Here's Your First Good Look at the Galaxy Note 9

If you're excited about the Galaxy Note 9, there's some good news — a purported render of the upcoming phone has leaked, giving you a real look at the phablet's design.

If you're really excited about the Galaxy Note 9, there's some bad news, too — this phone looks a lot like the Galaxy Note 8. Then again, Samsung seems to be focusing on upgrades other than the design this time around.

Credit: Tom's Guide

(Image credit: Tom's Guide)

The leaked render comes courtesy of Android Headlines, which says it's an official render that comes from a reliable source. It only shows the front of the Galaxy Note 9, and from what we can see, there's very little difference between this and the current Galaxy Note.

MORE: Samsung Galaxy Note 9 Rumors: Release Date, Specs and More

Like the Note 8, this phone will have an Infinity Display that stretches from one end of the phone to the other. As before, bezels are minimal and may even be slightly smaller than they were on the Note 8, reportedly to squeeze in a slightly larger 6.4-inch display on the Note 9.

Credit: Android Headlines

(Image credit: Android Headlines)

There's no fingerprint sensor on the bottom — as with the Note 8, we expect that feature will be located on the back of the phone, dashing any hope of an embedded senor under the display. And on the top bezel, you'll see room for the front-camera, earpiece and iris scanner right where you'd find them on the Note 8.

In fact, this leaked render is consistent with previous leaked images showing off the Galaxy Note 9. The main difference is a lot of those leaked images were either CAD drawings based on rumors, dummy models used for cases or screen panels. According to Android Headlines, this is a leak of the real thing.

MORE: Huge Galaxy Note 9 Leak: First Impressions and Specs

And that could be disappointing to Note fans waiting to see just how this phone improves upon last year's model. In addition to the similar look, a lot of the rumored features — the Snapdragon 845 processor and improved cameras — are being brought over from the Galaxy S9.

The two marquee changes with the Note 9 could be the Bixby Assistant — Samsung's expected to introduce Bixby 2.0 with the Galaxy Note 9 which could add the ability to recognize different voices. The S Pen could be in for an update, too, with the Note's stylus getting Bluetooth connectivity to turn it into a portable controller.

Whatever Samsung has in mind to wow us, we'll find out soon. The Galaxy Note 9 is set to debut at a press event in New York on August 9.

Philip Michaels

Philip Michaels is a Managing Editor at Tom's Guide. He's been covering personal technology since 1999 and was in the building when Steve Jobs showed off the iPhone for the first time. He's been evaluating smartphones since that first iPhone debuted in 2007, and he's been following phone carriers and smartphone plans since 2015. He has strong opinions about Apple, the Oakland Athletics, old movies and proper butchery techniques. Follow him at @PhilipMichaels.