Samsung Galaxy Note 9: The phone that redefines innovation
On Thursday, Samsung launched the Galaxy Note 9, marking its last flagship device release before March 2019. Priced at $1,000, the Note 9 is Samsung's best bet against the new iPhones and Pixel 3 devices, which are scheduled for launch later this year. With this in mind, Samsung seems to have upped the ante. Here, we explore some extraordinary features of the Note 9.
With new functionalities, S Pen doubles up as remote controller
The new-and-improved S Pen is possibly the Note 9's stand-out feature. While the S Pen still offers its earlier functionalities like drawing, writing etc., Samsung has added a lot of new functionalities to the stylus' Bluetooth button. Long-pressing the button opens the camera app, double pressing changes between selfie and rear camera modes, and another click takes a photo, allowing for remote camera operation. In essence, it now acts like a remote controller.
Charging the S Pen only takes a minute
The new S Pen lasts a considerable 30 minutes or 200 clicks on a single charge, and charging takes only about a minute when the stylus is re-inserted into the Note 9's holster. Additionally, the S Pen comes in yellow, purple, copper and white colors.
Only drawback: There's no 'Find my S Pen' feature
Interestingly, the context of clicks changes with the app you're in. For instance, the Bluetooth button might be used to play/pause and change songs on Spotify, advance PowerPoint slides during a presentation etc. Furthermore, Samsung plans to open up its software development kit (SDK) to developers in a bid to add even more functionality to it. However, if you lose your stylus, there's no locating feature.
Fun fact: The S Pen jots notes in colored inks
For those leaning towards aesthetic note jotting, the S Pen allows notes to be jotted down on the Note 9's lock screen. Notably, the S Pen replicates its own color when taking notes, so you can take rather pretty, colorful notes.
Samsung finally has a easy, practical DeX functionality
Another noteworthy feature is the new DeX functionality. Since the Galaxy S8, Samsung has been trying to turn its smartphones into pseudo-desktops, but those efforts never met with much success. Enter DeX for the Galaxy Note 9. Instead of having to dock your Note 9 to a separate device, Samsung's desktop functionality now works with a simple HDMI-to-USB C type cable and any monitor.
The DeX functionality is more of a second screen experience
Understandably, the DeX functionality for the Galaxy Note 9 is more of a second screen experience than an attempt to mimic a desktop. The Note 9 still works normally in this mode, while the extra screen can be used to stream videos, give presentations and so on. You can use the Note 9 as a trackpad and virtual keyboard, or use Bluetooth accessories.
The Note 9's camera boasts impressive AI capabilities
Last, but not the least, comes the Note 9's camera. While the hardware remains the same as the Galaxy S9+, the Note 9's camera boasts impressive AI capabilities. The Note 9 comes with an option called 'Auto Scene Optimization' that automatically detects the subject matter of a photo (e.g. a landscape, a person, a dog, whatever) and optimizes saturation, white balance, contrast etc.
The Note 9 informs you about flaws in a photograph
Other noteworthy AI capabilities include the 'Flaw Detection' feature and an automatic 'Face Shape Correction' feature for distorted faces. The former detects if a photo is too blurry, too backlit, if someone blinked etc. and informs the user about the same in an unobtrusive way on the camera app. Meanwhile, the latter, literally corrects distortions. However, it's not known whether these corrections look natural.
