The Samsung Galaxy Note 9 was officially announced during the Unpacked event in New York City. The Note 9 doesn’t have any breakthrough technology but it comes with a hefty price tag starting from $999 for the unlocked version.
In terms of design, we don’t see any significant change apart from the fingerprint scanner placement, slightly slimmer bezels, larger screen, and more color options. The hardware of the Note 9 is improved in almost every aspect; It is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 or Samsung Exynos 9810 processor, a 6.4-inch Super AMOLED display, an all-day battery with the capacity of 4,000mAh, up to 512GB of internal storage and 8GB of RAM. Notably, it still comes with a microSD card slot, so the storage can be expanded up to 1TB.
The dual rear cameras include a 12MP camera with a wide-angle lens, OIS, f/1.5 and f/2.4 apertures and a 12MP camera with a telephoto lens and f/2.4 aperture. The setup is similar to what we saw in the Galaxy S9 Plus but Samsung makes the cameras more intelligent with AI-based scene detection and defect detection features.
The S-Pen also has an important upgrade as it has a built-in battery and Bluetooth LE now. We can use the S-Pen as a remote control for the Note 9, for instance, we can take photos remotely, control slides, control music playback, launch apps, and many more.
The Galaxy Note 9 phones are manufactured in Vietnam, China, and Korea. The model number of the Note 9 is SM-N960 and Samsung adds some suffixes to distinguish between models released for different carriers and countries. For instance, we have some model numbers like SM-N9600, SM-N9608, SM-N960D, SM-N960J, SM-N960U, SM-N960U1, SM-N960W, SM-N960XC, SM-N960XU, SM-N960F, SM-N960N, SM-N960X, or SM-N960XN. They do not only differ in chipsets but also in cellular bands. Let’s check them out.
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Samsung Galaxy Note 9 SM-N960
| Model Number | Chipset | Carrier – Country/Region | Cellular Bands |
| SM-N960W | Snapdragon 845 | Canada – Bell Mobility – Rogers |
2G GSM: 850/900/1800/1900 3G UMTS: 850/900/1700/1900/2100 3G TD-SCDMA: 1900/2000 4G FDD LTE: LTE Cat16 700/800/850/900/1700/1800/1900/2100/2300/2600 (Bands 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 12, 13, 17, 18, 19, 20, 25, 29, 30) 4G TDD LTE: B38(2600), B39(1900), B40(2300), B41(2500) |
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SM-N9600 SM-N9608 | Snapdragon 845 | China |
2G: CDMA 800, GSM 850/900/1800/1900 3G: CDMA2000, TD-SCDMA 1900/2000, UMTS 850/900/1900/2100 4G FDD LTE: LTE Cat16 700/800/850/900/1700/1800/1900/2100/2600 (Bands 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 12, 20, 28, 29, 30) 4G TDD LTE: B38(2600), B39(1900), B40(2300), B41(2500) |
| SM-N960F | Exynos 9810 | Europe |
2G GSM: 850/900/1800/1900 3G UMTS: 850 / 900 / 1700(AWS) / 1900 / 2100 4G FDD LTE: LTE band 1(2100), 2(1900), 3(1800), 4(1700/2100), 5(850), 7(2600), 8(900), 17(700), 20(800), 28(700) 4G TDD LTE: B38(2600), B39(1900), B40(2300), B41(2500) |
