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| Samsung Electronics' Galaxy Note 9 smartphone is introduced at Barclays Center in New York, Thursday. / Courtesy of Samsung Electronics |
New Note has massive storage, Bluetooth-supported S Pen
By Baek Byung-yeul
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| Samsung Electronics' Galaxy Note 9 smartphone / Courtesy of Samsung Electronics |
The tech giant introduced the big screen phone that has a staunch fan base all over the world during the unpacking event at Barclays Center in New York.
In front of around 4,000 reporters and its business partners, Koh Dong-jin, president of Samsung's IT & Mobile Communications division, confidently said the Note 9 will be the best smartphone ever.
"The Note has always been our showcase for premium technology and industry-defining innovation, and the Galaxy Note9 is no exception. It's designed for a high level of performance, power and intelligence that today's power users want and need," Koh said.
"Note fans are Samsung's most loyal. We know they want it all so they can get the most out of work and play, and the Galaxy Note9 is the only phone that can keep up with their busy lives."
As Samsung hinted in a series of teaser videos, the Note 9 offers improved performance. It has a 4,000 mAh battery, 700 mAh larger than its predecessor.
Samsung also doubled the default storage of the Note 9 which will hit the market with two editions _ one with 512 GB of storage with 8 GB RAM and another with 128 GB with 6 GB RAM. Powered by a 10-nanometer processor, Samsung promised improved network speed of up to 1.2 gigabits per second (Gbps) while the Note 8 is 1 Gbps.
The Note 9 has a 6.4-inch Super AMOLED Infinity Display. It also houses a front-facing 8-megapixel camera and two 12-megapixel dual cameras on the back. To provide better sound quality, it has two speakers powered by acoustics company AKG and features surround sound with Dolby Atmos.
As expected, the S Pen comes with Bluetooth connectivity. Samsung said a button on the S Pen can be used as a camera shutter and a remote control for other apps.
Samsung said it wanted to let users do more with the S Pen. In its own survey, 64 percent of the Note 8 users have been satisfied with the S Pen, but they wanted to have more new experiences with the pen.
Users can do more with the pen. With just a click, users can present slides, pause and play video on YouTube. The company said application developers can integrate the S Pen's Bluetooth function into their apps.
The S Pen can be recharged when it is in the Note 9 phone. It takes only 40 seconds to be fully recharged, the company explained.
The camera has become smarter. With "Scene Optimizer" function, the Note 9's camera automatically classifies scenes and subjects into one of 20 categories and optimizes itself to produce images with bold colors and crisp definition.
The camera also has a "Flaw Detection" function. If there is something wrong with the image _ such as when the image is blurry or the subject is blinking _ an immediate notification message appears to let the user know.
To meet the needs of high-end smartphone users, Samsung said the Note 9 provides enhanced gaming experience as well. It has a thermal spreader three times larger than on the previous model so that it can quickly cool the processor to prevent overheating while working with graphic-intensive contents such as games.
For Note 9 consumers, Samsung prepares a special giveaway as the Note 9 users can receive special an in-game item from the mobile version of the popular online shooter "Fortnite."
The Note 9 also supports Samsung DeX that allows users to connect a Samsung smartphone to a large-sized monitor. To experience the pseudo-desktop PC experience, users are only required to connect their Note 9 phones to a monitor using a HDMI adaptor.
Samsung relocated the rear fingerprint sensor as well. As the Note 8 has its fingerprint scanner right next to the rear camera, it has been criticized for smudges made on the lens. But the Note 9 has the fingerprint reader below the dual cameras so users don't need to worry about their lens becoming smudged.
Samsung is expected to receive pre-orders starting Aug. 13 and pre-order buyers will be able to receive their phones starting Aug. 21. The company will officially start selling the device on Aug. 24. The price tag of the 512 GB edition will be about 1.35 million won ($1,200) while the 128 GB model will be around 1.09 million won.
