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. 

Samsung, Galaxy Note9, launch, specifications
The new Android flagship Galaxy Note9 is now available on both online and Samsung authorised retail chains across India with prices starting at Rs 67,900.Samsung India Press Kit

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, specifications
Samsung Galaxy Note9 will be released in select markets including India this month.Samsung.com

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.

Also read: Galaxy Note9 offer you simply can't refuse: Airtel, Samsung India launch pre-booking with lucrative deals

Key specifications of Samsung Galaxy Note9:

Model Samsung Galaxy Note9
Display 6.4-inch Quad HD+ (2960×1440p) Super AMOLED
  • Pixel density: 516 ppi (pixels per inch)
OS Android 8.1 Oreo-based Samsung Experience UI
Processor
  • Model 1 bound for US, China and Japan: 10nm 64-bit class Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 octa-core (2.8GHz Kryo 385 (Cortex A75) x 4+ 1.77GHz Kryo 385 (Cortex A55) x 4)
  • Model 2 bound for Europe, India and rest of the world: 10 nm 64-bit class Samsung Exynos 9810 octa-core (1.8GHz- 2.7GHz M3 x 4 + 1.76GHz Cortex A53 x 4)
GPU
  • Model 1 bound for US, China and Japan: 710MHz Adreno 630
  • Model 2 bound for Europe, India and rest of the world: 572MHz ARM Mali-G72MP18
RAM+ storage 6GB RAM + 128GB storage/ 8GB RAM + 512GB storage (UFS)Note: Storage can be further upgraded up to 512GB via microSD card
Camera
  • Main: Dual Camera with Dual OIS (Optical Image Stabilization)– Wide-angle: Super Speed Dual Pixel 12MP AF, variable aperture F1.5 and F2.4, OIS+ Telephoto: 12MP AF, F2.4, OIS with 2X optical zoom, up to 10X digital zoom
  • Front: 8MP with F1.7 aperture and Auto Focus
Battery 4,000mAh
  • Fast Charging compatible on wired and wireless
  • Wired charging compatible with QC2.0 and AFC
  • Wireless charging compatible with WPC and PMA

*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
  • Enhanced 4×4 MIMO, 5CA, LAA, LTE Cat.18
  • Single: one Nano SIM and one MicroSD slot (up to 512GB)
  • Hybrid: one Nano SIM and one Nano SIM or one MicroSD slot (up to 512GB)

*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
  • 6GB RAM+ 128GB storage: 67,900
  • 8GB RAM + 512GB storage: 84,900

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