26.8.2018

I have used the phone extensively at the Samsung store (phone has been available for last 2 weeks or so) as well as pre-ordered my own Galaxy Note 9, which I received on the 24th August morning.What's in the box?Galaxy Note 9 phone with S Pen, Earphones tuned by AKG, USB Type-C Cable, Adaptive fast Charger, Sim eject tool,USB C to micro USB port , Quick start guideScreen -This 2K screen is lovely! Very crisp and vibrant. The Galaxy S9 plus display and this is more or less the same apart from a 0.1” difference (the Note 9 is bigger) .The maximum brightness level is very good. This is even better when compared to the S9 plus (I have both phones) Makes it more legible in sunlight.Its dual edge screen makes the phone looks less wide. Screen resolution can be reduced to 1080P if you want to save power.The size of screen is 6.4 inches diagonally. The resolution is 1440 x 2960 pixels. I come from a Note 8, and there is definitely a difference in the screen quality, for the better!Build Quality-Very good. In par with the iPhone X and probably better than Google Pixel 2 phone. Non removable back. Has a Corning Gorilla 5 glass back (As with Galaxy Note 8) and this is one of the best..Sound-Loud and clear. No issues, and the dual speakers are more than adequate. Has a headphone jack, unlike the latest iPhones and some non Samsung Android phones. The AKG tuned headphones are brilliant.Responsiveness-Very good, no lag at all. Have not had any issues so far with sluggishness or re-starts etc. However, some android phones get marginally slower after about 6 months of use, and touchwiz is no exception.Is the 6 GB RAM an overkill? Possibly.But atleast for now the phone is super responsive. Unless you use Samsung Dex a lot, and use multiple windowns ipen all the time, you would not need a 8GB version. (Currently the configurations are 6GM RAM with 128GB storage and 8GB RAM with 512GB storage.Added features-Micro SD slot is available to expand memory upto 1TB in the 512GB model. But inbuilt 128GB storage is more than adequate for photos etc, as well as some movies if you fancy.This phone is water and dust (IP68) resistant.Cameras-Very good 12MP DUAL lens back camera.Very good photos in good daylight. Very good low light photos, and this aspect is definitely better than the Samsung Galaxy S8 series/Note 8. The front camera is good at 8MP, but could have been better(may be a front flash next time?) Good for selfies but nothing compared to the back camera.Guarantee-Samsung has 2 year manufacturer's warranty on the phone, and they are pretty good. But then it has to be bought through an authorised reseller.However, if it's fulfilled by Amazon, you would still have 1 year warranty from Amazon.Battery-Very good 4000 mAH battery. There is a quick charge function. But this is not as fast as the dash charge in One plus 5/6.You may notice that all phones which have quick charge, are relatively faster at discharge too. You could easily make one day of use on this, if you are a moderate to heavy user.I came from a Note 8 and there is a big difference in battery life.The charging time is about 15 mins longer though.Operating System-Runs Android 8.1 out of the box, and Samsung have tweaked the Touchwiz now. The OS is very much customizable.If you want a black theme with black menus, you've got a way to do it, which is really good! Samsung is a bit slow with upgrades to next Android versions, and I feel at-least it will take 4 months for the Note 9 to get Android 9.Bixby-A useful virtual assistant, but not upto its full potential right now. However, its getting better by the day.There is version 2.0 now, and its turning our to be a useful assistant.Security features-Iris recognition is slightly better than in the Note 8, but still not as smooth as the fingerprint sensor.Facial recognition- now tweaked, and better, but still needs improvement.Intelligent scan does not work very well in the dark, and it has happened to me atleast 4 times in the last 2 days.Fingerprint sensor- very accurate, but still not in the optimum position. Its just below the camera lenses, but still too close for comfort to the lenses. I probably should be a bit lower and slightly bigger than now.But, its a bit better than the Note 8 situation where people were smudging the camera lens while trying to reach the fingerprint sensor.S Pen-The most notable feature is the S Pen which is the only Pen available for a mainstream phone right now. All other major players in the industry do not have a “pen” to rival this. The pen has a lot of gimmicks, but I would just use it to take down notes, make a shopping list etc in day today life. It is very handy to have though. You never know when you find it