A Samsung Galaxy Note 9 caught fire inside of a woman’s purse in New York, earlier this month. This claim was made in a lawsuit filed by the woman against Samsung. The woman hopes for a restraining order on the sales of the Note 9.
The report was filed by Diane Chung, who claims that she was in an elevator when this incident took place. She noticed that her Galaxy Note 9 had become incredibly hot and therefore stopped using her phone and dropped it into her purse. After a while she heard a ‘whistling and screeching sound’ and saw ‘thick smoke’ appearing from her bag. She then emptied her purse on to the floor of the elevator. However, it wasn’t until a passerby picked up the device with a cloth and dropped it into a bucket of water that the fire stopped.
Following this, she filed a lawsuit against Samsung which demands that a restraining order be placed on the sales of the Galaxy Note 9 and damages be offered to her. This could be Samsung’s worst nightmare as its flagship device is now under scrutiny.
Samsung’s Dilemma:
A similar case occurred with the infamous Samsung Galaxy Note 7 around two years back. The device had a battery flaw, which the company later discovered which led to multiple phones exploding or bursting into flames.
To avoid any such problems in the future, Samsung at that time created an eight-point inspection process for the batteries of its devices. This is suppose to be the best and beyond industry standards, according to Samsung. With the launch of the Galaxy Note 9, Samsung claimed that it is the safest device it made. It also added that users don’t have to worry about batteries anymore.
However, we might not be seeing a Note 7 kind of situation here. Samsung has said that no such incidents have been reported by other users. This could also mean that it was just one faulty device. Samsung is investigating the matter. We will soon know the what really caused this issue and whether it is something users need to worry about.
It was on 23rd August 2017, almost two years after the launch of the Galaxy Note 5 that the Galaxy Note 8 launched. While the Samsung Galaxy Note 7 did make a debut, the company, for a faulty battery, recalled the Note 7. Despite the fact, the South Korean electronics still leads the smartphone market in 2018. At an event in New York, Samsung has launched the new Note series smartphone, the Samsung Galaxy Note 9.
Specifications
Sharing the same design as the Note 8, the Samsung Galaxy Note 9 features a glass front and back and an AMOLED display. The smooth chamfered edges and the long aspect ratio are also the same as the last Note smartphone. The Super AMOLED panel is 6.4-inch 2960 x 1440 px 18.5:9 aspect ratio display. The front and rear panels of the Galaxy Note 9 use the Corning Gorilla Glass 5 for protection. The smartphone houses the rear-mounted fingerprint sensor, right below the camera module. Previously, the fingerprint sat to the right of the camera module on the Note 8.
Samsung is big on AI this year, as are many other companies as well. However, Samsung claims that it is almost “impossible to take a bad photo” with the Galaxy Note 9’s camera. The AI assisted module on the Note 9 is a triple camera setup with two at the rear and one at the front. The primary camera has a wide-angle 12MP lens with a f/1.7 aperture and the secondary camera has a 12MP telephoto lens with a f/2.4 aperture. The rear camera is capable of taking slow-motion 30fps videos at 720p resolution. While the secondary camera is an 8MP sensor with f/1.7 aperture.
The Samsung Galaxy Note 9 runs Android 8.0 (Oreo) with Samsung Experience 9.5 UI on top. The smartphone has two chipset variants, one for the US & Canada and the other for Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. The US and Canadian variants will use the Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 chipset and the Adreno 630 GPU for graphical performance. For the EMEA variant, the smartphone will use Samsung’s own Exynos 9810 chipset. For graphical performance, the Exynos chipset will use the Mali-G72 MP18 GPU. Both the Qualcomm and Exynos chipsets are octa-core processors.
The S-Pen has been in the Note family since the first Galaxy Note released in 2011. The S-Pen is a Samsung proprietary stylus which the company provides with both the Note and the Tab series. What makes the new S-Pen standout is its improved functionalities and Bluetooth connectivity. The S-Pen is now usable as a camera shutter trigger, making it easier to take photos and especially selfies. The S-Pen SDK will soon be available for developers to build their app around the stylus and integrate it seamlessly with their apps.
