Note 9 is dual sim unless its branded, then it is software locked.
Got it, thanks for clarifying.
Second SIM is also disabled in hardware level…the dual-SIM model has 2 IMEI numbers, single SIM models have only one.
Pretty sure all australian stock is only single sim. Dual sim is the international model.
Not for Note 9. You only get dual sim note 9 from retail shops. They have separate single sim for carriers subsidised plan.
Nope. I got a dual sim Note 9 direct from Samsung Australia. You can source it from other vendor like this one.
Officeworks stock is dual sim.
Got 512gb dual sim when it was on pre-order. Net price after cashrewards and TRS was $1,226.45.
What did you get with pre-order? The pricing now with 15% off, and TRS comes to about 1215.
@bluebluebird: Pre-order price from Samsung Australia was $1499 instead of $1799. CR increased their cashback rate to 10% to coincide with the pre-order period. Dual SIM slots was really handy being on holiday.
@spiff: Thanks and yah I am interested in Dual Sim and really handy with holiday - gonna put in order tonight. I was tempted to put in last night worrying that they might drop the 11% off …
You could not be be more wrong.
corrected by 4 people before you, I got the idea mate.
There's an option for "Unbranded" for the Note 9's. It says it in the Production description:
Note: The 128GB variant has 6GB of RAM, the 512GB variant has 8GB of RAM. The Unbranded variants are Dual SIM 4G/4G, the Network Branded variants are Single SIM.
I thought theres au stock for dual SIM 512gb on mobileciti ebay site?
This is a little off topic but who here (who's rooted phones before) and looking to buy the Note 9 is thinking of rooting it?
The case for rooting is getting weaker these days. Besides Knox, I hear Samsung have reduced bloat and tweaked the software making it all more efficient which would reduce lag and help battery life (a big reason I used to root Samsungs). So if those problems are basically resolved then the main thing I'd miss is Titanium Backup and it's not good enough to say goodbye to warranty on a $1000 phone for…
Love to hear what other owners/buyers think.
I have the Note 9 Dual Sim 512 GB, AMA about the phone. The battery life is stellar and the lag is non-existent with that 8 GB rams on mememory.
And that's my next conundrum, 8GB vs 6GB. I don't really care about 512GB because we have external storage - it's actually too much storage IMO, but I do like to future proof my phones and get a minimum of 2 years from them. Typically with past Note's I can exceed that (Note 1 and 3)
6gb would be just right. I used the 8gb version and I never get to go near maximum capacity. Most of the time I am running like 5gb out of 8gb ram.
I partition 75 GB just for Linux on Dex mode plus GCam speed write to my UFS 2.1 storage on High HDR.
@ChickenAdobo: Ahh Dex mode, see I haven't thought much about that. Back to the reviews on that one I think :)
The phone is pretty powerful to be used as a desktop PC I think. That's one of the main reasons I bought the 512GB variant. 8GB RAM would also come in handy for that. No I'm waiting for the prices of Dex pad to drop so that I can pull the trigger on that one.
One of the things I noticed this time (as compared to Samsung phones years ago) was that one can uninstall many bloatware apps that one doesn't use. E.g. I uninstalled Samsung Internet, S Health and many other Samsung apps. Samsung has been generous to offer that functionality.
I changed to Note 9 after using a 64gb iPhone 6 for 4 years. Within a month of using it on holiday I had filled up around 130gb with photos and videos. Each photo would be 5-10mb. Had 2 sims in so external storage wasn't possible.
@Wally Simmonds: Coming from a 4 year old phone that was slowing down a lot, the comparison isn't really fair. A better comparison is to my Mrs' iPhone X. The screen on the Samsung is more vivid and notchless and is better for watching media. The split screen feature is very useful. The S-Pen is handy (I use it mainly for media control and controlling the camera) but not essential. In terms of the UI, I like how you can basically replicate an iPhone layout if that's what you're used to. The camera on the Note 9 is much better than the X, but by looking at reviews it looks to be roughly on par with the iPhone Xs/Xs Max.
Pros of the iPhone - FaceID is better than Samsung's iris scanner. The iris scanner is good, but FaceID is great. I find myself using the fingerprint scanner on the Samsung more. While I haven't had any real issues with Google/Samsung apps, and I really like Samsung's email and calendar apps, overall the third party developed apps on Apple seem more polished.
The flexibility to tinker and customise was at first a deterrent because I didn't think I had the time or patience. But the reality is you don't need to customise more than you normally would to have an enjoyable experience, and just having more options has made the overall experience engaging in a positive way.
A few questions (I'm a bit on the fence about this phone)
I know people who have this phone (or any of the Note series) seem to love it, but I'm just a bit cautious given how expensive and how big it is.
