is 52mm equivalent.

Other features of note include an all-day battery life, internal memory up to 512GB, a micro SD card slot and super-slow motion video recording.

For this review, we have been loaned the Samsung Galaxy Note 9 from Vodafone UK, where you can pick up the device on a number of different contract options. To buy the phone outright, the 128GB version costs £899.99, while the 512GB version costs £1,099.00.

Ease of Use

The Samsung Galaxy Note 9 has a 6.4-inch Super AMOLED screen, making it one of the larger phones on the market. How you feel about this is likely down to preference, but it certainly crosses into the “phablet” area of the market. You’ll find that you need to engage two hands in order to use the phone properly, using the second one to steady the device.

Android 8.1 (Oreo) is the operating system of the Note 9, but Samsung uses its own skin on top of the “base” Android. While it works in pretty much the same way, there are some differences, including how it looks, which aren’t always to everybody’s tastes. In order to launch the camera, you can simply swipe up from an icon in the corner of the lock screen.

Samsung Galaxy Note 9
Front

Samsung’s native camera apps are extremely well-featured, especially for enthusiast photographers. By default, the app launches in “Auto” mode, but you can very easily switch to the other modes that the phone offers, including “Pro” mode. In this latter mode you have access to a number of key settings which you can change, including ISO, shutter speed and white balance. You can also choose between an aperture of f/1.5 or f/2.8, depending on how much light you want to let in.

Unlike most other smartphones, changing the aperture is mechanical, meaning you can actually see it opening and closing if you look carefully at the lens on the rear of the phone. If you’re shooting in Auto mode, you should find that it wides and closes independently depending on how much light is detected.

Samsung Galaxy Note 9
Front

In order to switch between modes, all you need to do is swipe left to right on the main camera screen. This is super speedy, but we’ve noticed on other Galaxy phones that it can be a little over-sensitive, leading you to end up in modes that you didn’t necessarily want to use. This doesn’t seem to be as much of an issue with the Note 9 as I found with the S9 or S9+, and I have rarely found myself in the wrong shooting mode. Similarly, if you swipe downwards, you can switch to the selfie camera. Alternatively, you can simply tap the different modes displayed at the top of the screen, or tap the selfie icon.

Live Focus is a mode which we’ve seen before on the S9+. It utilises the two lenses on the phone to create shallow depth of field effects. To use it, you need to be a certain distance away from the subject - if you aren’t, a warning will pop up on the screen.

Samsung Galaxy Note 9
Rear

A particularly useful new feature of the Samsung Galaxy Note 9 is the ability to use the integrated stylus with the camera app. After releasing the Stylus from its slot in the phone, you can use a button on it to take a photo, record a video and even switch between the different cameras. You can also set up the Stylus to perform other tasks, such as opening the gallery and move through the different photos displayed within. Having the Stylus proves to be very useful when shooting selfies, but you can also use it to good effect when placing the phone on a tripod - that might not be something you do all that often with a smartphone, but if you want to take long exposures, or take a group portrait, it’s a nice feature to have. The stylus fits neatly into the body of the Note 9, so you shouldn’t really have to worry about losing it or misplacing it - especially as the phone will alert you if the Stylus is missing for a significant length of time.

Another useful way of taking a selfie is by showing the camera your palm (it only appears to work when using the front facing camera). After you’ve lined your face up into the position you want to shoot, you can raise your palm towards the camera to launch a countdown timer - remove your hand and the camera will take the photo.

Samsung Galaxy Note 9
In-hand

Heading into the settings menu while in the native camera app reveals some extra functions, some of which are new to the Samsung Galaxy Note 9. One which is particularly appealing is the “flaw detection” setting. This works by detecting certain problems with your shot, such as if someone has blinked, and warning you take the photo again.

This could be extremely useful in certain scenarios, and will be particularly appealing to beginners. It works quite well in obvious situations, such as if you’ve been moving the camera while taking the shot and been left with a blurred shot. A message pops up on screen saying “the last photo might be blurry”, giving you the option to have another go. The warning is a little on the small side, and disappears quite quickly, making it easy to miss if you’re not paying proper attention.

