Samsung has been turning out some excellent smartphones that are packed with features and dressed to the nines, but which of the latest Galaxy phones is the right one for you? This year’s flagship trio is seriously tempting, and there’s a lot of overlap in terms of functionality, but there are also some important differences. Let’s take a closer look at precisely what sets the Galaxy Note 9, Galaxy S9 Plus, and Galaxy S9 apart and see if we can pick a winner. Specs Samsung Galaxy Note 9 Samsung Galaxy S9 Plus Samsung Galaxy S9 Size 161.9 x 76.4 x 8.8 mm (6.37 x 3 x 0.34 inches 157.7 x 73.8 x 8.5 mm (6.21 x 2.91 x 0.33 inches) 147.6 x 68.7 x 8.4 mm (5.81 x 2.70 x 0.33 inches) Weight 201 grams (7.09 ounces) 189 grams (6.67 ounces) 163 grams (5.75 ounces) Screen size 6.4-inch Super AMOLED display 6.2-inch Super AMOLED display 5.8-inch Super AMOLED display Screen resolution 2960 x 1440 pixels (516 pixels per inch) 2960 x 1440 pixels (531 pixels per inch) 2960 x 1440 pixels (568 pixels per inch) Operating system Samsung Experience 9 (over Android 8.0 Oreo) Samsung Experience 9 (over Android 8.0 Oreo) Samsung Experience 9 (over Android 8.0 Oreo) Storage space 128GB, 512GB 64GB, 128GB, 256GB 64GB, 128GB, 256GB MicroSD card slot Yes, up to 512GB Yes Yes Tap-to-pay services Google Pay, Samsung Pay Google Pay, Samsung Pay Google Pay, Samsung Pay Processor Qualcomm Snapdragon 845, water carbon cooling system Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 RAM 6GB, 8GB 6GB 4GB Camera Dual 12MP (with dual OIS) rear, variable aperture, 8MP front Dual 12MP (with dual OIS) rear, variable aperture, 8MP front 12MP (with OIS) rear, variable aperture, 8MP front Video 2160p at 60 frames per second, 1080p at 240 fps, 720p at 960 fps 2160p at 60 frames per second, 1080p at 240 fps, 720p at 960 fps 2160p at 60 frames per second, 1080p at 240 fps, 720p at 960 fps Bluetooth version Bluetooth 5.0 Bluetooth 5.0 Bluetooth 5.0 Ports 3.5mm headphone jack, USB-C 3.5mm headphone jack, USB-C 3.5mm headphone jack, USB-C Fingerprint sensor Yes (back) Yes (back) Yes (back) Water resistance IP68 IP68 IP68 Battery 4,000mAh QuickCharge 2.0 Qi wireless charging 3,500mAh QuickCharge 2.0 Qi wireless charging 3,000mAh QuickCharge 2.0 Qi wireless charging App marketplace Google Play Store Google Play Store Google Play Store Network support T-Mobile, AT&T, Verizon, Sprint T-Mobile, AT&T, Verizon, Sprint T-Mobile, AT&T, Verizon, Sprint Colors Ocean Blue, Lavender Purple Midnight Black, Coral Blue, Lilac Purple Midnight Black, Coral Blue, Lilac Purple Price $1,000 $840 $720 Buy from Samsung Samsung, Amazon Samsung, Amazon Review score 4 out of 5 stars 4.5 out of 5 stars 4 out of 5 stars Performance, battery life, and charging All three of these phones boast Qualcomm’s current top-of-the-line processor in the shape of the Snapdragon 845. That means silky smooth performance and power efficiency. Where things start to differ is the Note 9’s use of a water carbon cooling system to keep temperatures running low, so you can game for a longer period of time. The amount of RAM is also improved on the Note 9. The Galaxy S9 makes do with 4GB, which is enough RAM for most people. The S9 Plus and the Note 9 offer 6GB of RAM, which will be appreciated by multitaskers, but you can also get a version of the Note 9 with 8GB of RAM. You can pick up the S9 or S9 Plus with 128GB or 256GB of internal storage, but the base models of the S9 and S9 Plus make do with 64GB. The base model of the Note 9 starts with 128GB, and there’s also a 512GB variant (the one with 8GB RAM). They also all support expansion via MicroSD card. Fast charging via Qualcomm’s Quick Charge 2.0 standard and support for Qi wireless charging are universal here, but battery capacity varies widely from 3,000mAh in the S9 to 3,500mAh in the S9 Plus all the way up to 4,000mAh in the Note 9. The extra RAM and battery capacity give the Note 9 an edge here. Winner: Galaxy Note 9 Design and durability With all three phones featuring Samsung’s curved Infinity Display, with glass backs and a metal frame, it’s clear these devices belong to the same family. However, the Note 9 is a little taller, wider, thicker, and heavier than the other two. The S9 and S9 Plus also look a bit more rounded, particularly from the front, while the Note 9 is slightly more angular. What you prefer will depend on your needs and possibly your size. There’s no doubt that the Galaxy S9 is the easiest to handle, but you do sacrifice some screen size, battery life, and even a few features by opting for the smallest phone. All three have beautiful, if familiar, designs, but we suspect the Note 9 will be a bit too big for some. On the durability front, all three phones score an IP68 rating which means they can be submerged in up to 1.5 meters of water for up to 30 minutes without damage. Despite the fact they all boast tough Gorilla Glass 5, it’s advisable to snag a case if you want to avoid drop damage. Winner: Tie Display The Super AMOLED displays that Samsung uses are top notch. All three boast a sharp 2960 x 1440-pixel resolution with an 18.5:9 aspect ratio. The Note 9 is the biggest of the bunch at 6.4 inches, while the S9 Plus display is 6.2 inches, and the S9 display is 5.8 inches. The bigger screens have a slightly lower pixel density because of the extra size, but you’ll have trouble telling these displays apart and they’re all excellent. Winner: Tie Camera The Galaxy S9 is the odd one out here with a single 12-megapixel lens in its main camera, though it does boast a variable aperture that can go from f/1.5 to f/2.4 to get the best shot depending on conditions. The S9 Plus and Note 9 pair that lens with a second 12-megapixel lens with an f/2.4 aperture that enables 2x optical zoom. We’ve been impressed by what you can do with the S9 Plus camera and the hardware in the Note 9 appears to be identical, so we’d expect similarly great things, including excellent low-light performance. The 8-megapixel front-facing camera is the same in all three phones. They’re also all capable of shooting super-slow-motion footage and capturing 4K video at 60 frames per second. Samsung has added artificial intelligence scene recognition to the Note 9 to identify 20 different scenes and set contrast, exposure, white balance, and color for optimal results. There’s also a new Flaw Detection feature that will alert you if something happened to ruin a shot, such as a subject blinking or a smudge on the lens. We need some time to test these features out and see how well they work, but we won’t be surprised if they come to the S9 and S9 Plus as well via a software update. Winner: Galaxy S9 Plus/Galaxy Note 9 Software and updates You’ll find Android 8.0 Oreo with Samsung’s Experience user interface on top on all three of these devices. There are a few extras on the Note 9 designed to serve the S Pen, but for all intents and purposes, the software is going to feel identical whichever you choose. We fully expect all three phones to get the Android 9.0 Pie update and the Android Q update on a similar schedule, so it’s difficult