Samsung's phones, with the exception of the Note 7, have grown better pretty consistently.

Glamorous design; Outstanding camera; Wireless charging; Fast processor; Great battery life; Useful S Pen

Pricey; Too big for some hands; Not everyone needs a stylus

Samsung is bringing the fight to Apple, and the Galaxy Note 9 is a top-tier phablet worthy of recognition

Long-lasting battery life; Excellent low-light camera performance; New S Pen improvements

Very expensive; Little on offer to warrant an upgrade

A m always a note fan since Note1...I bought this 5 month after using my superb Note8....this is better nd more powerful then note8...superb screen....amazing camera....lots of storage option...super powerful processor....great build quality....awsome stereo sound....nd a intelligent S pen..

The Samsung Galaxy Note series has a reputation for great design, unparalleled performance, and great cameras. The Note 9's camera is definitely up there, but it's still hard to beat beasts like the Huawei P20 Pro and a couple others. Regardless, an overall 8.5 score is nothing to scoff at.

Good exposure White balance is almost always right Great Portrait Mode performance Food Mode performs amazingly Vibrant colors

Bad dynamic range (HDR) Food Mode can make images look warm Over-processing can hurt detail

Well before 6-inch displays were mainstream, there was a series of smartphones that made the word phablet trendy. Samsung introduced the Galaxy Note series back in 2011 when smartphones were supposed to be compact and a 4.0-inch display was considered scandalously large – well, the first Galaxy Note...

Great display; The S Pen stylus remains unique; Smooth performance

Complex UI; can lag after a while; Expected better battery life; Expected better battery life

Samsung's Galaxy Note phones have always been about more. More screen, more battery, more specs, more power, more features; if you want more of something, the Note is the phone to get. It's a phone designed and built for the power user who won't settle for anything less.

Gorgeous; vibrant; bright; big display; Fast performance; True all-day battery life; Lots of storage; even in the base model

High price tag; Large; unwieldy size; Duplicate apps and extra features that don't add much value

The first thing that you will want to do when you get your Samsung Galaxy Note 9 is pop out the S-Pen and start scribbling on the screen. At least, that's what I did. This is a device that is a lot more fun to use than your regular phones.

I pick up the Galaxy Note 9 ( $1,000 at Amazon.com ) , pop out the S Pen stylus and start to write on the black screen in tart lemon-colored digital ink. It hits me: This phone is more fun to use than your phone.

The Samsung Galaxy Note 9 is a big, beautiful phone with top-tier specs including a massive battery and internal storage that starts at 128GB; The new S Pen doubles as a wireless remote for taking long-distance selfies

It's expensive and offers few real innovations over last year's Note 8; The fingerprint reader is uncomfortably close to the camera

Mashable Choice highlights the best of everything we cover, have experienced first-hand and would recommend to others. Samsung's Galaxy Note 9 is a perfect fit for exactly one type of user: Somebody who wants every smartphone feature under the sun and won't balk at spending $1,000+ to get them.

Bright; high-res HDR screen; S Pen doubles as remote; Long battery life; Loads of storage; even on the base model; Loud; bassy stereo speakers

Really expensive; Doesn't ship with Android 9 Pie; Hit-or-miss camera AI features

The Samsung Galaxy Note 9 is the best smartphone that money can buy. Unfortunately, it's going to take all of your money to buy it (or at least more than you're likely budgeting for a smartphone purchase this year). The iPhone X drove prices to this level, and we complained then, too.

Beautiful 6.4-inch Infinity Display; Superb camera; even in low light; Battery and storage last and last; Bluetooth S Pen shortcuts are fun

Expensive; A lot of small upgrades; No HDR video recording; We hate the Bixby button