| SM-N960N | Exynos 9810 | Korea – SKT (SM-G960NZKASKO) – LG U+ (SM-G960NZKALUO) – KT (SM-G960NZKAKTO) |
2G GSM: GSM 900/1800/1900 3G TD-SCDMA: 1900/2000 3G UMTS: B1(2100), B2(1900), B5(850) 4G FDD LTE: LTE Cat16 700/800/850/900/1700/1800/1900/2100/2600 (Bands 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 12, 13, 17, 18, 19, 20, 25, 26, 28) 4G TDD LTE: B38(2600), B39(1900), B40(2300), B41(2500) |
| SM-N960FD Duos SM-N960F/DS | Exynos 9810 | Dual-SIM Unlocked – Asia (India, Singapore) | 2G GSM: 850/900/1800/1900 3G UMTS: 850/900/1700/1900/2100 4G FDD LTE: LTE band 1(2100), 2(1900), 3(1800), 4(1700/2100), 5(850), 7(2600), 8(900), 17(700), 20(800), 28(700) 4G TDD LTE: B38(2600), B39(1900), B40(2300), B41(2500) |
| SM-N960F | Exynos 9810 | UK – Carphone Warehouse – Vodafone – O2 – iD Mobile – EE |
2G GSM: GSM850, GSM900, DCS1800, PCS1900 3G UMTS: B1(2100), B2(1900), B4(AWS), B5(850), B8(900) 3G TD-SCDMA: B34(2010), B39(1880) 4G FDD LTE: B1(2100), B2(1900), B3(1800), B4(AWS), B5(850), B7(2600), B8(900), B12(700), B13(700), B17(700), B18(800), B19(800), B20(800), B25(1900), B26(800), B28(700), B32(1500), B66(AWS- 3) 4G TDD LTE: B38(2600), B39(1900), B40(2300), B41(2500) |
| SM-N960U | Snapdragon 845 | Cricket – US |
2G GSM: GSM850, GSM900, DCS1800, PCS1900 3G TD-SCDMA: B34(2010), B39(1880) 3G UMTS: B1(2100), B2(1900), B4(AWS), B5(850), B8(900) 4G FDD LTE: B1(2100), B2(1900), B3(1800), B4(AWS), B5(850), B7(2600), B8(900), B12(700), B18(800), B19(800), B20(800), B28(700), B29(700), B30(2300) 4G TDD LTE: B38(2600), B39(1900), B40(2300), B41(2500) |
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SM-N960UZPAATT (128GB – Lavender Purple) SM-N960UZPFATT (512GB – Lavender Purple) SM-N960UZBAATT (128GB – Ocean Blue) SM-N960UZBFATT (512GB – Ocean Blue) | Snapdragon 845 | AT&T – US |
2G GSM: GSM850, GSM900, DCS1800, PCS1900 3G UMTS: B1(2100), B2(1900), B4(AWS), B5(850), B8(900) 3G TD-SCDMA: B34(2010), B39(1880) 4G FDD LTE: B1(2100), B2(1900), B3(1800), B4(AWS), B5(850), B7(2600), B8(900), B12(700), B14(700), B18(800), B19(800), B20(800), B28(700), B29(700), B30(2300), B66(AWS-3) 4G TDD LTE: B34 (2100), B38(2600), B39(1900), B40(2300), B41(2500) |
| SM-N960U | Snapdragon 845 | MetroPCS – US |
2G GSM: GSM850, GSM900, DCS1800, PCS1900 3G UMTS: B1(2100), B2(1900), B4(AWS), B5(850) 3G TD-SCDMA: B34(2010), B39(1880) 4G FDD LTE: B1(2100), B2(1900), B3(1800), B4(AWS), B5(850), B7(2600), B8(900), B12(700), B13(700), B18(800), B19(800), B20(800), B25(1900), B26(800), B66(AWS-3), B71 (600MHz) 4G TDD LTE: B38(2600), B39(1900), B40(2300), B41(2500) |
| SM-N960U | Snapdragon 845 | Boost – US |
2G GSM: GSM850, GSM900, DCS1800, PCS1900 2G CDMA: CDMA800, USPCS1900 3G UMTS: B1(2100), B2(1900), B4(AWS), B5(850), B8(900) 3G CDMA: BC0(800), BC1(1900), BC10(800) 4G FDD LTE: B1(2100), B2(1900), B3(1800), B4(AWS), B5(850), B7(2600), B8(900), B12(700), B13(700), B17(700), B20(800), B25(1900), B26(800), B28(700) 4G TDD LTE: B38(2600), B39(1900), B40(2300), B41(2500) |
