Note 9... worth it in late 2021?

[gray2018]

Hello all. My wife wants to try out a Note device. The only problem is, she doesn't like larger devices. I mean super large like the N10+ or the N20U. The Note 10 and Note 20 are relatively smaller, but neither one features expandable storage which is a must for her. I was thinking that the Note 9 would sort of fit the criteria of what she's looking for...

But, is it worth it in 2021? The device being older is not a big deal to her... My only concern is the security of the device. I know it is now due to get quarterly security patches for the next year... But beyond that.. How long will the device be supported? She generally keeps her devices a long time. At least two years. Is it a matter of security patches, or the version of Android which is 10? I assume Android 10 won't be out of date for quite some time. She currently has the S10e, so if she did get the Note 9, it would both be an upgrade and a downgrade. She has had the S10e for two years, and before that, the S7 for two and a half years.

 

[L0n3N1nja]

Official support ends when Samsung quits providing security updates.

Otherwise the device will continue to function, it will be years before it loses access to the Play Store and other Google services, but over time more and more apps will be updated and no longer function on it.

I still have my Note 3, obviously not a daily driver but it still gets on the Play Store and works fine with most apps minus the performance issues from age.

Phone is still worth using, but whether it's worth buying will depend heavily on price.

 

[mustang7757]

I think the Note 9 security will be done by next year and probably on quarterly update schedule

 

[BergerKing]

Note 9 gets one more year of quarterly patches, and one more year of bi-annual patches, according to the new information I read yesterday. It was released 24 August 2018, so you're right at two more years of decent support, as far as the phone goes.

While I thought that lack of expandable storage was a problem, it really isn't that big a deal. You can use a card reader to transfer files and do backups. Is there a lot of other files, such as music, or videos she'd need that storage for? Files can be played directly from a portable reader. Just food for thought.

Personally, I just came off a 3-year run with the Note 9, which I still use to stream media to my TV through a Roku. It's an excellent device, but LTE in my location is awful, but the newly activated 5G is a lot better. If LTE coverage is OK, the 9 will serve her fairly well, and the prices aren't bad, but I personally love my Note 20 5G and it's more current support and updates.

 

[gray2018]

She takes lots of pictures of our son. There is probably thousands on her phone. So having a phone with expandable storage for her is a must. We actively use 4G LTE in our area daily. I could get the Note 9 for around 400 from Samsung. But... I think with support.. It might be better getting a more current device.

I picked her up the regular S20, but we will see how that goes.

 

[Climb14er]

I'm waiting on the reviews of the Pixel 6Pro to start coming in from AC and web users and if all goes well, might jump on my first non Sammy phone in years. The Note 9, which is still running, functioning and performing beautifully will become my backup phone, especially if I buy an unlocked phone from either Google or Samsung direct. The security updates for the Note 9 continue to arrive and IMHO... the Note 9 is the best phone to date that I have ever used in twenty eight years of cell service.

 

[BergerKing]

I'm waiting on the reviews of the Pixel 6Pro to start coming in from AC and web users and if all goes well, might jump on my first non Sammy phone in years. The Note 9, which is still running, functioning and performing beautifully will become my backup phone, especially if I buy an unlocked phone from either Google or Samsung direct. The security updates for the Note 9 continue to arrive and IMHO... the Note 9 is the best phone to date that I have ever used in twenty eight years of cell service.

My previous record with a phone was 21 months with the Note 5, but still rolling on with the 9, even though the 20 is now my primary device, the 9 still gets love. I admit, though, I'm growing fonder of the fault screen on the 20 daily.

 

[gray2018]

I'm waiting on the reviews of the Pixel 6Pro to start coming in from AC and web users and if all goes well, might jump on my first non Sammy phone in years. The Note 9, which is still running, functioning and performing beautifully will become my backup phone, especially if I buy an unlocked phone from either Google or Samsung direct. The security updates for the Note 9 continue to arrive and IMHO... the Note 9 is the best phone to date that I have ever used in twenty eight years of cell service.

wow! A bold claim!

My previous record with a phone was 21 months with the Note 5, but still rolling on with the 9, even though the 20 is now my primary device, the 9 still gets love. I admit, though, I'm growing fonder of the fault screen on the 20 daily.

I do still wish I had my Note 9 as a backup device and I could still get one easily from Samsung. But I can't say paying 16 dollars a month for it would be worth it since it's only a backup device. I traded my original T-Mobile ocean blue 128 gb Note 9 last December for a free Oneplus 8. One of the biggest mistakes I have ever made. I then found factory unlocked preowned Note 9 devices from Samsung directly and tried out one of them. Still a great phone, but for me, the super slow charging speed and the 6gb of ram seems to make the device feel a bit dated and slow IMO and couldn't get past that. I was able to try out the N10+ and was an upgrade in most ways for me.

 

[Climb14er]

wow! A bold claim!

And it's backed up by a lot of experience.

 

[gray2018]

And it's backed up by a lot of experience.

I wish the Note 9 would be supported longer than it is. I think it would be really fitting if it was able to also get Android 11 along with One UI 3.0. The Note 9 might be the most popular device that Samsung has ever made.

 

[BergerKing]

wow! A bold claim!



I do still wish I had my Note 9 as a backup device and I could still get one easily from Samsung. But I can't say paying 16 dollars a month for it would be worth it since it's only a backup device. I traded my original T-Mobile ocean blue 128 gb Note 9 last December for a free Oneplus 8. One of the biggest mistakes I have ever made. I then found factory unlocked preowned Note 9 devices from Samsung directly and tried out one of them. Still a great phone, but for me, the super slow charging speed and the 6gb of ram seems to make the device feel a bit dated and slow IMO and couldn't get past that. I was able to try out the N10+ and was an upgrade in most ways for me.

Well, it was a "Fast" charging device, but not a "Super Fast" charging device, so it wasn't as slow as say, a Note 5 by any means. But still slower by a fair factor than newer phones. I still recall the devices that charged using a .2 A charger.

Speaking of chargers, I was in Brook Park, OH, a suburb of Cleveland, back in 2014 when I had to get a motel room because of a flub-up picking up a truck, and found I'd lost my charger. I walked to a convenience store to see if they had one, and he had a whole wall full of chargers for phones that were at least 10-3 years out of date, and not a single MicroUSB charger in the lot. Frustrated, I went back to the motel, where I asked the clerk if she knew where a store that sold chargers might be, she said to wait a minute, walked into the office, and back out, handing me a brand new 2A charger still in its factory plastic, and said, "Here you go!" I was very grateful, since my phone was down to 3% at the time.

And since I was using the Note 9 to backstop an active J2 Core, it was a breath of fresh air by comparison. I really only used that one for phone calls and texting. Hated it for anything else.

 

[gray2018]

Super fast charging is much more my preference. I start work at 5 am and most days I leave work, I am at around 50-60% battery left. It's so nice being able to go home and quickly top up the device in less than an hour. When I had used devices that were just fast charging, it would take forever.