Samsung Galaxy Note 9
Camera Mode

Another new feature is Scene Optimiser. This should automatically choose from 20 different categories, optimising the photo appropriately. I’ve had this switched on while I’ve been reviewing the phone - a little bit like with the Huawei P20 Pro, you’ll be alerted when the phone has detected a specific type of subject. In this case, a small icon, such as showing a dog, a flower, or a landscape will appear - quite what settings it’s applying in these situations is not immediately obvious.

The minimum inbuilt storage for the Samsung Galaxy Note 9 is 128GB, but for extra cost, you can get a 512GB version. A micro SD card slot is also included, which can also accommodate cards of 512GB – potentially this could leave you with 1TB of storage space in your pocket. To save some cash, you could get the 128GB version and invest in an additional memory card if you find you’re running short on space. Either way, it’s a much more flexible storage system than those found on either the iPhone X or Huawei P20 Pro.

Image Quality

The Samsung Galaxy Note 9 brings over the camera specs from last year’s S9+ so we had no doubt that it would be a strong performer.

Colours straight from the phone demonstrate a good level of saturation without displaying the slightly over the top colours that other phones, particularly the Huawei P20 Pro, can be guilty of.

A new feature of the phone is the introduction of the Scene Optimiser. This seems to work well, although without knowing exactly what settings it’s applying it’s hard to be 100% certain that the results would be hugely different without it switched on. Occasionally for landscape-type shots, the HDR can be a little “overcooked” so as to look unnatural - you therefore might want to switch it off occasionally.

In good light, detail is very good, but as we saw on the S9+ (and indeed other phones), a little bit of over sharpening can be seen if you examine the images closely.

With its variable aperture lenses, you shouldn’t need to shoot at very high ISOs all too often. Being able to use a narrower aperture also helps to create more balanced exposures in very bright light, too. Low light images are very good, but we’d say the Huawei P20 Pro still just about edges it.

As we’ve seen before with the S9+, the Live Focus effect works quite well, especially with subjects which are particularly well defined. If your subject is against quite a complicated background, it can struggle a little more with strange artefacts and so on. The best performer in this area still seems to be the Google Pixel 2.

Noise

The Samsung Galaxy Note 9 has 5 manually-selectable ISO sensitivity settings available at full resolution, ranging between ISO 50 and ISO 800.

JPG Raw

ISO 50 (100% Crop)

ISO 50 (100% Crop)

iso50.jpg iso50raw.jpg

ISO 100 (100% Crop)

ISO 100 (100% Crop)

iso100.jpg iso100raw.jpg

ISO 200 (100% Crop)

ISO 200 (100% Crop)

iso200.jpg iso200raw.jpg

ISO 400 (100% Crop)

ISO 400 (100% Crop)

iso400.jpg iso400raw.jpg

ISO 800 (100% Crop)

ISO 800 (100% Crop)

iso800.jpg iso800raw.jpg

Focal Range

The Samsung Galaxy Note 9’s fixed focal length lens is equivalent to 28mm in 35mm camera terms. The telephoto lens also gives you a 2x optical zoom.

1x
focal_range1.jpg
2x
focal_range2.jpg

Macro

the Samsung Galaxy Note 9 is able to focus as close as 5cm from a subject. We found this claim to be accurate, though autofocussing does occasionally struggle to lock on at this kind of range.

Macro

macro.jpg

Flash

The Samsung Galaxy Note 9 uses an LED flash, and as usual for this technology, it gives a much weaker flash burst than a standard xenon camera flash. Shooting a white surface from a distance of 1.5 metres reveals the flash is unable to properly light the scene and there’s significant vignetting.

Flash On

rearcamera-flash.jpg

Flash Selfie

selfiecamera-flash.jpg

Flash Wide Off

whitewallwide-noflash.jpg

Flash Wide On

whitewallwide-flash.jpg

Flash Tele Off

whitewalltele-noflash.jpg

Flash Tele On

whitewalltele-flash.jpg

Night

Thanks to optical image stabilisation and a wide f/1.7 maximum aperture, the Samsung Galaxy Note 9 performs well at night. This image was taken with a shutter speed of 10 seconds at the camera’s minimum ISO 50 sensitivity, and though there’s some noise and detail smoothing, the result is still comparable to what a typical compact camera would produce.

