Galaxy Note 9 Camera Will Be Aligned Horizontally. Here’s Why

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Last year’s Galaxy Note 8 had a horizontally arranged dual camera system on the back, with the fingerprint sensor placed next to the camera setup. It was irritating because users would accidentally smear the camera lenses when trying to unlock their devices. Samsung fixed it with Galaxy S9 Plus by arranging the dual cameras vertically and placing the fingerprint reader below the lenses. So, why is the company going back to a horizontal arrangement for the Galaxy Note 9 camera?

Horizontal Galaxy Note 9 camera setup to make room for a bigger battery

Last week, the ever reliable tipster @OnLeaks shared Galaxy Note 9 renders that showed the camera would be arranged horizontally rather than vertically. The fingerprint sensor sits below the camera setup in an ergonomic location. Prolific Twitter leaker Ice Universe also shared renders of a Note 9 protective case. The case renders corroborate with @OnLeaks’ info. Considering both the tipsters have a reliable track record, we are fairly certain that the Galaxy Note 9 camera will be arranged horizontally.

Ice Universe’s case renders further reveal that the phone will have a new button on the left side, which will probably be dedicated to the camera shutter. The other four buttons are the volume rockers, the Bixby key, and the power button. Samsung originally wanted to hide the fingerprint sensor under the display. But the company opted to keep the rear-mounted fingerprint reader on the Galaxy Note 9 due to ‘technological difficulties’ with the optical fingerprint solution.

Samsung’s decision to go back from vertical (on the Galaxy S9 Plus) to the horizontal arrangement for the Galaxy Note 9 camera system won’t be a deal breaker. The company has an important reason for doing that. Ice Universe posted a Note 9 diagram on Chinese site Weibo to show why it makes sense for Samsung to arrange the Galaxy Note 9 camera horizontally. Apparently, the reason is the battery. The horizontal alignment will help Samsung pack a bigger battery in the phablet.

Samsung Galaxy Note 9 Camera
Image Source: Ice Universe / Weibo (screenshot)

As the diagram shows, the device with a horizontal camera setup has greater room for battery compared to the one with vertical camera alignment. Samsung also needs to keep space for the ejectable S Pen stylus. Battery life is one of the key selling points in the smartphone industry. According to the rumor mill, the Galaxy Note 9 would have a 3,850mAh or 4,000mAh battery. By comparison, the Galaxy Note 8 had a 3,300mAh battery and the Galaxy S9 Plus came with a 3,500mAh battery pack.

Galaxy Note 9 rumored specs

The Note 9 leaks have indicated that it is going to be a boring upgrade in terms of design. It would look similar to the Note 8 with only minor changes. The phone is said to feature a 6.3-inch bezel-less Super AMOLED Infinity display. It would have a rear glass panel supported by an aluminum frame. The Note 9 is said to retain the 3.5mm headphone jack and the USB Type-C port.

Samsung’s next-gen phablet will likely be powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 845 or its own Exynos 9810 chips depending on the region. The device would pack at least 6GB RAM. The Korean company has indicated that the Note 9 would come with Bixby 2.0 AI assistant that will support improved noise reduction, more natural language processing, and quicker response times. Just like Galaxy S9 Plus, it would have an 18.5:9 aspect ratio.

Ice Universe has said previously that Samsung would introduce a new Crown UX with the Note 9 to replace the Samsung Experience skin. It means the Note 9 will run Crown UX on top of Android Oreo. Other expected features include dual-SIM support, wireless charging, a microSD card slot, and an IP68 rating for water- and dust-resistance.

Bloomberg contributor Mark Gurman has learned from inside sources that the Note 9 would boast an upgraded camera. The upcoming flagship will borrow the dual apertures and super slo-mo feature from the Galaxy S9 Plus. It could also bring a new HDR video feature. Samsung needs to up the game in camera department because rivals such as Huawei are breaking the barriers in photography. Huawei’s P20 Pro is currently the world’s best smartphone camera, according to DxOMark.

Mark Gurman added that Samsung was planning to hold an Unpacked event in New York on August 9th to unveil the Galaxy Note 9. Last year’s Note 8 debuted on August 23 and hit the store shelves in September. If Gurman’s report is to be believed, the Note 9 could go on sale by the end of August.

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