Samsung Note 9 Review
The Samsung Galaxy Note 9 has been out now since August 24, 2018. The phone is marketed as a Gaming Phone, as Samsung partnered with Epic Games for Fortnite release on Android. Now Epics choice to not release on the App Store is a whole different story. The question is does the Note 9 live up to the hype as one of the top phones of 2018? Well, let’s find out.
I have had my Note 9 for about a month and a half, despite pre-ordering the 512 GB version I did not receive until about mid-October. I was able to transfer all my content over from my Galaxy S9+ using the Samsung Smart Switch App, everything moved over into it’s place with very little issue.After turning on Game Mode which is a new mode for the Note 9, I was able to fire up multiple games with little to no issues.
Games
The Games had little to no lag, and the 8 GB RAM really showed. Normally on Android OS, many app developers like to throttle or lower graphics for these devices. While it makes sense on lower end phones most of these games and apps seem to be built and optimized for IOS. I will add that it does play Fortnite flawlessly despite myself being a noob. With the 512 GB version, I have also had no issues keeping all my games, and other apps installed. I had found with the 64 GB S9+ I ran out of space quickly, as I like to keep everything installed even if I don’t touch it for a while.
Camera
Now, with picture taking, the Note 9 is exceptional in my opinion. It outclasses the previous Note 8 as well as the S9+. Continuing with the Dual Aperture, for better low light pictures as well as being able to capture more. Just like with previous models it has Live Focus where you can focus on an object. The Slow Mode has been improved and is now 4x slower, my only complaint with this is they don’t allow you to capture slow mode at top resolution.
AR Emoji
The Samsung AR Emoji returns with the Note 9, with some improvements to how it recognizes your face. Something I did notice was if I hadn’t gotten a hair cut and used the AR Emoji Feature it would almost look like I had a dirty forehead. Obviously, the fix is either get a hair cut or move the bangs up, nothing major just a little annoying. With the AR Emoji you do get custom GIFs with your Emoji, as well as you can record video and it mimics you. I am a little bummed that I can’t use my AR Emoji for streaming without some major workarounds, maybe in the future Samsung will come out with something to add to this.
Bixby
Now we also have Bixby new and improved. With the new Bixby you have the option to type to it instead of speaking which is a nice addition.As well as if you do not have an app installed like Ticket Master it can still connect and order tickets. I mainly use my Bixby for maintenance and turning on Do Not Disturb/Setting Alarms. However, there is so much customization with the Personal Assistant it would seem the sky is the limit. With that I do use a command that I had on my Note 8, called Optimize. What it does is closes all apps, clears notifications, then runs device maintenance. It is a good way to quickly clean up the device.
IP68 Rating
The phone is still IP68 Rated meaning it has the highest Water Resistance (water proof) rating a device can get. While I would never recommend getting a phone wet, I would trust getting my Note 9 wet before getting an iPhone 8 or above wet. It is also rated to with stand dust, dirt and sand with that rating. While the phone is not shatter resistant like the Galaxy S8 Active it still has a pretty resilient screen, as I have accidentally dropped my phone a handful of times and I thought it was all over and it didn’t even leave a scratch.
Battery
The next thing I would like to discuss is the Battery as that is a Hot Topic (no pun intended) it has an impressive 4000 mAH Battery.Samsung Boasts this will last all day, while the battery will last all day it all depends on what you are doing. I was still able to watch videos, play games and surf Facebook and other web stuff. It lasted over 12 hours with a decent work load, a huge improvement over past models. It also supports fast charging(a fast charger is included) as well as wireless charging. A note here though if you intend to use wireless charging do not put on anything that will obstruct the back of the phone like a pop socket.
Stylus
I don’t have much to say about the Stylus though, I do use it, I still find it a bit hard to draw on the screen even with it’s large display. So, for that I will stick to my Cintiq 22HD. The stylus does have some new features like that it’s Bluetooth and you can use to take Pictures. This would pair nicely with a camera stand, in order to take group photos easier. As with the Note 8 you can also take notes while the screen is locked. I use this when I need to take quick notes for Work, or if I am out and about and need to remember something.
Dolby Surround
The Note 9 comes with surround sound which is an improvement over the S9/S9+’s surround sound speakers. The surround sound is powered by AKG a company owned by Samsung and stacking it up against the Google Pixel 2 it is louder and clearer when doing a base playback from YouTube. Another great feature is if you frequently use Headphones you can do a Hearing Test that will set the phones sound to how you hear so you will always get the best sound!
Pricing
The Samsung Note 9 price depends on where you are planning to purchase. As I have AT&T that is the pricing I will use. The device comes in two modes a 128 GB and 512 GB. The phone comes in three colors, Ocean Blue, Lavender Purple, and Midnight Black. No matter which color you choose it will not increase the price. For the 128 GB version, it runs $999.99 plus tax (AT&T offers financing with their plans). While the 512 GB version runs $1249.99 plus tax, this version also increases the RAM from 6 GB to 8 GBs.
Looking at the Pricing and Specs, this is one of the best phones for the money. Compared to Apples iPhone Xs Max which has same storage with no expandable and runs $1449.99 plus tax.
