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

The Bluetooth S Pen is a remarkable innovation and a cherished feature for users who like the Note series. But while the Galaxy Note 9 packs a few distinguished goodies, some aspects have remained unchanged as compared to its older sibling, Galaxy Note 8; for instance, the design, front fascia and camera placement. Samsung’s near six-months old flagship model, Galaxy S9+ had a similar thoroughfare as the Note 9. The core aspects of both the Note 9 and Galaxy S9+ are nearly similar; however, both the devices have features that can beat each other in a few areas. In case you were waiting for Samsung’s new flagship handset launch, and are almost riveted to bag one, here are a few differences between the Galaxy Note 9 and S9+ that you can check and decide which high-end offering from Samsung’s smartphone shelf to pick. The comparison is strictly based on specifications and pricing.

Samsung Galaxy Note 9 vs Galaxy S9+: Design and display

The design language on the Galaxy Note 9 is nearly identical to last year’s Galaxy Note 8. The brand new Note handset features the similar rectangular shaped design with curved edges and minimal bezels on both sides of the phone. The fingerprint sensor, however, is replaced from right side to the bottom portion below the dual rear cameras. The new Galaxy Note 9 is 8.8mm thick and weighs 201 g. Meanwhile, Samsung Galaxy S9+ follows footsteps of Galaxy S8+ clad in metal and glass with curved edge-to-edge display. While dual camera sensors on the Note 9 are aligned horizontally, the camera modules on the Galaxy S9+ are stacked vertically and fingerprint sensor placed below the sensors. The former is a bit curvier and has slightly thinner bezels than the latter.

Also Read: Samsung Galaxy Note 9’s S Pen as a remote: Here’s everything you can do

In terms of display, Samsung has slightly increased the screen size from 6.3-inch on Galaxy Note 8 to 6.4-inch on the new Galaxy Note 9. The new Note handset bears a Quad HD+ display with 2,960 x 1,440 pixels stretched across the panel, resulting in a pixel density of 516 ppi. The display on the Note 9 has an aspect ratio of 18.5:9. In comparison, Galaxy S9+ features a slightly smaller 6.2-inch Super AMOLED display with similar resolution and aspect ratio as the Note 9. However, the pixel density on the Galaxy S9+ is a bit higher at 529ppi.

Samsung Galaxy Note 9 vs Galaxy S9+: Processing hardware and storage

Although Samsung made minimal overhaul on the design front, the company did upgrade and pick the latest hardware for its new flagship device. Samsung Galaxy Note 9 is powered by Qualcomm’s high-end Snapdragon 845 processor or their proprietary Exynos 9810 octa-core chipset. The base model comes with 6GB of RAM and 128GB internal storage, while the top-end version offers a massive 8GB RAM and 512GB storage. There is a microSD card slot that comes with addition 512GB memory support, which means you will get more than 1TB of storage locally. As for the Galaxy S9+, it carries the same processing hardware as the Note 9, however, the peak internal storage option on the phone is half of that of the brand new Note device. Samsung Galaxy S9+ comes with 6GB RAM paired with either 64GB, 128GB or 256GB storage. The Indian version came with two storage configuration – 64GB and 128GB of native storage. The storage on the S9+ too is expandable up to 512GB using microSD card.

Samsung Galaxy Note 9 offers a massive 512GB internal storage

Samsung Galaxy Note 9 vs Galaxy S9+: Camera

Over the past few years, Samsung has put an earnest effort in the imaging segment. The Galaxy Note offers premium class camera experience and zooming capabilities. The new Galaxy Note 9 features 12MP dual camera units with optical image stabilisation (OIS) on both the sensors. The 12MP wide-angle primary sensor comes with Dual-Pixel Autofocus and variable aperture of f1.5 and f/2.4. The secondary 12MP telephoto lens has f/2.4 aperture. The camera lens on the Note 9 support 2x optical zoom and up to 10x digital zoom. Samsung has upgraded the 4K video recording capability to 60fps as compared to 30fps on the Galaxy Note 8. There is software intelligence implemented on the camera lens for scene and flaw detection. The cameras on the Note 9 offer a new scene optimiser feature that automatically enhances photos, detects a scene and tunes it. The new Note handset can detect 20 different scenes. At the front, the phone has an 8MP camera sensor.

Also Read: Samsung Galaxy S9+ review

If you recall, Samsung introduced the variable aperture mode on the Galaxy S9 series this year. The Galaxy S9+ features Samsung’s Dual Pixel sensors having 12MP units with variable aperture too. The camera algorithm measures the amount of light available in the surrounding and switches the primary sensor’s aperture to either f/1.5 or f/2.4. The secondary sensor meanwhile comes with 2x optical zoom and 1/3.6” sensor size. Up front, it features an 8MP camera sensor with auto-focus and f/1.7 aperture. In short, the camera setups on the S9+ and Note 9 are fairly similar.

Samsung Galaxy S9+ features 12MP dual camera units with variable aperture

Samsung Galaxy Note 9 vs Galaxy S9+: Price in India

Samsung Galaxy Note 9 can be purchased in India starting at Rs 67,900 for the 6GB RAM/128GB storage variant, going as high as Rs 84,900 for the 8GB RAM/512MB storage variant. Samsung Galaxy S9+ is currently available for Rs 58,500 for the 6GB RAM/64GB storage variant, while the 6GB RAM/128GB storage variant is listed at Rs 64,900. That’s still Rs 3000 cheaper than the base variant of the Note 9 with similar memory configuration.

Samsung Galaxy Note 9 vs Galaxy S9+: Battery, software and other features

One remarkable improvement on Samsung’s new handset from the Note series is the battery capacity. Samsung Galaxy Note 9 pegs a huge 4,000mAh battery which is a significant upgrade over its predecessor that carries a 3,300mAh battery. The new Note handset is said to offer a day’s worth of battery life comfortably. Galaxy Note 9 offers wireless charging with support for Qi wireless charging standard. Meanwhile, Galaxy S9+ packs a 3,500mAh non-removable battery with fast charging Quick Charge 2.0 technology.

On the software front, both Galaxy Note 9 and Galaxy S9+ run Android Oreo OS with the in-house Experience UI skin on top. Both the handsets include Dex mode support that allows the phone to be used as trackpad or mouse. Galaxy S9+ feature ‘Intelligent Scan’ that uses iris scanning to open important apps such as banking apps that demand ‘higher level of security.’ Samsung’s integrated AR Emoji feature on the Galaxy S9+ allows users to capture an image and create a 3D character.

Also Read: Samsung Galaxy Note 9 India launch on August 22: Details on price, specifications

In a nutshell, Samsung has made subtle changes internally on the Galaxy Note 9 as compared to the Galaxy S9+. In case you want a bigger display, an enhanced S Pen for sketches, and longer battery life, the Note 9 can be an ideal pick. For those who prefer a bright display, good imaging sensors and decent battery life all packed in a more compact phone, they can consider the Samsung Galaxy S9+.