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Samsung Galaxy Note 9 vs Galaxy S9+: What’s different?

In our comparison on the Samsung Galaxy S9+ and Galaxy Note 8, we’ve recommended that users should just have to wait for the Samsung Galaxy Note 9 before upgrading their phones. Now that it has officially launched, it’s high time we compare the two devices, the Galaxy S9+ and Note 9, and see what’s different.

The Samsung Galaxy Note 9 is the latest flagship smartphone from the Note series. It sports a 6.4-inch Super AMOLED display with 2960 x 1440 resolution, an Exynos 9810 octa-core processor, 6GB/8GB RAM, 128GB/512GB internal storage, dual 12MP rear cameras, 8MP front, and 4,000mAh battery with fast charging and wireless charging capabilities.

The Samsung Galaxy S9+ is also a flagship device but from the S-series, sporting a 6.2-inch Super AMOLED display with 2960 x 1440 resolution, same Exynos 9810 chipset, 6GB RAM, 64GB/128GB/256GB internal storage, dual 12MP rear cameras, 8MP front, and 3,500mAh battery with the same capabilities.

Here are their detailed specs:

Specs	Samsung Galaxy Note9	Samsung Galaxy S9+
Display	6.34-inch Super AMOLED WQHD+ (2960 x 1440), 514ppi	6.2-inch Super AMOLED WQHD+ (2960 x 1440),, 531ppi
Screen protection	Corning Gorilla Glasss (version not scpecified)	Gorilla Glass 5 (back and front)
CPU	Samsung Exynos 9810 Octa octa-core (4x 2.7 GHz Exynos M3 & 4x 1.8 GHz Cortex-A55) CPU	Samsung Exynos 9810 octa-core 4 x 2.9GHz Custom CPU + 4 x 1.9GHz ARM Cortex A55
GPU	Mali-G72 MP18	Mali G72-MP18
RAM	6GB/8GB	6GB
Storage	128GB/512GB internal storage	64GB/128GB/256GB internal storage
Expandable Storage	expandable via microSD up to 512GB (uses SIM 2 slot)	expandable via microSD up to 400GB (uses SIM 2 slot)
Rear Camera	12MP f/1.5-f/2.4 dual pixel, OIS, 2x optical zoom, telephoto 12MP f/2.4 dual pixel, OIS, wide-angle Dual-tone, dual-LED flash	12MP f/1.5-f/2.4 dual pixel, OIS, 2x optical zoom, telephoto 12MP f/2.4 dual pixel, OIS, wide-angle Dual-tone, dual-LED flash
Video Recording	2160p@30fps video recording, Slow-mo 960fps @ 720p	2160p@30fps video recording, Slow-mo 960fps @ 720p
Front Camera	8MP f/1.7 front-facing camera	8MP f/1.7 front-facing camera
Connectivity	4G LTE Cat. 18 6CA 1.2Gbps 256QAM 4x4 MIMO	4G LTE Cat. 18 6CA 1.2Gbps
SIM	Dual SIM (nano, hybrid)	Dual SIM (nano, hybrid)
Wi-Fi	WiFi 802.11a/b/g/n/ac	WiFi 802.11ac
Bluetooth	Bluetooth 5.0, A2DP, LE, aptX	Bluetooth 5.0, A2DP, LE, aptX
NFC	NFC	NFC
GPS	GPS with aGPS, GLONASS, BeiDou	GPS with aGPS, GLONASS, BeiDou
USB	USB Type-C	USB Type-C
Sensors	-Fingerprint Scanner -Iris Scanner -Heart-Rate Sensor -Face Recognition Scanner	-Fingerprint Scanner -Iris Scanner -Heart-Rate Sensor -Face Recognition Scanner
Features	-Bixby Vision 2.0 -Heatpipe cooling -IP68 dust and water-resistance -S-Pen with Bluetooth remote control capabilities -Samsung Dex built-in	-Bixby Vision 2.0 -IP68 dust and water-resistance
Audio	Dual AKG speakers, Dolby ATMOS	Dual AKG speakers, Dolby ATMOS
Audio Port	3.5mm audio port	3.5mm audio port
OS	Samsung Experience v9.5 (Android 8.1 Oreo)	Samsung Experience v9.0 (Android 8.0 Oreo)
Battery	4,000mAh battery w/ Fast Charge, Wireless Charging	3,500 Li-Po battery USB Type-C Fast Charge, Wireless Charging

Here are the advantages of each smartphone:

Samsung Galaxy Note 9

Larger screen size
up to 512GB internal storage
up to 8GB RAM
Refined AI camera capabilities
S-pen
Samsung Dex built-in
Heatpipe cooling
Android 8.1 Oreo out-of-the-box
Larger Battery capacity

Samsung Galaxy S9+

Higher pixel density

The Note 9 has the upper-hand in terms of screen size as it is larger than the S9+’s, however, the latter gives off a higher pixel density due to its smaller display. But in terms of viewing experience, the former is the better pick.

Both smartphones have the same chipset, however, when we tested them using the AnTuTu benchmark app, the S9+ yielded a slightly higher score than the Note 9 but in terms of real-world performance, the difference in scores won’t matter.

The setup for both cameras are practically the same but the Note 9 has improved AI capabilities than the S9+. Check out the sample our sample shots here: (Galaxy Note 9 and Galaxy S9+)

The battery capacity is where the Note 9 shines. It is definitely larger (by 500mAh) compared to the S9+’s. In our video loop test, the former was able to provide 20 hours of playback while the latter only lasted for 16 hours.

The Samsung Galaxy Note 9’s price starts at Php55,990USD 954INR 80,883EUR 909CNY 6,948 while the Samsung Galaxy S9+’s price starts at Php45,990USD 784INR 66,437EUR 746CNY 5,707.

Check out more stories from our Samsung Galaxy Note 9 coverage:

Samsung Galaxy Note 9 now official!

Samsung Galaxy Note 9 price, release date in the Philippines

Samsung Galaxy Note 9 review

Watch: Samsung Galaxy Note 9 Hands-On Review

Samsung Galaxy Note 9 vs Galaxy Note 8: What changed?

9 Best Features of the Samsung Galaxy Note 9