The lukewarm response to the Galaxy S9 has forced Samsung to consider launching the Galaxy Note 9 earlier than usual. The news reports are basing this information on the fact that Samsung will start producing OLED panels for use in the Galaxy Note 9 from April itself — two months earlier than the usual timeframe.

The earlier than usual production of OLED panels means that Samsung could end up unveiling the Galaxy Note 9 in July or August. An early launch will also help Samsung in avoiding a direct clash with new iPhones that Apple will launch in September.

Samsung is reportedly planning to use a slightly larger 6.38-inch display on the Galaxy Note 9 compared to the 6.32-inch display it used on the Note 8. The handset is expected to share the same set of internals as the Galaxy S9+, though Samsung is expected to use an improved secondary telephoto lens on its upcoming Note. Rumors point to the Galaxy Note 9 also coming with an in-display fingerprint scanner but there has been a lot of contradictory news regarding this.

In terms of design, the Galaxy Note 9 is expected to follow the same design language as its predecessor which means it might just turn out to be an ‘s’ upgrade like the Galaxy S9. That could spell trouble for Samsung as it might fail to attract consumers.

Our Take

Samsung has been constantly launching its flagship Note handset earlier than usual over the last few years. This move from the company backfired with the Note 7 in 2017 as the phone ended up shipping with faulty batteries that could explode easily. Since then though, the company has been very cautious in pushing the battery capacity on its phones. It will be interesting to see if the company sticks to the same approach with the Note 9 or decides to equip it with a higher capacity battery thereby ensuring that it offers iconic battery life that Note series phones were once known for.