Samsung already confirmed the existence of the unreleased Galaxy Note 9 in October 2017, and it’s likely to be unveiled at the company’s Unpacked Event on August 9 in New York City.
But there’s been a recent flurry of new leaks and rumors about the Galaxy Note 9, all of which give us a better idea of what to expect when it comes to the upcoming smartphone’s design, features, and functions.
- The Galaxy Note 9 will be announced in August.
Samsung sent out press invites to its August 9 Unpacked Event in NYC, where it’s firmly expected that the company will announce the Galaxy Note 9.
- Samsung’s invite suggests the new Galaxy Note 9 could come in vibrant color options.
The vibrant yellow S Pen pictured in Samsung’s Unpacked press invitation suggests that Samsung could make the Note 9 available in vibrant colors.
- The design of the Galaxy Note 9 has been “leaked” several times already.
Photos that supposedly show the Galaxy Note 9 were recently leaked, and they seem fairly convincing when you consider the previous rumors that the Galaxy Note 9 will largely look very similar to the Galaxy Note 8.
- The Galaxy Note 9 could have an invisible fingerprint sensor embedded underneath the phone’s display.
This is the biggest rumor about the Galaxy Note 9 so far. Various sources, including a historically reliable gadgets leaker only known as “Ice Universe,” have said the Galaxy Note 9 will feature an invisible fingerprint scanner underneath the display.
- A new Samsung skin over Android.
Ice Universe mentioned a “Crown UX,” which suggests the Galaxy Note 9 might come with a brand-new skin, which Samsung uses to differentiate its smartphones from other devices running Android software. It’s not clear if the Crown UX will be a major overhaul of the current Experience UX skin that Samsung uses on the Galaxy S9. The Galaxy Note skins are usually a little different to Galaxy S skins to accommodate features designed around the S-Pen stylus.
- Samsung said the S-Pen will be improved, and fresh rumors about its capabilities have been released.
Samsung said in an interview (with itself in its own newsroom blog) that it’s looking to improve the S-Pen in the Galaxy Note 9. The company didn’t go into specifics, which is unfortunate as we’d expect improvements in any new model. A fresh rumor posted on the XDA-Developers website suggests that the S Pen will be able to control your music, act as a remote shutter button for the camera, remotely unlock the Galaxy Note 9, and will feature several new functions within apps based on different combinations of pressing the S Pen’s button.
- A bigger battery.
Gadget leaker Ice Universe made an earlier claim that the Galaxy Note 9 will sport a large 3,850 mAh battery compared to the 3,300 mAh battery in the Galaxy Note 8. A newer rumor based on documents from Antel, the Brazilian telecommunications regulatory body, posted on Slashleaks suggests that the Galaxy Note 9 will sport an even larger 4,000mAh battery. That extra capacity may not bring the multi-day battery life we all crave in smartphones, but it could at least offer more confidence when it comes to the Galaxy Note 9’s battery life.
- An improved camera.
One of the Galaxy Note 9’s highlights will apparently include its camera, according to Ice Universe. Rumors surrounding the Galaxy Note 9’s camera are scant, and we’re pretty much expecting a similar dual-lens setup like the Galaxy Note 8 and Galaxy S9, with perhaps some minor tweaks and improvements.
- Bixby 2.0.
Samsung already told ZDNet that it’ll probably introduce a new and improved version of Bixby with the Galaxy Note 9. The improvements include a more natural-sounding voice for the Bixby voice assistant itself, more availability on other smart devices like TVs, appliances, and smart speakers. We hope it’ll come with a lot more improvements, as Bixby is currently lagging far behind Amazon’s Alexa and Google’s Assistant when it comes to overall usefulness.
- Samsung may announce a wireless charging pad that can charge two devices at the same time at its Unpacked Event.
Samsung is reportedly announcing a wireless charging pad that can charge two devices like a smartphone and a smartwatch at the same time.
The device is supposedly called the “Wireless Charger Duo.”