Samsung have finally revealed their Galaxy Note8 to a packed crowd in New York, on August 23. We have anticipated the launch ever since the success of its predecessors; the Note 4 and Note 5. Samsung’s branch into phablet devices has worked for the Korean giant, with a reported 4.5 million Note 4 devices sold in the first month. We expect a similar reception when the Note8 is released in September.
The rumour mills have been turning, but we can finally announce what prominent features Samsung have unveiled for the Note8.
A first for Samsung
The Note8 is Samsung’s first smartphone to come with a dual camera lens, with two 12MP cameras on the back. The camera will allow users to create depth effects and zoom further, which in turn will create breathtaking photos rivalling those taken by a DSLR camera. The front camera is a modest 8MP which will capture perfect selfies.
The impressive screen size
The Note series is known for their phablet qualities and so they inevitably come with significantly larger displays. The Note8 offers an impressive 6.3 inch display, that surpasses other devices in the series. The Note 4 and 5 came with a 5.7 inch display, so there is an admirable 0.6 inch increase on the predecessor handsets.
Revival of the S Pen
The inception of the S Pen came with the first Note offering from Samsung in 2011. The Note8 features a newly-improved S Pen which has 4,096 levels of press sensitivity and a 0.7mm fine tip which creates more fluid lines for the user. Samsung have also created a new feature known as the ‘Screen Off’ function. This feature allows users to start writing as soon as the pen clears its dock whereas the previous S Pen only worked once users unlocked their screens.
A premium handset with a premium price tag
With premium features comes a premium price tag. The Samsung Galaxy Note8 retails at £868.99, which makes it Samsung’s most expensive smartphone to date.
Despite the steep cost, Mobile Phones Direct offer a trade in service. Using the service, users are able to cut the price of a monthly contract by applying the money they would receive for the trade-in device to their contract.
What do the tech bloggers think?
We’ve asked some of the UK’s top tech bloggers what they would use a Note8 for and here is what they have to say…
Neil is a writer at techblogwriter.co.uk
What are you most looking forward to about the Samsung Note8?
The huge infinity display with an incredible 6.3-inch, 9.5:9 aspect ratio user interface. I love Samsung’s “Do Bigger Things” ethos. Many forget that Samsung was originally mocked when they led the charge of launching bigger phones and they were even labeled a niche product. Will an even bigger phone, mean a bigger battery? Let’s hope so.
What would be the first app that you download?
I would want to run the TFT screen through its paces and see just how impressive the vibrant colours and stereo speakers actually are. So, I would probably download a racing game and also get a kick out of holding my new big phone with two hands while playing a few games.
What would your first photo be?
Again, I am a little geeky when I get a new phone and want to see how both the front and rear cameras perform. I am quite excited about testing the depth of field features. So my first port of call would be to test landscape, macro, small depth of field shots.
What would you predominantly use your phone for?
The easiest answer to this is: ‘what wouldn’t I use my phone for?’. Like most people, my phone now contains every aspect of my life. The device in my pocket allows me to write articles, answer emails, upload videos to You-Tube or even perform a podcast interview at a conference. This one device allows me to manage my entire life, to increase productivity and be more efficient in any location. For these reasons alone, I will try to avoid using Facebook on it though.
The display is an impressive 6.3 inches, what do you feel a bigger screen is useful for?
The most boring thing we do with our phone now is make a phone call. Samsung seem to get this. Our smartphone has now become our laptop, tablet and phone all rolled into one. Whether it is watching Netflix, playing games, taking selfies, recording videos for You-Tube or editing documents and answering emails on the train to the office, we expect our phone to handle all of this and much more. The bigger screen should be used to make people more productive when on their travels. Alternatively they can take photos of their food and browse Facebook, but ultimately that choice is yours.
Leigh is a writer at Cool Smartphone
What are you most looking forward to about the Samsung Galaxy Note 8?
There’s rumours of a pressure-sensitive S Pen, and I’m intrigued to find out more about this and whether it will provide a meaningful improvement for those buying this handset. For so long, mobile handsets have followed a similar design and form factor, so having that additional useful feature could be a key differentiator. I’m also looking forward to seeing the rumoured hi-res 6.3″ “Infinity” display.
What would be the first app that you download?
It would have to be Twitter. I’m a big Twitter fan and am sadly a little too addicted to the streams of information, despite how banal it sometimes is.
What would your first photo be?
I have some hanging basket at home which I’m secretly extremely proud of because I’ve not actually killed them yet. They feature in a lot of “example photos” in reviews, so I’d probably start there!
What would you predominantly use your phone for?
I tend to use it for content generation. I still do a lot of typing on physical keyboard with a laptop (or a Chromebook in my case), so I’m becoming slightly more adept at the voice-entry system. Writing emails and responding to WhatsApp messages with either my voice or just a swipe on the screen (I’m a big “Swiper” on the Google Keyboard) would be my main use. I also love to film the Coolsmartphone YouTube videos on smartphones, so it would no doubt get used for that too. I’d enjoy watching the results back on a screen of that size too!
The display is an impressive 6.3 inches, what do you feel a bigger screen is useful for?
For me, the larger screen is definitely a bonus for media consumption and can offer a better viewing experience without hitting “tablet territory”.