to separate them here. Winner: Tie Special features Samsung has always been generous in the special features department and so you’ll find these three phones offer all sorts of extras including A.I. assistant Bixby, support for virtual reality with Samsung’s Gear VR headset, and the ability to use your phone as a desktop computer, though the S9 and S9 Plus require Dex Station or Dex Pad to dock whereas the Note 9 only needs a USB Type-C to HDMI cable. The obvious standout here is the S Pen, which only the Note 9 has and it has been beefed up considerably compared to previous versions. With Bluetooth Low Energy support you can now use the S Pen to control your phone from up to 30 feet away. You can use it to snap a photo, skip a music track, and more. It does require power, but just 40 seconds in the Note 9 will give it enough charge to go for 30 minutes. You can also still use it to sketch or take notes, including screen-off memos. Winner: Galaxy Note 9 Price The Samsung Galaxy S9 and S9 Plus are widely available right now. You can buy them unlocked direct from Samsung or other retailers, and you can pick them up from all the major carriers. The S9 starts at around $670 right now and the S9 Plus can be found for as low as $820. Samsung is charging $1,000 for the 128GB Note 9 and an eye-watering $1,250 for the 512GB and 8GB RAM model. You can pre-order it starting from August 10 and it will land in stores on August 24. It will also be supported by all the major carriers. Overall winner: Galaxy Note 9 The Note 9 scrapes a win overall here, but with caveats. All it really offers over the S9 Plus is the S Pen, A.I. in the camera, and some extra battery capacity. If you’re not interested in the S Pen we think the more svelte and cheaper S9 Plus is a better bet. Both the S9 Plus and Note 9 really benefit from the second 12-megapixel lens in the main camera, and they also boast more stamina and RAM than the Galaxy S9, but the gap between Samsung’s biggest smartphones is extremely narrow. Editors' Recommendations<doc-sep>Sarah Tew/CNET Samsung's heavily rumored Galaxy Note 9, announced Thursday in New York, is a 6.4-inch phone with dual rear 12-megapixel cameras, up to 512GB of storage and a new Bluetooth S-Pen stylus. Now playing: Watch this: Galaxy Note 9 vs. S9 Plus: What's the difference? It goes on sale on Aug. 24 with a starting price of $1,000 for the 128GB version, but you can reserve the Galaxy Note 9 right now. As Samsung's newest top-tier phone, it naturally draws comparisons to devices like the iPhone X, Google Pixel 2XL and LG V35 ThinQ. But the Galaxy Note 9 falls into an interesting spot in Samsung's phone portfolio, especially since it has many similarities to the Galaxy S9 Plus, which costs $110 less for the 128GB model. Then there's last year's Galaxy Note 8, which can be bought new for $250 less than the Galaxy Note 9. To put it all in perspective, check out the chart below, which compares the Galaxy Note 9, Note 8, S9 Plus and S9. And for everything Samsung announced today, check out CNET's full coverage here.<doc-sep>
