Samsung Galaxy Note9 vs Galaxy S9+: the South Korean brand’s flagships fight it out

“This year’s Galaxy Note doesn’t borrow cues from the Galaxy S Plus variant flagship”

Eager fans have finally been granted their first look at the Samsung Galaxy Note9. Not that they didn’t know what to expect though, thanks to the leaks, but the official launch has confirmed several unknown facts about the handset, including its price. But For those torn between this new phone and the Galaxy S9+ (review) flagship, there are a number of factors to consider. That’s because, unlike previous years, the Note smartphone isn’t just a slightly larger version of the S series handset with the S Pen. So if you are wondering which smartphone to buy between the Galaxy Note9 and Samsung’s Galaxy S9+, then here’s a detailed comparison between the two flagships.

Design and display

Bezel-less screens are allowing phonemakers to increase their display sizes without making them unwieldy. That’s why the S9+ manages to offer a large 6.2-inch Super AMOLED panel while remaining pocketable. The screen on the Note9 is even larger with a 6.4-inch Super AMOLED panel. This is the largest Infinity Display Samsung has ever made. The panels on both these phones bear QHD+ resolution and are HDR 10, ensuring a great visual experience. The screens are also protected by a layer of Corning Gorilla Glass 5. Thankfully, the phones don’t have the notch, and have instead opted for minor bezels on the top and the bottom.

On the rear, glass is the material of choice for both smartphones, with camera modules and fingerprint scanners being etched into them. While the Galaxy Note9’s dual-camera setup is horizontal in nature, the sensors are aligned vertically on the S9+. This means that the fingerprint scanner on the brand’s latest is placed higher which might make it slightly difficult for your fingers to reach. But of course, both phones have another biometric authentication method in the form of the iris scanner.

The S Pen is clearly what sets the Note9 apart from other smartphones in the market. The all-new stylus comes with Bluetooth LE support that allows you to use it as a remote control for performing tasks like clicking photos, playing / pausing music, and switching slides among others.

While most manufacturers are ditching headphone ports, both the Note9 and the S9+ proudly allow you to plug your headphones into their 3.5mm slots. Moreover, both these handsets offer stereo speakers too. And that’s not all, both of them are IP68 certified for dust- and water-resistance, which means you can use them during rains or even dunk them in the swimming pool without any worry.

Hardware and software

Under the hood, the Galaxy Note9 and S9+ are quite similar. In India, both of them come powered by the 2.7GHz octa-core Exynos 9810 processor. Interestingly, the Note9 is the first Samsung smartphone to ship with 8GB of RAM. This model is also equipped with a whopping 512GB of storage, while the base variant comes with 6GB RAM and 128GB of storage. The S9+ on the other hand, is only offered with 6GB of RAM, but its storage options range from 64GB, 128GB to 256GB.

Regardless, Samsung is also offering hybrid SIM slots on its flagship offerings. That means you can sacrifice your second SIM card in lieu of additional storage, and with the Note9 supporting microSD cards of up to 512GB, you can actually have a terabyte of storage in your pocket (with the higher-end model shipping with 512GB storage onboard).

In terms of the software, there isn’t much change between these smartphones. The interface is pretty much the same, and the apps too have been kept unchanged from the Galaxy S9+. One new addition is the updated AI-powered scene recognition feature in the camera app that optimises settings based on what it is you’re clicking a photo of… which brings us to the next section

Camera and battery

The imaging capabilities of both these handsets are also similar. The dual-camera module includes a 12MP primary shooter with the world’s first dual-aperture lens. The sensor automatically switches from f/2.4 to f/1.5 when you’re in low-light conditions. The secondary snappers are 12MP units and come with f/2.4 apertures. The pair of snappers offers portrait mode as well as 2x optical zoom. On top of that, these phones come with the ability to capture super slow-mo clips at 960fps. Thanks to OIS support on both cameras, you can expect shake-free photos and videos. On the front, you’ll find 8MP f/1.7 snappers on both these phones.

Samsung has delivered a huge surprise by pushing a 4,000mAh battery inside the Note9. In comparison, the 3,500mAh cell inside the S9+ sound a bit weak, but it still stands tall on its own. Both handsets also support fast charging, with wired adapter as well as the wireless one.

Closing thoughts

As is evident, the Samsung Galaxy Note9 comes across as a better phone than the Galaxy S9+. Having said that, you aren’t losing much if you’re buying the latter. Both handsets come with similarly-sized displays, same processor, same camera modules, IP68 certification and much more. The advantages of the Note9 include a massive amount of storage, a highly useful S Pen and a huge 4,000mAh battery. If you love these features, paying slightly extra for the newest smartphone might not be a bad choice.

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