Samsung Galaxy Note 9: New phone launched at the Galaxy Unpacked event

Samsung has launched its highly-anticipated Galaxy Note 9, the latest phone in its premium range, as well as a new Galaxy Home smart speaker to challenge the likes of Apple’s Home Pod and Amazon’s Echo.

The 6.4-inch screen Note 9 will start at £899 for the 128GB variant and £1,099 for the 512GB version.

The device looks similar to last year’s 6.1-inch Note 8 but features an improved Bluetooth stylus, as well as an upgraded camera that takes sharper photos than the S9 released earlier this year.

The highlight upgrade this year is the S Pen, which will let users remotely control the phone’s camera to take the perfect selfie.

The world’s number one smartphone seller returned the Note range to its full potential last year after a series of recalls for its Samsung Note 7, which had a flaw that caused some batteries to catch fire.

Samsung’s head of mobile DJ Koh said at the unveiling. “A phone that raises the bar for speed power and performance, once again,” Koh said, “a smartphone powerful enough to keep up with you, wherever you are, whatever you are doing, whatever you are doing.”

A new Galaxy Watch that competes with a similar product from Apple was also unveiled. The water-resistant smartwatch has a circular screen and can connect to LTE cellular networks, the company said.

It will feature revamped health software that works with the heart-rate sensor. It has new tracking functionality for workouts and auto-detection for when a person begins a run, for example. It also has sleep tracking, providing detail into both hours and quality of sleep.

Samsung also revealed its HomePod rival, the Galaxy Home. The smart speaker will allow users to control their smart home using their voice. Importantly, it will eventually allow Samsung to link up all its devices, such as smart TVs, smart fridges and more, all using voice control from its artificial intelligence, Bixby.

Samsung said it will reveal more about the device in November.

Samsung’s handset unveiling comes at a time when smartphone demand is slowing down globally and a disappointing performance by the Galaxy S9.

“The product was too similar to the S8. It wasn’t distinctive enough for consumers to justify the upgrade,” Bryan Ma, vice president of devices research at IDC, said. “My worry is that the Note 9 may meet the same fate.”

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Telegraph