Samsung Galaxy Note 9 vs Samsung Galaxy S9
A spec-by-spec comparison of the Samsung Galaxy Note 9 and the Samsung Galaxy S9, taken from their full specification sheets. Green marks the better value in each measured row.
Head to head
| Samsung Galaxy Note 9 | Samsung Galaxy S9 |
| Price | $219 | $159 |
| Our rating | 8/10 | 7/10 |
| Battery | 4,000 mAh | 3,000 mAh |
| Wired charging | 15W | 15W |
| RAM (max) | 8 GB | 4 GB |
| Storage (max) | 512 GB | 400 GB |
| Screen size | 6.4 in | 5.8 in |
| Main camera | 12 MP | 12 MP |
| Weight (lower is lighter) | 201 g | 163 g |
| Released | Aug 2018 | Mar 2018 |
Summary: Samsung Galaxy Note 9 is ahead on our rating, battery, ram (max), storage (max). Samsung Galaxy S9 is ahead on weight (lower is lighter).
★ Which should you buy? Samsung Galaxy Note 9 is the stronger overall pick on the measured specs. If budget matters more than the extra capability, Samsung Galaxy S9 is the cheaper option.
Reviewed by the infozme.com Editorial Team — see how we research & rate phones.
Display
| Samsung Galaxy Note 9 | Samsung Galaxy S9 |
| Type | Super AMOLED, HDR10 | Super AMOLED, HDR10 |
| Size | 6.4 inches, 103.2 cm2 (~83.4% screen-to-body ratio) | 5.8 inches, 84.2 cm² (~83.6% screen-to-body ratio) |
| Resolution | 1440 x 2960 pixels, 18.5:9 ratio (~516 ppi density) | 1440 x 2960 pixels, 18.5:9 ratio (~570 ppi density) |
| Protection | Corning Gorilla Glass 5 | Corning Gorilla Glass 5 |
Platform
| Samsung Galaxy Note 9 | Samsung Galaxy S9 |
| OS | Android 8.1 (Oreo), upgradable to Android 10, One UI 2.5 | Android 8.0 (Oreo), upgradable to Android 10, One UI 2.5 |
| Chipset | Exynos 9810 (10 nm) - EMEA; Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 (10 nm) - USA/LATAM, China | Exynos 9810 (10 nm) - EMEA or Qualcomm MSM8998 Snapdragon 845 (10 nm) - USA/LATAM, China |
| CPU | Octa-core (4x2.7 GHz Mongoose M3 & 4x1.8 GHz Cortex-A55) - EMEA; Octa-core (4x2.8 GHz Kryo 385 Gold & 4x1.7 GHz Kryo 385 Silver) - USA/LATAM, China | Octa-core (4x2.7 GHz Mongoose M3 & 4x1.7 GHz Cortex-A55) - EMEA or Octa-core (4x2.8 GHz Kryo 385 Gold & 4x1.7 GHz Kryo 385 Silver) - USA/LATAM, China |
| GPU | Mali-G72 MP18 - EMEA; Adreno 630 - USA/LATAM, China | Mali-G72 MP18 - EMEA or Adreno 630 - USA/LATAM, China |
Memory
| Samsung Galaxy Note 9 | Samsung Galaxy S9 |
| Card slot | microSDXC (uses shared SIM slot) - dual SIM model only; microSDXC (dedicated slot) - single SIM model only | microSDXC (uses shared SIM slot) - dual SIM model only or dedicated slot - single SIM model, up to 400 GB |
| Internal | 128GB 6GB RAM, 512GB 8GB RAM | 64GB 4GB RAM, 128GB 4GB RAM, 256GB 4GB RAM |
| Storage Type | UFS 2.1 | — |
Main Camera
| Samsung Galaxy Note 9 | Samsung Galaxy S9 |
| Dual | 12 MP, f/1.5-2.4, 26mm (wide), 1/2.55", 1.4µm, Dual Pixel PDAF, OIS; 12 MP, f/2.4, 52mm (telephoto), 1/3.4", 1.0µm, AF, OIS, 2x optical zoom | — |
| Features | LED flash, auto-HDR, panorama | LED flash, auto-HDR, panorama |
