It has finally unpacked or could say risen from the ashes of Note 7 fiasco. Samsung has launched the Galaxy Note8 during its Unpacked event in New York and London. On a quick look the phablet looks too familiar, well on the first look it’s mostly bigger Samsung Galaxy S8+. A bigger ‘Infinity Display’, a stylus to scribble down anything you wish, Samsung’s first dual camera mobile and then all the usual flagship hardware.
Before telling about the specifications and features, for the peace of mind, Galaxy Note8’s battery has undergone the Samsung’s own 8-Point Battery Safety Check. Which means this time Samsung has taken extra care about the battery and has completed a rigorous series of device and battery safety compatibility test protocols.
First, to the pricing, Samsung has not yet announced the pricing and availability of Samsung Galaxy Note8. But, in India Samsung has already started taking pre-order through Amazon India and Samsung India official website.
Design and Performance
Samsung Galaxy Note8 is one of the beautiful devices you just wish to hold in your hand. It embraces the Infinity Display with its bezel-less design, full-frontal and the edge-to-edge screen. On the front, you would see only the beautiful 6.3-inch Quad HD+ Super AMOLED curved, 2960×1440 display with an aspect ratio of 18.5:9. It features HDR support allowing you to stream content from Amazon Prime Video and Netflix.
When going under the hood, the phablet is powered by 2.35GHz Quad + 1.9GHz Quad/Octa-core Snapdragon 835 processor coupled with 6GB of RAM. But, do note that international versions and probably Indian version of Galaxy S8 Note will most likely pack an Exynos chip instead of Snapdragon chip. To store all your media content, the phablet carries 64GB, 128GB or up to 256GB of internal storage. You can further expand the storage up to 256GB using microSD card. The Indian version of the phablet will probably come with a Hybrid SIM slot. So you can either have dual SIM or choose to have a one Nano SIM and one MicroSD card.
Camera and Photography
Finally, it’s also the first smartphone from Samsung to carry a dual camera setup. Samsung Galaxy Note8 comes with two 12-megapixel rear cameras. One 12-megapixel is a wide-angle lens packing Dual Pixel auto focus and f/1.7 aperture. While the other 12-megapixel is a telephoto lens with auto focus and f/2.4 aperture. What makes it way different from its competitors is both the wide-angle lens and telephoto lens carries Optical Image Stabilization (OIS). Other features 2X optical zoom and up to 10X digital zoom.
When coming to photography skills you can attain from this dual camera, first is the Live Focus. With this feature, you can control the depth of field by allowing you to adjust the bokeh effect live in the preview mode before taking a photo and also after you take the photo. Another photography feature is the Dual Capture mode where both rear cameras can take two pictures simultaneously. One close-up shot from the telephoto lens and one wide-angle shot that shows the entire background.
Coming to the front for selfie addicts, the Galaxy Note8 boasts an 8-megapixel smart autofocus front-facing camera. It also features f/1.7 aperture helping you to take sharp selfies and HD video chats.
Connectivity
As for connectivity, the Samsung Galaxy Note8 supports high-speed 4G LTE Cat 16 network that would work with every India telco’s 4G band. It will also support 4G VoLTE that allows you to make HD voice and video calling. Other connectivity option includes 3G and 2G network support, Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac (2.4/5GHz), Bluetooth v5.0, ANT+, NFC and USB Type-C. As for fuelling the devices, the Note8 packs a smaller 3,300mAh battery (well you need to remember the Note 7 case) that supports fast charging with Quick Charge 2.0. The phablet runs on Android 7.1.1 Nougat out-of-the-box with TouchWiz UI on top. Anyway, you will definitely be going to get the latest Android Oreo in the near future. As the phone comes with NFC and Magnetic Secure Transmission (MST) technology, you could expect Samsung Pay for contactless payments.
S Pen and Extras
One of the main USP of Samsung Galaxy Note8 is its stylus or S Pen. The phablet packs an enhanced S Pen which you can use to write, draw, and interact with the phone and communicate with friends. The improved S Pen now features finer tip and improved pressure sensitivity. What makes S Pen more useful is the software or apps bundled with Note8. Like the Screen off memo allows you to take notes even when the screen is off on at the Always On Display as soon as you remove the S Pen. With Live Message, you can create and share animated texts or drawings. You can also translate around 71 languages by just hovering the S Pen over a text.
For audiophiles out there, Samsung Galaxy Note8 packs ultra high-quality audio playback (UHQ 32-bit) and DSD support. Samsung is also packing a premium Pure sound earphone by AKG with every Note8. Well, one of the biggest point here to be noted is that the phablet will still feature the port for the 3.5mm headphone jack.
Making it a true flagship device the Samsung Galaxy Note8 and S Pen is water and dust resistance with the IP68 rating. Well, you can write even when the display is wet. For security, the phablet offers both iris and fingerprint scanning. This biometric authentication coupled with Samsung’s security solution Knox offers defence-grade security. Another feature included is the Samsung DeX. A unique solution that transforms your smartphone into a desktop by providing a secure desktop-like experience.