Specs Showdown: Samsung Galaxy Note9 Vs Samsung Galaxy S9+ Samsung reckons the Galaxy Note 9 is its best smartphone ever. But how does it compare to its direct predecessor, the Samsung Galaxy S9+? We take a look at the specs to find out what’s different. The Samsung Galaxy S9+ originally launched in March, 2018. It comes with a slightly smaller 6.2-inch display compared to the Note 9 but otherwise the phones are very similar – both come with 6GB of RAM, an improved dual rear-facing 12-megapixel camera. The Note 9, however, comes with a larger 4000mAh battery. Here’s how the specifications compare: Galaxy Note9 Galaxy S9+ Operating System Android 8.1 (Oreo) Android 8 (Oreo) Display 6.4-inch Quad HD+ Super AMOLED, 2960×1440 (516ppi) 6.2-inch Quad HD + Curved Super AMOLED, 18.5:9 (529ppi) Body 161.9 x 76.4 x 8.8mmm, 201g, IP68 158.1mm x 73.8mm x 8.5mm, 189g, IP689 Camera Rear: Dual Camera with Dual OIS – Wide-angle: Super Speed Dual Pixel 12MP AF sensor (F1.5/F2.4) – Telephoto: 12MP AF (F2.4) – 2X optical zoom, up to 10X digital zoom Front: 8MP AF, F1.7 Rear: Dual Camera with Dual OIS – Wide-angle: Super Speed Dual Pixel 12MP AF sensor (F1.5/F2.4) – Telephoto: 12MP AF sensor (F2.4) Front: 8MP AF (F1.7) AP 10nm 64-bit Octa-core processor (Max. 2.7 GHz + 1.7 GHz) 10nm 64-bit Octa-core processor (Max. 2.8 GHz + 1.7 GHz) 10nm, 64-bit, Octa-core processor (2.7 GHz Quad + 1.7 GHz Quad) 10nm, 64-bit, Octa-core processor (2.8 GHz Quad + 1.7 GHz Quad) Memory 6GB RAM (LPDDR4), 128GB + MicroSD slot (up to 512GB) 8GB RAM (LPDDR4), 512GB + MicroSD slot (up to 512GB) 6GB RAM 64GB/128GB/256GB + Micro SD Slot (upto 400GB)11 Sim Card Single SIM: Nano SIM Single SIM: Nano SIM Battery 4,000mAh, Fast Charging compatible on wired and wireless Wired charging compatible with QC2.0 and AFC, Wireless charging compatible with WPC and PMA 3,500mAh, Fast Wired Charging compatible with QC 2.0, Fast Wireless Charging compatible with WPC and PMA Network Enhanced 4×4 MIMO, 5CA, LAA, LTE Cat.18 Enhanced 4X4 MIMO / CA, LAA, LTE Cat.18 Connectivity Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac (2.4/5GHz), VHT80 MU-MIMO, 1024QAM, Bluetooth v 5.0 (LE up to 2Mbps), ANT+, USB Type-C, NFC, Location (GPS, Galileo, Glonass, BeiDou) Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac (2.4/5GHz), VHT80 MU-MIMO, 1024QAM, Bluetooth v 5.0 (LE up to 2Mbps), ANT+, USB type-C, NFC, Location (GPS, Galileo, Glonass, BeiDou) Payment NFC, MST NFC, MST Sensors Accelerometer, Barometer, Fingerprint Sensor, Gyro Sensor, Geomagnetic Sensor, Hall Sensor, Heart Rate Sensor, Proximity Sensor, RGB Light Sensor, Iris Sensor, Pressure Sensor Iris sensor, Pressure sensor, Accelerometer, Barometer, Fingerprint sensor, Gyro sensor, Geomagnetic sensor, Hall sensor, HR sensor, Proximity sensor, RGB Light sensor Authentication Lock Type: Pattern, Pin, Password. Biometric Lock Types: Iris Scanner, Fingerprint Scanner, Facial Recognition. Intelligent scan: Combines iris scan and face recognition for convenient unlocking and in some cases provides enhanced security for certain authentication services Lock type: pattern, PIN, password. Biometric lock type: iris scanner, fingerprint scanner, face recognition, Intelligent Scan: multimodal biometric authentication with iris scanning and face recognition Audio MP3, M4A, 3GA, AAC, OGG, OGA, WAV, WMA, AMR, AWB, FLAC, MID, MIDI, XMF, MXMF, IMY, RTTTL, RTX, OTA, DSF, DFF, APE MP3, M4A, 3GA, AAC, OGG, OGA, WAV, WMA, AMR, AWB, FLAC, MID, MIDI, XMF, MXMF, IMY, RTTTL, RTX, OTA, APE, DSF, DFF Video MP4, M4V, 3GP, 3G2, WMV, ASF, AVI, FLV, MKV, WEBM MP4, M4V, 3GP, 3G2, WMV, ASF, AVI, FLV, MKV, WEBM Price From $1499 From $1199 On paper there’s not a whole lot seperating these two phones as can be plainly seen above. On the other hand, the Note9 comes with a fancy inbuilt stylus which boasts Bluetooth connectivity for the first time. It also promised longer battery life and brings some extra photography software to the table. Whether that’s worth a $300 premium is up to you.