Samsung starts global sales of Galaxy Note 9

SEOUL, Aug. 24 (Yonhap) — Samsung Electronics Co. said Friday it has started full-fledged sales of its Galaxy Note 9 flagship phones in some 50 countries, with the device set to hit shelves in more places down the road.

The South Korean tech giant said the new 6.4-inch phablet is now available in major markets, including South Korea, the United States, Britain, and India. Samsung said the device that comes with a Bluetooth-equipped stylus along with a whopping 4,000 mAh battery, will be released in 120 countries by early September.

South Korean mobile carriers earlier said preorders of the Galaxy Note 9 outperformed the Galaxy S9, which launched in March, although it fell behind last year’s Note 8.

While the Galaxy S9 has been receiving weaker-than-expected responses from the market due to lack of innovative features, the changes to the Note 9 are deemed more significant as it boasts a larger battery and greatly improved memory. The top-tier edition packs 512 GB of internal storage that can be increased to 1 TB through the mircoSD slot. The base model ships with 128 GB built in.

One standout feature of the Note 9 is that the stylus can be used to remotely take pictures and flip files if the phone is used as a tool at presentations. Samsung’s latest smartphone, moreover, can be connected to a computer monitor via its DeX dongle that allows it to be used like a pocketable computer.

Samsung said the 512 GB edition was the most popular version among South Korean consumers.

The price tag on the 512 GB edition is 1.35 million won (US$1,200), while that of entry level 128 GB stands at 1.09 million won.