In our comparison on the Samsung Galaxy S9+ and Galaxy Note 8, we’ve recommended that users should just have to wait for the Samsung Galaxy Note 9 before upgrading their phones. Now that it has officially launched, it’s high time we compare the two devices, the Galaxy S9+ and Note 9, and see what’s different.
The Samsung Galaxy Note 9 is the latest flagship smartphone from the Note series. It sports a 6.4-inch Super AMOLED display with 2960 x 1440 resolution, an Exynos 9810 octa-core processor, 6GB/8GB RAM, 128GB/512GB internal storage, dual 12MP rear cameras, 8MP front, and 4,000mAh battery with fast charging and wireless charging capabilities.
The Samsung Galaxy S9+ is also a flagship device but from the S-series, sporting a 6.2-inch Super AMOLED display with 2960 x 1440 resolution, same Exynos 9810 chipset, 6GB RAM, 64GB/128GB/256GB internal storage, dual 12MP rear cameras, 8MP front, and 3,500mAh battery with the same capabilities.
Here are their detailed specs:
Specs | Samsung Galaxy Note9 | Samsung Galaxy S9+ |
---|---|---|
Display | 6.34-inch Super AMOLED WQHD+ (2960 x 1440), 514ppi | 6.2-inch Super AMOLED WQHD+ (2960 x 1440),, 531ppi |
Screen protection | Corning Gorilla Glasss (version not scpecified) | Gorilla Glass 5 (back and front) |
CPU | Samsung Exynos 9810 Octa octa-core (4x 2.7 GHz Exynos M3 & 4x 1.8 GHz Cortex-A55) CPU | Samsung Exynos 9810 octa-core 4 x 2.9GHz Custom CPU + 4 x 1.9GHz ARM Cortex A55 |
GPU | Mali-G72 MP18 | Mali G72-MP18 |
RAM | 6GB/8GB | 6GB |
Storage | 128GB/512GB internal storage | 64GB/128GB/256GB internal storage |
Expandable Storage | expandable via microSD up to 512GB (uses SIM 2 slot) | expandable via microSD up to 400GB (uses SIM 2 slot) |
Rear Camera | 12MP f/1.5-f/2.4 dual pixel, OIS, 2x optical zoom, telephoto 12MP f/2.4 dual pixel, OIS, wide-angle Dual-tone, dual-LED flash | 12MP f/1.5-f/2.4 dual pixel, OIS, 2x optical zoom, telephoto 12MP f/2.4 dual pixel, OIS, wide-angle Dual-tone, dual-LED flash |
Video Recording | 2160p@30fps video recording, Slow-mo 960fps @ 720p | 2160p@30fps video recording, Slow-mo 960fps @ 720p |
Front Camera | 8MP f/1.7 front-facing camera | 8MP f/1.7 front-facing camera |
Connectivity | 4G LTE Cat. 18 6CA 1.2Gbps 256QAM 4x4 MIMO | 4G LTE Cat. 18 6CA 1.2Gbps |
SIM | Dual SIM (nano, hybrid) | Dual SIM (nano, hybrid) |
Wi-Fi | WiFi 802.11a/b/g/n/ac | WiFi 802.11ac |
Bluetooth | Bluetooth 5.0, A2DP, LE, aptX | Bluetooth 5.0, A2DP, LE, aptX |
NFC | NFC | NFC |
GPS | GPS with aGPS, GLONASS, BeiDou | GPS with aGPS, GLONASS, BeiDou |
USB | USB Type-C | USB Type-C |
Sensors | -Fingerprint Scanner -Iris Scanner -Heart-Rate Sensor -Face Recognition Scanner | -Fingerprint Scanner -Iris Scanner -Heart-Rate Sensor -Face Recognition Scanner |
Features | -Bixby Vision 2.0 -Heatpipe cooling -IP68 dust and water-resistance -S-Pen with Bluetooth remote control capabilities -Samsung Dex built-in | -Bixby Vision 2.0 -IP68 dust and water-resistance |
Audio | Dual AKG speakers, Dolby ATMOS | Dual AKG speakers, Dolby ATMOS |
Audio Port | 3.5mm audio port | 3.5mm audio port |
OS | Samsung Experience v9.5 (Android 8.1 Oreo) | Samsung Experience v9.0 (Android 8.0 Oreo) |
Battery | 4,000mAh battery w/ Fast Charge, Wireless Charging | 3,500 Li-Po battery USB Type-C Fast Charge, Wireless Charging |
Here are the advantages of each smartphone:
Samsung Galaxy Note 9
- Larger screen size
- up to 512GB internal storage
- up to 8GB RAM
- Refined AI camera capabilities
- S-pen
- Samsung Dex built-in
- Heatpipe cooling
- Android 8.1 Oreo out-of-the-box
- Larger Battery capacity
Samsung Galaxy S9+
- Higher pixel density
The Note 9 has the upper-hand in terms of screen size as it is larger than the S9+’s, however, the latter gives off a higher pixel density due to its smaller display. But in terms of viewing experience, the former is the better pick.
Both smartphones have the same chipset, however, when we tested them using the AnTuTu benchmark app, the S9+ yielded a slightly higher score than the Note 9 but in terms of real-world performance, the difference in scores won’t matter.
The setup for both cameras are practically the same but the Note 9 has improved AI capabilities than the S9+. Check out the sample our sample shots here: (Galaxy Note 9 and Galaxy S9+)
The battery capacity is where the Note 9 shines. It is definitely larger (by 500mAh) compared to the S9+’s. In our video loop test, the former was able to provide 20 hours of playback while the latter only lasted for 16 hours.
The Samsung Galaxy Note 9’s price starts at Php55,990 while the Samsung Galaxy S9+’s price starts at Php45,990.
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