Samsung Launched the Galaxy Note 9, But Is it Worth the $1,000 Price Tag?

Samsung has unveiled some major technology this week.  Including – its new Galaxy Home smart speaker, a Galaxy Watch wearable, and a high-end Note 9.  The Note 9 features some updates to the previous version including a Bluetooth-enabled S Pen stylus, a higher capacity battery, and a slightly bigger display.  While a sold product, the Note 9 isn’t exactly something big and majorly innovative.  The question that many are asking now is whether or not Samsung is saving the good stuff for their next flagship phone in 2019?  Many consumers, I’m sure, are wondering what the difference between the Note 8 and the Note 9 is. And whether or not it’s worth the $1,000 price tag.

Display

• Galaxy Note 9 – 6.4-inch, 18.5:9 aspect ratio, Super AMOLED, 1440 x 2960 pixels (516 ppi pixel density), 83.4% screen-to-body ratio, HDR10 compliant, Corning Gorilla Glass 5
• Galaxy Note 8 – 6.3-inch, 18.5:9 aspect ratio, Super AMOLED, 1440 x 2960 pixels (521 ppi pixel density), 83.2% screen-to-body ratio, HDR10 compliant, Corning Gorilla Glass 5

Size

If you were to hand someone a Galaxy Note 9, and then a Galaxy Note 8, it would be very difficult for someone to tell them apart.  There are very slight differences in terms of size and weight:

• Galaxy Note 9 – 161.9 x 76.4 x 8.8 mm (6.37 x 3.01 x 0.35 in), 201 g (7.09 oz)
• Galaxy Note 8 – 162.5 x 74.8 x 8.6 mm (6.40 x 2.94 x 0.34 in), 195 g (6.88 oz)

Camera

The Galaxy Note 9 features the same hardware as the Galaxy S9 Plus.  This means dual 12MP rear cameras with a primary dual aperture lens which shifts between F2.4 and F1.5. While the Note 8 is stuck with a standard F1.7 sensor.

Fingerprint Reader

The Galaxy Note 9’s fingerprint reader is now located below the rear cameras.  This is an improvement from the Galaxy Note 8, which had the sensor right next to the camera lens.  This means your fingerprints are less likely to smudge the camera, given the new placement.  While this is a good location, an even better location would be within or beneath the display.

Cost

But what about the cost?  When Apple announced that the iPhone X was going to cost people around $1,000, everyone went nuts.  How can they expect anyone to pay that much for a phone?  Well, they did expect it, and people did pay that so now we live in a world where a mobile phone can cost more than a mortgage or car payment.  But what people want to know is if its worth the price.  I think the answer is yes.  Think about all the things that you can now do with a phone, that you couldn’t even five years ago.  It’s not just a phone.  It’s the internet in your pocket.  It’s your ability to document your life with a built-in camera.  It’s your lifeline for almost everything, and can you put a price on that?

What you might be surprised to find out is that the 512 GB, Galaxy Note 9 will actually cost $1,250. When the Galaxy Note 8 launched last year, it cost $950 for 64 GB, which means that the 128 GB that you’re getting this year, for $1,000 is actually quite an upgrade.  And isn’t storage what these phones are all about?  I mean, I used to have an iPhone with 16 GB of storage.  I was constantly deleting apps and photos etc., just so that I could operate my phone.  We’ve come along way from those days, and that’s why I think spending money on these devices isn’t necessarily a bad thing.  We are definitely at the mercy of the manufacturers though, but they’ve literally given us something that we can’t live without.