A new set of leaks purported to be official renders of Samsung’s as-yet-unannounced Galaxy Note 9 have now cropped up online, providing the best view yet of what is allegedly Samsung’s upcoming flagship phablet. The render images and 3D video were supplied to the source by Twitter user “@Onleaks” on June 6 and show the device from every conceivable angle. So, at least in the aesthetics department, there may not be much left for Samsung to showcase at its expected reveal event on August 9. Of course, it’s worth noting that the images may not be entirely accurate for a variety of reasons. They could be early renders, for example, and not faithful representations of the final product. So it may be a good idea to take the news with a grain of salt.
In terms of front panel design, the renders line up well with at least one previous leak which reportedly showed the flagship’s front panel. The cutouts in those prior images appear to match up with the sensors, camera, and speaker cutout shown in the new renders – as do the bezels along the top and bottom. However, the design is strikingly similar to previous Galaxy Note models when viewed from almost any angle. The now traditional Galaxy Note curved glass edge is present, met by a sleek metal frame at the apex and glass-coated metal at the back. Along the bottom edge, from left to right, a headphone port, USB Type-C charging jack, microphone, speaker grill, and S-Pen are clearly visible. That follows very closely with the design seen on previous entries in the series while top edge is nearly completely unmarred aside from a SIM drawer. Power and volume rockers are placed cleanly along the left-hand edge and a button that presumably initiates Bixby is visible on the opposing side. Flipping over to the back reveals a dual sensor camera array next to a dual LED flash and heart rate sensor. A rectangular fingerprint reader is located below that and just above the usual Samsung branding. The entire package is shown in a shiny silver configuration, with the color extending around every part of the design with the exception of the front panel and main camera surround.
The new design may not step outside of the box too much but it’s often the internal components that really count. For the Galaxy Note 9, that’s rumored to either a Snapdragon 845 or Exynos 9810 SoC, depending on the region it’s purchased for use in. That’s expected to be backed up by 6GB of RAM and a 3,300mAh-capacity battery, packed in behind the display which is expected to measure at above 6.2 inches. The screen is speculated to be comprised of one of Samsung’s QHD+ Super AMOLED Infinity panels. Finally, this handset will almost certainly ship with Android 8.1 Oreo out of the box, with Android P arriving later on.