| SM-N960U | Snapdragon 845 | C Spire Wireless – US |
2G GSM: GSM850, GSM900, DCS1800, PCS1900 2G CDMA: CDMA800, USPCS1900 3G UMTS: B1(2100), B2(1900), B4(AWS), B5(850), B8(900) 3G CDMA: BC0(800), BC1(1900), BC10(800) 4G FDD LTE: B1(2100), B2(1900), B3(1800), B4(AWS), B5(850), B7(2600), B8(900), B12(700), B13(700), B17(700), B20(800), B25(1900), B26(800), B28(700) 4G TDD LTE: B38(2600), B39(1900), B40(2300), B41(2500) |
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SM-N960UZPASPR (128GB – Lavender Purple) SM-N960UZBASPR (128GB – Ocean Blue) | Snapdragon 845 | Sprint – US |
2G GSM: GSM850, GSM900, DCS1800, PCS1900 2G CDMA: CDMA800, USPCS1900 3G UMTS: B1(2100), B2(1900), B4(AWS), B5(850), B8(900) 3G CDMA: BC0(800), BC1(1900), BC10(800) 4G FDD LTE: B1(2100), B2(1900), B3(1800), B4(AWS), B5(850), B7(2600), B8(900), B12(700), B13(700), B17(700), B20(800), B25(1900), B26(800), B28(700) 4G TDD LTE: B38(2600), B39(1900), B40(2300), B41(2500) |
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SM-N960UZPATMB (128GB – Lavender Purple) SM-N960UZPFTMB (512GB – Lavender Purple) SM-N960UZBATMB (128GB – Ocean Blue) SM-N960UZBFTMB (512GB – Ocean Blue) | Snapdragon 845 | T-Mobile – US |
2G GSM: GSM850, GSM900, DCS1800, PCS1900 3G UMTS: B1(2100), B2(1900), B4(AWS), B5(850) 3G-TD-SCMA : B34(2010),B39(1880) 4G LTE FDD: B1(2100), B2(1900), B3(1800), B4(AWS), B5(850), B7(2600), B8(900), B12(700), B13(700), B18(800), B19(800), B20(800), B25(1900), B26(800), B66(AWS-3), B71(600(TBD) 4G LTE TDD: B38(2600), B39(1900), B40(2300), B41(2500), B46(5200) LAA: B46(5200) LTE-U: 252, 255 |
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SM-N960UZPAUSC (128GB – Lavender Purple) SM-N960UZBAUSC (128GB – Ocean Blue) | Snapdragon 845 | US Cellular – US |
2G GSM: GSM850, GSM900, DCS1800, PCS1900 2G CDMA: CDMA800, USPCS1900 3G UMTS: B1(2100), B2(1900), B5(850), B8(900) 3G CDMA: BC0(800), BC1(1900) 3G TD-SCDMA: B34(2010), B39(1880) 4G FDD LTE: B2(1900), B4(AWS), B5(850), B8(900), B12(700), B13(700), B18(800) , B19(800), B25(1900) 4G TDD LTE: B38(2600), B39(1900), B40(2300) |
| SM-N960U | Snapdragon 845 | TracFone – US |
2G CDMA: CDMA800, USPCS19003G CDMA: BC0(800), BC1(1900) 4G FDD LTE: B2(1900), B3(1800), B4(AWS), B5(850), B7(2600), B8(900), B13(700), B18(800), B19(800), B20(800), B26(800), B28(700) 4G TDD LTE: B38(2600), B39(1900), B40(2300), B41(2500) |
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SM-N960UZPAVZW (128GB – Lavender Purple) SM-N960UZPFVZW (512GB – Lavender Purple) SM-N960UZBAVZW (128GB – Ocean Blue) SM-N960UZBFVZW (512GB – Ocean Blue) | Snapdragon 845 | Verizon – US |
2G GSM: GSM850, GSM900, DCS1800, PCS1900 2G CDMA: CDMA800, USPCS1900 3G UMTS: B1(2100), B2(1900), B5(850), B8(900) 3G CDMA: BC0(800), BC1(1900) 4G FDD LTE: B1(2100), B2(1900), B3(1800), B4(AWS), B5(850), B7(2600), B8(900), B12(700), B13(700), B17(700), B18(800), B19(800), B20(800), B25(1900), B26(800), B28(700), B29(700), B66(AWS- 3) 4G TDD LTE: B38(2600), B39(1900), B40(2300), B41(2500) |
| SM-N960U | Snapdragon 845 | Virgin Mobile USA – US |
