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How Samsung's new Galaxy Note 9 compares with last year's Galaxy Note 8

The new Samsung Galaxy Note 9 is finally here, and it comes with a few new features but a similar overall design. Here's how it's similar to and different from last year's model, the Galaxy Note 8.

The Galaxy Note 9 is here — but is it an upgrade from last year's Galaxy Note 8?

In several ways, yes. The Galaxy Note 9 has a bigger battery, some advanced camera features, and more starting storage. It also comes with a more advanced S Pen that can be used as a remote (which, if you buy the blue version of the Galaxy Note 9, comes in bright yellow).

The Galaxy Note 9 is also bigger, heavier, and costs at least $70 more than last year's model, putting it on par with the iPhone X as one of the most expensive smartphones you can buy.

But the Galaxy Note 9 also has a very similar overall design to the Galaxy Note 8, the same camera from a hardware standpoint as last year's model, and identical features like wireless fast charging and a nearly edge-to-edge display.

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So whether you're considering upgrading from the Galaxy Note 8 or trying to decide between the two phones — after all, the Galaxy Note 8 is still an excellent phone and now has a reduced price tag — here are all the ways the Galaxy Note 9 differs from the Galaxy Note 8.

The Galaxy Note 9 is more expensive than the Galaxy Note 8.

The Galaxy Note 9 got a bit of a price bump compared with last year's model.

The new phone starts at $1,000, the same as the iPhone X. The Galaxy Note 8 started at $930, though you can get it today for $750.

The Galaxy Note 9 has more storage space than the Galaxy Note 8.

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The Galaxy Note 8 comes with three storage options: 64 GB, 128 GB, or 256 GB.

The Galaxy Note 9 has only two storage options, but they're significantly higher: either 128 GB or 512 GB.

The expandable storage is higher on the Galaxy Note 9 too.

The Galaxy Note 9 has room for a 512 GB microSD card, meaning you could potentially bring your phone's total storage to 1 terabyte.

The Galaxy Note 8 has a microSD slot too but can hold only a 256 GB card.

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The Galaxy Note 9 has a slightly larger display.

The Galaxy Note 9 has a 6.4-inch Amoled display, compared with the Galaxy Note 8's 6.3-inch Amoled display.

The Galaxy Note 9 has a bigger battery, meaning it most likely has a longer battery life than the Galaxy Note 8.

The Galaxy Note 9 has a monster 4,000-mAh battery, which should give it excellent battery life.

The Galaxy Note 8 has a smaller 3,300-mAh battery.

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The Galaxy Note 9 is heavier than the Galaxy Note 8.

The Galaxy Note 9 weighs 201 grams, while the Galaxy Note 8 weighs 195 grams.

The Galaxy Note 9 has a slightly more advanced camera than the Galaxy Note 8.

While the camera specs of the two phones are almost identical — 8-megapixel front camera, dual 12-megapixel rear cameras — Samsung added a few new features to the Galaxy Note 9's camera.

The Galaxy Note 9's dual-camera system is getting Samsung's new camera feature called scene optimizer, which recognizes what kind of object you're photographing and adjusts the settings automatically to take the best shot.

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The camera will also have flaw detection, which will let you know if the image is blurry, if the subject blinked, if there is a smudge on the lens, or if there is backlight affecting the image quality.

The Galaxy Note 9 has one more new feature, which Samsung also added on the Galaxy S9: a dual aperture lens. Samsung says that the phone's lens can sense the amount of

The Galaxy Note 9 comes in new, different colors.

The Galaxy Note 9 will come in ocean blue and lavender in the US, and copper and black in international markets.

The Galaxy Note 8 comes in midnight black, deep sea blue, orchid gray, and maple gold.

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The Galaxy Note 9 will come with a bright yellow S Pen.

In the past, Samsung has designed the S Pen to match the color of the device. But with the Galaxy Note 9, Samsung changed the color of the S Pen that comes with the blue device — it's bright yellow, and when you write on the screen it will appear bright yellow as well.

The S Pen that comes with the Galaxy Note 9 is also more advanced.

Beyond the color, Samsung upgraded the S Pen that comes with the Galaxy Note 9.

The new S Pen has Bluetooth Low Energy, which means it can work with your phone up to 30 feet away, allowing you to use the S Pen as a remote for taking photos, giving presentations, or controlling your music.

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The Galaxy Note 9 comes with a newer version of Android than the Galaxy Note 8.

The Galaxy Note 9 will run Android 8.1 Oreo out of the box — an upgrade from the Galaxy Note 8, which runs Android 7.1.1 Nougat.

That said, it's a little surprising that the phone won't run the latest version of Android, Android 9 Pie, which was released Monday.

But there are a few features that haven't changed between the Galaxy Note 8 and the Galaxy Note 9.

Samsung kept a few things the same as the Galaxy Note 8 when designing the Galaxy Note 9:

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  • headphone jack.
  • fast charging.
  • Bixby
  • infinity display
  • same screen resolution

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