Realme 2 Pro review: A step in the right direction

The Realme 2 Pro comes hot on the heels of the Realme 2, which itself came just a few months after the Realme 1.  However, the Realme 2 was a bit of strange iteration. It added a fingerprint scanner and a dual lens camera — both missing from the first — but actually shrunk the resolution and downgraded the SoC. This was likely because Realme recently broke away from Amazon and Oppo to form its own separate entity and wanted to make a name for itself.

Rather than a true next-gen upgrade, the Realme 2 was more a “rethink” of the Realme 1 with different priorities.

Is this Realme 2 Pro the genuine upgrade the Realme 2 might have been? Let’s find out in this Realme 2 Pro review.

Hardware and design

This device is a massive upgrade in a whole bunch of different ways. It has a Snapdragon 660 AIE SoC, which is a huge step up from the Snapdragon 450 we saw last time. It comes with up to 8GB of RAM, and 128GB of storage. It has a 3,500mAh battery, 16MP dual rear camera with an f/1.7 aperture, and 16MP around the front as well (f/2.0). It’s running Android 8.1 with ColorOS 5.2 on top.

That 3,500mAh battery is the only downgrade from the base model Realme 2, which packed a whopping 4,230mAh cell.

This thing doesn’t have crazy performance by any stretch, but it’s certainly a big step up and more than enough for most games on the Play Store.

The screen is a 6.3-inch TFT LCD 1080 x 2340 display. It has a notch, but it’s a tiny “dewdrop” notch which is actually pretty nice and gives the phone an outstanding screen-to-body ratio of 90.8 percent. The design is actually one of the bigger selling points at this price range.

It’s even a big step up in the looks department. Gone is the plastic diamond-patterned back, replaced with what Realme calls a “Dewdrop back cover.” I have no idea what this means, but it’s polycarbonate, it looks nice, and appears to have a second transparent layer. There’s no IP rating or wireless charging, but that’s normal for the price. The three colors available are ice lake, blue ocean, and black sea. Mine is the ice lake edition.

The bizarre decision to go with a microUSB is poor future-proofing.

There’s also a fingerprint sensor again, combined with blazing-fast facial recognition, and a headphone jack. Camera-based face unlock is really quick thanks to some AI smarts. It all seems like a real upgrade, except for the bizarre choice of a microUSB port for charging.

D’oh!

This is not a big deal by any stretch. You can certainly live with marginally slower transfer speeds and occasionally needing to make sure your plug is the right way around (USB Type-C: it’s reversible!). However, it is becoming increasingly difficult to find compatible chargers and devices for that old format. Since most of us keep our smartphones for a good few years, that will only get worse. This is poor future-proofing. Other manufacturers have shown you can include a USB-Type C at a budget price, so I’m not sure why it’s absent here. It’s a blight.

A blight I tell you!

There’s also no NFC, which means no Google Pay support.

There’s also no NFC, which is fairly common at this price point.

Daily use and camera

The Realme 2 Pro is quick and reliable, its battery performance is good, and ColorOS is annoying. It’s not a huge deal, but it’s probably the ugliest skin in town these days, with annoyances like the fact that notifications that can’t be dismissed (why??). I’m also not a fan of how the lock screen works — you need to make an additional swipe after you’ve registered a fingerprint or a face, which often results in me staring blankly at the screen for a few minutes before realizing I can get in. These are not deal breakers, though. ColorOS also has a couple of additional features thrown in.

The general experience of using this phone is absolutely fine and what you would expect for that fairly decent spec-sheet. I’ve been using it for a few days and haven’t run into any problems.

The camera is slightly better than I expected. I was ready to hate it, but it actually performed quite well. Photos have good saturation and contrast, and the low-light performance was surprisingly impressive. I tried tripping it up a few times and it consistently bested me. This of course is thanks to that f/1.7 aperture, which is also what allows for some good natural depth effects.

Sample from the Realme 2 Pro Camera

The bokeh “portrait mode” also makes an appearance on both sides, and does hit-and-miss job, which is normal at this price point. There are also a bunch of beauty mode effects for those interested, including the option to beautify multiple people in a single shot. It’s great if you have a lot of ugly friends.

