Samsung to Launch New Galaxy Note 9 a Month Before Apple is Expected to Unveil New 2018 iPhones

Samsung this morning sent out press invites for an Unpacked event that is set to take place on Thursday, August 9, where it is expected to unveil the next-generation Galaxy Note device, the Galaxy Note 9.

The media invitation Samsung sent out, which was shared by Business Insider, appears to feature the button of the S Pen of the Galaxy Note, the accessory that Samsung sells with its Galaxy Note devices.

samsunggalaxynoteaugust
Samsung typically hosts two major smartphone events per year because it launches the Galaxy Note line and the Galaxy S9 line at different times. The Galaxy S9, for example, launched in February, while the Galaxy Note 8, the predecessor to the rumored Note 9, came out last August.

Splitting its smartphone launch dates allows Samsung to better compete with Apple by unveiling new technology before and after iPhone launches.

The Galaxy Note 9 launch will come just a month ahead of when Apple is expected to unveil its 2018 iPhones, which are rumored to include a second-generation 5.8-inch OLED iPhone, a larger 6.5-inch OLED iPhone that can be thought of as a sort of "iPhone X Plus," and a 6.1-inch LCD iPhone that will be more affordably priced.

Samsung will then follow the 2018 iPhones with new Galaxy S10 devices in February of 2019, if it sticks to its typical smartphone release habits.

Like the Galaxy Note 8, the Galaxy Note 9 is likely to continue to offer an edge-to-edge AMOLED display with edge panel and S Pen support, along with dual cameras and a rear fingerprint sensor.

Rumors suggest the Galaxy Note 9 will not feature a notch, and that it could have slightly smaller top and bottom bezels than the Note 8, resulting in a 2mm smaller chassis. It is also expected to feature S Pen improvements, and while early rumors pointed towards an in-display fingerprint sensor, it's not believed Samsung is going to go this route.

samsunggalaxynote9render

Galaxy Note 9 renders via OnLeaks

It was Samsung's Galaxy Note line that was subject to intense scrutiny after 2016's Galaxy Note 7 was impacted by faulty batteries that caused fires and injuries to multiple people. Samsung eventually had to recall all Galaxy Note 7 devices, which were also banned by airlines.

Samsung decided to continue on with the Note line through 2017's Galaxy Note 8, which suffered from no major problems.

Tag: Samsung

Popular Stories

iOS 26

iOS 26.4 and iOS 27 Features Revealed in New Leak

Friday December 12, 2025 10:56 am PST by
Macworld's Filipe Espósito today revealed a handful of features that Apple is allegedly planning for iOS 26.4, iOS 27, and even iOS 28. The report said the features are referenced within the code for a leaked internal build of iOS 26 that is not meant to be seen by the public. However, it appears that Espósito and/or his sources managed to gain access to it, providing us with a sneak peek...
Apple Logo Top Half

Early iOS 26 Software Leak Uncovers Dozens of Upcoming Apple Features

Monday December 15, 2025 3:05 pm PST by
Software from an iPhone prototype running an early build of iOS 26 leaked last week, giving us a glimpse at future Apple devices and iOS features. We recapped device codenames in our prior article, and now we have a list of some of the most notable feature flags that were found in the software code. In some cases, it's obvious what the feature flags are referring to, while some are more...
apple beta 26 lineup

Apple Leak Confirms Work on Foldable iPhone, AirTag 2, and Dozens More Devices

Monday December 15, 2025 2:05 pm PST by
Last week, details about unreleased Apple devices and future iOS features were shared by Macworld. This week, we learned where the information came from, plus we have more findings from the leak. As it turns out, an Apple prototype device running an early build of iOS 26 was sold, and the person who bought it shared the software. The OS has a version number of 23A5234w, and the first...
Apple Foldable Thumb

