Most new smartphone releases of the past few years have been like cat-and-mouse games with consumers and each other. It has been as if morsels of cheese are thrown into the box to make it more interesting: a little extra camera here, a little more battery there, and incremental changes to size, speed (more) and weight (less). Each change moves the needle of innovation ever-so-slightly. Until we find ourselves, a few years later, with a handset that is revolutionary compared to six years ago, but an anti-climax relative to six months before.
And then came Samsung. Probably stung by the “incremental improvement” phrase that has become almost a cliché about new Galaxy devices, the Korean giant chose to unleash a beast last week.
The new Galaxy Note 9 is not only the biggest smartphone Samsung has ever released, but one of the biggest flagship handsets that can still be called a phone. With a 6.4” display, it suddenly competes with mini-tablets and gaming consoles, among other devices that had previously faced little contest from handsets.
It offers almost ever cutting edge introduced to the Galaxy S9 and S9+ smartphones earlier this year, including the market-leading f1.5 aperture lens, and an f2.4. telephoto lens, each weighing in at 12 Megapixels. The front lens is equally impressive, with an f1.7 aperture – first introduced on the Note 8 as the widest yet on a selfie camera.
So far, so S9. However, the Note range has always been set apart by its S Pen stylus, and each edition has added new features. Born as a mere pen that writes on screens, it evolved through the likes of pressure sensitivity, allowing for artistic expression, and cut-and-paste text with translation-on-the-fly.
(Click here or below to read more about the Samsung Galaxy S Pen stylus) Samsung Galaxy S9 Features)
Now, the stylus becomes a gadget in its own right. Thanks to a tiny battery, which recharges quickly when the pen is sheathed in the phone, it functions as a Bluetooth device, using Low Energy (LE) Bluetooth to trigger the camera, control the music player, and launch various apps. One or two clicks on the button at the top of the stylus activates further functions, depending on the app. Samsung has announced it will deliver an SDK (software developer kit) later this year for third party developers to build their own functions and apps for the S-Pen.
The significance of the S-Pen can hardly be overstated. Not only does it bring added functionality to various apps, it also extends the phone’s own uses. For example, to shoot an underwater video – yes, it is IP68 rated, for waterproof usage to a depth of 1.5 metres for half an hour – one previously had to tap the record button before taking the device underwater. Now, it can be triggered from a short distance by the S-Pen once the handset is suitably positioned below the surface.
While the cameras themselves are unchanged from the S9, the software behind them has had a serious upgrade, building on the semblance of artificial intelligence it had already introduced a year ago, and similar to that in the Huawei P20 Pro and LG G7 ThinkQ.
Its automatic scene optimizer identifies up to 20 different scenes, and optimises the camera settings for best effect. Flaw detection looks for blurs, blinks and bugs in one’s own photographic abilities to signal that a photo should be retaken.
(Click here or below to read more about the features offered by the S9) Samsung Galaxy S9 Features)
The massive 6.4” display helps enormously in optimizing images, but it comes into its own with two new abilities Samsung has given Note users.
The first is the desktop connector, DeX, which previously required a dock, which was then linked to a monitor. Now, the phone connects directly to the monitor via a connector cable, which instantly triggers a DeX interface using the Chrome OS. In effect, the phone can now be the keyboard, and the user no longer needs a cumbersome dock. A mouse and keyboard can also be connected, but is not essential.
For now, this is the most successful attempt yet to turn a handset into a laptop or PC equivalent. Previous efforts, dating back to the Motorola Atrix as long ago as 2011, were too underpowered to deliver a PC-like experience. With RAM in 6GB and 8GB options, and a monster 4000mAh battery, the Note 9 is a power tool for a power user.
It launched in the USA with the cutting edge Qualcomm SDM845 Snapdragon 845 chip optimised for immersive experiences like virtual and augmented reality. In this part of the world, it will ship with an Exynos 9810 Octa chip, which packs pretty much the same punch.
The chip powers both the phone and its extensions: HDMI and the big display combine for one new capability that was not expected from the business-oriented Note series: serious gaming.
Samsung and Epic Games last week announced a partnership to launch the Android version of the wildly popular shooting game, Fortnite, on the Note 9. It will also be available on a range of other Samsung devices, exclusively for the first 30 days of release. A dedicated Fortnite outfit is also available to Note 9 and Galaxy Tab S4 buyers.
During the South African launch of the Note 9, a big screen TV was used for a demonstration of both the HDMI connector and Fortnite for Android. Visually, it was equivalent to most console versions. Responsiveness came close.
Do expect steady criticism complaining that the handset does not push the boundaries, is not innovative and offers merely incremental improvements. But those who are in the market for the biggest beast on the block will find nothing to scare this one off.