Samsung Galaxy Note 9 Camera

Euphoria · 5 Aug 2020 at 11:33

Hi all i was wondering if you could give me some advice? The wife and I both have Samsung S8+ and both finding we do not have enough RAM to enable the device to run smoothly.

I am currently on the search for two Note 9s for the extra RAM and the camera seems pretty good. the price however is around that of a midrange phone now such as the nord. The main issue is no wireless charging etc on the nord.

Is there anyone who has or had a Note 9 moved to a mid range phone and what was the camera performance like?

If i didnt have to buy two phones i would go premium but thats too much. The newer phones have alsorts of fancy cameras, i was wondering if people actually use them and if a Note 9 would do for me?

The phone is old but it has the headphone jack, wireless charging etc

ebilcake · 12 Aug 2020 at 14:07

Note 9 camera is still decent.

The only issue is Exynos, they don't age well, 6GB on the base version might seem like a lot but they're still packed full of bloat.

I moved to a OnePlus 7 Pro and I'd say the Note 9 had a better main camera and zoom, but not by much.

Squink · 12 Aug 2020 at 14:10

Euphoria said:
If i didnt have to buy two phones i would go premium but thats too much.

How much are you looking to spend? The Note 9s are still good phones it's just that they're now 2 years into their support cycle. Samsung said they'd extend software updates to 3 years, but I don't think that applies to older devices like the Note 9.

Euphoria · 12 Aug 2020 at 14:32

The support cycle doesnt bother me as we are all often on the same android version (which atm is 8 for us all). My main requirements are the fact it has all the features that are slowly being removed now from more modern phones and the camera i believe is good in the dark (or well better than my s8+).

I was looking at the oneplus 7 pro but it lacks the wireless charging, the other features all good and i did hear something about android pay issues.

looking to spend less than the current nord price which is around 380. I basically need 2 phones so its the same as the wife.

Do they have a snapdragon version rather than the exynos? i would have loved more than 6gb but its better than the 4gb i have currently.

i had a look at the feature set of the note 20 and more features have been removed when compared to the note 10+

ebilcake · 12 Aug 2020 at 14:38

Euphoria said:
The support cycle doesnt bother me as we are all often on the same android version (which atm is 8 for us all). My main requirements are the fact it has all the features that are slowly being removed now from more modern phones and the camera i believe is good in the dark (or well better than my s8+).

I was looking at the oneplus 7 pro but it lacks the wireless charging, the other features all good and i did hear something about android pay issues.

looking to spend less than the current nord price which is around 380. I basically need 2 phones so its the same as the wife.

Do they have a snapdragon version rather than the exynos? i would have loved more than 6gb but its better than the 4gb i have currently.

i had a look at the feature set of the note 20 and more features have been removed when compared to the note 10+

You would have to import the Snapdragon version from China probably

EDIT: Actually, quick look on ebay and can order them from Switzerland for £380 each.... I'd probably check with the buyer first though to confirm that.

doodah · 12 Aug 2020 at 15:02

Note 9 is still a good camera (especially when given light), coming up to 2 years with mine. If you can/warranty isn't an issue - would recommend getting the SD version as others have said.

You still get a solid all round main camera, I believe 2x optical zoom, Night Mode, portrait mode (does the job), pro mode, 4K/60 video etc.

I don't think I have had any issues with RAM other than Chrome but I think my recent issues with it are more to do with the app/bugs. You could consider one of the mid-range or above Chinese phones, must be one around the £400 price range with a good camera, Google Services and a high refresh rate screen.

ebilcake · 12 Aug 2020 at 15:55

If only Samsung re-released the Note 9 under a different name and just upgraded the chipset and memory..... Then again they would probably charge £800 for it.

doodah · 13 Aug 2020 at 00:13

Wouldn't mind that, or an 'ultimate Note'....SD, 120Hz ~6.5" QHD screen with variable rates, 5000 mAh battery, Pixel level camera with a main/ultra wide/macro/ToF, under screen front camera or a pop up, S-Pen, xenon flash, memory card slot, >30w wireless charging, >50w cable charging, none of this gimmicky 8K - solid 4K/60 and high frame slow-mo modes, excellent haptic motors, 256GB minimum and a redesigned/less bloaty UI. Not much to ask for...........

Tephnos · 13 Aug 2020 at 02:18

If you're taking pictures outdoors it's great. If indoors in low lighting it sucks ass, as Samsung cameras tend to do (too many smoothing filters applied). The issue is worse on Exy especially as you can't get around the dumb SoC filters by using gcam.

Euphoria · 14 Aug 2020 at 21:10

Now pondering now I know they are not Snapdragon in Europe. They advertise it as having a good low light camera and from the pictures they seem pretty good for a 2 year old phone.

Are there any restrictions with two sim models

Darryl_1983 · 15 Aug 2020 at 09:54

I've just switched from a 2.5 year old Note 8 to a OnePlus Nord. The main reason for ditching the Note was that the camera was poor, battery life was ok if I was home or in the office but if travelling on the train I'd need to carry a charger to keep it topped up as it'd only last half the day. Plus the charger port was playing up.
I'm extremely happy with the Nord, the camera is massively better and also much better than my wife's P30 which also has a good camera. The battery probably last twice as long give or take. The screen feels smaller than I was expecting, but is a big upgrade on the Note 8. And it charges so fast on the warp charger.
There are cheaper options from smaller Chinese brands, but the OnePlus software I felt was worth the extra cost.

Euphoria · 15 Aug 2020 at 10:10

Darryl_1983 said:
I've just switched from a 2.5 year old Note 8 to a OnePlus Nord. The main reason for ditching the Note was that the camera was poor, battery life was ok if I was home or in the office but if travelling on the train I'd need to carry a charger to keep it topped up as it'd only last half the day. Plus the charger port was playing up.
I'm extremely happy with the Nord, the camera is massively better and also much better than my wife's P30 which also has a good camera. The battery probably last twice as long give or take. The screen feels smaller than I was expecting, but is a big upgrade on the Note 8. And it charges so fast on the warp charger.
There are cheaper options from smaller Chinese brands, but the OnePlus software I felt was worth the extra cost.

What is the low light camera like and do you not miss wireless charging?

Darryl_1983 · 16 Aug 2020 at 09:36

Euphoria said:
What is the low light camera like and do you not miss wireless charging?

Well it's much better than the Note 8 was, haven't really compared it to much else to be honest. Indoor shots in low light can be a bit noisy, but it does decent compared to my expectations. When looking at reviews on YouTube, the higher end phones did better, but I've got no complaints.

I never used wireless charging on my Note 8, as it seemed to make my phone really hot.