Samsung today announced the latest addition to its premium Note series with Galaxy Note9. The new device offers a new S Pen with connectivity for the first time ever; and Samsung's most intelligent camera yet.

The smartphone is powered by a 4,000mAh battery, the largest ever on a flagship Galaxy phone for long-lasting power to use all-day. It is available with two internal storage options - 128GB or 512GB. And with the ability to insert a microSD card, Galaxy Note9 is 1TB ready to have peace of mind knowing there is enough room for favorite photos, videos and apps.

Under the hood there is also a 10nm processor and chips to support the fastest network speeds available in the market (up to 1.2 gigabits per second) to stream and download without slowing down. Galaxy Note9 also includes a Samsung developed Water Carbon Cooling system and on-device AI-based performance adjusting algorithm to deliver the powerful yet stable performance.

The S Pen is the signature feature of the Note series. Now with Bluetooth Low-Energy (BLE) support, the new S Pen connectivity allows it to serve as a remote control for your Galaxy Note9 that lets you manage key functions, including the device's camera, from within 10 meters of the device. This means that when taking a selfie or a fun photo with friends, after launching the camera, rather than reaching for the shutter button (and possibly jeopardizing your carefully framed shot), you can instantly snap your pic with a click of the S Pen's button. A double-click will switch from the front to the rear camera, and vice versa.

BLE technology ensures that the S Pen is always ready whenever you need it, enabling the device to pair with the Galaxy Note9 as soon as it's removed, and maintaining a stable connection even when Bluetooth is turned off. The S Pen's Super Capacitor takes just 40 seconds to reach full charge, and offers 30 minutes of power-or up to 200 clicks.

Developers can even integrate the S Pen's new BLE functionalities into their apps later this year.

Other apps that support the use of the S Pen as a remote control include the Gallery app and various presentation and media-player apps. A click or double-click will allow you to play/pause a song, skip to the next track or video, or view the next/previous image in an album. You can even utilize the S Pen as a convenient clicker for presenting with the Galaxy Note9 and Samsung DeX. And with its open SDK (software development kit), developers will be able to integrate the S Pen's controls into a wide range of apps that will allow you to streamline more tasks with a click.

The Pen is measuring 106 millimeters in length and weighing in at 3.1 grams. It has a 0.7-millimeter tip and 4,096 levels of pressure sensitivity.

And like the Galaxy Note9 itself, the S Pen is IP68 water and dust resistant.

Galaxy Note9 builds on Samsung's camera technologies with new capabilities:

• Scene Optimizer: Scene Optimizer utilizes deep-learning technology to analyze objects, scenery and time elements in the camera's frame in order to identify exactly which type of scene you're about to photograph. The function is currently capable of recognizing 20 types of scenes-including Food, Flowers, Indoor scenes and Landscapes- and automatically adjusts the color tone based on how the scene is classified. The function corrects the saturation, white balance, brightness and contrast. And because it does not require a network connection, it's always available.

• Flaw Detection: The first shot doesn't always come out right, but the Galaxy Note9 lets users know if there's something wrong, so they can take another picture without losing the moment. An immediate notification will appear if the image is blurry, the subject blinked, there is a smudge on the lens, or there's backlight impacting the quality of the image.

• Camera: With the combination of advanced intelligence features and premium hardware, Samsung claims that Galaxy Note9's camera is "the best on the market." It comes with noise reduction technology, and a Dual Aperture lens (F2.4 aperture lens with an F1.5), which automatically adjusts to light just like the human eye, letting in more light when it's dark and less when it's bright to produce images that are crisp.

In addition, the Galaxy Note9's multi-frame processing technology adds further clarity to photos taken under less-than-ideal lighting conditions. This technology, which combines several photos into one to create an optimal image, allows the camera to provide better HDR at night, and enriches the Live Focus feature with improved brightness and noise when taking pictures in low-light environments.

The Galaxy Note9's camera also includes support for Samsung's recently introduced Super Slow-mo function, which ramps the camera's shutter speed up to 960 frames per second to allow users to record spectacular slow-mo videos.