Night

night.jpg

Sample Images

This is a selection of sample images from the Samsung Galaxy Note 9 camera, which were all taken using the 12 megapixel JPEG setting. The thumbnails below link to the full-sized versions, which have not been altered in any way.

Sample RAW Images

The Samsung Galaxy Note 9 enables users to capture RAW and JPEG format files. We've provided some Samsung RAW (DNG) samples for you to download (thumbnail images shown below are not 100% representative).

Sample Movies & Video

This is a sample movie at the highest quality setting of 3840x2160 pixels at 60 frames per second. Please note that this 17 second movie is 147Mb in size.

This is a sample movie at the quality setting of 3840x2160 pixels at 30 frames per second. Please note that this 17 second movie is 99.6Mb in size.

This is a sample movie at the quality setting of 1920x1080 pixels at 60 frames per second. Please note that this 16 second movie is 55.2Mb in size.

This is a sample movie at the quality setting of 1920x1080 pixels at 30 frames per second. Please note that this 16 second movie is 27.9Mb in size.

Product Images

Samsung Galaxy Note 9

Samsung Galaxy Note 9

Samsung Galaxy Note 9

Samsung Galaxy Note 9

Samsung Galaxy Note 9

Samsung Galaxy Note 9

Samsung Galaxy Note 9

Samsung Galaxy Note 9

Samsung Galaxy Note 9

Samsung Galaxy Note 9

Samsung Galaxy Note 9

Samsung Galaxy Note 9

Samsung Galaxy Note 9

Samsung Galaxy Note 9

Samsung Galaxy Note 9

Samsung Galaxy Note 9

Conclusion

In terms of its line-up, the Note series is not Samsung’s “mainstream” phone. It appeals to those who like the idea of a (very) big screen, plus the addition of the Stylus.

The Samsung Galaxy Note 9 has some very appealing camera features, and while it’s not a huge leap forward from the S9+, the extra functionality found in the S Pen make it appealing for existing Note users. The new software functionality in the native camera app is also interesting and seems to work well.

This being Samsung, it will of course sell millions upon millions of Note units, but it will likely be the S range which remains the big seller. That said, the Samsung Galaxy Note 9 has some interesting features for photographers - particularly the way you can use the Stylus pen as a remote release. It’s great for selfies, but also good for group shots, or if you want to position the phone on a special tripod for long exposures, landscapes and so on.

We’ve seen the camera unit(s) before, on the S9+, so in terms of image quality it’s not a huge leap forward. However, the addition of the Scene Optimiser ensures that the quality is as high as possible depending on the subject. Live Focus is also good for creating fairly realistic shallow depth of field effects, particularly with clearly defined subjects.

Being able to choose between two different memory sizes means that you don’t have to spend the highest amount possible if you don’t want to, while the ability to expand the memory and potentially have 1TB of storage on your phone is great news for people who take a lot of photos and videos. That said, even at its cheapest price, the Galaxy Note 9 is an expensive proposition.

Overall, the Samsung Galaxy Note 9 is a fantastic smartphone for lots of different reasons - the quality of the camera being one of them. It’s an expensive phone, but if you’re a particular fan of Samsung - and of large phones - then you’re likely to find it a great purchase.

4.5 stars

Ratings (out of 5)
Design 4.5
Features 4.5
Ease-of-use 5
Image quality 4.5
Value for money 4

Main Rivals

Listed below are some of the rivals of the Samsung Galaxy Note 9.

Apple iPhone Xs

The Apple iPhone XS is the 2018 update of Apple's best ever selling phone, last year's iPhone X. Read our Apple iPhone XS review to find out what this latest version offers and if it's the right smartphone for keen photographers...