| Video | 4K@60fps (no OIS/EIS), 4K@30fps, 1080p@240fps, 720p@960fps, HDR, stereo sound rec., gyro-EIS & OIS | 4K@30/60fps, 1080p@30/60/240fps, 720p@960fps, HDR, stereo sound rec., gyro-EIS, OIS |
| Single | — | 12 MP, f/1.5-2.4, 26mm (wide), 1/2.55", 1.4µm, Dual Pixel PDAF, OIS |
Selfie Camera
| Samsung Galaxy Note 9 | Samsung Galaxy S9 |
| Single | 8 MP, f/1.7, 25mm (wide), 1/3.6", 1.22µm, AF | — |
| Features | Dual video call, Auto-HDR | Dual video call, Auto-HDR |
| Video | 1440p@30fps | 1440p@30fps |
| Dual | — | 8 MP, f/1.7, 25mm (wide), 1/3.6", 1.22µm, AF; 2 MP (dedicated iris scanner camera) |
Battery
| Samsung Galaxy Note 9 | Samsung Galaxy S9 |
| Type | Li-Ion 4000 mAh, non-removable | Li-Ion 3000 mAh, non-removable |
| Charging | 15W wired, QC2; Qi/PMA wireless charging | 15W wired, QC2.0; Qi/PMA wireless charging |
Body
| Samsung Galaxy Note 9 | Samsung Galaxy S9 |
| Dimensions | 161.9 x 76.4 x 8.8 mm (6.37 x 3.01 x 0.35 in) | 147.7 x 68.7 x 8.5 mm (5.81 x 2.70 x 0.33 in) |
| Weight | 201 g (7.09 oz) | 163 g (5.75 oz) |
| Build | Glass front (Gorilla Glass 5), glass back (Gorilla Glass 5), aluminum frame | Glass front (Gorilla Glass 5), glass back (Gorilla Glass 5), aluminum frame |
| SIM | Single SIM (Nano-SIM) or Hybrid Dual SIM (Nano-SIM, dual stand-by) | Single SIM (Nano-SIM) or Hybrid Dual SIM (Nano-SIM, dual stand-by) |
| Protection | IP68 dust/water resistant (up to 1.5m for 30 min) | — |
| Water & Dust Resistance | — | IP68 dust/water resistant (up to 1.5m for 30 min) |
Comms
| Samsung Galaxy Note 9 | Samsung Galaxy S9 |
| WLAN | Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, dual-band, Wi-Fi Direct, hotspot | Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, dual-band, Wi-Fi Direct, hotspot |
| Bluetooth | 5.0, A2DP, LE, aptX | 5.0, A2DP, LE, aptX |
| GPS | Yes, with A-GPS, GLONASS, BDS, GALILEO | — |
| NFC | Yes | Yes |
| Radio | No | No |
| USB | USB Type-C 3.1 | USB Type-C 3.1 |
| Positioning | — | GPS, GLONASS, BDS, GALILEO |
Launch
| Samsung Galaxy Note 9 | Samsung Galaxy S9 |
| Announced | 2018, August 09 | February 25, 2018 |
| Status | Available. Released 2018, August 24 | Available. Released March 16, 2018. |
Frequently asked questions
Which has the better battery, Samsung Galaxy Note 9 or Samsung Galaxy S9?
Samsung Galaxy Note 9 — 4,000 mAh for the Samsung Galaxy Note 9 versus 3,000 mAh for the Samsung Galaxy S9.
Which has more RAM, Samsung Galaxy Note 9 or Samsung Galaxy S9?
Samsung Galaxy Note 9 — 8 GB for the Samsung Galaxy Note 9 versus 4 GB for the Samsung Galaxy S9.
Which is lighter, Samsung Galaxy Note 9 or Samsung Galaxy S9?
Samsung Galaxy S9 — 201 g for the Samsung Galaxy Note 9 versus 163 g for the Samsung Galaxy S9.
Which is newer, Samsung Galaxy Note 9 or Samsung Galaxy S9?
Samsung Galaxy Note 9 — Aug 2018 for the Samsung Galaxy Note 9 versus Mar 2018 for the Samsung Galaxy S9.
Is the Samsung Galaxy Note 9 or the Samsung Galaxy S9 rated higher?
We rate the Samsung Galaxy Note 9 8/10 and the Samsung Galaxy S9 7/10.
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