I had the S7 edge and this phone is massive. I could easily use the s7 one hand mode. To compensate the largeness of this Note 9 I customize hand gesture on the right edge of the phone using Samsung app called One hand Operation+. Life is good again.
Google goodies. :)
Honestly the S-pen is what separate this phone from the rest of them. I couldn't go back to a penless phone again. The pen has more functionally now the S-pen has been open to app developer when the button is pressed.
Not a problem when I had my phone screen naked for 1 week while awaiting for my whitedome. Atm using Whitedome and a Supcase Unicorn Beetle Pro. Double the protection : )
@ChickenAdobo: I've just watched a whitestone dome installation guide on Youtube. I always wondered how one adds a screen protector to these curved screens. Wow impressive.
That Supcase Unicorn Beetle Pro looks like the sort of case I'd be looking to get too. You've been a wealth of knowledge here thanks.
@Click_It: When I had S7 edge in the past, I lament that screen protector couldn't stick but now it no problem. My whitedome is stil sticking since launch.
Yup despite being a heavy bulky case, I'm protecting my phone after spending over a grand. You are welcome with your appreciation :)
@ChickenAdobo: I'm the same, always go for shock protection over aesthetics which is more important than ever on a phone this expensive. I've never broken a screen one, only a few screen protectors. I tend to be clumsy too.
@Click_It: I suggest getting a Whitedome screen protector as the Supcase UB Pro just has a thin sheet of clear plastic despite the top and bottom front edges containing raised lips. Dropping the phone on the side frontally onto something sharp is just asking for trouble with this case imo, there is no raised lips on both the left and ride side.
@Click_It: I have this phone and love it. Went from s5 to Note 9. Bought a heavy duty Spigen case and chucked an iRing on the back of case. Feel more confident when using the iRing especially after a couple of beers. An of course got phone insurance just in case added on to my home contents.
@ChickenAdobo: Quick question, did you do yours yourself? I've got a regular glass protector but it doesn't wrap around and the ones you speak of, the shops want $100 to fit it, that's nearly half the price of a replacement screen and I've yet to break one yet!!
Just curious if it was easy enough to do.
Cheers.
@db87: I don't own either yet but I looked at this review and feel reasonably confident I can do it myself just fine.
@db87: I did myself on the first triple packet then cough up the dough for a professional to do the second application as I wasn't satisfied with my third rated job.
@ChickenAdobo: @Click_it @ChickenAdobo
I'm normally pretty good with these things and moreso on other people's. It's just once they start becoming this expensive and no longer a $5-10 protector, it becomes about bridging that gap between paying someone extra or taking the chance yourself.
My solidish glass one I have now I'm happy with but it doesn't cover edge to edge so it can collect dust along that line. Other than regularly cleaning it, I think I'll stick with it for now. If I chip it or something I'll give the whitedome one a go.
Loving the phone though and on topic, I came from an S5 to S7 to N9. I was always skeptical of the size but I've adapted quick enough and can still do most things single-handed. Don't regret the upgrade one bit. I'd wanted a note since the 5 then came to the party too late, N7… Well we know what happened there and note 8 also late to the party so I splurged for this. It's not just the pen, it's the battery, ram, extra space etc etc. I don't use a laptop and PC use I make do with at work so the larger size is welcome when on the go. I don't forsee myself upgrading for a long while. đź‘Ť
I went from the S7 to the N9 and it felt big for about half an hour. Now if I pick up my old S7 it feels like a tiny toy. I don't find I hold it different than I did the S7 (I have small hands and short thumbs so the S7 was already wider than them).
I love the s-pen, works great. Don't use it all the time but I'm very happy it's there when I want it.
I don't have a screen protector on and haven't noticed any scratches. I have the S-View flip cover, I would prefer a naked phone but given how much it costs I decided to be good and use a case. The flap gets in the way of taking photos a bit, I should maybe have gone the back case and screen protector route, but this case was so expensive I'm committed to it now.
The size took a few weeks to get used to. Sometimes it's annoying that I can't hold and operate the phone comfortably in one hand for a long time. But that's the offset to having a larger screen.
Google apps came preinstalled. Can't remember whether Microsoft apps were also preinstalled.
I would describe the S-pen as handy enough not to be gimmicky but not essential for everyday use. If you're a big note taker on an iPad for example then this phone could replace that.
No issues with scratched screens on the edges. No screen protector and just using the clear cover that came with the phone.
S-Pen is great, just a shame this thing has the ridiculous "edge" display.