Leak Reveals Foldable iPhone Details

Monday December 15, 2025 9:09 am PST by
The first foldable iPhone will feature a series of design and hardware firsts for Apple, according to details shared by the Weibo leaker known as Digital Chat Station. According to a new post, via machine translation, Apple is developing what the leaker describes as a "wide foldable" device, a term used to refer to a horizontally oriented, book-style foldable with a large internal display....
iOS 26

iOS 26.3 Beta 1 Features: What's New So Far

Monday December 15, 2025 4:23 pm PST by
Apple is testing iOS 26.3, the next version of iOS 26 that will launch around January. Since iOS 26.3's testing is happening over the holidays, it is a smaller update with fewer features than we've seen in prior betas. We've rounded up what's new so far, and we'll add to our list with subsequent betas if we come across any other features. Transfer to Android Apple is making it simpler...
iOS 26

Apple Releases iOS 26.2 With Alarms for Reminders, Lock Screen Changes, Enhanced Safety Alerts and More

Friday December 12, 2025 10:10 am PST by
Apple today released iOS 26.2, the second major update to the iOS 26 operating system that came out in September, iOS 26.2 comes a little over a month after iOS 26.1 launched. ‌iOS 26‌.2 is compatible with the ‌iPhone‌ 11 series and later, as well as the second-generation ‌iPhone‌ SE. The new software can be downloaded on eligible iPhones over-the-air by going to Settings >...
iOS 26

iOS 26.2 Coming Soon With These 8 New Features on Your iPhone

Thursday December 11, 2025 8:49 am PST by
Apple seeded the second iOS 26.2 Release Candidate to developers earlier this week, meaning the update will be released to the general public very soon. Apple confirmed iOS 26.2 would be released in December, but it did not provide a specific date. We expect the update to be released by early next week. iOS 26.2 includes a handful of new features and changes on the iPhone, such as a new...
airpods max 2024 colors

AirPods Max 2 Likely to Offer These 10 New Features

Monday December 15, 2025 7:41 am PST by
Apple released the AirPods Max on December 15, 2020, meaning the over-ear headphones launched five years ago today. While the AirPods Max were updated with a USB-C port and new color options last year, followed by support for lossless audio and ultra-low latency audio this year, the headphones lack some of the features that have been introduced for newer generations of the regular AirPods and the ...

Top Rated Comments

tomi03 Avatar
98 months ago
What a biased, and boring community about everything relative to the competition
Score: 22 Votes (Like | Disagree)
garylapointe Avatar
98 months ago
Isn't this a normal release time for Samsung?


So, business as usual makes the front page news?
Score: 20 Votes (Like | Disagree)
SPUY767 Avatar
98 months ago
It will be an explosive success.
Score: 19 Votes (Like | Disagree)
convergent Avatar
98 months ago
I love the Note line... love my Note 8. Will wait and see if there is enough different to push me to upgrade. There really isn't anything about the Note 8 I'm not happy with, but rumors are they are making improvements to the camera... will wait for comparisons.

Yep, I love when the haters complain about Apple's notch but use Samsung phones with screens that aren't even a flat plane. I understand why the notch exists, but I don't understand why Samsung curved the edges of their screen.
Because the can!

The part that is curved on this device is behind a bezel on Apple phones. If you don't care for it, then don't buy it.

This forum is unbelievable. Which is it? All I hear is Samsung just copies Apple. But if they do something unique, you want to compare it to Apple? There is nothing about the Note line that is remotely similar to any Apple phone.

Samsung moved to releasing theirs before which hasn't worked so well. They get a day of press before Apple owns every headline out there the following weeks until after the iPhone release. They get completely lost in the news cycle.

It'd be much smarter to move theirs until 6 months opposite Apple, in order to get the most visibility possible.
Did you even read the article? They are releasing the Note 9 in the same cycle they did the Note 8. They haven't moved anything up or back. They release the S line and Note lines at different times of the year, and specifically not at the time Apple is announcing theirs. Seems smart to me.
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)
oneMadRssn Avatar
98 months ago
What should we put on the teaser banner?
A button.
Really? Not one of the new features or exiting innovations?
No no. People really want to see what the button looks like up close with a macro camera.
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
itsmilo Avatar
98 months ago
If Samsung was running iOS I would have jumped ship generations ago
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)