Google Pixel 3 XL

The Pixel 3 and Pixel 3XL are new flagship smartphones from Google. New features for photographers include Top Shot, which uses AI to help you capture the perfect photo every time, Super Res Zoom, which produces sharp details when you zoom, and Night Sight, which lets you take natural-looking photos…

Huawei Mate 20 Pro

The Huawei Mate 20 Pro is simply the best smartphone for photographers that we've ever reviewed - find out why by reading our in-depth Huawei Mate 20 Pro review, complete with full-size sample images and videos...

Huawei P20 Pro

The Huawei P20 Pro is one of the most exciting new smartphones of 2018 for photographers - find out why by reading our in-depth Huawei P20 Pro review with full-size sample images and videos...

Samsung Galaxy Note 8

The Samsung Galaxy Note 8 is Samsung's biggest and most expensive smartphone, but is it also the best? Find out what it offers photographers in our in-depth Samsung Galaxy Note 8 review...

Samsung Galaxy S9

The Galaxy S9 is the smaller of two new flagship smartphones from Samsung for 2018, featuring the much heralded variable aperture lens and super slow-motion video recording at 960fps. Read our in-depth Samsung Galaxy S9 review with full-size sample images and videos now...

Review Roundup

Reviews of the Samsung Galaxy Note 9 from around the web.

techradar.com »

Bigger than previous Note phones in every way, the Samsung Galaxy Note 9 has a larger 6.4-inch screen, heftier 4,000mAh battery, and a massive 1TB of storage option. The already good camera is slightly better, the stereo speakers are a first for the Note, and the Bluetooth-connected S Pen can activate fun customizable shortcuts remotely. But its price matches (and even tops) what you’ll pay for an iPhone XS Max.
Read the full review »

trustedreviews.com »

There isn’t another phone on the market quite like the Samsung Galaxy Note 9. It’s unashamedly huge, seriously expensive, and jams pretty much every high-end feature into a surprisingly svelte package.
Read the full review »

alphr.com »

The Samsung Galaxy Note 9 first appeared in the unforgettable must-read page-turner of July: the press release accompanying the Samsung Electronics Second Quarter 2018 financial results. No? Well, anyway, buried deep in the 2,109 words was our first confirmation of the Galaxy Note 9. It would, Samsung assured, offer “exceptional performance for a reasonable price.”
Read the full review »

Specifications

Processor

  • CPU Speed
    2.7GHz, 1.7GHz
  • CPU Type
    Octa-Core

Display

  • Size (Main_Display)
    162.0mm (6.4" full rectangle) / 160.4mm (6.3" rounded corners)
  • Resolution (Main Display)
    2960 x 1440 (Quad HD+)
  • Technology (Main Display)
    dual edge Super AMOLED
  • Color Depth (Main Display)
    16M

S Pen Support

  • Yes (Remote Control)

Camera

  • Rear Camera - Resolution
    12.0 MP + 12.0 MP
  • Rear Camera - F Number
    F1.5/F2.4 (Dual Aperture) , F2.4
  • Rear Camera - Auto Focus
    Yes
  • Rear Camera - OIS
    Yes
  • Rear Camera - Zoom
    Optical Zoom at 2x , Digital Zoom up to 10x
  • Front Camera - Resolution
    8.0 MP
  • Front Camera - F Number
    F1.7
  • Front Camera - Auto Focus
    Yes
  • Rear Camera - Flash
    Yes
  • Video Recording Resolution
    UHD 4K (3840 x 2160)@60fps
  • Slow Motion
    960fps @HD, 240fps @FHD

Memory

  • RAM_Size (GB)
    6
  • ROM Size (GB)
    128
  • Available Memory (GB)*
    108.9
  • External Memory Support
    MicroSD (Up to 512GB)

