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| Samsung Galaxy Note9 Hands-on and Initial Impression; Bigger and Smarter |
Our team joined Samsung to unpack the Galaxy Note9. Playing around
with the device gave us a lot of impressive things to share with you. Hence,
meet the new front-runner smartphone of the Galaxy Note family.
Let’s dig deeper here!
Let’s dig deeper here!
Looking at the Galaxy Note9, you could easily tell where smartphone line it
came from. It is still dressed with a familiar design that shouts “Galaxy Note!”
It is a large rectangular phablet with a sexy curve in the front and back, and
describing it as a premium smartphone could be an understatement.
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| Samsung Galaxy Note9 |
The phone is
housed in a metallic framing that gives off solid feels. Although the Note9 is large at 161.9mm x 76.4mm x 8.8mm, it
is still easy to hold for it manages to sit comfortably on our hands. However,
due to its slippery body, one hand-usage isn’t advisable, while solid grip is
still highly recommended. Also, considering that it has a tall built, reaching
its keys is quite challenging for some who has small hands.
Its front is dominated by its huge 6.4-inch Super AMOLED
panel, while its earpiece, front camera, and sensors are placed above the
screen. The volume keys and Bixby button are located on the left, while its
right cheek accommodates its power/lock button. On top, its mic and SIM tray
are sited, while the bottom part houses its 3.5mm audio jack, USB Type-C port,
mic, speaker grilles, and the S Pen.
Flip the device on its back to reveal its dual-rear camera along
with its LED flash. On the other hand, its fingerprint sensor is awkwardly
placed at the bottom of its main shooters, resulting to mistakenly tapping its
camera instead of the scanner.
While we can’t deny that its back is stylish enough, we’re still bothered by the smudges and fingerprints that it attracts every now and then. So, a protective case is really needed.
While we can’t deny that its back is stylish enough, we’re still bothered by the smudges and fingerprints that it attracts every now and then. So, a protective case is really needed.
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| 6.4-inch Super AMOLED display |
Going back to its display, the Galaxy Note9 sports a 6.4-inch
Super AMOLED display that gives off an 18.5:9 aspect ratio and WQHD+ 2960 X
1440 resolution, translating to 514ppi. Once again, Samsung proves that one of
its best features is found on its screen. And yes, it is so good. Although we haven’t
experienced playing and watching on it yet, the device has already proven its quality
when we used it outdoors as its brightness works fine. Viewing photos are also
great, as it flashes rich colors.
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| Intelligent S Pen |
Meanwhile, when we talked about the Galaxy Note, it is normal to think of its partner – the S Pen. Physically, it became more attractive as it now flaunts a different color variant. Although it appears as a conventional S Pen, it is now Bluetooth-enabled, making the Galaxy Note9 smarter. With that being said, the intelligent S Pen allows users to control their camera, apps, viewing their gallery, and more. We’ve tried this feature, and of course, it didn’t disappoint us.
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| Dual 12-megapixel Rear Cameras |
Jumping off to its photography department, it is equipped
with dual 12-megapixel rear cameras with telephoto lens, Dual Pixel autofocus,
Dual OIS, and dual-tone LED flash. It boasts a decent 8-megapixel selfie
snapper, as well, which has AF, wide-angle lens, and screen flash.
Having A.I. capabilities, the Galaxy Note9 gave us an
impressive camera performance. It offers natural-looking images while still enhancing
it. Meanwhile, you can check our first camera samples here.
When we said that the Galaxy Note9 is now bigger, we meant it not only physically but also
figuratively. Why? Well, the device is powered by Exynos 9810 octa-core processor paired
with Mali-G72 MP18 graphics. It comes with two powerful RAM/ROM configurations:
the 6GB/128GB model, and 8GB/512GB variant. Its internal storage is expandable
up to 1TB via microSD card, too.
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| AR Emoji |
Moreover, it now boasts a whopping 4000mAh battery to
accompany users on their tasks longer than before. It also supports fast
charging and wireless charging.
For security, the Galaxy Note9 carries a fingerprint
sensor, Iris scanner, and facial recognition technology. It features
Heart-rate scanner, Bixby Viosn 2.0, Heatpipe cooling, and Samsung Dex.
Unfortunately, the Samsung Galaxy Note9 is tagged at a very
expensive asking price. The 128GB variant sells for Php55,990, while the
enormous 512GB model costs Php75,990. Yup, Samsung isn’t clowning around.
What can you say? Share your thoughts with us!
Samsung Galaxy Note9 Specs:
- Hybrid Dual SIM, dual stand-by, supports LTE connectivity
- 6.4-inch Super AMOLED WQHD+ (2960 x 1440) capacitive touchscreen, 18.5:9 aspect ratio, 516ppi, Corning Gorilla Glass 5
- Dimensions: 161.9mm x 76.4mm x 8.8mm
- Weight: 201 grams
- Android 8.1 Oreo with Samsung Experience 9.5
- 1.7GHz 64-bit octa core (4x2.7GHz Mongoose M3 + 4x1.8GHz Cortex-A55), Exynos 9810 chipset, Mali-G72 MP18 GPU
- 6GB/8GB RAM
- 128GB/512GB ROM, expandable up to 1TB via microSD
- 12MP f/1.5-2.4 + 12MP telephoto lens with Dual Pixel, Dual OIS, multi-frame, and dual tone LED flash
- 8MP f/1.7 with AF, wide-angle lens, and screen flash
- Multimedia Player
- Bluetooth v5.0
- WiFi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac
- NFC
- GPS, A-GPS, GLONASS
- 3.5mm audio jack
- USB 3.1 Type-C
- Intelligent S Pen with Bluetooth
- Samsung DeX
- Intelligent Scan
- IP68 Water and Dust Resistance
- Sensors: iris scanner, fingerprint, accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass, barometer, heart rate, SpO2, Face recognition
- Battery: 4000mAh Li-Ion, non-removable with Fast Charging and Wireless Charging
- Colors: Metallic copper, Lavender purple, Ocean Blue, Midnight black
- Price: Php55,990 (128GB), Php75,990 (512GB)