As a loyal Samsung Note user, I waited to make sure that the newest phone wasn’t going to catch on fire before I upgraded from my Galaxy 7 to the newest Note 9. At a high price point of $1,000, I wanted to make sure that it would truly deliver everything it promised, and I can honestly say that I have not been disappointed. Here are some of my takeaways after a week with my new phone.
Pros
1. Dazzling Design
Not only does this phone come in beautiful colors like the lovely lavender I got, a sleek looking silver, or the coolest blue, but the display for graphics for games and streaming videos is better than I’ve ever seen. Samsung has found a way to include a water fiber cooling system to prevent overheating, so you can rely on this phone not to catch on fire or randomly get warm in the middle of the day.
2. A Battery that Battles Through for You
So many phones have promised a 24-hour battery life, but the small print says that it’s on standby mode. That is not the case with the Note 9, which has a screen that always seems to be on to display the time. I went out of my way to test this feature; from 3 p.m. Friday to 3 p.m. Saturday, I did not charge my phone, and the battery went above and beyond my expectations.
At 3 p.m. on Friday, I set out for a little trip up to Gainesville at 89% battery life. From utilizing the GPS for two and a half hours to using Bluetooth for Spotify in my car and binge-watching the newest season of Younger on Hulu, this phone endured the full 24-hours. In addition to me staying up until 2 a.m., all of the Snapchats, and the fact that by 3 p.m. Saturday, my battery life remained above 40%, this phone has a battery life to rival all of the rest.
3. A Scintillating New S-Pen
The thing that I missed most when switching from my Note 3 to the Galaxy 7 was the S-Pen. I’m that person that loved handwriting all of my notes, and I’m very happy with all the new upgrades. It’s smooth and responsive. I especially love the Bluetooth feature on the pen allows me to convert my Note into a tripod and a remote-controlled speaker. With a click of the pen, I can take a photo of myself without bothering a stranger to take it for me, or skip a track that I don’t like.
4. Captivating Camera
I’m not going to claim to be an expert photographer or anything crazy, but I really appreciate the artificial intelligence that makes me feel like I am. It might take a minute to focus, but the camera will automatically adjust itself depending on what its subject is.
For example, the camera lens will automatically adjust to the lighting. I loved the photos I took in low-light as a result. The camera also changes depending on if it detects a face, food or landscape. I especially love that if I’m taking a selfie, I can just hold my hand in the camera frame and it’ll take without me having to press a button.
5. Fortnite for the Gamers
When Samsung launched the newest Note, they announced a partnership with Fortnite as their official phone carrier. The result is that Samsung phones are the safest way to play the game when you’re out and about, which is something that reduces my paranoia when I’m playing on the go. Not only that, but the graphics for playing the game are better than I’ve experienced with any Apple product.
Cons
As much as I love having my new phone, I am also able to see some of the flaws (beyond not having iMessage). However, there are flaws in any device.
The first flaw is that it’s pricey at $1,000, and while it’s equal to that of the newest iPhone, that’s very pricey for a college student. The design isn’t that much different from older Notes, but only of little peeves with the phone is the Edge screen on it, which the pen will awkwardly slide off of when I’m writing. That wasn’t a problem when I had the Note 3.
There are also other design flaws. The fingerprint reader is next to the camera, which is weird placement in my opinion. I also will accidentally hit the Bixby button while trying to change the volume of the phone, which is annoying because of the unintentional switch in apps.
Overall, the upgrade was worth it for me. I’ve been a dedicated Samsung Note user since I got my first one, and going from a 3 to a 9 was a drastic change. Other users who have newer phones would probably not appreciate the upgrades as much as I did, but I’m very in love with my phone. I would recommend the change to anyone who can afford it.