2G GSM: GSM850, GSM900, DCS1800, PCS1900 2G CDMA: CDMA800, USPCS1900 3G UMTS: B1(2100), B2(1900), B4(AWS), B5(850), B8(900) 3G CDMA: BC0(800), BC1(1900), BC10(800) 4G FDD LTE: B1(2100), B2(1900), B3(1800), B4(AWS), B5(850), B7(2600), B8(900), B12(700), B13(700), B17(700), B20(800), B25(1900), B26(800), B28(700) 4G TDD LTE: B38(2600), B39(1900), B40(2300), B41(2500) |
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SM-N960UZPAXAA (128GB – Lavender Purple) SM-N960UZPFXAA (512GB – Lavender Purple) SM-N960UZBAXAA (128GB – Ocean Blue) SM-N960UZBFXAA (512GB – Ocean Blue) SM-N960U SM-N960U1 SM-N960XU (demo unit) | Snapdragon 845 | Unlocked – US |
2G GSM: GSM850, GSM900, DCS1800, PCS1900 2G CDMA: CDMA800, USPCS1900 3G CDMA: BC0(800), BC1(1900), BC10(800) 3G CDMA Diversity: BC0(800), BC1(1900), BC10(800) 3G UMTS(WCDMA): B1(2100), B2(1900), B4(AWS), B5(850), B8(900) 3G UMTS(WCDMA) Diversity: B1(2100), B2(1900), B4(AWS), B5(850), B8(900) 3G TD-SCDMA: B34(2010), B39(1880) 4G FDD LTE: B1(2100), B2(1900), B3(1800), B4(AWS), B5(850), B7(2600), B8(900), B12(700), B13(700), B14(700), B17(700), B18(800), B19(800), B20(800), B25(1900), B26(800), B28(700), B29(700), B30(2300), B66(AWS- 3), B71 (600MHz) 4G TDD LTE: B38(2600), B39(1900), B40(2300), B41(2500), B46(5200) |
Leave a comment below if you have any question for the Note 9 models.
James says
What’s the difference between the SM-N960U1 (FACTORY UNLOCKED) and the T-Mobile SMN-960U (UNLOCKED)? Is there Any advantage of getting the U1 vs the U? I noticed looking at the specs that the T-Mobile version supports LAA as well as LTE-U. HOWEVER, I have no idea what that means. Forgive my ignorance.
Matt says
Looks like T-mobile is using unlicensed spectrum to boost speeds: https://www.t-mobile.com/news/lte-u
Christine Green says
If I am replacing the screen and lcd assembly, does it matter what model number the replacement screen came from?
Mike Cook says
What’s the difference between sm 960u1 and sm 960w
AquaticBiologist says
I am not positive about all the differences however I use Boost Mobile and have been told that only SM-N960U1 work on Boost. So, there’s a difference in the CDMA bands that are supported for one thing.
tracy says
Yes you have no information for the model SM-N960U1
Porsche says
Actually, the SM-N960U1 is listed along with others, in the last group, carrier shown as simply “unlocked – US”
Osama says
I live in Egypt, what is the perfect model should i have N…?
Craig says
Hi guys,
I just got SM – N960U1 from FB Market place. I live in canada. The guy sold it to me said it’s US model phone. But I have very poor reception compared to the older Canadian made phone I was using..please help what I can do to solve the issue
Porsche says
So comparing T-Mobile and ATT, T-mobile has additional bands, LAA and LTE-U, but ATT does not.
Is this a hardware difference or firmware? I.e., if I have an unlocked, but ATT branded phone, and completely re-flash it to be T-mobile, will the additional bands become available?