Pricing And Availability
The Samsung Galaxy Note 9 will be available starting from August 24th, in major markets including US, Europe, Australia, New Zealand and in India. The base price for the Galaxy Note 9 starts at £899 (Rs. 79,534.53 approx) for the 128GB variant. The 512GB variant will cost £1,099 (Rs. 97,206.07 approx). Once the device is available globally we will provide our in-depth review of the smartphone, so stay tuned. Meanwhile, take a look at the official images of the Note 9 directly from the launch.
The trend of online multiplayer games has picked up the pace in recent years. One such multiplayer game, Fortnite, places a total of 100 players to compete against each other. The players land on a common map where they shall find resources and fight to become the last one standing. As a result, it has become one of the most downloaded games across all major platforms, making it an extremely popular multiplayer game. It was on 25th July 2017, when the game finally launched on a mobile platform. The iOS devices like the iPhones and iPads were the ones to first receive the game on a mobile platform. While the Android version of the game will initially be exclusive to the Galaxy Note 9, it will later be available on a few other smartphones. However, even the smartphones which support the game may run it on medium settings.
This list of smartphone compatible with Fortnite on Android leaked a while ago on Fortnite’s website. The list included the likes of Google Pixel, Huawei Mate 10, Razer Phone, and Nokia 6. Interestingly enough, the “flagship killer” OnePlus 6 was absent from the list. According to some reports, the new list suggests that most 2018 flagship devices will support the game. However, the default settings on these smartphones will be medium. On 9th August, Samsung has scheduled its Unpacked event in which it will unveil the new Galaxy Note 9 and Galaxy Tab S4. The game could be launching on the Samsung App store when the new Galaxy devices are unveiled. For the first month at least, the game might be exclusive to Samsung smartphone owners.
It is apparent with this list that most 2018 smartphones will be able to run the game easily. However, the fact which doesn’t seem fit well is that these devices will run the game on the medium setting by default. While this could just be the bare-minimum specs, we plan on digging deeper to find out more. So stay tuned as more on this will be soon available.
Fortnite is one of the most downloaded games across all major platforms, making it an extremely popular multiplayer game. This interesting game allows up to 100 people to play in the game simultaneously, and hence is called a Battle Royal game. Fortnite thanks to its popularity has servers in almost all continents. While the game was initially available to play on desktop computers it was later launched for gaming consoles and iOS devices (iPhones/iPads). However, owners of Android smartphones and loyalists of Fortnite were left hanging as the company is yet to release the game on the uber popular smartphone OS. According to reports, to bank in on the popularity of the game , Samsung may tie up with Epic Games ( makers of Fortnite) to make the launch of the game a Galaxy Note 9 Exclusive. The phone is expected to launch in the second week of August 2018. It is expected that if this news comes true, the game will remain exclusive to the Note 9 and several other Samsung devices for one moth after launch.
Epic Games, the company behind Fortnite, crossed US $2 billion through in-game purchases, especially the popular game currency V-Bucks . Now that the game might actually launch for Android devices, this news about it being a Galaxy Note 9 exclusive could come as a disappointment to other Android smartphone users. Samsung has already teased the S-Pen, an integral part of the Note series of devices. So there is a high likelihood that Fortnite could have an integrated support for the S-Pen. Moreover, Samsung might have plans to provide in-game freebies for those who pre-order the Galaxy Note 9. These freebies may include, V-bucks, character skins, emotes, and more. Again, these freebies is could lead to further disappointment for other Android users who have been waiting for the game for a long time.
Galaxy Note 8
For the first time Samsung will deviate from the “business” persona of the Galaxy Note and use gaming as a marketing strategy. Along with the S-Pen, Samsung also released a video yesterday which suggests that the smartphone could feature a larger battery. According to previous rumours, this could be a 4,000 mAh Li-Ion battery. This comes in two years after the massive Galaxy Note 7 recall was initiated due to faulty batteries that would explode erratically. The new Note may also feature the all-new Corning Gorilla Glass 6. We also predict that the smartphone could have two chipset variants, one with Samsung’s own Exynos SoC and other with a Qualcomm Snapdragon SoC. All the rumours hint at what could be Samsung’s best smartphone yet. However, the features which make the Galaxy Note 9 a good smartphone could also make the buyers pay a hefty price, and put the smartphone in the iPhone X price bracket of a 1000 US dollars. Here’s a video by Samsung teasing the new battery life for possibly the Galaxy Note 9.