The selfie camera

The biggest drawbacks in the camera department are the relatively low detail when you zoom in on distant objects, and the all-over-the-place exposure. This significantly neuters the benefit of the 16MP selfie camera, which would have otherwise been ideal for vlogging and such.

Exposure is all over the place.

The camera app is also somewhat irritating, in particular needing to enter a “video mode” to record video, rather than simply hitting a record button. Apparently there’s some AI scene-detection going on, but I didn’t notice it much myself other than the phone occasionally pointing out the lighting was good.

Low light performance is very good

This obviously isn’t going to be the camera phone of choice if you spend a lot of time on social media, but it’s also not horrible. It will be a good companion when chronicling meals out with friends and all the funny things your dog does.

You can see some more full-res camera samples here.

Price, value, and competition

How compelling an offer this is will depend on the price. That comes in at 13,990 rupees (~$193) for the base model and 17,990 rupees (~$248) for the higher specs.

If you’re going for the more expensive model, you could get a Pocophone F1 for just $50 more, which has a significantly better SoC and a larger battery. The lower priced phone is competing with phones like the Xiaomi Mi A2, which comes with fairly similar specs.

The Pocophone F1 — not that much more expensive

I was kind of hoping this might be to the budget market what the Pocophone F1 is to the mid-range — it’s not. However, it’s a solidly built device with attractive looks and strong performance. It’s good value and it’s yet another example of how these days you can get a very appealing smartphone without spending a small fortune.

It’s certainly a big step in the right direction for Realme. (That’s a callback to my review of the Realme 2 for those that missed it. It was very clever. In other news: I’m really tired.)

I give this phone a “well done, Realme.”

The hybrid LG Watch W7 may launch alongside the LG V40 ThinQ

Remember the rumors from early 2018 that LG would be putting out a watch called the “LG Watch Timepiece” that would combine being a smartwatch with analog watch hands? It seems that idea might not be dead yet, and might be returning under a new name alongside the new LG V40 ThinQ. Here’s everything we know about the LG Watch W7.

Details on this watch are currently extremely thin on the ground. Experienced and usually accurate leakster Evan Blass was the first to break the news, linking to a news piece for the original LG Watch Timepiece, and claiming that this watch would not launch six months later, under a new name.

Aside from that, it’s presumed that most of the details for the LG Watch Timepiece will also hold true for the LG Watch W7. That means you can expect to find a hybrid smartwatch, equipped with physical watch hands as well as a 1.2-inch screen with a 390 x 390-pixel resolution running Google’s Wear OS.

Older rumors for the device suggested that users would be able to switch over to a heavily energy-saving analog mode for the watch, shutting down Wear OS almost entirely, and increasing the watch’s lifespan to up a hundred days. This is similar to what we have now seen in the Mobvoi Ticwatch Pro, and it’s likely that such a mode would make it popular amongst crowds who hate the idea of charging a watch daily.

The LG Watch Timepiece was originally set to feature the Snapdragon 2100 platform, 768MB of RAM, and 4GB of memory but with the Snapdragon 3100 now on the horizon, it’s entirely possible that the Watch W7 will feature Qualcomm’s newest wearable tech.

It’s expected that the W7 will also come with NFC, Bluetooth, and motion tracking but it’s unknown whether heart rate monitoring will also be a feature. With Google Fit taking a much more prominent role in Wear OS, it might be unwise to ship out a smartwatch without more fitness-tracking capabilities but then, this is a hybrid watch.

Since the LG V40 ThinQ is expected to launch on October 3, we won’t have long to wait to find out if Blass’s claim holds water. LG hasn’t launched a new smartwatch in some time, so the LG Watch W7 is likely long overdue for fans.

Editors’ Recommendations

• LG V40 ThinQ: Absolutely everything we know
• LG V35 ThinQ review
• LG G7 ThinQ review
• LG reveals its first Android One phone and a cheaper LG G7
• The best LG G7 ThinQ cases

A.I. security camera can identify guns with 99 percent accuracy

The U.S. company Athena Security has developed a smart camera system which is reportedly 99 percent accurate when it comes to spotting guns in video footage. It can then be used to alert law enforcement automatically, potentially saving lives in the process. The technology is already being employed at Archbishop Wood High School in Warminster, Pennsylvania, among other locations.

