The Samsung Galaxy Note8 is formally announced on 23 Aug 11pm (+8 GMT). I caught the live stream via YouTube. Even before the official announcement of the Note8, there are ample leaks about the design of the smartphone. Hence when it was unveiled, there was no surprises in the appearance.
Compare Note8 and S8+
Display and Size
- 6.3-inch, slightly larger than S8+ (6.2-inch).
- 18.5:9 ratio, same as S8 and S8+
- Quad HD+ Super AMOLED 2960 x 1440, same as S8 and S8+
- 195 grams, a good 20 grams heavier than S8+
Performance
- 4-core 2.3GHz + 4-core 1.7GHz, same as S8 and S8+
- 6GB RAM, up from 4GB for S8 and S8+
- Storage varies from 64 to 256GB
- Dual SIM with hybrid slot with microSD card (up to 256GB)
- IP68 water rating
Battery
- 3300mAh, lower than S8+ (3500mAh)
Price
- S$1398 (64GB), compared to S$1298 for the S8+. Available in Midnight Black, Maple Gold and Orchid Gray.
What’s New
Every time Samsung announces a new Galaxy device, I look out for the features that interest me and I share my thoughts here. Like the Note7, I found several pretty compelling new features that made Note8 an exciting smartphone to own.
Dual Camera
Dual camera is not new, but Note8 is the first Samsung smartphone to have them. Like a majority of dual camera smartphone makers, the standard lens offers 77-degree field of view, while the secondary lens is a “2x optical” telephoto camera with 45-degree field of view. The second lens is with f/2.4 aperture, which theoretically is less fast under low light. Like many makers, the second camera’s spec does not match the primary lens. What Note8 adds is that both rear cameras offer optical image stabilizers, which puts Note8 second camera at a slight advantage in getting the shot.
Dual cameras are no longer unique, but Samsung offers a few other unique image capture capabilities:
Live focus. The ability to adjust the blur level of background before and after the shot is taken. This is a feature already enjoyed by Huawei P-series owners.
Live Focus lets you adjust the intensity of the blur effect.
Dual capture. The ability to capture the same shot with both rear cameras means consumers can save the same moment with both wide-angle and close-up. I thought this is a treasured feature that allows me to have best of both worlds.
S Pen
I am not very good with pen-art, so I do not find S Pen feature very useful. When I bought the Note Pro 12.1 tablet few years back, I almost never took the S Pen out from the slot. Over the years, Samsung has tried to bridge the use of S Pen to everyday situations other than drawing and scribbling.
On Note8, the Live Message feature animates the on-screen scribbling and writing into animated GIF files that can be shared. With the growth of animated GIF, I am going to see an explosion of this form of visual expression over social media.
Screen Off Memo was introduced in Note7, but with its premature demise, Samsung took another year to improve on this. Now, while you can easily scribble memo when screen is off, it is possible to stick the note on the Always-On Display (AOD) to remind you constantly on the to-do list. You can also write multiple pages, up to 100 pages, on the Screen Off Memo. I have been using ColorNote to store my temporary action list. This Screen Off Memo has great potential to replace that.
Finally, previous Note series also have the ability to translate on-screen text on-the-fly. Note8 extends the capability to convert currency and units of measurement. Now, that is going to be extremely useful as I traverse gadget websites which specifies in inches instead of metres.
Bixby Voice
Bixby is the equivalent of Google Assistant. The features are constantly improving, but one feature that catches my attention is Quick Command, that allows you to command Bixby via voice to trigger a set of actions made up of many steps. For instance, say “Good Night” and Note8 will enable silent mode, set blue light filter, and turn on alarm, for instance.
App Pair
It is a shortcut to launch 2 apps at the same time using multi-window. Samsung had this feature some years back but now with official Android support, this feature gets a welcoming return.
Other Features We Take For Granted
I would take this opportunity to highlight some of the features that we techies take for granted on the Galaxy devices, when they are still pretty uncommon on other smartphones.
Fast Wireless Charging. It has become a de-facto feature on Galaxy devices. A majority of smartphones do not support this. Samsung is clearly ahead of its time, and time will tell if wireless charging is going to pick up as common as dual camera.
Water Resistant. After reviewing so many water-friendly devices in this year, I almost took for granted that I can safely bring my smartphone near wet conditions. Note8 continues to offer that comfort of using it no matter how harsh the weather is.
3.5mm Audio Port. This hole is at risk of becoming extinct on smartphones. We owe its survival to Samsung’s refusal to remove it from the Galaxy devices. As an audio lover who reviews headphones, it is imperative to have this audio port separate from the charging port. The smartphone manufacturers are underestimating the number of social influencers and wannabes who use their mobile for live streaming so much that they shouldn’t be forced to choose between quality in-line mic recording and battery charging.
Singapore Official Retail Launch
The Galaxy Note8 will be available from 15 September 2017 at a recommended retail price of $1,398 including GST. Available in Midnight Black, Maple Gold and Orchid Gray, the device will be available at all local telecommunication operators, major consumer electronic stores, authorised mobile retailers, Samsung Experience Stores and Lazada Singapore.
Samsung will also be having two special promotions to celebrate the launch of the Galaxy Note8 at all Samsung Experience Stores. From 15 September to 31 October 2017, customers will be able to enjoy the following special bundle offers at discounted prices with the purchase of every unit of the Galaxy Note8:
- Package 1 – $318 (U.P $414)
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- Samsung LS22F355FHEXXS 22” Flat Screen Monitor (U.P $158)
- Samsung DeX Station (U.P $198)
- Zeus Wireless Bluetooth® Keyboard HB-086 (U.P $58)
- HDMI Cable
- Package 2 – $398 (U.P $504)
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- Samsung LC24F390FHEXXS 24” Curved Screen Monitor (U.P $248)
- Samsung DeX Station (U.P $198)
- Zeus Wireless Bluetooth® Keyboard HB-086 (U.P $58)
- HDMI Cable
1 comment
Haha… Note 10 will have 7″ screen then. :P