Network/Bearer

  • Number of SIM
    Single-SIM
  • SIM size
    Nano-SIM (4FF)
  • SIM Slot Type
    SIM 1 + MicroSD
  • Infra
    2G GSM, 3G WCDMA, 3G TD-SCDMA, 4G LTE FDD, 4G LTE TDD
  • 2G GSM
    GSM850, GSM900, DCS1800, PCS1900
  • 3G UMTS
    B1(2100), B2(1900), B4(AWS), B5(850), B8(900)
  • 3G TD-SCDMA
    B34(2010), B39(1880)
  • 4G FDD LTE
    B1(2100), B2(1900), B3(1800), B4(AWS), B5(850), B7(2600), B8(900), B12(700), B13(700), B17(700), B18(800), B19(800), B20(800), B25(1900), B26(850), B28(700), B32(1500), B66(AWS-3)
  • 4G TDD LTE
    B38(2600), B39(1900), B40(2300), B41(2500)

Connectivity

  • ANT+
    Yes
  • USB Interface
    USB Type-C
  • USB Version
    USB 3.1 Gen 1
  • Location Technology
    GPS, Glonass, Beidou, Galileo
  • Earjack
    3.5mm Stereo
  • MHL
    No
  • Wi-Fi
    802.11 a/b/g/n/ac 2.4G+5GHz, VHT80 MU-MIMO,1024-QAM
  • Wi-Fi Direct
    Yes
  • Bluetooth Version
    Bluetooth v5.0 (LE up to 2 Mbps)
  • NFC
    Yes
  • PC Sync.
    Smart Switch (PC version)

OS

  • Android

General Information

  • Form Factor
    Touchscreen Bar

Sensors

  • Accelerometer, Barometer, Fingerprint Sensor, Gyro Sensor, Geomagnetic Sensor, Hall Sensor, HR Sensor, Iris Sensor, Pressure Sensor, Proximity Sensor, RGB Light Sensor

Physical specification

  • Dimension (HxWxD, mm)
    161.9 x 76.4 x 8.8
  • Weight (g)
    201

Battery

  • Internet Usage Time(3G) (Hours)
    Up to 14
  • Internet Usage Time(LTE) (Hours)
    Up to 16
  • Internet Usage Time(Wi-Fi) (Hours)
    Up to 17
  • Video Playback Time (Hours)
    Up to 20
  • Standard Battery Capacity (mAh)
    4000
  • Removable
    No
  • Audio Playback Time (Hours)
    Up to 59
  • Audio Playback Time (Hours, Always On Display Off)
    Up to 95
  • Talk Time (3G WCDMA) (Hours)
    Up to 29

Audio and Video

  • Stereo Support
    Yes
  • Video Playing Format
    MP4, M4V, 3GP, 3G2, WMV, ASF, AVI, FLV, MKV, WEBM
  • Video Playing Resolution
    UHD 4K (3840 x 2160)@120fps
  • Audio Playing Format
    MP3, M4A, 3GA, AAC, OGG, OGA, WAV, WMA, AMR, AWB, FLAC, MID, MIDI, XMF, MXMF, IMY, RTTTL, RTX, OTA, DFF, DSF, APE

Services and Applications

  • Gear Support
    Gear Circle (Manager Support), Gear Fit, Gear Fit2, Gear Fit2 Pro, Gear Sport, Gear1, Gear2, Gear2 Neo, Gear S, Gear S2, Gear S3, Gear IconX, Gear VR with Controller, Gear 360, Gear 360 (2017)
  • Samsung DeX Support
    Yes
  • S-Voice
    No
  • Mobile TV
    No

News

Samsung has announced the latest addition to its premium Note series of smartphones with its Galaxy Note 9. This premium smartphone delivers the ultimate in performance, a new S Pen with connectivity for the first time ever, and Samsung’s most intelligent camera yet.

Samsung Electronics Press Release

With all-day performance, a new S Pen and intelligent camera, nothing keeps up with your life like Galaxy Note9

Samsung Electronics today announced the latest addition to its premium Note series with Galaxy Note9. The Note series has been recognized for including the company’s latest groundbreaking innovations, and Galaxy Note9 builds on this legacy with a premium smartphone that delivers the ultimate in performance; a new S Pen with connectivity for the first time ever; and Samsung’s most intelligent camera yet.

