14 DAY TRIAL // Samsung rushed to take the wraps off the new Galaxy Note 9 ahead of the 2018 iPhone generation, and now after trying it out, it all seems to be making sense for me.
First and foremost, by unveiling the Note 9 in early August, Samsung made sure that its new phablet would hit the market ahead of the revamped iPhones, technically getting pretty much all the attention.
This means not only press exposure, but also the many more potential buyers giving it a chance, especially as it’s supposed to be the best of the best in terms of Samsung phones.
Out of these potential buyers, some come from Apple’s ecosystem, and a number of them are current iPhone users. This is my case as well, though I must say from the very beginning that I’m using multiple devices at the same time for testing purposes. An iPhone X, however, has been my daily driver since launch.
But now after trying out the Note 9, I’m finally ready to say goodbye to the iPhone. I’m not sure this would be a long-time decision, as it partially depends on what Apple announces next week as well, but I consider the Note 9 the best alternative to the iPhone that I could get right now.
There are three main features of the Note 9 that convinced me it’s time to make the switch and, surprisingly for many, the camera and the other bling-blings are not among them.
Battery life
With a 4,000 mAh battery, the Note 9 is one of the best choices for people who can’t stay all day long in a place close to a charger.
Battery life has been impressive for me during the first two weeks with the Note 9. My average was 30 hours per charge, while the best I got was 40 hours with a single charge.
My screen on time typically exceeds 6 hours, but I’ve seen people on social media going as high as 8 hours of screen time per charge. This is without a doubt a major achievement, and given that the Note 9 comes with fast charge, it’s a mix without any compromises.
The Note 9 recharges from 0 to 100 percent in just 1 hour and 45 minutes, and it also supports wireless charging.
Performance and sound
Needless to say, as the company’s top phone at the moment, the Note 9 boasts only the best in terms of hardware, including a Snapdragon 845 chip in the US and 8 GB RAM on the 512 GB storage.
The stereo speakers, tuned by AKG, offer an unbelievable experience, especially when playing games, and thanks to the hardware setup mentioned above, there’s no slowdown. Not a single one.
The headphones that the Note 9 comes with in the box, also created by AKG, are again state-of-the-art. Crystal-clear sound, very comfortable, and still using the 3.5mm audio connector make them some of the best earphones I’ve ever tried on a smartphone.
The Android experience
This isn’t entirely specific to the Note 9, but after so much time in Apple’s walled garden, using Android is simply a breath of fresh air.
While everybody knows how different Android is from iOS, my favorite cup of tea is the app arsenal that I get for Android Auto. With CarPlay, my only choice in terms of navigation was Apple Maps, while on Android Auto, I can use anything from Google Maps to Waze.
The choice of audio apps for my car is also impressive on Android Auto, while on CarPlay I’m once again hitting Apple’s obsession for restrictions.
The Cupertino-based tech giant has promised to tune this approach in the future by allowing third-party apps on CarPlay, but for the time being, I can’t imagine going back to an iPhone with all these goodies around.