Following perhaps the most comprehensive leak cycle of any phone ever released, Samsung will finally introduce the Galaxy Note 9 at the Samsung Galaxy Unpacked 2018 event in New York City on Thursday. Scheduled to kick off at 8 AM PT / 11 AM ET, the event will be streamed live on Samsung’s website as well as via YouTube.
Unfortunately for Samsung, there aren’t many surprises that haven’t been spoiled by the internet ahead of time. We believe that the Galaxy Note 9 will feature a very similar design to that of 2017’s Note 8, save for a few minor tweaks, such as the size of the screen (6.3 inches to 6.4 inches) and the placement of the fingerprint scanner. But the phone maker plans to make up for the lack of a redesign with a number of new features.
The most anticipated of the new features might be the rumored S Pen upgrade, which will use Bluetooth support to turn the accessory into a long range remote control. The S Pen has always been a neat accessory, but being able to use it to potentially snap photos from afar or skip music tracks without ever touching the phone could make it a must for Note users. Without question, the S Pen should take center stage during the Unpacked event.
We also expect to hear more about the rumored Fortnite exclusivity that Samsung has secured. Reports have been all over the map, but it sounds like Fortnite on Android might launch first on Samsung devices by the end of the day, so if you have a Galaxy S or Note series phone, be ready to jump on that download.
Beyond the Note 9, there’s also a chance that Samsung will debut the Galaxy Watch today as well, but it might make more sense for the company to save the unveiling of a smart device until IFA 2018 at the end of the month. Whatever the case, we’ll find out soon, as the live stream is expected to begin at 11 AM ET on the dot.
