Buzz
As 2018 draws to a close, it's buzzing with new players in the high-end segment. However, keen observers will notice some intriguing connections to the world's largest smartphone manufacturer.
1. Mobile Market Trends 2018: 3 Major Insights from a Pioneer
As 2018 comes to an end, it's abuzz with new entrants in the high-end segment. Yet, if one pays attention, fascinating ties to the world's largest smartphone manufacturer become apparent.
2018 witnessed a slew of top-notch products in the flagship phone segment. The standout feature of these products lies in significant upgrades and changes internally: screens are now larger and more stunning, advanced liquid cooling systems ensure consistently high performance, and effortlessly outputting images to external screens is easier than ever. Not only Samsung and Apple, but Chinese manufacturers also refuse to lag behind, boasting new features that intensify competition in the high-end segment. However, upon closer inspection of the three major trends representing the smartphone landscape in 2018, we can discern the representative of a product line belonging to the 'veteran' category, where each new generation serves as inspiration for the development of the mobile market.
Smartphones with large, beautiful displays, thin bezels, and power efficiency
Reversing Time, Galaxy Note has been one of the foundational devices for the trend of large screens, closely associated with the term phablet. It truly revolutionizes content experience on these pocketable devices: where iPhone shaped smartphones with capacitive touch technology, Galaxy Note shaped the development of large screens up to this day. By the end of 2018, we see the diagonal screen size reaching 6.4 inches with the Galaxy Note9.
Not only larger, premium smartphone screens are undergoing a strong shift towards OLED panels with numerous advantages over IPS LCD. Once again, Galaxy Note in general, and Galaxy Note9 in particular with its Super AMOLED display (a variant of OLED developed by Samsung), showcase the broad vision of the South Korean electronics giant, which has been in use since the first generation Galaxy Note in 2011.
The Galaxy Note9 with its Super AMOLED display is one of the most beautifully displayed mobile devices today, according to DisplayMate.
The ability to reproduce colors with depth, nearly absolute black, coupled with energy efficiency are clear advantages since the introduction of OLED panels. Moreover, the trend of slim bezel smartphones, OLED panels, and Super AMOLED possess characteristics that make manufacturing easier for producers. Hence, it's no surprise that the Galaxy Note9 ranks among the top smartphones with the best displays currently available.
What's intriguing is that despite using OLED panels, only those OLED panels from Samsung are highly regarded. DisplayMate evaluates the Galaxy Note9 to have the most impressive display upon its release. And most importantly, Samsung's OLED panels encounter no issues (color shifting or burn-in).
A stylus on a mobile device is never redundant
The success of Galaxy Note with its unique S Pen is clear evidence of the necessity of a stylus in the daily use of many people. Quick notes, intricate drawings, or precise annotations on the phone screen are tasks that our fingertips cannot fulfill. That's when the S Pen took flight alongside the Galaxy Note 7 years ago, even Apple under Steve Jobs, who once said, 'Who needs a stylus?', had to acknowledge its benefits and introduced the Apple Pencil in 2015, and most recently, the Huawei Mate 20 X also comes with similar equipment as a direct competitive move against the Galaxy Note9.
The S Pen is proof that a stylus on a mobile device is never redundant
However, with the Galaxy Note9, only Samsung shows that this stylus pen can do more than just a simple writing tool. Integrated with Bluetooth connectivity, the new S Pen allows users to interact remotely with the phone such as taking photos, unlocking the device, launching apps quickly, switching presentation slides, ... But the most convenient feature for users is the ability to wirelessly charge the pen when not in use. The new S Pen only takes 40 seconds to fully charge. This is something that other stylus products on the market do not have.
Smartphones are more capable of storing than ever before
2018 marks a new milestone for smartphone storage memory. The Galaxy Note9 version with 512 GB of internal memory was staggering to many at the time of its release. It's much, much more than the tens of gigabytes commonly seen on smartphones/tablets, even more than the slim laptops available today. This is clearly a new trend because later, Apple also released the iPhone XS Max 512GB memory capacity, one month after Samsung.
Large storage memory allows smartphones to be more versatile in the user's usage process as they can function as regular external hard drives
In addition to being a fitting number for the highest version of a premium tech product, large storage capacity is never redundant for those with genuine needs. Blockbuster movies in 4K resolution with HDR support, Dolby Atmos sound, or uncompressed music favored by Audiophiles, thousands of photos for photography enthusiasts, ... It can even act as a portable hard drive thanks to not only its large capacity but also its numerous versatile connections from wired to wireless, making data access easier.
Galaxy Note9 and the leader's game
Samsung, with its flagship Galaxy Note series in general, and Note9 in particular, has inspired and ensured many genuinely useful new features and technologies for users. And this is also when competitors try to catch up with similar features, experiences, putting pressure on the world's largest smartphone manufacturer. After all, this is the driving force for Samsung and other manufacturers to bring users better and better products.