useful, specially if you like the writing experience, rather than typing notes. It also can be used to extract text off photos of printed material.The S pen is equipped with its own power source, Bluetooth compatible and can be used for more things like take selfies, go through power-point presentations etc.The blue Note 9 phone has a fancy yellow pen! This does not look odd from outside because the top (the end which sits flush with the phone body) is blue while the middle bit yellow.Differences from S9 PLUS-Increased screen size from 6.3 to 6.4 in Note 9.Now, S9 plus would be about £100 cheaper than the Note 9.Obviously, the Note 9 has the S pen.Price-The recommended retail price at present is £899 for the 128GB version, which is very steep. But this is in par with all other modern phones like iphone 8 plus, and actually lower than the Iphone X! The RRP for the 512GB version is £1099 though, and do you need it?Colour-It currently comes in black, blue and lavender. If you like a clean look, with the front bezels and the back in the same colour, then black is your option. It gives a more official (but probably boring, according to some) look. If you buy the blue/lavender Note 9, the front bezels are black, but the sides and the back is blue/lavender colour.There is talk that bronze colour also would come to UK in the next few months.Single or dual sim?Dual sim is only available through Samsung/Selfridges directly right now. If you want another number on the same phone to differentiate work and home calls, or if you want to use it with a local sim on foreign travel (while keeping your UK sim as well), then think of the dual sim version.Is there anything else I would have wished the Note 9 to have?1. Better fingerprint scanner placement (inbuilt to the screen or atleast well below the camera modules)2. Better looking software ( touchwiz is still not very polished looking as iOS, but atleast it's customizable)3. Bigger battery (yes, 4500mAH next year may be? :) and faster quick charge function )Should you buy S9 /S9+ over this ?If you can handle the slightly increased size, go for the Note 8 for MORE screen real estate.But this is only marginal, when compared to the S9 plus.Apart from screen size, phones are identical in other ways. Having said that, there is the S Pen for the Note 8!The S9/S9 Plus prices are also falling now, which means it’s a good time to buy. the Note 9 may take about 4-6 months to fall in price, but then that’s also mostly with third party sellers.If you already have the S9/S9 plus?Probably you should wait for Galaxy S10 next year or Galaxy Note 10. The fingerprint sensor debacle hopefully would be resolved then , and be embedded in the screen itself. The 10th anniversary phone by Samsung is supposed to knock you off your feet!But if you need the latest and greatest, the Note 9 would be your option.This, or the iPhone X?Personally, I feel that the Note 9 is a more mightier opponent. If you are considering an iPhone, it should be the iPhone X plus 2018 version. This is supposed to be improved from the iPhone X. Interesting times! But if you cannot make up your mind, just wait 2 months more and the next iPhone should be out.So, you have the Note 8. Should you buy the Note 9?On the surface, the Note 9 is an incremental upgrade, and if you don't use the new pen features and don't care for the camera, you may wonder what the fuss is about the Note 9.But the short answer - yes you should probably still upgrade.Why?1. Note 9 has improvements such as slightly bigger and brighter screen, slightly faster performance, better S pen, bigger battery, better camera for low light photos (see above for details) .2. One year down the line, the Note 8 will be valued at around £175 if you want to sell and upgrade to Note 10 (which is about £700 less than the RRP) and at present there are some good trade- in deals around for the Note 9. Hence, you probably would give your phone and upgrade for about £300-£350 more, which I feel is reasonable.3. You will also have the latest tech in your hands!4. The Note 9 has improved some issues that the Note 8 was actually nagging me with- battery life, fingerprint scanner placements etcBut, the ultimate decision is yours :)What about the One plus 6?The one plus 6 phone is about £400 cheaper, with very similar features, but has no S pen. If you don't need a S pen, this is a very good phone to consider. But the after sales support is not as robust, and camera is not as good as Samsung's.Any questions about the Note 9, please ask and I will try to answer them to the best of my knowledge.If you feel the review is unhelpful, can you please say why in the comments below, so I can improve my future reviews.Thank you.