Ahead of its launch on 9th August, the Samsung Galaxy Note 9 has already caught a lot of attention. There are a lot of rumours, leaks, and speculations about the smartphone. We already know about the all-new S-Pen and its Bluetooth connectivity. Now a leak suggests that Samsung will launch a 512GB storage variant of the smartphone.
In previous leaks of the Samsung Galaxy Note 9, we saw a few of its colour variants, namely, Black, Brown, Lilac Purple, and Coral Blue. Some of the images also showed a few colour variants of the S-Pen as well.
Comparing these images with the Galaxy Note 8, we see that there is not a significant change in the design. There is only one noticeable difference between the Note 8 and the Samsung Galaxy Note 9. While the fingerprint sensor on the Note 8 is alongside the cameras, the Galaxy Note 9 features the fingerprint sensor below its camera setup.
Galaxy Note 8 Fingerprint
Samsung has been closely competing with Apple in terms of their flagship pricing. While the older Galaxy Note 8 started at a price of Rs. 67,900, the Samsung Galaxy Note 9 could start at a price of US $1,228 (Rs. 84652.18 approx) for the 128GB variant. This is quite close to the price of the iPhone X, which was launched in 2017. There may be 64GB, 256GB, and 512GB variants of the device. However, the leak suggests that the 64GB and 256GB variants will not be sold in the European market. The 512GB variant of the smartphone may have a price tag of $1,465 (Rs.1,01,004.43 approx). We are hoping that the smartphone features the new Gorilla Glass 6 considering the price point of the device.
A general expected price point even for a flagship was close to about $600 – $700 (Rs. 41,000 to Rs. 48,000). After the launch of iPhone X, the price of a smartphone is now comparable to a top of the line laptop. Now with Samsung Galaxy Note 9, we are approaching new price points for smartphones, this smartphone price trend is a bit concerning. However, we can take comfort in the fact that mid-range smartphones are now offering flagship-like performance for a significantly cheaper price point.
The year 2018 has given the world a ton of exciting new smartphones so far. With smartphones like the OnePlus 6 and Huawei P20 Pro, the anticipation of what’s to come in the future is really high. OnePlus managed to essentially sell more than Rs. 10 Crore worth of devices in the first ten minutes during the OnePlus 6 flash sale. Then the Huawei P20 Pro came in and disrupted the market with a triple camera setup. Naturally, we had to compile a list of the top upcoming smartphones in the next couple of weeks.
1. Oppo Find X
The Oppo Find X is expected to release in India on July 12th and is expected to have a hefty price of Rs. 78,500. Oppo has managed to catch a lot of attention with the Find X. Even though it is not the first device without a notch and an almost bezel-less a display, Oppo Find X is still an exciting smartphone.
The way Oppo got rid of the notch, was by introducing a motorized part which eloquently hides the front and rear cameras. The Oppo Find X features a 6.42 inch 2340 x 1080 pixel display with an aspect ratio of 18.5:9. This translates to about 87% screen-to-body ratio.
The Oppo Find X runs on the Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 chipset along with the Adreno 630 GPU. The primary camera on the Find X is in the pop-up mechanism, consisting of a dual camera setup with a 16MP 1/2.6″ sensor and a 20MP 1/2.8″ sensor both with an f/2.0 aperture. The primary camera setup will have Optical Image Stabilization. The front facing selfie camera is also housed in the pop-up mechanism and is a 20MP sensor with an f/2.0 aperture.
The Find X has two colour variants namely, Bordeaux Red and Glacier Blue. The interesting design of the phone make it one of the most exciting and worth top upcoming smartphones this quarter.
2. Vivo NEX
Vivo NEX
The Vivo NEX with a similar pop up camera design is expected to launch on 19th July in India starting at a considerably lower price Rs. 47,999. The Vivo NEX is yet another smartphone with an almost entire screen at the front of the device. Here, it uses the same concept of a motorized part for the camera only to achieve a notch-free and a nearly bezel-less display much like the Oppo Find X above. However, Vivo decided to only house the front-facing camera which comes out of the top of the phone and slides back in when not in use.