“The Note has always been our showcase for premium technology and industry-defining innovation, and Galaxy Note9 is no exception. It’s designed for a level of performance, power and intelligence that today’s power users want and need,” said DJ Koh, President and CEO of IT & Mobile Communications Division, Samsung Electronics. “Note fans are Samsung’s most loyal; we know they want it all, to get the most out of work and play, and Galaxy Note9 is the only phone that can keep up with their busy lives.”

All Day Performance

People rely on their smartphones for almost everything they do – all-day, every day. They need a phone that can keep up without having to find the nearest outlet to recharge, delete pictures to free up storage for their next snap, anxiously wait for their video to download before boarding their flight, or deal with any lag time when gaming.

They need a phone that won’t let them down and Galaxy Note9 delivers.

All Day Battery: Galaxy Note9’s 4,000mAh battery, the largest ever on a flagship Galaxy phone for long-lasting power to use all-day to talk, text, play games and watch movies from morning to night.

Store More, Delete Less: Galaxy Note9 is available with two internal storage options – choose from 128GB or 512GB. And with the ability to insert a microSD card, Galaxy Note9 is 1TB ready1 to have peace of mind knowing there is enough room for favorite photos, videos and apps.

Speed and Power: Galaxy Note9 is a super powerful smartphone with cutting-edge 10nm processor and support for the fastest network speeds available in the market (up to 1.2 gigabits per second) to stream and download without slowing down. Galaxy Note9 also includes an industry-leading and Samsung developed Water Carbon Cooling system and on-device AI-based performance adjusting algorithm to deliver the powerful yet stable performance.

The Evolution of the S Pen

The S Pen is the signature feature of the Note series – it’s how users have made their mark, and how Samsung has expanded the notion of what a smartphone can do. What began as a tool for writing and drawing is now putting more power and control in their hands.

Now with Bluetooth Low-Energy (BLE) support, the new S Pen delivers an entirely new way to use the Note. With just a click, it’s now possible to take selfies and group pictures, present slides, pause and play video, and more. Developers can even integrate the S Pen’s new, advanced BLE functionalities into their apps later this year.

The Intelligent Camera That Makes Pictures Perfect

It can be hard to take a picture that looks just like the ones the pros take – but it shouldn’t be. Galaxy Note9 builds on Samsung’s industry-leading camera technologies with new capabilities that take the work out of getting the perfect picture.

Scene Optimizer: Galaxy Note9’s camera is Samsung’s smartest yet. It uses intelligence to identify elements of a photo, such as scene and subject, to automatically classify it into one of 20 categories and instantly optimize it based on the category. The result is a stunning, lifelike image with bold colors and dynamic definition.

Flaw Detection: The first shot doesn’t always come out right, but the Galaxy Note9 lets users know if there’s something wrong, so they can take another picture without losing the moment. An immediate notification will appear if the image is blurry, the subject blinked, there is a smudge on the lens, or there’s backlight impacting the quality of the image.

Premium Camera: With the unique combination of advanced intelligence features and leading premium hardware, Galaxy Note9’s camera is the best on the market. It comes with advanced noise reduction technology, and a Dual Aperture2 lens, which adjusts to light just like the human eye. No matter the lighting conditions, Galaxy Note9’s top-tier camera delivers a crystal-clear shot.

Premium Experiences: From Work to Play

The Infinity Display is the cornerstone of Samsung’s design heritage, and Galaxy Note9 has the largest edge-to-edge display ever on a Note. The 6.4-inch Super AMOLED Infinity Display provides a truly immersive multimedia experience. Galaxy Note9’s Infinity Display is complemented by stereo speakers, which are tuned by AKG, and ability to deliver Dolby Atmos® immersive audio for a life like experience. Mobile video has never looked or sounded better than it does on Galaxy Note9. YouTube named Galaxy Note9 as a Signature Device able to deliver a best-in-class YouTube experience.

