Rumours did the rounds for quite some time about the specifications and features of Samsung’s upcoming flagship smartphone, the Galaxy Note9. Well, all the rumours were put to rest earlier this month by Samsung at its Galaxy Unpacked event held in New York. It was here that the South Korean brand had the global launch of three of its products from the Galaxy family, including the Galaxy Note9, Galaxy Watch and Galaxy Home. The flagship smartphone will be launched in India on 22 August, and the other two devices will hit the shelves in the coming weeks.
The Galaxy Note9 is equipped with an Android 8.1 operating system and sports a 6.4-inche Super AMOLED Infinity Display. It is available with two internal storage options—128GB or 512GB—and is powered by a cutting-edge 10nm processor. There has been an improvement in the phone’s battery life as compared to its predecessor, the Galaxy S9, which had a 3500mAh, while this new one runs on a 4000mAh battery. Moving on to the camera specifications, Samsung has always tried its level best to equip its phones with high-performing cameras. With this device, users get a dual rear camera of 12MP, and front camera of 8MP. With its unique combination of advanced intelligence features, the new set of cameras promises crystal clear shots and comes with high end features like scene optimiser and flaw detection.
The highlight of this power-packed phone is still the add-on “S Pen”. It is the signature feature of the Note series. But in its new variant, it has become better than ever. The tool was originally invented for users to write and doodle on their phones, but now, with the Galaxy Note9, you can use it for controlling different functions of your phone.
It is now possible to take selfies and group pictures with the new S Pen, as well as to present slides, pause and play videos, and more. “The Note has always been our showcase for premium technology and industry-defining innovation, and Galaxy Note9 is no exception. It’s designed for a level of performance, power and intelligence that today’s power users want and need,” said D.J. Koh, President and CEO, IT and Mobile Communications Division, Samsung Electronics. “Note fans are Samsung’s most loyal. We know they want it all, to get the most out of work and play, and Galaxy Note9 is the only phone that can keep up with their busy lives.”
This flagship smartphone will be available in many colours, including midnight black, lavender purple, metallic copper with matching S Pen, and ocean blue with a Yellow S Pen. The Galaxy Note9 range will start from Rs 67,900 in India.
Another device launched by Samsung is the Galaxy Watch, a direct competitor of the Apple Watch. With a battery life of 80+hours, this wearable gadget comes with LTE connectivity that can help users with messaging, calls, mapping and music at just one touch. Sporting a round dial, the Galaxy Watch will be available in a range of sizes and styles, in black and rose gold colours. Users can even customise their Galaxy Watch, with a selection of watch faces and straps.
Stepping in quite late in the smart-speaker segment, Samsung has finally marked its place with the new Galaxy Home smart speaker, a potential competitor of Google Home and Amazon Echo. Bixby, Samsung’s AI assistant, is what powers the new Galaxy Home. “When we designed these speakers, we set out to deliver high quality sound and thankfully with AKG, every aspect of Galaxy Home is engineered to make the sound amazing. It has elegant circular form with 6m high-range speakers that send the sound in every direction. It has a sub-woofer that provides rich bass as well. With its harmless natural sound processing you get a realistic sound that feels like you are right in the middle of a concert. It also gives you access to the largest ecosystem of smart devices using only your voice. It is equipped with eight microphones that help in far-field voice recognition,” said a Samsung spokesperson at the conference in New York.