Vivo Nex With Camera Deployed
The Vivo NEX features the Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 chipset which is paired with the Adreno 630 GPU. The smartphone sports a Super AMOLED 6.59 inch 2316 x 1080 pixel display with an aspect ratio of 18:9.
The camera setup on the Vivo NEX consists of dual 12MP and 8MP camera with f/1.8 and f/2.4 aperture respectively. The secondary camera is a single 8MP sensor with f/2.0 aperture. The primary camera on this device also features OIS. A motorized part in a portable device is a risky move, regardless, the Vivo NEX is still one of the most exciting upcoming smartphones.
The BlackBerry Key2 is all set to go on sale from 13th July in the United States and is expected in India Mid-End July. BlackBerry launched the Key2 on June 7th after the KeyOne incurred a price cut. This is again among the exciting upcoming smartphones, and the only modern smartphone with a full physical QWERTY Keyboard.
The BlackBerry Key2 has a 4.5 inch 1620 x 1080 pixels IPS LCD display with an aspect ratio of 3:2. The Key2 is expected to launch in two storage variants; 64GB or 128GB paired with 6GB of RAM. The processing speed is provided by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 660 chipset and the Adreno 512 GPU, faster than the SoC of the KeyOne. The Key2 sports a relatively large 3,500 mAh battery. An exciting option for those who love tactile feedback.
After being surrounded by rumors and speculations, the Nokia X6 is finally launching Globally on 19th July and is expected to come to India soon after. It could be among the top upcoming smartphones of this month. Nokia has tapped into the notch trend with the X6. Despite its premium look, the Nokia X6 was launched in China at a rather affordable CNY 1,499 ( Approx Rs. 15,500). Hopefully Nokia will keep similar pricing for global and Indian launches.
The Nokia X6 has a 5.8 inch IPS LCD display with 2280 x 1080 pixels and a 19:9 ratio. Because of the notch, the screen to body ratio of the Nokia X6 is approximately 80.3%. The device runs the Qualcomm Snapdragon 636 chipset and the Adreno 509 GPU. Powering the phone is a 3,060 mAh Li-ion battery.
Samsung is ready to launch a new smartphone in its Galaxy Note lineup. The Galaxy Note 9 is expected to arrive on 9th August and it is also one of the top upcoming smartphones. According to some reports,the Note 9 will follow the Note 8 in the design department but, there could be some minor changes in its aesthetics.
As suggested by the Twitter user Ice Universe, the S Pen for the Galaxy Note 9 could be first of its kind with Bluetooth connectivity and will users to control long-range self-timer, control music playback.
We can expect that the Galaxy Note 9 will have a 6.4 inch Super AMOLED display with at least 2960 x 1440 pixel resolution and an 18.5:9 aspect ratio, similar to the one found on the galaxy Note 8. Ice Universe also speculated that the Galaxy Note 9 will pack a 4,000 mAh battery.
Motorola claims that it has sold over 70 million G series phones worldwide and now the company is planning to release yet another G series phone in India, the G6 Plus. The phone is expected to be launched end July.
The Moto G6 Plus has a 5.9 inch IPS LCD display with a 2160 x 1080 pixels and an aspect ratio of 18:9. The Moto G6 Plus might launch in two variants in India, one with 4GB RAM and 64GB internal storage and the other with 6GB RAM and 128GB internal storage. The SoC on the G6 Plus 6GB variant is allegedly going to be the Snapdragon 660 ( for the Indian market) along with the Adreno 512 GPU.
The innovation in the smartphone industry has picked up the pace in the recent years. If 2018 is anything to go by, then the next few years will be very exciting for any smartphone enthusiast. So, stay tuned to iGyaan to also catch the latest tech news and trends.
Considering the fact that, the Galaxy Note8 was launched in September 2017 the launch of the Samsung Galaxy Note9 is not due until the end of 2018. Rumours about the Galaxy Note9 suggest that the smartphone will have new features like truly wireless charging and an In-Screen fingerprint sensor. Now, a leaked image appears to corroborate with the rumours of an In-Screen fingerprint sensor. The photo has been apparently taken in Shenzen (China) and is being compared with the Samsung Galaxy S9.
On the front, the device has a wider display, compared to the Galaxy S9. Additionally, the bottom bezel looks much thinner than the one found on the S9. However, unlike most smartphone makers, the company has decided to retain the top bezel instead of opting for a notch. On the back, the phone has a dual camera setup with a couple of sensors.
