Samsung Galaxy Note 9 release date, specs rumors: Concept images show possible new design for top-tier phablet; Note 8 successor to lose microSD slot?

A photo of Samsung Galaxy Note 8 in Midnight Black colorSamsung Website

The release date of Samsung Galaxy Note 9 is still a couple of months away, but rumors have already begun to surface regarding its possible new design and hardware specs. Samsung has not yet revealed their plans for the Galaxy Note 8's successor, but thanks to the recent concept images of the Note 9 posted online, the public now has a few ideas in mind.

As reported by Value Walk, there is a huge expectation for the Samsung Galaxy Note 9, especially since the 2017 version of the high-end phablet was widely praised by tech analysts and the regular users alike. To collate all the expected upgrades in the new Galaxy Note model, some concept images were created, showing what the upcoming device would look like. If these visualized renders turned out to be correct, then the Galaxy Note 9 will be an even bigger hit than its predecessor.

The concept images of the Samsung Galaxy Note 9 reveal a stunning 2K stretched AMOLED display. The front panel bears a resemblance to the Galaxy Note 8, particularly the full view Infinity display. The all-screen front is massive enough to yield an 18:5:9 aspect ratio, which will offer an immersive experience to users while watching high-definition videos and playing mobile games.

One of the speculated features of the upcoming Samsung Galaxy handsets next year is an in-display fingerprint scanner. To note, the current Galaxy S8 and Note 8 devices have a new location for the biometric reader at the middle portion of the rear panel. However, some users find this position to be inconvenient, and the only way to fix this is to bring the fingerprint scanner back to the front display, although embedded right under the touchscreen. As per the Note 9 concept images, this new setup is likely to appear next year.

Aside from the in-display fingerprint reader, the concept images suggest that the Samsung Galaxy Note 9 will have a new and improved iris scanner. However, there is no indication if the Note 9 will also receive a boost in facial recognition technology, similar to Apple's iPhone X.

Meanwhile, the recent development within Samsung suggests that the Galaxy Note 9 will have a whopping 512 gigabyte (GB) internal storage capacity. The South Korean tech company itself confirmed the reported, revealing that the mass production of new embedded Universal Flash Storage (eUFS) modules for mobile devices has already commenced. Samsung did not specify which devices will receive an extra large bump in internal memory, but it is very likely that the Galaxy Note 9, as well as the Galaxy S9 smartphones, will be the first ones to get the first-ever 512 GB built-in storage.

However, with the 512 GB storage coming to the Samsung Galaxy Note 9, it is now expected that the microSD slot will be scrapped. With such huge internal storage capacity, there will be no need for an expandable memory.

Samsung might announce the arrival of Galaxy Note 9 in August or September next year.