Galaxy Note9 also delivers a PC-like experience with Samsung DeX. Users can work on presentations, edit photos, and watch their favorite show all powered by their phone. Experience Samsung DeX with easy-to-carry HDMI adapters3. When connected to a monitor, Galaxy Note9 can power a virtualized desktop and even serve as a fully-functional second screen. Take notes with the S Pen while watching a video, or use Galaxy Note9 as a trackpad, to right-click, drag and drop, and use multiple windows on a monitor. It’s never been easier to be more productive.

Galaxy and Beyond

The premium Galaxy technologies come standard with Note9: fast wireless charging, IP68 water and dust resistance4 and Samsung services such as Samsung Health and Samsung Pay. Galaxy Note9 features Samsung’s trusted, defense-grade Knox security platform and biometric security options including fingerprint scanning, iris scanning and facial recognition capabilities to keep important information safe.

Galaxy Note9 opens up a world of possibilities – it’s a portal to the full Samsung ecosystem of devices and services. For instance, use Galaxy Note9 and SmartThings to control connected devices, or get more done with Bixby5, a personalized, intelligent assistant. And with the launch of Galaxy Note9, Samsung is making it easier to enjoy music with a new long-term partner, Spotify6. The partnership makes Spotify easily accessible to seamlessly sync and transfer music, playlists and podcasts across Galaxy Note9, Galaxy Watch and Smart TV products.

Galaxy Note9 will be available starting August 24, 2018 in select markets and will be offered in Midnight Black, Lavender Purple, Metallic Copper with matching S Pen, and Ocean Blue with a Yellow S Pen.

For more information about Galaxy Note9, visit news.samsung.com/galaxy, http://www.samsungmobilepress.... or www.samsung.com/galaxy.

UK pre-order and launch details

The Galaxy Note9 will be available starting 24th August in the UK from Samsung.com and select retailers. It will launch with colours: Midnight Black, Lavender Purple, with matching S Pen, and Ocean Blue with a Yellow S Pen.

·                Pre-order will open on 9th August at 17:00 GMT

·                Trade-in offers during pre-order on Samsung.com and select retailers.

·                RRP:

128GB variant – £899

512GB variant – £1,099

First Impressions

We attended the UK launch of the Samsung Galaxy Note 9, the company’s brand new flagship smartphone. Ahead of our full review, here are our detailed first impressions of using the latest Samsung Galaxy premium device...

Introduction

Samsung Galaxy Note 9

Samsung’s latest high-end smartphone, the Galaxy Note 9, follows on from last year’s Note 8. So-called because of its use of an integrated “stylus” pen (S Pen), the Note 9 has several functions which are appealing to photographers.

In fact, the phone uses a very similar specification to the very high performing Galaxy S9+, but with the added bonus of some extra software tweaks. It’s not yet known whether these updates will be added to the S9/S9+.

One of the new headline features is the ability to alert the user when the phone detects you may have taken a bad photo. Samsung has also added advanced scene recognition to apply what it believes to be the most appropriate settings depending on what you’re photographing. Another new feature is the ability to employ the S Pen as a remote shutter release.

Like the S9+, the Samsung Galaxy Note 9 has a dual 12 megapixel camera set-up. One of the lenses features “dual aperture” control (f/1.5 or f/2.8 is available), something which was also seen on the S9+.  The second lens offers a 2x optical zoom which is 52mm equivalent.

Other features of note include an all-day battery life, internal memory up to 512GB, a micro SD card slot and super-slow motion video recording.

Ease of Use

Samsung Galaxy Note 9

The Samsung Note 9 has a 6.4-inch Super AMOLED screen, making it one of the larger phones on the market. How you feel about this is likely down to preference, but it certainly crosses into the “phablet” area of the market. You’ll find that you need to engage two hands in order to use the phone properly, using the second one to steady the device.

Android 8.1 (Oreo) is the operating system of the Note 9, but Samsung uses its own skin on top of the “base” Android. While it works in pretty much the same way, there are some differences, including how it looks, which aren’t always to everybody’s tastes. In order to launch the camera, you can simply swipe up from an icon in the corner of the lock screen.