@Major Mess: Not sure why you got negged, I tend to agree. It means the difference of a $5-10 screen protector to a $60-70 one but hey, such is life I guess :)
I also have a Note 9 512 GB and it's an all round great phone but I'm not getting great battery life. I only get 5 hours SOT with moderate use. I'm on the Optus network (only have one sim in) and I've turned off VoLTE to boost battery life.
My understanding is this caused by poor power management on the Exynos variant. The US/Chinese Snapdragon variants have far superior battery life.
I thought we got the Snapdragon in ours and USA got the Exynos. Have I got that the wrong way around?
@Click_It: Exynos for our region. So far my battery life is almost the same as Whirlforce with dual LTE on but I charge on and off through out the day with multiple wireless chargers and car charger. If you use WIFI only I had a SOT of almost 7.5 hours with many videos streaming session.
@Click_It: Yeah, we get the Exynos 9810 and the US gets the Snapdragon 845.
If you want better battery life it might be worth looking into getting a N9600 Snapdragon variant from eBay for ~$900 when there's a site-wide 10% off sale. But then you lose VoLTE, Wi-Fi calling and Samsung Pay which is frustrating!
I have the same optus 512gb version and get 8+hours screen on time usually. Almost cracked 10hrs one time. That is browsing/insta/messenger type use.
As per Australian Consumer Laws, Samsung can't refuse a warranty job unless they can prove that the root actually contributed to the issue.
If you root it and the screen fails, they'll still have to replace your screen.
Makes sense, I'd not really thought about it before thanks. I've been fortunate enough to never have needed warranty on any phone, ever. Hoping to keep it that way.
Can anyone confirm whether the "Unbranded" variant in the dropdown is the Dual/hybrid Sim version?
Check the description in the listing.
Note: The 128GB variant has 6GB of RAM, the 512GB variant has 8GB of RAM. The Unbranded variants are Dual SIM 4G/4G, the Network Branded variants are Single SIM.
Must have missed it, thanks for the clarification and pointing it out. So for about $100 more for dual sim, not bad!
they are bit cheaper if u use the Corporate login to buy them
Is the telstra branded variant locked to the telstra network? Or is it literally just the logo on startup and nothing more?
The VoLTE is locked from what I have seen so far so switching to another carrier and swapping out to another firmware won't fix it. I think Samsung disable the Mulitple CSC on branded phones from the S9
It seems to be a common practice that carriers lock down VoLTE with custom firmware. I don't know whether it is to prevent you from leaving them, or rather to ensure the VoLTE actually works properly on their network.
My S8 (from good guys) wouldn't enable volte with Optus and no amount of talking to support changed that. In the end they stated I should have purchased the phone from them and volte would have worked. Regardless of the real intentions the customer is locked into one carrier which is total bs.
@MadJD: I guess I'm "lucky". I happened to buy an Optus-branded phone off eBay while being on an Optus sim-only plan. My VoLTE works.
Don’t get single SIM (carrier branded). If you use a different sim with the carrier software. VOLTE and wifi calling will not work.
the price for the note 9 is coming as $1371……what am i missing ??
Are u referring to the dual sim version costing 1597 ea after the 11% discount?
right.. my bad
Stupid question. Given it's from Ebay, can I TRS it?
I am pretty sure they provide tax invoice with abn. Check with the seller to confirm.
Buy the S9+ or wait for the S10 next year?
Currently have the S8 plus with no major issues, except for a battery that doesn't hold up as well as it used to..
how about Note 9?
While great phones, I've never seen the appeal of the Note series.. I personally would not use the stylus.. Obviously there's more to the Note series but the Plus series of Samsungs in the past have always served me well :)
Bought the Note 9 Dual Sim - further discount with the 5% ebay giftcard
How did you do that?
I see $100 gift cards? do you just enter the codes then apply the discount POWPOW aswell?
Yes … I bought 7 gc only as the t&c stated 7 plus 1 promo code .. but seems like others have tried more than that.
Nice, I am getting limited to 5 $100 gift cards :( Also trying to figure out if the difference of $950 - $1300 is worth the jump from 128gb 6gbram to 512gb 8gb ram…
Decisions decisions decisions.
@Justin Powell: per purchase of gift card limited to 5 … I used 2nd ebay acct to purchase the other 2 more.
I prefer 512 dual SIM as i travel and more convenient to have 2nd SIM.
I think that's the best price for the Note 9 512GB I've seen so far well done.
All that phone and only 1 sim is odd though, do we get dual sim option with Australian stock?
I wish this thing would reach $1000, I'm probably going to be forced to buy the 6GB/128GB version this side of Christmas which I hope can get close to $900 in a future sale, Black Friday / Cyber Monday maybe :)