Samsung announced the Galaxy Note9 today, successor to the Galaxy Note8. After leaks on top of leaks, Samsung’s latest stylus-equipped phone is now official.
Preorders begin August 10, and the devices will begin shipping on August 24. Before you get your credit card ready, however, you might want to see exactly what you’re buying. On the surface, the Note8 and Note9 look almost identical. You might have trouble distinguishing the two devices if you sat them side by side. As is becoming more common with smartphones nowadays, it’s what is inside that counts.
The comparison tables below show you what Samsung has changed, comparing the Galaxy Note8 to the Galaxy Note9.
| Galaxy Note8 | Galaxy Note9 | |
|---|---|---|
| Display | 6.3-inch QDH+, 2960×1440, 521 ppi | 6.4-inch QDH+, 2960×1440, 516 ppi |
| Network | LTE Cat 16 | LTE Cat 18 |
| Connectivity | Bluetooth 5.0, NFC, MST | Bluetooth 5.0, NFC, MST |
| Processors | Octa-core 2.3GHz, 1.7GHz | Octa-core 2.7GHz, 1.7GHz |
| Rear camera | 12MP, ƒ/1.7 | 12MP, ƒ/1.5, ƒ/2.4 |
| Telephoto | 12MP, ƒ/2.4 | 12MP, ƒ/2.4 |
| Front camera | 8MP, f/1.7 | 8MP, f/1.7 |
| Battery | 3,300mAh | 4,000mAh |
| Charging | Wired, wireless | Wired, wireless |
| Ports | USB Type-C, headphone jack | USB Type-C, headphone jack |
| Memory | 6GB, LPDDR4 | 6GB/8GB, LPDDR4 |
| Storage | 64GB, 128GB, 256GB | 128GB, 512GB |
| microSD slot | Yes | Yes |
| Resistance | IP68 | IP68 |
| Height | 162.5 mm | 161.9 mm |
| Width | 74.8 mm | 76.4 mm |
| Depth | 8.6 mm | 8.8 mm |
| Weight | 195g | 201g |
| SIM card | Nano-SIM | Nano-SIM |
| Assistant | Bixby | Bixby |
| OS | Android 7.1 Nougat | Android 8.1 Oreo |
| Colors | Black, Blue, Purple, Copper | Black, Blue, Gold, Gray |
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The biggest difference between the Note8 and Note9 is probably the S Pen. Samsung added Bluetooth to the Note9’s S Pen, resulting in features like taking pictures with a click, presenting slides, pausing/playing video, and so on.
S Pen aside, when you go with the Note9, you’ll get a slightly heavier and larger device with a significantly bigger battery (Samsung has apparently moved past the Note7 fiasco), more storage, and better cameras. That said, you’ll be paying more for those improvements: The Note9 starts at $1,000 (compared to $929).