“The technology works by using computer vision A.I. algorithms to detect objects, and also measure the velocity of objects to determine what are clients are looking for,” Chris Ciabarra, chief technical officer and co-founder of Athena Security, told Digital Trends. “The main hardware technologies use CUDA cores by Nvidia for the processing of the information and Nvidia’s DGX-1 box, which we think has the fastest GPUs on the market, for processing our computer vision algorithms.”

In a scenario like a school shooting, Ciabarra says that the system would result in the police being called within minutes of a shooter (or would-be shooter) pulling out a gun for the first time. In a best-case scenario, the Athena Gun Detection System might serve as enough of a deterrent that causes the gunman to flee before shooting anyone. In a worst-case scenario, it would still mean police arriving more quickly on the scene, and potentially medics being alerted to the situation more rapidly as well.

Athena Security

“[The technology] is ready to go, and we are installing [it] into schools that want the students to be safe, corporations that value their employees’ safety, and homes that want to protect themselves and their loved ones,” Ciabarra continued.

Installing the technology is as simple as providing Athena with the IP address being used by an existing security camera system, after which the company will take over and plug it into their cloud-based system. In the event that no cameras are yet installed, Athena can also provide these as part of its package.

While protecting against potential shootings has so far grabbed the most press coverage, Ciabarra notes that the same technology can also be used to identify potentially less lethal incidents, such as a fight or a slip and fall. The camera tech can additionally be connected to other third-party security technologies — for instance, making it possible to stop elevators or lock security doors in the event that a certain behavior is identified.

Editors’ Recommendations

• Regular Wi-Fi can accurately detect bombs, chemicals, and weapons in bags
• The best radar detectors of 2018
• Swann is arming its 4K Ultra HD security cams with Google Assistant
• 7 amazing anti-drone technologies designed to swat UAVs out of the sky
• Hanwha Techwin enters the smart security market with two new indoor cameras

Facebook’s latest security breach leaves 50 million accounts compromised

Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

Facebook announced that it had uncovered a new security flaw that allowed hackers to take control of as many as 50 million user accounts. The company is still in the early stages of investigating this latest security flaw and it announced that law enforcement has been notified.

“On the afternoon of Tuesday, September 25, our engineering team discovered a security issue affecting almost 50 million accounts,” the company said in a statement. “We’re taking this incredibly seriously and wanted to let everyone know what’s happened and the immediate action we’ve taken to protect people’s security.”

The flaw stems from the way access tokens are handled. Access tokens are digital keys that allows users to remain logged into their Facebook accounts without having to re-enter their passwords every time. However, due to the way Facebook’s code handles the “View As” feature, the company said that hackers may have improperly taken over people’s account. The View As feature allows Facebook users to view their profile as if they are browsing the network as someone else.

Facebook said that the bug has been patched, and to be cautious, it had reset the access tokens from 50 million user accounts. Additionally, it also reset the access tokens from another 40 million Facebook accounts that had accessed the View As feature within the last year. A total of 90 million people were forcibly logged out of their Facebook accounts as a precaution, the company said.

When users log back in, they will be greeted with a notification in their News Feed with details about the attack. Facebook said that it is temporarily turning off the View As feature while it investigates this incident.

“Since we’ve only just started our investigation, we have yet to determine whether these accounts were misused or any information accessed,” the company said. “We also don’t know who’s behind these attacks or where they’re based. We’re working hard to better understand these details.”

This is the latest security scandal to hit Facebook. The company was also involved in the Cambridge Analytica data scandal earlier in 2018. In that incident, the data of as many as 90 million users were affected.

Editors’ Recommendations

• Dixons Carphone hack exposes 5.9 million cards, 10 million accounts
• Millions of health records may be at stake in ransomware attack
• Facebook is paying cash rewards if you find vulnerabilities in third-party apps
• Timehop data breach may have compromised 21 million email addresses
• Facebook, Twitter boot accounts tied to Iran, Russia for coordinated deception

MacRumors Giveaway: Win a Futuristic ‘Tap’ Wearable Keyboard

For this week’s giveaway, we’ve teamed up with Tap to give MacRumors readers a chance to win one of the company’s Tap Keyboard & Mouse setups.