If this image turns out to be legitimate, then the smartphone is likely to have a bigger display in a smaller footprint. The Note9 will also have a 3850 mAh battery, which is much larger than previous Samsung flagships. The S-Pen looks similar to the previous one found on the Note8. The phone has a large OLED display, with a probable screen size of 6.5 inch. Like most of the Samsung flagship devices, the device will have a QHD+ resolution display.
The Galaxy Note9 will either be powered by the Snapdragon 845 or the Exynos 9810 chipset similar to the Galaxy S9/S9+. The Geekbench listing confirms some of the key specifications of the device. According to the listing, the smartphone will have 6GB RAM which runs on Android 8.1 Oreo. The smartphone will have a dual camera setup similar to the Galaxy S9+.
To be launched in the third quarter of 2018, the Samsung Galaxy Note9 will succeed the highly successful Samsung Galaxy Note8. So far, there have been rumours about the flagship device to feature an in-display fingerprint sensor. A Samsung patent has revealed that the smartphone might also feature truly wireless charging capabilities although, it seems a bit far-fetched as of now.
Samsung recently launched the Galaxy S9/S9+ in India and the company is already gearing up for its upcoming Note flagship smartphone launch. According to a report, the company will launch the Galaxy Note9 in the month of July, that is 2 months before the usual launch date. According to the report, Samsung usually starts manufacturing display units for its Note series of the smartphone in June. However, this time around, the company will start the manufacturing of the display panels in the early April. So, the Note flagship is coming sooner than the expected date.
One more reason for this earlier launch is to compete against Apple’s three upcoming iPhone models. The report also claims that the Note9 will miss out on an In-Screen fingerprint sensor as the technology was not up to Samsung’s quality standards. However, smartphone makers like Oppo, Vivo, and Huawei have already launched a smartphone with an In-Screen fingerprint sensor.
Samsung Galaxy Note9 Specs
The Samsung Galaxy Note 9 is listed on Geekbench with a model number SM-N960U. The company will manufacture the Galaxy Note 9 in two variants. One variant will feature Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 and an Exynos 9810 variant similar to the Galaxy S9/S9+. The Geekbench listing confirms some of the key specifications of the device. According to the listing, the smartphone will have a Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 Octa-core chipset with 6GB RAM. Additionally, the smartphone scores 2190 points on the single core and 8809 points and multi-core performance. The score is similar to the other smartphones running on the Snapdragon 845 processor. Additionally, the listing confirms that the device runs on Android 8.1 Oreo with Samsung Experience UI 9.
Samsung Galaxy Note series is the most premium line of smartphones from the South Korean smartphone company. After the Note 7 fiasco, the company launched the Galaxy Note8 to great critical reception. Now, a Samsung smartphone with model number SM-N960U has been listed on Geekbench. Considering the model number of the Galaxy Note8 (SM-N950U) this looks like the upcoming Galaxy Note 9.
Samsung Galaxy Note9 Specs
Samsung will manufacture the Galaxy Note 9 in two variants. One variant will feature Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 and an Exynos 9810 variant similar to the Galaxy S9/S9+. The Geekbench listing confirms some of the key specifications of the device. According to the listing, the smartphone will have a Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 Octa-core chipset with 6GB RAM. Additionally, the smartphone scores 2190 points on the single core and 8809 points and multi-core performance. The score is similar to the other smartphones running on the Snapdragon 845 processor. Additionally, the listing confirms that the device runs on Android 8.1 Oreo with Samsung Experience UI 9.
Features like truly wireless charging and an In-Screen fingerprint sensor might feature on the Note 9. However, few reports are vary about the Note9 having an In-Screen fingerprint sensor. Samsung’s optical fingerprint sensor was imperfect due to uneven screen brightness. The area containing the fingerprint reader appeared brighter than the rest of the screen, which is why it eventually couldn’t make it to the Galaxy Note8.
Samsung is known to introduce new features on its Galaxy Note lineup. The company introduced Iris scanner on the Galaxy Note 7 and the Note 8 was the first Samsung smartphone to have dual primary camera setup. Similarly, the company might incorporate Over the Air (OTA) wireless charging on the Galaxy Note 9.