29.6.2019

Firstly, the phone was a present for my missus. Having been stuck with a Galaxy Note 2 and 3 for years, certain apps stopped working for her including banking apps which became an annoyance for her. Moving from the antiquated Note 3 to the Note 9 is a remarkable revelation as to how smartphone tech has improved.The 6.4" screen is stunning. On her old Note, the colours were oversaturated but the screen on the 9 is beautiful. Photos are beautifully rendered (if they're decent in the first place!). Videos look pin sharp. The stereo speakers are probably the best that my wife has heard. Having heard it myself, I'm inclined to agree.The stylus has received a welcome upgrade which wasn't available primarily being able to take pictures from the stylus.The sensitive and accuracy of the pen as improved immensely meaning she can use the notes facility without any issues.The Samsung UI is a vast improvement to the uglier than sin Touchwiz. There's some bloatware on here but not enough to cause problems.The speed of the Note 9 is incredible. There are no momentary freezes or glitches. I've never seen a phone that works so quickly even though my bro-in-law has an OnePlus 6. This variant comes with 8GB of RAM - that's more than both our laptops put together! With 512GB of device storage, I reckon the missus will never need a microSD card.As for camera quality - well, this one is very special. In well-lit conditions, the camera does a stunning job especially with the built-in AI which detects what kind of photo you are attempting to take. You can see a lot of detail that I thought just wasn't possible. The real test though was photos taken in low light conditions. I couldn't quite believe my eyes how much detail was retained and there was hardly any of the nasty artefacts. Truly impressive. There is a ‘pro’ mode where you can change the exposure and ISO settings. The video capture is first rate as well. There’s no need for 4K as 1080p is good enough for the missus.The fingerprint reader is awkwardly position beneath the camera lenses. It works most of the time. As for iris recognition, this was a bit hit and miss depending on the lighting conditions.The missus did not have Bixby on her Note 3 and on the Note 9 she has experimented with it but the jury is still out.Battery life is very generous. My missus can really drain a battery fast and with her constant use, she still had 40% charge at the end of the day. Charging takes under 2 hours to 100%.Now, here's the issue. I was able to pick up the 512GB variant for £599 from Samsung's own store in Milton Keynes. Amazon and other sellers need to justify as to why this variant costs at least £800 as I thought the internet was supposed to be cheaper and there was no special promotion on at the time.A brilliant phone for those that like the Galaxy Note series but make sure you shop around.

24.8.2018

Samsung strikes gold again with it's flagship Galaxy Note series, improving on almost every element of the previous Galaxy Note 8, but not bringing anything significant enough to warrant the upgrade for most people.TLDR; if you don't NEED the new Bluetooth S Pen features; the 21% larger battery; new variable aperture system and repositioned fingerprint reader, but still want all of the other features, then get the significantly cheaper Note 8, as it's still an incredible phone.-------------------------------------------Samsung Galaxy Note 9:Pros:· Incredible 2K (1440p), AMOLED, HDR display· All day battery life - 4000 mAh battery· Extremely powerful smartphone hardware*· Beautiful design,

4.2.2019

For those who are hesitant on buying a new phone, especially a costly one!I can say with out a doubt this is the best I have ever used, I am technological minded I run a tech business in the UK , so I didnt go in blind buying this phone, every feature on the phone has its uses, some to people may not be necessary but jotting this down o the phone is helpful, instead of running around finding a pen, also the screen quality is best in the world and has been dubbed that by many respectable phone and gadget reviewers. The snappiness of the phone is ever so quick can have many tasks open. The biggest thing that surprised me on this handset that speaks volumes is the battery life is exceptional,

11.12.2019

I remember when the SGN1 was initially released and thought that it was an interesting phone ..... but I was hooked on iPhones. When the SGN7 was released I was thinking about buying one...finally. However, we now know it was to have major issues so I forget about the Note series.They finally redeemed themselves with the SGN8+ but after the debacle with the previous modelsimply had no confidence in the Note series. By now, my loyalty to apple was waning because their new releases were simply not worth me handing over my hard earned cash to that company.Then, Samsung released the SGN9+ and all the reviews seemed positive but the asking pricewas far too exorbitant for me.

4.8.2019

We bought this to replace an old Note 3 phone and wow has technology changed!We saw no point in replacing the 5 year old phone that worked perfectly until it finally gave up its ghost to screen graphics failure.The new Apple phone came out when I was on the hunt for a new phone, but its so over-priced it's just ridiculous paying that much for something that does very similar things!We still miss having a flat screened phone and changing the battery when it needs it. Especially because we try to teach our children to waste not want not where it's possible.The Note 9 is a gigantic step up from its predecessors, we don't mind if it needs charging a little more often than they use to. As,

14.12.2018

Having bought the new Note 9 shortly after release I feel it's time to share the word of how good this phone is. Coming from a Galaxy s7 Edge, again I am very happy with yet another Samsung device. Firstly talking about size, it's not actually that big, yes it's bigger than the S7 but not by much, however the screen really stretches to the edges and shows almost no bezel on the face of the phone. Looks great. One thing though, don't forget a case and screen protector, it would be an easy phone to smash if dropped from the smallest of heights (which i've almost done several times). The phone it's self is super powerful, never a dull moment in speed. That 6GB of ram seems to really get used up,

