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Samsung Galaxy Note9 vs Samsung Galaxy Note8

Compare two flagship Galaxy Note devices from Samsung.

Nick Broughall
Nick Broughall

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Samsung Galaxy Note9

Samsung Galaxy Note 8
Product Name Samsung Galaxy Note9 Samsung Galaxy Note 8
Display size 6.4 6.3
Operating system Android 8 Android 7
Height (mm) 161.9 162.5
Width (mm) 76.4 74.8
Depth (mm) 8.8 8.6
Weight (g) 201 195
Battery size (mAh) 4,000 3,300
Front camera (1) megapixels 8 8
Rear camera (1) megapixels 12 12
Rear camera (2) megapixels 12 12
Water Resistance IP68 IP68
Wi-Fi connectivity 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac
Network Category Speed Category 18 Category 16

Note9 vs Note8: What to look for

Samsung all but carved out the big-screen smartphone market when it launched the original Galaxy Note in 2011. While there have been some fairly massive challenges along the way (we're looking at you, global recall of the Note 7), it has remained one of the company's most successful product lines.

Comparing the new Galaxy Note9 against its predecessor the Galaxy Note8 is an obvious comparison to make when looking to choose a Note smartphone.

Performance

The key improvements from a hardware perspective are the increase in battery life from 3,300mAh in the Note8 to 4,000mAh in the Note9 and the boosting of internal storage from 64GB to 128GB for the base model (and up to 512GB for the premium version).

Under the hood, Samsung has naturally upgraded the processor to a newer version of its Exynos chip, while the cellular connectivity has also been given an upgrade to support Category 18 speeds in the Note9 versus the Category 16 speeds of the Note8. If you need a rundown on what that actually means, we have a handy guide to Category speeds that is well worth reading.

Features

What the specs above don't convey are the improvements to the S-Pen, Samsung's bundled-in stylus. This time around, Samsung has added Bluetooth Low Energy connectivity, giving the Galaxy Note9 a much more versatile range of functions from camera remote shutter to PowerPoint presenter.

But while the differences are there, the Note8 is still a well-specced device worthy of consideration, despite its age. The IP68 water resistance rating is consistent and the design hasn't changed dramatically.

Price

Where the Note8 now has the advantage is in its price, with discounted pricing available on outright purchase from a number of stores. You can check our weekly bargain phones round-up to see when the Note8 is being discounted.

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