Galaxy Note 9 seemingly approved by US regulators, suggesting imminent launch

It’s rumored that the Samsung Galaxy Note 9 will be announced on August 9, and a date that close is looking ever more likely now, as the phone has seemingly just been approved by the FCC (Federal Communications Commission).

We say seemingly, because the phone isn’t referred to by name, but it’s a Samsung handset with the model number SM-N960F (alongside variants with the numbers SM-N960X and SM-N960F/DS, one of which might be a dual-SIM model), and that’s in line with previous Note handsets such as the Samsung Galaxy Note 8, which has the model number SM-N950.

Not only that, but the FCC documents refer to a stylus, so we’d be very, very surprised if this wasn’t the Samsung Galaxy Note 9.

Part of the FCC listing for what's likely the Note 9. Credit: FCC

Part of the FCC listing for what's likely the Note 9. Credit: FCC

Approved for launch

The listing doesn’t reveal much about the phone, other than the presence of expected things like Wi-Fi and NFC, but phones typically get FCC certification quite soon before launch, so its appearance suggests it might be announced soon.

And – as Phone Arena notes – the FCC received this phone back in April (despite only approving it on June 25), which presumably means a near-final version of the handset has existed since April, meaning leaked renders that we’ve seen may well also be close to the final version.

In which case the Samsung Galaxy Note 9 might look an awful lot like the Note 8, but it could have some major changes on the inside if rumors are right, including a much bigger battery and a significantly upgraded S Pen.

James Rogerson

James is a freelance phones, tablets and wearables writer and sub-editor at TechRadar. He has a love for everything ‘smart’, from watches to lights, and can often be found arguing with AI assistants or drowning in the latest apps. James also contributes to 3G.co.uk, 4G.co.uk and 5G.co.uk and has written for T3, Digital Camera World, Clarity Media and others, with work on the web, in print and on TV.