It's telling that we don't know if Samsung's CEO is holding a Galaxy Note 9 or Note 8 in this pic

Today, an image of Samsung mobile division CEO DJ Koh started making the rounds online. The photo seems unremarkable at first glance, but upon further inspection, it seems possible that Koh is holding a Samsung Galaxy Note 9 in his hands.

The picture, reprinted above from Sam Mobile, doesn’t give us a clear look at the device. However, the back camera setup does appear to be different than the Samsung Galaxy Note 8, which would suggest Koh is using a Note 9.

Samsung will launch the Samsung Galaxy Note 9 in early August. If this photo is actually of a Note 9, it would be our first real-world look at the device.

Here’s a zoomed-in version of the phone in Koh’s hands:

I’ve stared at this photo for a few minutes straight, and honestly, I can’t definitively tell which device it is. Sam Mobile is certain it’s a Note 9, but I’m not totally convinced.

Regardless, the fact that we can’t easily tell the Galaxy Note 9 from the Galaxy Note 8 is a telling summation of the initial rumors surrounding the upcoming flagship smartphone. So far, what we’ve learned about the phone from leaked information points to a device that is so similar to the Note 8 that it will be hard to encourage people to upgrade. Although we expect a lot of upgrades to the S Pen, those new features will likely not be “sexy” enough for people to ditch their current device.

We can tell one thing for certain from the device in the photo: it is NOT the blue Galaxy Note 9 with its companion yellow S Pen that Samsung ads have already shown us.

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