According to market analysts, the new Samsung Galaxy Note 9 is currently on course to outsell the S9. What's more, it would appear that most buyers prefer shelling out over US$1000 for the premium model.
https://www.notebookcheck.net/Samsung-Galaxy-Note-9-on-course-to-outsell-the-S9.324058.0.html
These seem to be SK only numbers, a small and atypical market. This may not be the case for the rest of the world. There's no improvement in the obstinately nationalistic Chinese market for example.