The much-awaited Samsung Galaxy Note 8 is finally here to woo users. After the setback of last’s year Galaxy Note 7, Samsung is hoping to rejuvenate itself with its flagship Note range of smartphones. Though there is a lot of talk about Note 8, it would be interesting to see the performance it delivers actually. So, let’s check it out.
Design
On its outer front, the Galaxy Note 8 exhibits a very familiar design that is quite inherent to the brand Samsung over the last couple of years. Glass is the foremost material of choice featuring on the front and back and a solid metal frame wrapping around the perimeter bring it all together. One thing that is worth noticing is the visible difference from last year’s Note 7 or the more current Galaxy S8 is that the body is much more square and angular. Even the dual curved display is less prominent in this model.
Rather than exhibiting a smooth taper between the glass and metal, the Note 8 has a much more distinct separation between the glass and metal and the sides are much flatter, giving a phone that’s usually slippery a lot more grip.
Display
It was the Samsung that brought the concept of infinity display and continued with the same in the latest Note 8. This means super thin bezels on all sides and a screen that takes up almost the entire front. The thinner bezels enable Samsung to fit in the biggest screen available on a Galaxy Note.
With the size of 6.3 inches and 18.5:9 aspect ratio, the screen is much taller than its width and in comparison to last year’s Note 7 or the Fan Edition. The screen is the typical Samsung Super AMOLED technology that features all the usual characteristics on previous Samsung phones such as vibrant colours, high contrast, and inky dark blacks. The resolution of 2,960 x 1,440, or 3K QHD lets users get sharp images that would be second to none.
Its big-size display makes it really wonderful to enjoy things like watching YouTube videos, playing games, casual web browsing, and productivity.
Performance
In terms of performance, users can stay rest assured about productivity. The note 8 has Snapdragon 835 that is best in its class and with the mammoth RAM of 6 GB; performance is quite smoother and faster. The addition of RAM is surely a positive change particularly for a device that’s meant to be a productivity/multimedia hub and it definitely adds to the multitasking experience that feels much smoother.
The heavy-duty processor is found to be exceptional in performing regular tasks such as scrolling through menus, web browsing and jumping in and out of apps. Snapdragon 835 does a great job of handling more intense tasks such as playing high end games with very smooth frame rates.
Camera
This is one of the biggest changes Samsung has made to Note 8 – the inclusion of dual cameras on the back. This feature is quite popular these days. The Galaxy Note 8 camera uses a wide angle and telephoto lens setup just like iPhone 7 Plus or the OnePlus 5 and the secondary telephoto lens enables the Note 8 to get 2X optical zoom.
Both sensors are 12 MP with f/1.7 aperture on the primary sensor and f/2.4 on the secondary, but Samsung’s steadfast dual pixel autofocus is only accessible on the main camera.
The optical image stabilization along with the fast dual pixel autofocus makes it feasible to click photos with tack sharp focus in a reliable fashion. It also makes it easier to capture photos in low light conditions.
Software
The Galaxy Note line has always provided a bit modified version of the software found in the Galaxy S flagship and with the Galaxy Note 8. However, the outcome is very much similar to that of Galaxy S8 with a few major changes. The definitive productivity device introduces the now-familiar S Pen menu that comes out whenever you detach the pen.
Hardware
On hardware front, the foremost difference is S Pen with the hardware specifications similar to last year’s such as same clickable top, a 0.7 mm ballpoint-sized tip, and over 4,000 levels of pressure sensitivity.
Battery
It comes with a battery of 3,300 mAh that is enough to power up this heavy weight smartphone. The battery is non-removable and supports fast charging on both wired and wireless modes.
Overall, the Samsung Galaxy Note 8 is a nice buy for those who wish to stay high on style and power.
