There exist in this world the kind of people that are going to pre-order the new Samsung Galaxy Note 9, and to hell with the price tag. You know that. Samsung knows that. We know that.
But everybody else is looking at that AED 3,699 or AED 4,599 pre-order prices and thinking there's no way they'll be splashing out on the Note 9 any time soon.
Looking for the UK version of this article? It's right here
Well this article is for the latter camp. The anything-but-the-Note 9 brigade. We've picked out five mobile phones that you should consider instead of Samsung's new behemoth, and the best-value deals on them that you can pick up right now.
And for those wondering why the iPhone X doesn't feature... well that's even more expensive than the Note 9!
1. Samsung Galaxy Note 8: AED 1,660 cheaper than Note 9
Okay, let's start with the obvious option. The Note 9 doesn't make massive leaps and bounds over the Galaxy Note 8, and yet the 2017 model will cost you waaaaaay less. You still get a 12MP dual-lens main camera, Quad HD+ 6.3-inch display and plenty of power.
Souq.com is selling last year's Galaxy Note 8 for just AED 2,039 which is a phenomenal saving over the Note 9. Granted this is just the 64GB model, the Note 8 also comes with an expandable microSD card. Even if you're looking to get the 128GB model, that's also priced at AED 2,699 which is a thousand Dirhams cheaper.
2. Samsung Galaxy S9 Plus: AED 900 cheaper than Note 9
Sticking with Samsung for a moment, the Galaxy S9 Plus arrived earlier this year at great expense, but thankfully prices fell fast and far. At 6.2 inches the screen is a tad smaller than the Note 9's, but it's noticeably lighter and its cameras really impressed us, especially in low light.
The Galaxy S9 Plus is currently selling for AED 2,799 and gets you the same 128GB storage and 6GB RAM as the Galaxy Note 9.
3. iPhone 8 Plus: AED 700 cheaper than Note 9
As we said, we're leaving the iPhone X out of this little roundup, and that makes the iPhone 8 Plus your best big-screen option on Apple iOS. At 5.5 inches the screen is quite a lot smaller that the Note 9's, but you know with Apple that you're going to get a stylish phone that's a delight to use.
The iPhone 8 Plus is selling for AED 2,987 which is the 64GB model. Granted that's lower than the storage you get from Note 9, but you're also saving over 700 Dirhams.
4. Huawei P20 Pro: AED 900 cheaper than Note 9
The Huawei P20 Pro has been the smartphone sleeper hit of the summer. It takes a lot to break the stranglehold of Samsung and Apple, but Huawei has done it in 2018 with its 6.1-inch wonder. People have fallen over themselves to get that 40MP main camera and massive battery.
The Huawei P20 Pro is now selling for AED 2,769 which is 200 Dirhams off it's original price and over 900 Dirhams cheaper than the Galaxy Note 9.
5. OnePlus 6: Half the price of the Note 9
OnePlus released its latest phone the OnePlus 6 just a couple of months back and it has all the latest specs such as the Snapdragon 845 processor along with an almost 6.3-inch screen. You get all that for half the price of the Galaxy Note 9.
Currently, the OnePlus 6 is selling for AED 1,879 which is a whopping 1,800 cheaper than the Galaxy Note 9. You can literally buy two of these phones for the same price as the Galaxy Note 9. If you prefer more than 64GB storage, the 128GB model of OnePlus is still very affordable at AED 2,175.
