Table of Contents
Today I am going to review the Samsung Note 9 smart phone
This review is a bit late by the way as I didn’t find the time to write immediately due to my procrastination, but I actually upgraded my smartphone from a Samsung J5 to Samsung Note 9 a few months ago, and the main reason being is that my J5 has been having issues because of low storage space and low memory whenever I play Ragnarok Mobile, and it keeps hanging and crashing so I decided to get a phone that will let me play the game more smoothly, and at the same time, I was due for an upgrade anyway.
There are a lot of smartphones on the market to choose from right now, including old-school flip phones. The main choice is between systems – Android or iOS. The Android system is run on basically any cell phone that isn’t an iPhone.
Features
The Galaxy Note 9 has a few new features compared to the Galaxy S8 and S9. New key features include:
Larger screen
The Samsung Galaxy 9 has a 5.8-inch screen, while the S9+ screen is 6.2-inches. The Galaxy Note 9’s screen is a few inches bigger at 6.4-inches. It has the usual Super AMOLED internal panel that Samsung uses on its products to allow more pixels for a clearer, brighter display.
Longer battery life
I’ve learned to charge my phone in an area where I won’t trip on it. However, I rarely even need to charge my new Galaxy Note 9. I charge it nightly out of habit, as the battery on the Samsung J5 didn’t last long, what do you expect anyway right?
The battery life of the Galaxy Note 9 is around 12 hours, an extra hour compared to the Galaxy S9 and S9+. Of course, running applications in the background is notorious for draining the battery life.
More Storage & RAM
I need a lot of space on my phone for the pictures as I like to take a lot of pictures (except the selfie ones), and of course for playing Ragnarok Mobile. Before I upgraded, I noticed that my Samsung J5 was bogged down from lack of storage space.
Luckily, the Galaxy Note 9 has two options for built-in GB storage – 128 GB or 512 GB (I bought the 128 GB by the way). This is up quite a bit from the S9 and S9+ 64 GB of storage. The Galaxy Note 9 also has a microSD slot that can support up to 512 GB of additional storage space.
A lot of people multitask between applications on their phones. That requires a significant amount of random-access memory, or more familiarly known as RAM. The Galaxy Note 9 has options for RAM, as well – your phone comes with either 6 GB of RAM or 8 GB of Ram. The choices for the Galaxy S9 are 4 or 6 GB of RAM.
S Pen
This is my first time using an S Pen, as it is exclusive to the Galaxy Note line of phones. I’m still figuring out how to use it, but some of its capabilities include:
Remote control: The S Pen can be used as a remote control to change the music, adjust the volume and even take photos.
Editing photos: Once you’ve taken a photo or video, you can edit it with the S Pen and add messages or drawings.
Take Notes: The Samsung Notes app has different types of brushes and colors that can be used to write notes using the S Pen. The “screen off memo” enables you to write notes on the phone’s display without unlocking the phone.
One thing that I haven’t had to experience personally (yet) is the S Pen’s water resistance. This feature is perfect for a klutz like me.
Antutu Benchmark
Below you can see the screenshot of the score from the Antutu Benchmarking app
My phone ranks 24th overall and there are other phones that has higher score but the score of Samsung Note 9 is not that bad at all.
Pros and Cons
Any upgrade or new device always comes with a set of advantages and drawbacks. For the Galaxy Note 9, the pros and cons include:
Pros
The new features of the Galaxy Note 9 sum up the pros:
Improved S-Pen
The S Pen has been a feature of the Samsung Note series since 2014. The new S Pen has Bluetooth connection capabilities. The S Pen can activate the camera phone, volume and more with the touch of a button. It can fully recharge in 30 seconds after it’s placed back into the phone.
The buyer has a choice of a yellow or black stylus S Pen.
Optimized for Gaming
The large display and more storage are just some of the ways the Galaxy Note 9 can benefit the gamer like me. It includes a gaming mode that can be set to block pop-ups notifications while the user is gaming. A new cooling system allows for longer gaming without reducing the phone’s performance.
Samsung’s Signature Camera
Samsung phones have long been revered for the ability to take photos in low-light. The Galaxy Note 9 continues this tradition, but includes 2x the zooming capacity. The new camera phone features intelligent scene recognition mode and it automatically adjusts the lighting and other aspects accordingly.
Cons
Some of the things I don’t love about the Samsung Note 9 are:
Bixby
Bixby is the Samsung version of Siri. It is annoyingly too easy to open Bixby. Any time I touch my phone, I accidentally open the voice assistant. I’m old-school and I prefer to do my own research when I have questions. I don’t ask for help, especially not from the robot who lives in my phone.
No 3D Photo Capability
One of the reasons I was excited to upgrade my phone was for the ability to take 3D photos of my dogs. It turns out that the 3D photos are a Facebook feature that hasn’t yet expanded to Android devices yet. They’re supposed to roll out the upgrade this month, but I am impatiently still waiting.
This drawback is probably particular to just me.
Different-sized Charging Port
This is another con that might be user specific. The other phone chargers I have at my home aren’t the right size for the Samsung Note 9. Yes, the phone does include one charger, but I’ll have to purchase another one for my car or carry the charging cord with me everywhere.
Price
The Galaxy Note 9 can be yours for a cool $999 if you buy it on initial release ( it gets cheaper as it gets older. Check the current price at the product box below), a cheaper price compared to the newer iPhones. In comparison, the Galaxy S9 is $720 and the Galaxy S9+ can be purchased for $840.
Those prices are just the starting price. If you opt for the phone with more storage or more RAM, expect to pay even more.
Final words
Despite the fact that I can’t take 3D photos of weird things I like to shoot, I don’t regret upgrading to a Samsung Galaxy Note 9 over the many other smartphone choices. If you’re an artist, the improved S Pen is a revelation. A water-resistant revelation. The phone is a bit pricey, but your phone plan may include an upgrade that allows for monthly payments.
