Samsung launches Galaxy Note 9 in India with 1 TB internal storage, S Pen

Priced at Rs 67,900 and Rs 84,900, both the variants will be available from August 24.

Samsung on Wednesday launched its premium Galaxy Note 9 smartphone in India that comes with an improved S Pen, intelligent camera, internal storage up to 1TB and a massive 4,000mAh battery.

Priced at Rs 67,900 and Rs 84,900 for the 6GB+128GB and 8GB+512GB variants, respectively, Galaxy Note 9 will be available in India at both offline and online channels starting August 24 -- the same day as worldwide.

"I am pleased to present Galaxy Note 9 on behalf of the 70,000 Samsung employees in India. Since Samsung entered the country in 1995, we have grown together with India and are now the most beloved mobile brand," DJ Koh, President and CEO of IT and Mobile Communications Division, Samsung Electronics, told reporters here.

The 6.4-inch device -- being manufactured at the world's largest mobile factory by Samsung in Noida -- comes in Midnight Black and Metallic Copper colour options, with matching S Pen. The Ocean Blue colour variant will come with a yellow S Pen.

ALSO READ: Samsung Galaxy Note 9: Five key features that make it a worthy upgrade

Consumers can avail cash back of Rs 6,000 via Paytm Mall or when they make a payment through HDFC bank credit and debit cards.

"They can also exchange their old smartphone, and avail an exchange bonus of Rs 6,000 through Samsung upgrade which is now available for other Android phones as well," Samsung said in a statement.

According to Asim Warsi, Senior Vice President, Mobile Business, Samsung India, Galaxy Note 9 is a powerful device built for people who expect more.

"For me, it combines the power of a laptop, media streaming device, power bank, external hard drive, gaming console, DSLR camera and a selfie stick. This is what it will deliver to every consumer who chooses to move up to the new Note," said Warsi.

Samsung Galaxy Note 9 (128 GB) will be available on the Airtel online store at a down payment of Rs 7,900 and an EMI of Rs 2,999 -- built-in with a monthly postpaid plan.

Vodafone customers on Samsung Galaxy Note 9 can enjoy free Netflix subscription for 12 months, on subscribing to Red postpaid plans of Rs 999 and above.

Customers using Jio can have a 30-day international roaming pack on Jio postpaid on Galaxy Note 9 for Rs 5,000.

The device that runs OS Android 8.1 (Oreo) has Samsung's very own "Exynos 9 Series 9810" chips for the Indian customers.

"Note fans are Samsung's most loyal; we know they want it all to get the most out of work and play, and Galaxy Note 9 is the only phone that can keep up with their busy lives," said Koh.

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Samsung Galaxy Note 9: Five key features that make it a worthy upgrade

The Galaxy Note 9 gets a new Bluetooth-enable S-Pen, a new dual camera module on the back, better internal storage and RAM options and enhanced DeX experience.

South Korean electronics giant Samsung on August 8 introduced the Galaxy Note 9. The smartphone is launching in India on August 22, exclusively on Amazon. While the smartphone shares a lot with its predecessor, it also gets some major improvements such as a new Bluetooth-enable S-Pen, a new dual camera module on the back, better internal storage and RAM options and enhanced DeX experience. The most important thing is that the phone is priced the same (Rs 67,900) as its predecessor i.e. Samsung Galaxy Note 8, when it was launched.

The S-Pen has always been one of the key differentiating factors for Samsung Galaxy Note-series smartphones. In the previous iterations, the S-Pen functionality was more or less limited to digital inking capabilities. However, in the Galaxy Note 9, the S-Pen is Bluetooth-enabled that allows it to control select mobile phone features such as camera, YouTube, etc., along with regular inking capabilities. With the new S-Pen, for an example, you can long press the key to open the camera, single press the key to take shot and double press it to switch between the front and rear camera.

Like the Samsung Galaxy S9-series, the Galaxy Note 9 sports dual 12-megapixel cameras on the back. The primary sensor features a variable aperture lens (f/1.5 – f/2.4) and the secondary sensor is a telephoto lens. Variable aperture allows the phone to adjust aperture based on lighting conditions in auto mode. In the manual mode, the aperture can be set either to bright f/1.5 or smaller f/2.4, based on user preference. The secondary telephoto lens enables 2x zoom capabilities, along with portrait mode and enhanced bokeh effect.

Thought the camera module has been taken from the Galaxy S9-series, the Galaxy Note 9 also gets intelligent scene recognition that automatically recognises scene and adjusts the settings accordingly. This is something similar to how the camera modules in artificial intelligence-capable smartphone work.

This is another feature taken from the Galaxy S9-series. The Galaxy Note 9 features dual speakers, custom-tuned by audio experts at AKG. The Galaxy Note 9 is powered by a 4,000 mAh battery, which is 500 mAh more than the one found in the Galaxy S9+ and 700 mAh more than its predecessor, the Note 8.