Over The Air Wireless Charging
The company had registered a patent in 2016, which explains this technology. The OTA wireless charging works differently from the present generation wireless charging. In the conventional form of wireless charging, the charging pad surface has to touch the back of the smartphone to transfer charge. However, the devices with OTA wireless charging support starts to charge, as soon as one enters into the perimeter. This means the device can charge being inside your trouser pocket.
The device with this technology will use an algorithm that focuses energy on a device, inside the OTA charging enabled room. The technology will be capable of charging the device, even if the object is moving. Additionally, this technology uses reflectors to send the power signal, which can bypass certain barriers.
This will be a breakthrough technology, which can change the way that we use and charge our smartphones. The transition from a wired-charging to OTA-wireless charging will be similar to the transition from landline to wireless phones. However, the technology is still in its nascent stage and might take at 3-4 years to come to fruition.
The under-the-display fingerprint scanner is now a real thing, thanks to the Vivo X20 Plus UD. The Samsung Galaxy Note8 was widely expected to be the first-ever device with this technology. However, for some reasons only known to Samsung, that did not happen. A few days ago, it was rumoured that the Galaxy Note9 will finally implement this technology. However, according to recent rumours, Samsung has decided not to implement this technology.
The report claims Samsung has stopped working on this technology for an unknown reason. Therefore, the Korean tech giant will stick with the rear-mounted scanner like the Samsung Galaxy Note 8.
Theoretically, to implement this technology the device must have OLED display (doesn’t work on IPS LCD) with a capacitive touchscreen. The scanner sits behind the display. (accesses fingerprint through a semi-transparent layer).
Possible reason:
Samsung might go with the Quantum-dot display technology instead of OLED, which makes it impossible to implement this technology. Which might have made an exclusive deal with Vivo that prevents other smartphone manufacturers to implement this technology.
The technical difficulties in the manufacturing these chips might be it. An earlier report claimed that Samsung didn’t want to rely on Synaptics and wanted the in-screen fingerprint sensor of the Galaxy Note9 to be based on its own technology. However, it might have run into some trouble which made it drop the technology altogether.
Cumbersome Placement of the Fingerprint sensor placement on the Galaxy S8 and Galaxy Note8
Another reason for this decision could be Apple. Apple has already confirmed that it believes Face ID is the future. In order to compete with Apple and it face ID tech, Samsung could implement better facial/iris recognition in the Galaxy Note9.
Conclusion:
A recent report, the Samsung Galaxy Note 9 will feature the under-the-display fingerprint scanner. Now, a new report completely disapproves the last report. Finally, Samsung might implement this feature on Samsung Galaxy S X or Samsung Galaxy Note X.
2017 has been a hugely successful year for Samsung Mobile, and with the popularity of the iPhone X, Samsung Components division is about to make a lot of money, too. This year saw the rise of three great flagship smartphones from Samsung, the Galaxy S8, Galaxy S8+ and the Galaxy Note8. With barely any flaws to point out, the three phones have become hugely popular thanks to the display, design and camera performance. One blemish, on otherwise great devices, is the placement of the fingerprint sensor. All of this might change with the Galaxy Note9 in 2018. Report suggests Samsung has filed for a patent with KIPRIS, South Korea’s patent office, for a pressure-sensitive in-display fingerprint reader which may debut on one of its upcoming flagship smartphone in 2018.
After a lot of complaints pertaining to the awkward placement of the fingerprint sensor on Samsung’s 2017 flagship smartphone lineup, consumers might be able to experience the in-display fingerprint sensor in the Samsung Galaxy Note9 in 2018. Samsung had developed an optical fingerprint reader that was tested on the Galaxy Note8 but, it turned out to be imperfect due to uneven screen brightness. The area containing the fingerprint reader appeared brighter than the rest of the screen, which is why it eventually couldn’t make it to the Galaxy Note8.
This falls in line with the report from Ming Chi Kuo from KGI Securities who said that the Galaxy Note9, and not the Galaxy S9 will feature the pressure sensitive in-display fingerprint sensor. Time will tell how much Samsung has progressed with this new technology and rest assured, by the time Samsung launches the Galaxy Note9, the South Korean conglomerate will not be the only smartphone maker with this feature in its smartphone.
