If you own a Samsung Galaxy S8/S8+ or a Note 8, chances are that you’ve already received a new update that installs the June security patch. Although the changelog doesn’t mention it, the update adds a new function that Samsung exclusively included in the Galaxy S9/S9+.
This function allows users to set a video as the phone‘s lockscreen wallpaper, a feature that some may find gimmicky since it will most likely drain your handset‘s battery faster.
In any case, if you recently received an update on your Galaxy S8/S8+ or Note 8, you can now check for the new functionality by heading to Backgrounds tab of Samsung themes. You can choose to set a predefined video as lockscreen wallpaper, or you can put your own video on your screen if you have one in the Gallery app.
If you don’t find the new feature yet, you’ll probably have to wait until the June security update arrives on your smartphone, although some users report that they have received two separate updates just a few days apart from each other.
Galaxy Note 9: the new features we expect
Of course, as can be expected, the new super phablet will come with a bunch of upgrades over the last version. Samsung’s Note line has always been known to push the envelope and pack as much of the latest tech as it can fit.
So, what new features should we expect in the Galaxy Note 9? Well, this is what we know thus far…
Now, it seems the S Pen is about to get a major upgrade — Bluetooth connectivity. Leaksters have hinted towards this and a recent FCC listing pretty much spilled the beans that the S Pen will have Bluetooth LE connectivity.
Why? Nobody knows exactly what it would do, though sensible speculation suggests the ability to control media playback as well as use it like a remote shutter button for the camera.
Tons of storage, oodles of memory
Up until the Galaxy Note 4, the Note line was synonymous with ridiculously powerful hardware. It always had more memory than the Galaxy S flagship of the same year — some called it overkill, power users called it perfection. Since the Note 5, Samsung’s top-tier phablets have always had the same hardware as their equivalent Galaxy S flagship for the same year, which kind of took some of the line’s flair away.
According to some rumors, the Galaxy Note 9 might have a version with 8 GB of RAM and 512 GB of storage. Dialing it back up to overkill, we see!
Unfortunately, this edition of the device may be limited to a few markets only.
Blood pressure sensor
While we are on the topic of Galaxy S9 tech — the Note 9 will certainly also have the blood pressure sensor that Sammy tested with the S9. We tried it on the flagship a few months ago — while not 100% accurate, it’s an OK feature for casual readings.
Under the glass fingerprint sensor? Nah…
Earlier, rumors (and wishful thinking) suggested that Samsung will finally have under-the-glass fingerprint readers ready for prime time and installed on the Galaxy Note 9. If that were to be true, it’d mean that the fingerprint scanner pad will move away from its awkward position on the back of the phone and would get the classic fingerprint scanner on the front.
However, in recent months, these reports have slowly died down and slowly, but surely, the sense that this is not happening is seeping in. Now, we expect the Note 9 to have a horizontal camera setup with a fingerprint pad underneath (not to the side, thankfully).