19.1.2020

The Samsung Galaxy Note 9 is, quite simply, the best phone which I have ever owned - and I began with a Nokia Brick 26 years ago, so I have some experience!I resisted moving away from a hard keyboard until I purchased a Blackberry Key 2 (hated it after the Blackberry Passport) and accidentally dropped it into a jug of water on my potter's wheel - don't ask!Persuaded to look at a Samsung Galaxy Note, I was immediately won over by the headphone jack in the Note 9 (Long Live Dinosaurs!), the quirkiness of the S pen as well as its incredible usefulness for those of us who cannot abide fingerprints marring the surface of our screens.Having owned the phone for several weeks now,

11.9.2018

I love this phone. I had the S9+ because the note wasn't out at the time when my phone died. Now I have it I am extremely pleased with my purchase. As a child I always had mud on my face and a notepad in my pocket, I grew up scribbling things down and drawing up ideas for wild projects, so the S-Pen is a welcomed addition to what basically is the S9+. I purchased the 512gb version, I am a heavy PC user, immediately I put a lot of music and favourite videos filling up 100gb day one, so I can absolutely justify getting the bigger version.The note taking is great, I love the S-Pen, the battery is good, but if you have the always on display to see your on display notes, it drains the battery a lot.

14.7.2019

As you can see on the pictures the phone is in perfect condition except the minor damage on the left upper corner but you would expect this from a used phone, that's why it's cheaper than a new one. I think over time you could damage a new one too, like I did when I bought a brand new Note 4 and dropped it multiple times until I had the same mark on the corner :DAll the hardware works, at least everything that I've tested so far, most importantly camera, fingerprint, iris sensor .... these all work just fine so 430 pounds was definitely worth it, you also get 1 year warranty which is much better than 3 months that you usually get with other companies.If I have to tell some cons I would say no accessories included at all not even the box itself.

26.1.2019

Only had this phone for 24hours but already in love.FIRST the battery life is fantastic. Been using since 5am and been on the phone (drawing, watching YouTube, playing music, writing notes at work and so on) all day and it's now 7pm and haven't needed to charge the phone and on 40%! And I'm a HEAVY user.Secondly, the amounts of features are amazing. I used to be all about apple iPhones and only now I have switched (had a HTC for two month but it broke so nearly went back to iPhone, SO glad I didn't now) this beats IPhone in a heartbeat. I recommend getting insurance as a replacement screen I heard can be costly, plus it's good to know you have protection.But I cannot recommend it highly enough.

19.10.2018

I am not the usual Note 9 customer... I bought it as the perfect portable audiophile setup to replace my DAP (digital audio player). Because this is the first phone to have 512gb onboard storage, plus Oreo which has LDAC functionality, makes it a win win... With a 512gb micro SD card, this now holds a terabyte of music files, and streams out via wireless Hi Res 96khz to LDAC headphones/receiver! Of course there is also USB OTG functionality for an outboard wired DAC.For those interested, just enter developer mode in the settings to fine tune your LDAC settings.All the other smart phone stuff? Bonus! Not cheap but worth every penny. I did have a Not 8 though, and think that unless you need the 512gb storage...

25.12.2018

I bought this to replace my xz premium which I've now got repaired. This phone is something else, battery life has progressively started to improve over time.The screen is great quality and a amazing size for watching videos online and the HDR affect is a great touch.Pictures and videos are absolutely superior in every shape and form compared to my xz premium the sharpness and how impressive it is at low light is beyond impressiveAs far as I'm concerned this phone is a game changer , I have no plans on swapping out phones for a long time .One only downside is that screen covers aren't very affective on the phone so don't waste your time doing so but the phone has a strong glass screen so don't

30.5.2020

I'm new to Samsung and my last 3 phones are all HTCs ; Wildfire S, Sensation XE and HTC One M9. My M9 has its days and battery is a little tempermental hence switched to Galaxy Note 9. It is a steep learning curve even though it is between 2 Android devices. Note 9 is 3 years younger phone (2018 vs 2015) to M9 hence loads better in Specs. My only reservation is sound quality which though louder is not close to front facing dual speakers of M9. In my opinion, not as clear and crispy as HTC One M9. And HTC One M9 is not on par with HTC One M8 in terms of sound quality. For now, I've to contempt with Samsung until HTC produce a dual speaker stereo phone with head phone jack and Aluminum body.

7.2.2019

I gambled and bought the international version because it was cheaper fearing that I might not have contactless payment. Google pay doesn't work (due to Knox), however Samsung pay is working fine. The only caveat is that it says it's Samsung Pay Hong Kong Version but it doesn't seem to matter. Bixby is also working but there is a lot of Chinese on the bixby page. Everything else is as you expect from the Galaxy Note 9. I've used it with the Samsung VR headset as well and that works great too! Basically there are no down sides to the International version.

Samsung Galaxy Note 9 - Reviews

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