Samsung Note 9 Ou Samsung S9

With the release of the Galaxy Note ix, Samsung at present has two very large 2018 flagships on offer, since the Milky way S9+ released earlier this yr. And they're very similar in many ways.

Great screens, sleek glass-and-aluminum bodies, plenty of power and perks – but they likewise vary in some ways, many of which are quite pocket-sized aside from the Due south Pen stylus. So if you lot don't heed spending a bundle on a big, sleek Android phone, which one of these is most worth your coin?

Hither's our initial take, now that we've posted our terminal review of the Samsung Milky way Note ix.

Design: 2 of a kind

The Galaxy Note viii was based on the Galaxy S8, and the Milky way Annotation 9 is based on the Galaxy S9… and since the Galaxy S9 is basically only the Galaxy S8 in looks, yous tin probably connect the dots hither. These phones are very similar, much like they were in last yr's editions.

The Note nine is simply a smidge larger, and the screen doesn't curve as sharply on the sides. Also, the Note 9 has the Southward Pen stylus, along with the slot to slide it into on the lesser of the phone. You'll experience a slight difference between them, and the Note 9's boxier shape is apparent. In any instance, they're very similar, and both await and experience fantastic.

Verdict: Describe

Screen: Is bigger better?

Both of these phones accept phenomenal displays: they're both Quad Hard disk drive+ Super AMOLED displays, which means they have bright dissimilarity and clarity, plus they're ultra-bright.

The divergence is that the Milky way S9+ has a vi.2in display, while the Note 9 stretches out to six.4in. That's slightly more final year'southward variance (since the Annotation 8 was at 6.3in) but it'southward notwithstanding non much at all. It's a smaller step than betwixt the S9+ and the standard S9.

Once again, the slope of the curves is a big differennce, just when you're talking well-nigh screen real estate, at that place's very little between them.

Verdict: Depict

Camera: A smarter Note?

Physically, the back camera setups look different on the Galaxy S9+ and Galaxy Note nine: both take two cameras, just they're vertically stacked on the S9+ and aligned horizontally on the Annotation ix.

When information technology comes to the actual tech, however, they're identical. Both have a pair of 12-megapixel cameras, ane with adjustable discontinuity that swaps betwixt f/1.5 and f/2.4 depending on your lighting, and the other with a stock-still aperture and 2x zoom capabilities.

And both deliver pretty excellent results, although the Huawei P20 Pro'due south triple-photographic camera setup is the current gold standard with its 3x optical and 5x hybrid zoom, not to mention vivid detail and better dark shots.

The Note 9 doesn't surpass that, but matching the Galaxy S9+ already makes it a formidable setup. Machine HDR shots look consistently fantastic and it'southward a speedy shooter in most scenarios.

It does ane advantage over the S9+, though: A.I. smarts allow the Note ix to optimise shots and change camera modes. Information technology can even tell you when a photograph should exist retaken, thanks to blur or closed eyes on your mates.

And unlike the P20 Pro'southward A.I. assist, it tends non to oversaturate the results. An A.I. helper that helps more than than it hurts? Radical concept, in that location. In any case, it's non a huge boost since the hardware here is identical, but we're calling it an advantage for the Note nine all the same.

Verdict: Samsung Galaxy Note nine

Performance: It's the same again

What's this? Another identical category? Well, almost.

Run across, both of these phones rock the super-speedy Exynos 9810 flake in Europe and some other places, delivering fantastic Android operation – and the Galaxy S9+ and the base Annotation 9 model have 6GB RAM within. In that location's a pricier Note 9 model, withal, and that comes with 8GB.

There's no existent difference hither. The S9+'s 6GB of RAM is plenty to continue things speedy and handle multitasking, and that's the aforementioned on the Notation nine. Both of these authorize as the fastest Android phones y'all'll discover today.

Verdict: Depict

Bombardment and perks: The Due south Pen deviation

This grab-all category shows some key ways in which the phones differ. When it comes to battery capacity, the 4,000mAh cell of the Galaxy Note ix is one of the largest yous'll find in a flagship-level phone… but truth be told, we were underwhelmed. With steady use, you lot're probable to notch a full day and change, but information technology's not built for ane.5, allow alone two full days unless you're barely using it.

That's better than boilerplate in the flagship space, but given Samsung's bragging of late, we honestly expected more. The Galaxy S9+'s three,500mAh pack is a trivial smaller, but the results feel pretty comparable. And both of these phones offer wireless charging, as well.

Equally far as storage goes, the Milky way S9+ comes in 64GB, 128GB, and 256GB varieties. The Notation 9, on the other manus, starts at 128GB and and so vaults upwardly to 512GB of internal storage with its pricier edition. And both can expand out with microSD storage, with the top-end Note 9 reaching a potential 1TB of total storage if you toss in a 512GB memory card.

Both can do a PC-like desktop experience with an external monitor, just the Galaxy S9+ needs the expensive DeX Pad accessory while the Annotation 9 can just run a USB-C to HDMI cablevision. Both can fit into compatible Gear VR headsets for mobile virtual reality fun, though.

And then there's the Due south Pen stylus, the true defining difference between the handsets. Do you desire a stylus on your large Samsung phone? If so, purchase the Note 9.

The stylus lets you scribble and sketch as usual, plus new Bluetooth connectivity lets you use it as a media remote, a photographic camera shutter button, and more than. It's nice, but it'southward nonetheless pretty niche when it comes to necessity with a modern-day smartphone. Nevertheless, between the storage, South Pen, and DeX desktop manner, the Note ix does bring some benefits.

Verdict: Samsung Milky way Note ix

Verdict: Same as final year

In our Galaxy Annotation ix review, nosotros called it "an S9+ on steroids." Sure, that might audio impressive, but practise you actually need a smartphone on steroids when the starting bespeak is already the fabulously large and capable Galaxy S9+?

If you're big on on-the-go productivity and will utilise your phone constantly to whip out emails, scribble downward notes, and practise all sorts of other piece of work-related things, so you might meet the Note 9 divergence in action. If not, and the Due south Pen doesn't raise an eyebrow, and so this becomes a tougher decision.

See, there'south simply £30 difference between the base model list prices, at £869 for the Galaxy S9+ and £899 for the Galaxy Note ix. That's non much if you're already spending nearly a thousand quid on a smartphone, and the Annotation 9 does pack in some perks.

On the other mitt, the S9+ can exist had for less cash these days – we're seeing £799 on Amazon as we write this. Once again, not dramatic, simply that's a bigger difference, and the S9+ should driblet even more soon as further competing handsets emerge.

In the cease, these phones practice much the same most of the time. It really comes downwards to the stylus and cost, for the most part. So if you lot're stuck between options hither, have a good retrieve virtually both categories and see where you land.

We imagine most buyers will be plenty satisfied with the Galaxy S9+, given the wide similarities here, as it's i of the best accommodating phones you tin can purchase today. The Note nine matches information technology on most counts, merely does then at extra cost and with a stylus that many smartphone users might non even use or capeesh.

Winner: Samsung Galaxy S9+