Samsung’s native camera apps are extremely well-featured, especially for enthusiast photographers. By default, the app launches in “Auto” mode, but you can very easily switch to the other modes that the phone offers, including “Pro” mode. In this latter mode you have access to a number of key settings which you can change, including ISO, shutter speed and white balance. You can also choose between an aperture of f/1.5 or f/2.8, depending on how much light you want to let in.

Samsung Galaxy Note 9

Unlike most other smartphones, changing the aperture is mechanical, meaning you can actually see it opening and closing if you look carefully at the lens on the rear of the phone. If you’re shooting in Auto mode, you should find that it wides and closes independently depending on how much light is detected.

In order to switch between modes, all you need to do is swipe left to right on the main camera screen. This is super speedy, but we’ve noticed on other Galaxy phones that it can be a little over-sensitive, leading you to end up in modes that you didn’t necessarily want to use. I’ll be keeping an eye out for this when a full sample becomes available. Similarly, if you swipe downwards, you can switch to the selfie camera. Alternatively, you can simply tap the different modes displayed at the top of the screen, or tap the selfie icon.

A particularly useful new feature of the Samsung Galaxy Note 9 is the ability to use the integrated stylus with the camera app. After releasing the Stylus from its slot in the phone, you can use a button on it to take a photo, record a video and even switch between the different cameras. You can also set up the Stylus to perform other tasks, such as opening the gallery and move through the different photos displayed within. I’ll be keen to use the Stylus a bit more when a full review sample becomes available, but I can see it being very helpful when attempting to take selfies, group shots, or anything else where a remote could be useful.

Samsung Galaxy Note 9

Heading into the settings menu while in the native camera app reveals some extra functions, some of which are new to the Note 9. One which is particularly appealing is the “flaw detection” setting. This works by detecting certain problems with your shot, such as if someone has blinked, and warning you take the photo again. This could be extremely useful in certain scenarios, and will be particularly appealing to beginners. Again, this is something I’d be keen to try out more, but it seemed to work quite well during the brief time I had with it.

Another new feature is Scene Optimiser. This should automatically choose from 20 different categories, optimising the photo appropriately. I haven’t had much chance to use the phone in a number of different scenarios yet, but it’s something I’ll be looking to assess – especially to see how it performs against something like the Huawei P20 Pro, which also has artificial intelligence.

The minimum inbuilt storage for the Samsung Note 9 is 128GB, but for extra cost, you can get a 512GB version. A micro SD card slot is also included, which can also accommodate cards of 512GB – potentially this could leave you with 1TB of storage space in your pocket.

Image Quality

Samsung Galaxy Note 9

So far I have only spent a very limited time with the Note 9, and had no opportunity to put it through a variety of different types of subject. However, having used the Note 8, the S9 and the S9+ I have every confidence that image quality will be very high.

A few sample shots I was able to grab at the launch event indicate that detail is good, while colours are well saturated and vibrant. I’ll be keen to examine how well it performs in low light, as well as testing out some of the video features.

Early Verdict

In terms of its line-up, the Note series is not Samsung’s “mainstream” phone. It appeals to those who like the idea of a (very) big screen, plus the addition of the Stylus.

It has some very appealing camera features, and while it’s not a huge leap forward from the S9+, the extra functionality found in the S Pen make it appealing for existing Note users. The new software functionality in the native camera app is also interesting and something I’ll be keen to test a little more.

This being Samsung, it will of course sell millions upon millions of Note units, but how it will fare with photographers is another question – stay tuned for a full Samsung Galaxy Note 9 review as soon as possible.

Hands On

Want to see exactly what the new Samsung Galaxy Note 9 smartphone looks like in the flesh?

Check out our extensive hands-on gallery of photos of the Samsung Galaxy Note 9 camera phone.

A gallery of hands-on photos of the Samsung Galaxy Note 9 smartphone.

Image Gallery

Click on a thumbnail to see the full version.

Preview Images

Ahead of our full review, here are some sample images taken with the new Samsung Galaxy Note 9 smartphone.

A gallery of sample images taken with the Samsung Galaxy Note 9 smartphone.

Samsung Galaxy Note 9 Sample Images

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