Samsung's recently unveiled Galaxy Note9 finally up for sale on 24 August 2018. It will be available in two models—6GB RAM + 128GB storage and 8GB RAM + 256GB—for Rs 67,900 and Rs 84,900, respectively across online and authorised retail chains in India.
Is Galaxy Note9 worth buying?
Absolutely Yes! The new Android flagship comes with several upgrades in almost aspects over the impressive 2017-series Galaxy Note8.
Many might point that the design language of Galaxy Note9 is almost identical as the Galaxy Note8 with Infinity Display having dual curved edges on the sides, but we are not complaining, as the company has made some meaningful facelift on the back side.
In its predecessor, the biometric sensor is placed beside the camera. This caused the device owners to accidentally touch and leave smudges on the camera lens.
Another huge upgrade in the Galaxy Note9 is the S Pen. For the first time ever, the company has integrated a Bluetooth modem right inside the stylus. With this, device owners will be able to use S Pen to control music tracks and volume, take photos, flip camera view from the main rear-side camera to front-snapper mode for selfies without having to physically touch or open the smartphone. The company has claimed that third app developers will also able to code functionalities for the S Pen and be able to add more capabilities to the stylus later in the year.
However, the S Pen, which now has a Bluetooth modem inside, it has to get charged to work. That's won't be an issue at all for the consumers, as it gets automatically charged wirelessly inside the phone and if the company is to be believed, it needs just 40 seconds of charging is enough to power the S Pen for one hour.
That's not all; the Galaxy Note9 comes with another big upgrade. It houses a massive 4,000mAh cell, 700mAh (21 per cent) more than the Galaxy Note8 (3,300mAh). It also boasts fast charging and a wireless charging capability.
In India, Galaxy Note9 houses Samsung's proprietary Exynos 9810 Octa-core CPU processor, which is on par with Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 found in the second variant, which is heading to US, China, Japan and other select nations.
As far as the camera is concerned, it houses the same camera hardware as seen in the Galaxy S9 Plus, but the module is horizontally arranged. The Galaxy Note9 houses 12MP (Wide-angle lens)+12MP (Telephoto lens) sensors with LED flash (& heart rate sensor). It boasts variable dual aperture (F1.5 and F2.4), AR Emoji capability, slow-motion video recording and Optical Image Stabilization (OIS).
On the front, the Galaxy Note9 houses an 8MP wide-angle sensor with F1.7 aperture and is complemented by several sensors including facial recognition sensors, which enables the device capture Augmented Reality photos of the user to create 3D emojis, Samsung's answer to Apple iPhone X Animoji feature, but the latter's utility is very limited, as it can only be used on the iMessage app, whereas the former allows users to share them on all messaging apps and social media sites. It also comes with Iris pattern scanner to unlock the phone.
Samsung Galaxy Note9 launch offers:
The Galaxy Note9 is being offered in Midnight Black, Lavender Purple, Metallic Copper with matching S Pen, and Ocean Blue with a Yellow S Pen.
Prospective Galaxy Note9 buyers can avail cash backs worth Rs 6,000 through Paytm Mall or when they make a payment through HDFC bank credit and debit cards. They can also exchange their old smartphone, and avail an exchange bonus of Rs 6,000 through Samsung upgrade, which is now available for other Android phones as well.
Other Galaxy Note9 lucrative offers from Samsung's telecom operator partners:
Samsung Galaxy Note9 (128 GB) will be available on the Airtel online store at a down payment of just INR 7,900 and an EMI of Rs 2,999, built-in with a monthly postpaid plan.
Airtel customers with INR 499 or INR 799 infinity postpaid plan on the new Samsung Galaxy Note9 will get an additional 75GB of 3G/4G data per month, for 30 billing cycles.
Vodafone customers on Samsung Galaxy Note9 can enjoy an unlimited entertainment experience with free Netflix subscription for 12-month on subscribing to Red postpaid plans of INR 999 and above.
Customers using Jio can enjoy a 30-day International Roaming Pack (Voice & Data) on Jio postpaid, exclusively on the Galaxy Note9 at a cost of INR 5,000.
Key specifications of Samsung Galaxy Note9:
| Model | Samsung Galaxy Note9 |
| Display | 6.4-inch Quad HD+ (2960×1440p) Super AMOLED
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| OS | Android 8.1 Oreo-based Samsung Experience UI |
| Processor |
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| GPU |
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| RAM+ storage | 6GB RAM + 128GB storage/ 8GB RAM + 512GB storage (UFS)Note: Storage can be further upgraded up to 512GB via microSD card |
| Camera |
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| Battery | 4,000mAh
*May differ by market and mobile operator |
| Security | Lock Type: Pattern, Pin, Password Biometric Lock Types: Iris Scanner, Fingerprint Scanner, Facial Recognition Intelligent scan: Combines iris scan and face recognition for convenient unlocking and in some cases provides enhanced security for certain authentication services |
| Sensors | Accelerometer, Barometer, Fingerprint Sensor, Gyro Sensor, Geomagnetic Sensor, Hall Sensor, Heart Rate Sensor, Proximity Sensor, RGB Light Sensor, Iris Sensor, Pressure Sensor |
| S Pen | Comes with inbuilt Bluetooth modem. With this, device owners can use S Pen to control music and volume, take photos, flip cameras from main to front for selfies without having to physically touch or open the smartphone. The company has added that third app developers will also able to code functionalities for the S Pen and be able to roll out new functionalities later in the year. |
| Network |
*May differ by market and mobile operator |
| Audio | MP3, M4A, 3GA, AAC, OGG, OGA, WAV, WMA, AMR, AWB, FLAC, MID, MIDI, XMF, MXMF, IMY, RTTTL, RTX, OTA, DSF, DFF, APE |
| Video | MP4, M4V, 3GP, 3G2, WMV, ASF, AVI, FLV, MKV, WEB |
| Add-ons | IP68 ( can sustain up to 1.5 meters underwater for 30 meters) Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac (2.4/5GHz), VHT80 MU-MIMO, 1024QAM, Bluetooth v 5.0 (LE up to 2Mbps), ANT+, USB Type-C, NFC, MST, Location (GPS, Galileo*, Glonass, BeiDou*)*Galileo and BeiDou coverage may be limited. Stereo speakers, which are tuned by AKG, and ability to deliver Dolby Atmos® immersive audio |
| Dimensions | 161.9 x 76.4 x 8.8 mm |
| Weight | 201g |
| Colours | Midnight Black, Lavender Purple, Metallic Copper with matching S Pen, and Ocean Blue with a Yellow S Pen |
| Price |
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