The new Samsung Galaxy Note 9 is big, bright, and has terrific battery life. It's still by far the best smartphone choice if you want to take notes or draw on your handheld.

The new S Pen is more brightly colored, so it's harder to lose. It also uses Bluetooth Low Energy to act as a remote control for your phone; it charges when it's in the phone, so you won't end up running out of power.

The Galaxy Note 9 keeps the headphone jack as well as USB-C port. It also has a microSD card slot. If you get the 512GB storage model and add a 512GB card, that's a terabyte of storage.

The S Pen slides right into the slot in the phone, just like it has done with previous Note models.

The SIM card and microSD card share a slot in the top.

Unfortunately, there's still a dedicated, non-remappable Bixby button on the side.

The fingerprint scanner has been moved to below the camera, unlike on the Note 8, where it's next to the camera.

The Note 9 runs Android 8.1. Samsung suggests a whole bunch of bloatware apps, but you can refuse them if you want.

The Note 9 comes in blue and purple in the US. You can't get a black one, which is an odd choice on Samsung's part.

The Note 9's stylus is extremely precise and has excellent texture on the screen. It feels great to use.

The Note 9 (left) is slightly thicker and heavier than the Note 8 (right), and as you can see, Samsung has moved the location of the fingerprint sensor. Otherwise, they're very similar-looking phones.

The Note 9's screen (left) has been measured to be both brighter and less reflective than the Note 8's (right), earning a grade of A+ from DisplayMate Labs.

Yeah, the size comparison is a little silly with this one. That's the Note 9 on the left and the iPhone X on the right.

Here's another comparison against the iPhone X (right). If you want a big phone without a notch in the display, go with the Note 9 (left).