Samsung Galaxy Note 9 Specifications, Key Features Detailed in Hands-On Coverage

Samsung Galaxy Note 9 specifications and key features have been detailed in a hands-on coverage by Russian tipster Eldar Murtazin. The new development emerges just after Samsung officially revealed the second edition of its Galaxy Unpacked event where it is set to launch the new Galaxy Note model. The event will take place on August 9. The South Korean giant also recently sent out media invites for the Galaxy Note 9 launch. The handset is rumoured to have a design similar to last year's Galaxy Note 8 but include a larger battery pack and more colour options than its predecessor.

Murtazin claimed to have spent some time with a pre-production unit of the Galaxy Note 9 in the US. Through the initial preview, he was able to spot that there were minimal differences between the design of the Galaxy Note 9 and Galaxy Note 8. The tipster highlighted that the new model has a similar curved Super AMOLED-backed 'Infinity Display' panel that debuted on its predecessor back in August last year. However, the weight of the next-generation Galaxy Note handset is said to be slightly increased due to a larger 4000mAh battery pack than the 3300mAh battery pack available on last year's model. There is also a horizontal dual rear camera setup instead of the vertical dual rear camera setup featured on the Galaxy Note 8. It is also reported that the rear camera setup will have variable aperture support, similar to the Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9+.

Compared to the Galaxy Note 8, the Galaxy Note 9 is said to have an improved optical image stabilisation (OIS). It is also reported to come with some video enhancements. It is expected that Samsung will use the ISOCELL Plus technology to deliver an overall improved imaging experience.

In the US and South Korea, the Galaxy Note 9 is said to have a Qualcomm SoC, while its global versions will come with an Exynos SoC. Murtazin also stated that base version of the device would have 6GB of RAM and 128GB of onboard storage, though it would also come in 8GB RAM and 256GB storage as well as 8GB RAM and 512GB storage configurations. All these variants are also claimed to have microSD card support for storage expansion. Moreover, it is also said that the Galaxy Note 9 will have some Samsung Experience tweaks with newer UI animations.

Being the new Galaxy Note-Series model, the Galaxy Note 9 is claimed to have a completely reworked the S Pen stylus, said to include Bluetooth support and the option to unlock the handset remotely, with a press of a button. The Russian tipster also points out that there will be some work models to attract specifically business users. Notably, the official invitation of the Galaxy Note 9 showed a glimpse of the new S Pen to suggest its new offerings.

On the display part, Murtazin highlighted that despite having the same Super AMOLED panel that was featured last year, this year's Galaxy Note model will deliver improved sunlight visibility. The prototype unit also included an updated Always On display. However, the source believes that the technology hasn't been ready for the masses yet and could debut on the Galaxy S10 instead.

Murtazin states that the Galaxy Note 8 shipments have already been stopped and only a few units are available in stock. This makes sense as Samsung is planning to kick off the Galaxy Note 9 units in the global markets, and the new model won't have a completely new experience over its predecessor.