9 Best Galaxy Note 9 Alternatives
Note 9 Too Pricey? Try These Phones Instead
Samsung's Galaxy Note 9 is an impressive big-screen phone with a number of noteworthy enhancements, from a Bluetooth-connected S Pen to cameras that are smart enough to recognize objects and change their settings so you can snap the best shot. But those improvements come with a price: The Note 9 starts at $999. The iPhone X is the only other phone that commands that kind of outlay.
If you're balking at that steep price, don't worry — the Galaxy Note 9 isn't the only big-screen option available. Here are nine other Android phones with their own expansive displays and features that approach — or even top — what the Note 9 has to offer. It's just another reminder that you don't always have to pay top dollar to get a top smartphone.
Credit: Tom's Guide
Galaxy S9+
Before the Galaxy Note 9 even debuted, Samsung had already offered a pretty powerful big-screen phone in the 6.2-inch Galaxy S9+. Granted, with this phone, you don't benefit from the S Pen's superpowers or the AI smarts of the Note 9's camera. But the S9+ takes excellent pictures in low light, thanks to an aperture that can vary between f/1.5 and f/2.4 depending on conditions.
The S9+ has the same Snapdragon 845 processor and 6GB of RAM as the Note 9, so the performance comparison is essentially a wash. Then, there's the matter of price: The Galaxy S9+ costs $150 less than the Note 9, and that's before you consider the likelihood of sales and special offers designed to goose slower-than-expected S9+ sales.
MORE: Galaxy Note 9 vs. Galaxy S9+: Which Should You Buy?
Credit: Tom's Guide
OnePlus 6
The 8GB version of the Galaxy Note 9 and its 512GB of storage sounds pretty sweet — until you see the $1,249 price Samsung asks for its top-of-the-line model. OnePlus also has a version of its flagship phone packed with 8GB of RAM. And while you'll have to make do with 256GB of storage on that particular version of the OnePlus 6, at $629, it costs half as much as the specced-out Note 8.
In return, you'll get a phone with the same high-performance Snapdragon 845 processor, dual rear cameras and a fast-charging battery. In essence, you'll get just about everything with the OnePlus 6 that you'd find in a high-end phone like the Note 9, except for the stratospheric price.
Credit: Tom's Guide
Google Pixel 2 XL
Despite all the improvements to the Note 9's camera, we still think the Pixel 2 XL boasts the best shooter of any phone. When we pitted the cameras head to head, the Note 9 enjoyed an edge only in low-light settings; otherwise, the Pixel 2 XL did a better job capturing accurate colors and true-to-life images. About the only reason to hold off on a Pixel 2 XL purchase is that Google has a Pixel 3 XL in the works for an October release. But even if you get a Pixel now, you'll still get the latest version of Android, as Google recently updated its phones to Android 9 Pie.
Credit: Tom's Guide
Galaxy Note 8
Maybe your new phone doesn't have to be so new. Yes, the Note 9 has a faster processor, smarter camera and bigger battery than last year's model. But the Galaxy Note 8 remains a pretty capable phone that still features the powerful S Pen and some well-regarded dual rear cameras. Some of the Note 9's promised gains are more modest than you might think; that 4,000-mAh battery in the new phone translated to only 15 minutes of additional battery life over the Note 8 in the Tom's Guide battery test. With the Note 9 hitting stores, prices on the Note 8 are sure to fall. (As of this writing, a new version of the Note 8 costs $749 at Amazon.)
MORE: Note 9 vs. Note 8: What's New
Credit: Tom's Guide
LG G7 ThinQ
The Note 9's camera may have built-in smarts, but so do the shooters on the LG G7 ThinQ. LG's phone can recognize 18 different scenes, adjusting camera settings on the fly, similar to what the Scene Optimizer feature on the Note 9 does in 20 different scenes. LG also worked with Google to build tight integration with Google Assistant into the phone, so you can do things like ask Google to launch the camera or take a selfie in Portrait Mode. And the Snapdragon 845 processor running things on the G7 is the same one you'll find inside the Note 9. Just don't expect great battery life.
Credit: Tom's Guide
Huawei Mate 10 Pro
Speaking of AI-powered camera phones, Huawei's Mate 10 Pro was the first to launch with the feature, arriving earlier this year. And it produced some impressive results when we put the phone's camera to the test. Since then, the Android 8.1 update has brought more AI-powered photo enhancements to the Mate 10 Pro, including additional recognized scenes. Huawei's phone also happens to be one of the longest-lasting flagship devices you can currently buy; it held out for more than 14 hours on our battery test, easily outlasting the Note 9.
Credit: Tom's Guide
BlackBerry Key2
It's hard to top the productivity-boosting powers of the Galaxy Note's S Pen, especially now that Samsung has added Bluetooth connectivity. But a physical keyboard can help turn your smartphone into a mobile power user's trusted companion, especially when that keyboard can also trigger assorted shortcuts. That's the selling point of the BlackBerry Key2, which lets you program each of its keys to launch frequently used apps.
The keyboard can also double as a trackpad, helping you navigate around the Key2 more easily. Software features are geared toward business users, too, with DTEK monitoring your Key2's security and the BlackBerry Hub putting all of your communication tools in one place.
Credit: Tom's Guide
HTC U12+
If you want a top-performing Android phone, the Note 9 is certainly up there. But because other phones also use Qualcomm's Snapdragon 845 mobile processor and pack in as much RAM as Samsung does, you'll find other flagships with comparable performance power. The HTC U12+, for example, actually has a higher score on Geekbench 4 — 9,014 to the Note 9's 8,876. The Note 9 does have a higher score on 3DMark's Slingshot Extreme graphics test, at 4,639, but the U12+'s 4,562 score is certainly in the same ballpark. You'll have to deal with some design quirks with the HTC U12+, and that phone's battery doesn't perform as well as the Note 9's does, but you can expect comparable performance in a phone that's $200 cheaper.
Credit: Tom's Guide
Moto Z3
The Note 9 is many things, but 5G-ready is not one of them. In fact, Samsung says next year's Galaxy S10 won't work with 5G networks either, so you may be in for a wait if you want a Samsung phone that can take advantage of the new networking standard's faster speeds. That's not the case with the Moto Z3, which is taking advantage of its modular design to offer a snap-on accessory early next year that will connect to 5G networks. There are still plenty of questions to be answered about how Motorola and its carrier partner, Verizon, will handle this 5G Moto Mod, but it's hard to deny that the Z3 itself offers an intriguing way of future-proofing your phone.
MORE: 5G Networking Guide
Credit: Tom's Guide
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.