The Tap, priced at $179, is a futuristic keyboard that you wear on your hands, using a series of finger taps to type different letters, numbers, and symbols.

Tap fits over your thumb and each of your fingers, with adjustable rings that can fit a wide variety of fingers. Sensors are built into each finger ring to detect the movement of your fingers, translating gestures into words for a novel, type anywhere experience.

There are different taps for each letter. A single tap of the thumb, for example, creates an A, while a tap of the index finger makes an E. To create a K, you tap your thumb and ring finger, and to create a B, you tap your index and pinky fingers at the same time.

Learning to use the Tap Keyboard takes just a few days thanks to a well-developed iOS app that walks you through each gesture one by one and then gamifies the learning experience by requiring you to beat tapping mini games.

We reviewed the Tap Keyboard earlier this year and were able to learn the taps in about a week with 30 minutes of practice per day.

Mastering the Tap keyboard will take some time, weeks to months, perhaps, but your typing will get faster as your fingers get used to the gestures. Some Tap users can type up to 60 words per minute, mimicking traditional keyboard speeds. Tap can also be used as a mouse replacement in a special mouse mode that involves using the thumb.

Tap works as a keyboard replacement on all of your iOS and Mac devices, like any other Bluetooth keyboard. There are also select Tap games that have Tap support and are played using unique tap gestures. Tap is fully customizable, so you can create Tap Maps for different games and use cases.

We have two of the Tap Keyboards to give away to MacRumors readers. To enter to win, use the Rafflecopter widget below and enter an email address. Email addresses will be used solely for contact purposes to reach the winners and send the prizes. You can earn additional entries by subscribing to our weekly newsletter, subscribing to our YouTube channel, following us on Twitter, or visiting the MacRumors Facebook page.

Due to the complexities of international laws regarding giveaways, only U.S. residents who are 18 years or older and Canadian residents (excluding Quebec) who have reached the age of majority in their province or territory are eligible to enter. To offer feedback or get more information on the giveaway restrictions, please refer to our Site Feedback section, as that is where discussion of the rules will be redirected.

a Rafflecopter giveawayThe contest will run from today (September 28) at 11:00 a.m. Pacific Time through 11:00 a.m. Pacific Time on October 5. The winners will be chosen randomly on October 5 and will be contacted by email. The winners will have 48 hours to respond and provide a shipping address before new winners are chosen.

Tag: giveaway
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U.S. International Trade Commission Declines to Block iPhone Imports in Ongoing Apple v. Qualcomm Case

The United States International Trade Commission will not be blocking imports of the iPhone in the ongoing Apple v. Qualcomm case, reports Reuters.

Qualcomm had asked the ITC to ban imports of the AT&T and T-Mobile iPhone 7, iPhone 7 Plus, iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus, and iPhone X models that use chips from Intel, citing multiple patent violations.

Qualcomm did not ask for a ban on iPhones that use Qualcomm LTE chips, with the reasoning that a more limited exclusion order was more likely to be granted.

An ITC judge said on Friday that while Apple’s iPhones infringe on a patent related to power management technology, a ban will not be put in place. The judge cited “public interest factors” as one of the reasons why the court ruled against Qualcomm.

Neither Apple nor Qualcomm have commented on the decision as of yet, but it marks a major victory for Apple in its months-long legal battle with Qualcomm.

The two companies have been embroiled in an increasingly tense legal feud that kicked off in January 2017. Qualcomm and Apple have filed several more than a dozen lawsuits against one another since then.

Apple has accused Qualcomm of charging unfair royalties for “technologies they have nothing to do with,” while Qualcomm claims that its inventions form the “very core” of modern mobile communication.

Earlier this week, Qualcomm further escalated the dispute by accusing Apple of providing confidential trade information and trade secrets stolen from Qualcomm to Intel.

