A little over 24 hours ago I received the Samsung Galaxy Note 9 and began digging into one of the biggest phones of the year. This won’t be a full review, there is no way to do a comprehensive review on a Phone this featured packed in only 24 hours. However, after a day I do have some thoughts, but you’ll have to wait for the full review to find out more.
Design
Not much as changed from the Note 8 but the minor improvements are worth it. First off, the fingerprint scanner is now under the camera module. I’m still adjusting to not having to shimmy the phone and stretch my finger, but it is so much more convenient to use.
The Super AMOLED screen is gorgeous as always. The colors are bright and vivid, the screen is sharp, and the blacks are dark and inky. Plus, the screen is slightly larger in the same size body, and all without an obnoxious notch.
The phone is still large and uses the same overall design as the Note 8. That’s not a bad thing because it feels premium and great in the hand. With an asking price this high, it better feel premium.
S-Pen
The S-Pen has gotten its first major upgrade since its inception and now includes Bluetooth LE. I respect Samsung for trying to make it more useful, but overall it still feels like a gimmick to me. I’ve been trying my best to use S-Pen to take photos, navigate the phone, and write but so far I’m still not sold on it.
Performance
My last and current Samsung phone is the Galaxy S8 Plus and from day one I felt a slight lag on that phone that still persists to this day. The Galaxy S9 Plus was better and dare I say the Note 9 feels even faster. The specs are essentially the same between those two phones but the Note 9 is so snappy and fast.
Read more: Samsung Galaxy Note 9 Specs: A complete monster
Camera
Due to mainly overcast skies all day yesterday, I did not get much of a chance to take photos. From the few photos I was able to snap over the past 24 hours, I was impressed but not blown away.
Photos appeared to have a nice dynamic range and balanced exposure. While low light images seemed to have good detail and very little noise. However, the white balance on Samsung phones always feels a little off. I’m still noticing a yellow tint on images that bothers me.
Sound
You wouldn’t think the addition of a second speaker in the earpiece would be such a big deal, but it really is. It still isn’t as good as having two front facing speakers, but even having just one facing you is a huge improvement. Add Dolby Atmos and I’m already loving watching videos on this gorgeous screen with better sound.
Battery Life
The Galaxy Note 9 has an upgraded 4000mAh battery in it now that promises all-day battery life. In my first 24 hours, I’ve put around 6 hours of screen on time usage into it and still have power to spare. This bodes well for the Note 9 but it is important to note that out of the box it comes set to a 1080p resolution.
In comparison, some other flagships such as the Pixel 2 XL get fantastic battery life with the maximum QHD resolution. I plan to try out the Note 9 using the QHD resolution for the full review though. I’ll be much more impressed if it can still put up such impressive stats once it is at full resolution.
Conclusion
Twenty-four hours is not a long time to spend with any device. Yet, it is long enough to decide whether or not you’re going to enjoy your next few weeks with it or not. In this case, I’m happy to report that the Samsung Galaxy Note 9 is a phone I’m going to be happy to use and review. I can’t wait to finish putting it through its paces so I can share my full review with you guys.
Read next:
- When and Where to Buy: Samsung Galaxy Note 9
- You can grab all 12 of the Note 9 wallpapers right now
- Here’s the list of official accessories for the Galaxy Note 9
- Nine things we love about the Note 9
