Samsung Note 9 - 1st impressions.

[BandOfBrothers]

Hi all.

The Note 9 is a pretty large phone but in my opinion due to its design and build quality it's a very comfortable phone to hold and use. 

The fingerprint scanners new position situated below the camera module is a welcome one which allows a better user experience and helps to stop accidental smudges on the camera lens. 

The way the phone uses both facial recognition and iris scanner to unlock called Intelligent Scan is a welcome option as earlier models would only use one option or the other. 

I chose the Black Samsung Note 9 512Gb model with 8Gb of Ram, which is a Hybred Model so can take two SIM Cards or one SIM Card and a Sd Card. However with 512Gb of on board storage I do not at this stage think I'll need to use a Sd Card as all my pictures are backed up in Dropbox and I use Samsung Cloud as well as gmail for my contacts so if I need to ever factory reset I'm covered as best as I can. 

The 8Gb of Ram certainly keeps the phone buttery smooth and allows quite a few apps to remain open without them refreshing. 

I cannot comment on the performance of the Note 9 128Gb varient which has 6Gb of Ram but as the Note 8 has 6Gb of Ram I assume it'll be a good option too. 

I've played with the Bluetooth S-pen and some will find it a gimmick to control the camera app along with other choices and some will find it useful. 

I've found myself using the S-pen quite alot for various uses including texting and taking notes etc. 

I can't comment on the 40000mAh battery just yet as I'll need to use it more extensively to see what battery usage I'm getting although in my opinion this is a subjective topic as we all set up our phones differently from each other and use different apps along with varying signal strengths that can make the phone work harder to retain network connection.

The best battery saving tip I was given a few years ago was to turn off the Battery % sign in the phones status bar and enjoy the phone. 

I would have liked to see the phone launch with Android P but as I'm used to Oreo then 8.1 is fine.

The pictures taken with the phone are crisp and clear. I'm a point and shoot user so the vast array of photo optional extras are lost on me but heck who knows I may play around with the slow-mo options etc. 

The Note 9 holds very well onto Network Signal and Surfing is a good solid experience. 

The stereo speakers are a massive improvement over my Samsung Galaxy s8 phone. Good rich tones and a decent amount of base.

It has a built in Dex feature with only a lead needed to be purchased but to be honest my usage habits at the moment do not include wanting to make the phone hook up to a desktop monitor , keyboard and mouse. 

To protect my Note 9 I'll be using a Rhinoshield Crashguard Bumper.

dBrand Black Camo Back Skin.

WhiteStone Dome Glass Protector. 

[Getafix]

Except the S-Pen, most features are the similar to what is available S9+.

[BandOfBrothers]

Most of the changes are under the hood.

[TJ]

I'd love to be able to have a play with one, although I must admit I'm still very happy with my S8 👍

The size of the phone does put me off ever to slightly, I'm only small and even trying to use my friends S8+ is a struggle, is it bigger than the S8+ and S9+?

I'd love to see some of the pictures taken on the Note 9; although aslong as it doesn't have the silly glitch like mine does where I have to shake the phone to focus the camera, it's got to be better 😂

[BandOfBrothers]

Hi @TJ

Unfortunately I had that issue on my Samsung Galaxy s8 where a shake to kick in focus was sometimes needed - not good. 

So far so good on the Note 9. 

[BandOfBrothers]

So 4 months on......

Hi All. 

Just a little follow up from my first impressions of the Samsung Note 9.

The battery of my Note 9 is still giving me 1.5 to 2 days usage time. I do turn it Off overnight and I'm not a massive gamer.

I do however use it heavily in regards to the internet.

Maybe a bit of Angry Birds 2 every now and then

Understandably battery life / screen On Time is a subjective topic as we all set up our phones differently. 

At first I thought the S-Pen wouldn't be used too much but how wrong I was !

From screen shot editing to online document signing and using the Bluetooth feature within the S-Pen to take photos this has been a welcome addition to my user experience and as such it would be a bind to now use a phone without one ! Oh dear 

Call Quality continues to be clear and the phone has an option on the dialing screen to add extra volume too. 

The phone holds incredibly well onto Network Signal and Mobile Data. 

Wifi signal has never been an issue. 

The phone is protected by a Rhinoshield Crashguard Bumper with a Whitestone Dome Glass Screen Protector and dbrand Black Camo back skin so it's just like it was out of the box. 

The software updates from Samsung have been much more regular recently so the phone is on Android Version 8.1.0. 

Samsung Experience Version 9.5 and is on the 1st December 18 Android Security Patch Level. 

A person who buys a Branded Handset direct from the Network may experience different timeframes and Software updates. 

Samsung One Ui is out on Beta but I prefer not to put a Beta version on my daily driver. 

The Note 9 I'm using is a Dual Hybrid sourced directly from Samsung. 

I do use two sim cards in the Note 9 and it handles both extremely well with clear options to set the phone to use which sim card I want to. That's all I'll say about that as the Note 9 models from the Network are single Sim and Sd Card variants. 

I'm Payg so unfortunately I cannot give my experience with Calling Over Wi-Fi.

I'm a point and click type of photo taker but to date I've been more than happy with the results. I must make more use of the extra features in the camera options. 

All in all this is a powerful tool to which I've had no buyers remorse from the get-go. 

The only possibly negative comment would be is the price is high but you certainly get value for money with this phone.