Tags: lawsuit, Qualcomm, ITC, Patent lawsuits
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iPhone XS Users Complain About Skin-Smoothing Selfie Camera

Over the course of the last week, the front-facing camera in the iPhone XS and XS Max has been receiving a lot of attention because the selfies captured on the new devices are drastically different from those captured with the iPhone X or earlier iPhone models.

In a MacRumors forum thread and on Reddit, Apple has been accused of using a skin-smoothing feature or a “beauty filter” for prettier selfies from the front-facing camera. The effect was demoed by a Reddit user in the image below:

We covered the issue in our recent iPhone XS Max vs. iPhone X camera comparison, where we did see the smoothing effect, but the front-facing camera’s performance has garnered so much attention since then that we wanted to more prominently highlight the problem.

When taking a selfie in a situation where lighting is less than ideal, such as indoors or outdoors in areas with lower lighting, the iPhone XS Max appears to be applying a drastic smoothing effect that can hide freckles, blemishes, and other issues.

In full outdoor lighting the problem is less apparent, which has led to speculation that the skin smoothing is actually a result of some heavy-handed noise reduction techniques.

You can test the new camera yourself with an iPhone XS Max and an older iPhone like an iPhone X model by taking selfies indoors and outdoors and comparing the differences between the two. In almost all cases where the lighting is low or uneven, photos captured with an iPhone XS Max look dramatically different.

It makes sense that we’d see differences between the iPhone XS Max and say, an iPhone 8 because the front-facing cameras are different, but as far as we know, the iPhone X and XS are using the same 7-megapixel front-facing camera. Apple detailed several changes to the rear-facing camera in the iPhone XS models, but beyond a new Neural Engine, there were no announced changes to the TrueDepth camera system.

Because the camera is the same, Apple is doing something different with the way photos are processed after being captured, which could be related to the new HDR features that have been implemented. Apple has a new A12 chip and next-generation Neural Engine that are aiding in photo processing to enable a Smart HDR feature that applies to both the rear and front-facing cameras.

Turning off HDR does not remove the smoothing effect, nor does tweaking any other camera setting, so if the ultra skin smoothing is a result of something like unintentional excessive noise reduction, it needs to be tweaked on Apple’s end through a software update. YouTuber Unbox Therapy recently demoed the issue with a series of selfies.

While it’s mostly the front-facing camera that’s been under scrutiny, this is a problem that affects both the front-facing and rear-facing cameras and it’s not entirely limited to skin. Excessive smoothing can be seen affecting other images as well.

There has been speculation that Apple intentionally implemented the skin smoothing feature to mimic the beauty mode that’s popular in Asia and common on some other smartphones, but it’s not clear if that was Apple’s intention.

Many MacRumors readers and Reddit users have reported the issue to Apple, and given that this issue has received so much attention, we may see front-facing camera tweaks in a future iOS update.

Related Roundup: iPhone XSBuyer’s Guide: iPhone XS (Buy Now)
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How to watch Microsoft’s Oct. 2 Surface event

Aaron Cassara/Digital Trends

October is nearly upon us, which means that Microsoft’s “a moment of your time” event is coming up soon. Microsoft announced that it has a scheduled a media event for October 2. Even though Microsoft hasn’t given any official clues on what to expect, it’s widely anticipated that the company will announce updates to its Surface lineup, and two popular Surface PCs that may get refreshed come October 2 include the Surface Pro and the Surface Laptop.

If you’re ready to see what Microsoft has up its sleeves, we’ll let you know how to tune in to see the event live. In addition to Microsoft’s livestream, we’ll also have our own coverage of Microsoft’s announcements at Digital Trends — be sure to check back regularly to see all the latest news from Microsoft.

How to watch

Microsoft is scheduled to kick off its October 2 event at 4PM Eastern Time in New York City.

That translates to 1PM Pacific Time,  3PM Central Time, or 9PM British Time. Unfortunately, if you’re a Microsoft fan in Australia, that means you’ll have to wake up on October 3 by 6AM local time to tune in. For other regions, be sure to use a time converter to check when the event will start for you.

Currently, Microsoft hasn’t posted an official link to the livestream, though it will be embedded above when it’s available. We’ll make updates to this post as we learn more details.

