Samsung Galaxy Note 9 launch HIGHLIGHTS: Note 9, Galaxy Watch, Galaxy Home speaker unveiled

Samsung also announces a partnership with Spotify for feeding the new ecosystem. Will this also be Spotify’s entry into India? Spotify is now going to be on Samsung TVs and Galaxy Home devices, moving seamless from one device to the other.

Samsung Galaxy Home is powered by the company's voice-assistant Bixby. It sports a fabric design with three legs. It comes with AKG-tuned speakers and eight microphones for far field recognition. Do not expect it to come to India soon.

Samsung Galaxy Watch showcased at the event. The device will have LTE connection and it will be available in two sizes. Galaxy Watch will be water resistant. Galaxy Watch can last several days on a single charge, says the company. The new wireless charger duo can help charge the Watch along with the Note 9.

Samsung Galaxy Note 9 will be available in two new colours - Ocean Blue and Lavender Purple. The128GB Galaxy Note 9 variant will be available in the US in stores and online beginning August 24 for $999.99. The 512GB storage Galaxy Note 9 will be available at select retail locations and online starting August 24 for $1,249.99. Pre-orders will begin at 12:01 a.m. EDT on August 10.

The S Pen can now take photos by connecting wirelessly to the phone. It also controls video plays and even presentations. This is cool. 

The Samsung camera can now detect a flaw and notify the user. That’s a good use of AI. Also, there is 20 scene recognition and optimised colour tones.

AKG speakers will be loudest ever on a Note, says Samsung. To keep it cool for gamers, the Note 9 will come with new water-cooled carbon system.

Samsung Galaxy Note 9 will have a 128GB storage variant. Wow... there is a 512GB version which even has a 512GB external storage option. That’s a total of 1TB storage on the phone. The first in any phone. The phone packs a 10nm Snapdragon processor, but India will get Exynos again we guess. Yes, Fortnite is coming to the Note. The Fortnite beta is coming to Android this week, Galaxy devices owners to be first invitees.

"Note let’s you do more. So the screen is 6.4 inches, the largest ever on a Note device," says the company. A specialised diamond cutting technique gives the phone a modern look. The fingerprint scanner is now under the camera, which incidentally has gone horizontal.  The screen off memos now have colour, so does the S Pen in yellow. The largest ever battery on a Note at 4000 mAh. That should last a full day despite the screen.

Samsung makes a statement about the Note and its success over the years. DJ Koh is on stage. 'Loyalty to the Note,' will be the keyword for Samsung at the event. Koh says the Note forces users to break through barriers. “We have laid the foundation to move beyond smart devices to intelligent experiences,” says Samsung President DJ Koh.

15 minutes to go. There are still a lot of empty seats inside the huge Barclays Center venue. There is a lot of buzz that Samsung will announce more than just the Note 9. Will it be the Bixby speaker and a new Gear Watch?

Samsung Galaxy Note 9 is expected to sport the same Infinity display design that we saw on the Galaxy Note 8. The phone is said to come with a 6.4-inch SAMOLED display and 2K resolution. The phone will have a USB Type-C port for charging and Note 9 is likely to ditch a 3.5 mm headphone jack. The phone is said to come with IP68 water and dust-resistance, just like its predecessor.

All guests at Samsung's "Unpacked" event have been given LED wristbands. The light inside is blue. Yes, Samsung has something planned.

Samsung Galaxy Note 9 will be priced at Rs 72,990 for the base storage model,  according to a 91Mobiles report. Do note that the company itself has not made details of India launch, pricing, etc official and the report needs to be taken with a pinch of salt. Galaxy Note 9 will reportedly launch in India within a week of its global debut, between August 12 to August 16. The phone is said to go on sale in the first week of September.

Samsung is gearing up to launch its "Unpacked" event in New York at 11 AM local time. In India, the event starts at 8:30 PM. 

Samsung Galaxy Note 9 listing page is already live on Flipkart, suggesting the phone will be exclusive to the e-commerce site in India. People can click on the "Notify me" option to get notified when Note 9 becomes available. As per a report in 91Mobiles, the phone will be announced in India within a week and pre-orders will begin August 19. Of course, we will have to wait for official confirmation to know more.

Samsung Galaxy Note 9 will be officially unveiled at the company's "Unpacked" event in New York on August 9, which is today. The event starts at 11 AM local time, which is 8:30 PM in India. Samsung will stream the event live on its India website. Also, updates on Samsung's Facebook and Twitter pages will also be available.