MANILA -- Samsung on Thursday unveiled the Galaxy Note 9, hoping to lure consumers with improved cameras, a larger battery and a souped up stylus inside a familiar glass and metal shell.
The Note 9 looks similar to the Galaxy Note 8, except for the repositioned fingerprint sensor and the dual housing for the rear cameras that now match the color of the device.
Samsung showcased the new Note following slower than expected sales of the Galaxy S9 series and ahead of the new iPhones, which are expected to replicate the design of last year's iPhone X in 3 different screen sizes.
Samsung is also fighting off competition from China's Huawei, which recently overtook Apple for the first time and placed second to the South Korean giant in terms of sales, according to market tracker IDC.
The Galaxy Note 9 stuck with the "infinity display" design language that started with 2017's S8 series. The edges of the 6.4-inch screen slope to the sides. The top bezel is notch-free and is slightly smaller along with the phone's chin compared to last year.
It packs a Qualcom Snapdragon 845 chip with double the storage on the base model compared to its predecessor at 128 gigabytes with 512 gigabyte option and expandable up to 1 terabyte. RAM starts at 6 gigabytes.
The S Pen on the blue variant comes in bright yellow, emphasising its new features like Bluetooth connectivity that allows it to function as a remote control.
The aperture on the dual rear cameras have scene recognition and adjust between bright and dim lighting, as in the S9+.
In the Philippines, pre-orders will be accepted from Aug. 11 to 19. The 128GB model will sell for P55,990 while the 512GB costs P75,990, Samsung said.
source: news.abs-cbn.com
