It's not certain what the Note 9 will be like, although it's still expected to carry a Snapdragon 845 chip (and the corresponding Samsung Exynos chip in some regions) and the next generation of Bixby. This being Samsung, we wouldn't be surprised if it packs camera or display upgrades as well. If there's any certainty, it's that the Note 9's August 9th debut won't fit into the usual pattern. Samsung has typically focused on what the S Pen enables in software -- this time, the peripheral itself appears to be the star.