Four times slower than traditional slow-motion video, Super Slow-mo is powered by the camera's Super Speed Dual Pixel image sensor, which supports much faster image processing thanks in part to its integrated DRAM memory chip. The feature also includes an automatic Motion Detection function that instantly starts recording as soon as it detects movement.

The Galaxy Note9 allows users to transform 0.4 seconds of footage into approximately 12 seconds of Super Slow-mo video when taken in single shot mode. Once a video is recorded, the feature automatically adds appropriate background music.

More Customizable AR Emoji

Capable of mimicking users' movements in addition to supporting dozens of pre-set expressions, AR Emoji stickers offer a fun way to express yourself and inject personality into messages. The Galaxy Note9 analyzes your distinct facial features to generate a 3D avatar that matches your appearance.

The feature, whose face-tracking function was recently enriched with more landmark detector points, has been enhanced for the Galaxy Note9 with an array of customization options that make it easier for AR Emojis to copy your distinct style. With loads of new outfits and accessories to choose from, as well as the ability to fine-tune details like your hair style, skin tone and facial features, the opportunities for expression are endless.

Cameras

The Infinity Display is the cornerstone of Samsung's design heritage, and Galaxy Note9 has the largest edge-to-edge display ever on a Note. The device has a 6.4-inch Super AMOLED Infinity Display, complemented by stereo speakers, which are tuned by AKG, and also delivers Dolby Atmos audio.

Galaxy Note9 also delivers a PC-like experience with Samsung DeX. Users can work on presentations, edit photos, and watch their favorite show all powered by their phone. Experience Samsung DeX with HDMI adapters. When connected to a monitor, Galaxy Note9 can power a virtualized desktop and even serve as a fully-functional second screen. Take notes with the S Pen while watching a video, or use Galaxy Note9 as a trackpad, to right-click, drag and drop, and use multiple windows on a monitor.

The Galaxy technologies come standard with Note9: fast wireless charging, IP68 water and dust resistance and Samsung services such as Samsung Health and Samsung Pay. Galaxy Note9 features Samsung's defense-grade Knox security platform and biometric security options including fingerprint scanning, iris scanning and facial recognition capabilities to keep important information safe.

The Galaxy Note9 is also a portal to the full Samsung ecosystem of devices and services. For instance, use Galaxy Note9 and SmartThings to control connected devices, or get more done with Bixby, a personalized, intelligent assistant. And with the launch of Galaxy Note9, Samsung is making it easier to enjoy music with Spotify. The partnership makes Spotify easily accessible to sync and transfer music, playlists and podcasts across Galaxy Note9, Galaxy Watch and Smart TV products.

Samsung last month posted its slowest quarterly profit growth in more than a year as rivals such as China's Huawei Technologies nipped at its heels, challenging the market leader with cheaper, feature-packed models.

The release comes about three weeks earlier than its predecessor's release date, a move prompted by increased competition in the second half of the year as rivals release new smartphone models.

Samsung said the Note 9 will be the first Android phone to support Fortnite, the popular video-and-smartphone survival game that was only playable on computers, consoles and Apple products until now. Lovers of the game would get an exclusive Note 9 character skin, or alternative appearance for characters.

Galaxy Note9 will be available starting August 24, 2018 in select markets and will be offered in Midnight Black, Lavender Purple, Metallic Copper with matching S Pen, and Ocean Blue with a Yellow S Pen.

Samsung's new Galaxy Note 9 comes in two configurations -- a 128GB model with 6GB of RAM for $999.99, and a 512GB model with 8GB of RAM for $1,249.99. Pushing the Note 9 up to the 1TB mark with a 512GB microSD card will cost you around an additional $350. So the 512GB Note 9 and a 512GB bundle will set you back $1,600 (!)

Chinese rival Huawei predicted last week that it would become the world's top smartphone seller by volume - displacing Samsung - in the final quarter of next year.

Meanwhile, Apple managed to sell more of its $1,000 iPhone Xs in the June quarter and regain some favour in China.

Samsung Galaxy Note9 Product Specifications