Samsung DeX has come a long way since inception. The DeX turns a monitor or television into a smart computer for enhanced desktop experience, when connected with select Samsung smartphones. With the Galaxy Note 9, the DeX computing experience has become much simpler and easy to use. For DeX to work, the Note 9 does not require a dock. Instead, it now also works with a regular HDMI cable.

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Better than iPhone? Samsung Galaxy Note 9 creates flutters in Apple camp

Samsung led the smartphone market by volume in the second quarter, shipping 71.6 million units while Apple shipped 41.3 million iPhones.

Samsung, that maintained a comfortable lead in the second quarter this year with 20.9 per cent global market share, has now created flutters in Apple's camp with unveiling its flagship Galaxy Note 9.

According to industry analysts, Note 9 can build a robust road-map for Samsung at a time when the premium segment globally is reporting flat or lower sales amid Chinese players offering flagship devices at a much lower price point in price-sensitive markets like India.

The 6.4-inch Note 9, launched on Thursday, comes with a mammoth 1TB memory, a bigger battery and a Bluetooth-equipped S Pen which is unique to Note devices.

ALSO READ: Samsung's gaming-friendly Galaxy Note 9 unveiled, India launch this month

"The customers in the premium category are split between Android users (who usually prefer Samsung over any other brand) and the iOS users. Both the customers are distinct and usually like sticking to their choices," Upasana Joshi, Associate Research Manager, Client Devices, IDC India, told IANS.

Note 8 was a hit model last year -- post the debacle which Galaxy Note 7 created within the consumer mindset.

"Considering the overall feature to price bundling, Note 9 is an upgrade to the previous Galaxy Note 8 series but one will have to wait to see the demand generated from the Indian market," Joshi noted.

Samsung led the smartphone market by volume in the second quarter, shipping 71.6 million units while Apple shipped 41.3 million iPhones.

"With Apple soon coming with new launches, with three new model line-up, it will certainly change the market dynamics very soon.

"One thing is sure that Note 9 has removed the aspect of a 64GB entry variant in the premium segment. Let's see what Apple has to offer in the coming days," said Joshi.

The story is no different in India where Samsung bounced back in the second quarter with 29 per cent market share, toppling its Chinese rival Xiaomi which garnered a close 28 per cent, says Hong Kong-based Counterpoint Research.

Apple had a mere 1 per cent market share during the quarter -- its lowest in recent history -- owing to changes in its distribution strategy and domestic assembling not picking up pace.



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Samsung Galaxy Note 9 with S-Pen to launch on August 9: Things to know

In a series of teaser videos posted on Twitter, Samsung hinted that the Galaxy Note 9 would have a bigger capacity battery, ample internal storage and better internet connectivity.

South Korean electronics giant Samsung is gearing up for the launch of the Galaxy Note 9 on August 9. Purported details of the upcoming Note-series flagship smartphone with S-Pen for digital inking capabilities has been making rounds on the web. However, the latest piece of information has come from the company’s official social media channels where Samsung posted a series of teaser videos hinting that the phone would have a bigger capacity battery, ample internal storage and better internet connectivity.

In the first teaser video shared on July 26 on Twitter, the company showed an iPhone-like user interface with a low battery message popping up forcing user to lower brightness, disable WiFi and GPS, and close the recently opened apps to save some power. The tweet carries a message, “On August 9 2018, power will no longer be a problem” hinting that the Note 9 would pack a bigger capacity battery. The Galaxy Note 9 is rumoured to come with a 4,000 mAh battery, which would be good 700 mAh more than its predecessor and 500 more than the Galaxy S9+.

The next teaser video shared on July 27 focusses on internal storage issues. The video shows a user trying to download a presentation, but could not due to no internal storage. To free up some space, user starts deleting memories in the form of videos and photographs and also removes apps to make room for new download. The teaser video comes with a message, “From August 9 2018 onwards, you won't have to choose” hinting that the Note 9 come with higher storage options. The phone is reported to get 256GB and 512GB internal storage variants, along with 64GB and 128GB models.

The last video teaser focusses on phone’s internet connectivity highlighting how a sluggish phone can hamper overall internet speed. The video teaser shows user trying to send a file to someone but couldn’t upload the file even after switching between 4G and WiFi, and closing background processes access to data connection. The video has been shared with a message, “Time for a change of pace,” hinting that the Note 9 would feature some sort of enhancement to improve internet speed. In the Galaxy S9+, the company introduced carrier aggregation technology and promised an increased internet speed by up to 2.5 times on LTE networks.

Lastly, the Galaxy Note 9 unveiling event promo teaser shows S-Pen, a discreet digital inking tool that comes bundled with the Galaxy Note-series devices. The S-Pen in the Note 9 is expected to be Bluetooth-enabled for added functionalities and enhanced utility. The Note 9, otherwise, is reported to feature a design similar to its predecessor, the Note8. However, just like the Galaxy S9-series, the Note 9 would get a new camera set-up and a relocated fingerprint scanner below the rear camera module, according to leaked images on Twitter by tipster Evan Blass.

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