What to expect

On the hardware side, Microsoft is widely expected to announce updates to its Surface Pro and Surface Laptop lines. Both devices could benefit from the latest Intel chips, though it’s still too early to tell if there will be any radical hardware changes at this time. On the accessories front, Microsoft may also be working on a refreshed Surface Dial as well.

Although earlier rumors suggested that the Surface Pro will get a major redesign, it’s also been speculated more recently that the big update won’t be done in time for October. If this is accurate, the next generation Surface Pro may get a more modest refresh. In addition to under-the-hood upgrades, the Surface Laptop may also get a new black color option. Be sure to check out our detailed post on what what to expect for all the hardware that could get refreshed.

But even if you’re not ready to make an investment in Microsoft’s newest hardware, the event may have broader implications for PC users. Microsoft already announced that its next major update to Windows 10 will be aptly called the October 2018 Update, and it could leverage the event to showcase new features from that update on the software front. This include an updated Notepad, a new on-screen keyboard that leverages Microsoft’s SwiftKey acquisition, and more.

Editors’ Recommendations

• Refreshed Surface Pro 6 could arrive at Microsoft’s October 2 event
• What to expect from Microsoft’s October 2 Surface event
• Microsoft could debut transparent Surface Dial sequel at October event
• The next big Windows update could launch as soon as October 2
• Microsoft may go back to black with 2018 Surface Pro and Surface Laptop

Facebook Uncovers ‘Security Issue’ Affecting Nearly 50 Million Accounts

Facebook this morning announced that its engineering team on Tuesday discovered that hackers have exploited a vulnerability in its code, allowing hackers to steal Facebook access tokens for almost 50 million accounts.

According to Facebook, hackers took advantage of security flaws in its “View As” code, which is a feature designed to let people see what their profile looks like to someone else. The Facebook access tokens that were stolen are digital keys that allow people to stay logged in to Facebook.

This attack exploited the complex interaction of multiple issues in our code. It stemmed from a change we made to our video uploading feature in July 2017, which impacted “View As.” The attackers not only needed to find this vulnerability and use it to get an access token, they then had to pivot from that account to others to steal more tokens.

It is not clear whether the accounts affected were misused or have had information accessed at this time, and Facebook does not know who executed the attacks.

Facebook says that the vulnerability has been patched at this time, and authorities have been informed. Facebook has reset the access tokens of the nearly 50 million accounts that were affected along with another 40 million accounts that have been subject to a “View As” lookup in the last year.

Customers who have been logged out of their apps will receive a message about what happened once they log back in.

While a security review is conducted, Facebook is turning off the “View As” feature that was used for the hack.

Facebook says that it is “sorry this happened” and that people’s privacy and security “is incredibly important.” No one needs to change their passwords, according to Facebook, but those concerned can visit the “Security and Login” section in settings to log out of all devices at once.

Today’s Facebook hack comes just a day after Facebook was found to be using phone numbers that customers provided for 2-factor authentication for ad targeting purposes and shadow contact building.

Tag: Facebook
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Common Galaxy Note 9 problems and how to fix them

The stunning Samsung Galaxy Note 9 is the jewel in Samsung’s mobile crown. It’s exceptionally powerful, comes with an amazing camera, and has even improved the Note’s signature feature — the S Pen. But it’s not perfect, and every device has its share of problems and issues.

If you do run into a problem, don’t cry or throw your phone in the bin — we’ve dug around to find some of the most common Galaxy Note 9 problems and issues, and the fixes that’ll keep your device running smoothly.

Issue: Navigation keys unresponsive

A number of users are reporting that the software-based navigation keys at the bottom of the Note 9’s screen are freezing and becoming unresponsive. Users have reported that the issue is intermittent, but when it occurs it can take up to 10 to 20 taps to push through a command — and often the issue doesn’t go away until the phone is restarted.

It seems that the issue is restricted only to devices using Samsung’s default Samsung Experience launcher — one user using Nova Launcher said he only had the issue while on his Note 9’s home page.

The root of the problem is apparently a recent update to Samsung Pay — which explains why the issue hasn’t been around since the Note 9’s launch.

