Samsung’s Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9+ are unquestionably two of the best smartphones on the market right now. Even still, sales have reportedly been much slower than Samsung had expected. Despite offering huge performance improvements and one of the best cameras that has ever been included on a smartphone, the Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9+ are perceived by many as minor upgrades since they feature a design that is so similar to last year’s Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+. With that in mind, it’s no mystery why many Samsung fans have turned their attention to the next big Galaxy phone launch.
If rumors pan out, the Galaxy Note 9 will be to the Galaxy Note series what the Galaxy S9 and S9+ are to the Galaxy S series. The phone is expected to pack significant internal upgrades, but the overall look of the phone will likely remain largely unchanged. Samsung’s new Galaxy Note 9 might have a few tricks up its sleeve according to rumors, though. While we wait for confirmation on those features, two new leaks posted overnight may have shed light on key specs for Samsung’s upcoming flagship phablet.
According to an earlier report out of South Korea, Samsung intends to launch the Galaxy Note 9 a bit ahead of schedule this year. That didn’t work out very well for the Galaxy Note 7 in 2016, but Samsung seemingly has its battery production under control now.
The company reportedly wants to get the Note 9 out a bit earlier than expected this year for two main reasons. First, it could help offset weaker than expected Galaxy S9 sales, especially if the company manages to get its rumored in-display fingerprint scanner ready for mass production. Second, a release in early August would give the Galaxy Note 9 more time on store shelves before Apple’s next-generation iPhone lineup is announced and released. iPhones are obviously the biggest competition for Samsung’s high-end handsets, so a head start on sales could end up being a big deal.
As far as what we can expect from the Galaxy Note 9, it’ll look a lot like the Galaxy Note 8, as we mentioned. It’s also expected to feature the same processors and upgraded cameras as the Galaxy S9 and S9+, as well as a slightly improved screen-to-body ratio. Now, a new leak seems to provide more evidence that the phone will indeed have more display and less bezel.
The Galaxy Note 8 has a 6.3-inch Super AMOLED display. While the Note 9 is expected to have almost identical dimensions, a post on Twitter from the often reliable account @MMDDJ_ states that the Galaxy Note 9 will feature a 6.4-inch screen. If Samsung can indeed cram an extra diagonal inch of screen into a phone about the same size as the Note 8, the bezels above and below the display will indeed be much smaller than they were on last year’s Note phablet.
Next up, we have another tweet from another anonymous leaker who has often been reliable in the past. @UniverseIce says that the Galaxy Note 9 will include a large battery with a capacity of either 4,000 mAh or 3,850 mAh. In either case, we would likely be looking at significant battery life improvements compared to the Galaxy Note 8, which has a 3,300 mAh battery. Apart from the big increase in capacity, the Note 9 will also use more efficient chipsets than last year’s Note 8.
