At the Barclays Center in New York yesterday, Samsung announced the latest in their series of Note handsets, the Samsung Note 9 at a launch event. This release is two weeks earlier in the year than Samsung usually announce their latest Note phone, a move presumably aimed at bolstering sales before Apple announces it’s new iPhone line up next month. 

At first glance, you would be forgiven for thinking that the image above is of a Note 8, as they are strikingly similar looking. Since the controversy surrounding the Note 7 a couple of years ago (many of these caught fire if you recall), Samsung seem to have a more conservative approach to new technology in their latest phones, with this approach being most noticeable when it comes to the Note phones. Since the original Note was released, it has year after year been a phone which introduced new technology, but there’s not a whole lot to say about the new things that have been added to the Note 9 over last years Note 8, and it’s more of a case of incremental improvements. 

The most commonly touted new feature relates to the S-Pen, the Note series stylus, which is now connected to the phone via bluetooth, allowing it to be used up to 30 feet away from the phone. Other upgrades are featured, and it’s all what would be expected; better cameras, bigger battery, faster chipset, etc. From reading through many online reviews from reviewers lucky enough to get one into their hands, that this is basically the best of the best when it comes to Android phones, and is very much in competition with the iPhone X. The price has increased also from the older Note models, making it even more of a ‘premium’ option. 

So, there you have it. A new Note phone crammed with the best components and specifications that could be mustered, but with little in terms of new features to sing about.