Workaround:

• It seems that a restart of the phone will clear the issues, at least for a time.
• One user reported that changing his Note 9’s theme through the Samsung Themes app solved his issues. This is highly anecdotal, but it’s worth a shot if you’re getting the issue consistently.

Solution:

• Since the problem is linked to Samsung Pay, setting up Samsung Pay is apparently enough to solve the issue. It seems that some form of invisible pop-up from Samsung Pay is blocking the keys, and that box goes away once Samsung Pay is set up. It’s a weird solution — but apparently it works.
• Samsung is also working on an update that solves the issue. If you don’t want to set up Samsung Pay, then waiting for that update is your only way to solve the problem.

Problem: Camera lags or freezes for a few seconds

Users on the official Samsung forums and XDA Developers have been complaining of lagging and freezing while using the Note 9’s camera. This issue seems to happen both when taking images and recording video, and clearing the cache, changing the MicroSD card, and restarting the phone have had no impact. The “Camera failed” warning also seems to be linked to this issue.

Samsung is aware of this problem, and a moderator on the official Samsung forums has stated that Samsung is working to find out the root of the problem.

Solution:

• Unfortunately there’s no fix for this yet, and if the problem is really getting your goat, then your only recourse is to reach out to Samsung a request a new phone.

Problem: Volume lowers during media playback

Some users are noticing that video volumes are lowering several minutes into media playback. The problem is occurring on YouTube and other video apps, including Samsung’s own video app, and it seems to happen exclusively several minutes into playback. The issue persists into safe mode — which indicates the problem isn’t caused by a third-party app.

One user has relayed information from a Samsung technician that indicated a software update could fix the problem — but this is at odds with other advice from one of Samsung’s official moderators who recommended a replacement unit.

Solution:

• It’s currently unknown whether this issue is software or hardware-based, and Samsung seems none the wiser as to what’s causing the issue. Contacting Samsung and getting a replacement unit may be your only solution at this stage.

Problem: Top speaker is inconsistent during calls

The Note 9 uses a lower speaker and the earpiece at the top of the phone to deliver stereo sound. Unfortunately, it seems that the earpiece at the top of the phone is working inconsistently for some users during speakerphone mode in calls. According to some posts, the top speaker will work sometimes when the phone is moved, but will cut out at other times.

This is a particularly interesting problem because, as some users have pointed out, the top speaker is only meant to work for music and videos and shouldn’t kick in for speakerphone at all. It seems the sensor at the top of the phone is cutting out the earpiece speaker when blocked, causing the intermittent service.

Potential solution:

• It’s probably worth running through Samsung’s troubleshooting guide for speakers. It may or may not work, but it’s worth a shot.

Solution:

• There’s no official solution to fix this yet, so unfortunately your only real solution seems to be to get your phone replaced.

Issue: Quiet notifications

Many have expressed concerns that the Note 9’s ringtone and notification volumes are quieter than other comparable phones, and especially when compared to last year’s Galaxy Note 8. It seems that while the earpiece kicks in for music and video, only the bottom speaker is used for notifications and ringtones.

Workaround:

• Unfortunately there’s not much that can be done to fix this on a hardware level — it’s simply how loud the speaker is. However, some users have suggested using an app to boost the volume. Volume Booster GOODEV is recommended.

Problem: S Pen not registering on certain parts of the screen

The S Pen is a wonderful addition to the Note 9, with some great new features being added to the latest version of Samsung’s huge phone. But it’s just another piece of the phone that can go wrong, and some users are having issues with the S Pen not working on certain parts of their Note 9’s screen.

Possible solutions:

• Are you using a protective case with a magnet? Many wallet cases use magnets to hold the cover closed, and those magnets can interfere with the S Pen and the Note 9. Try taking off the case and trying again.
• If that doesn’t work, you may have a defective screen or S Pen. Contact Samsung about a replacement.

Editors’ Recommendations

• Samsung Galaxy Note 9: Everything you need to know
• Samsung Galaxy Note 9 vs. Huawei P20 Pro: Two high-end phones clash
• Here’s everything announced at Samsung Galaxy Unpacked
• From snapping photos to scribbling, here’s what the S Pen can do on the Note 9
• The best Samsung Galaxy Note 9 screen protectors