The long awaited Samsung Galaxy Note 8 just got unveiled. It has been in the rumor mill for a while with most of the leaked features coming true. Does it do justice to the legendary Note line? Let’s find out.
The new Galaxy Note 8 comes with the often rumored dual cameras. They are both 12MP and each comes equipped with Optical image stabilization (OIS), a first for dual cameras. One is a regular wide angle sensor with f/1.7 aperture while the other one is a telephoto lens with f/2.4 aperture. They come with Live Focus, a feature that allows you to adjust the background blur before and even after taking a shot. The selfie camera will be 8MP with a huge f/1.7 aperture and autofocus, a feature that only a handful of selfie shooters can boost about.
The device comes with a 6.3 inch Super AMOLED display with QHD+ resolution. It will be an Infinity Display like the S8 and therefore the aspect ratio will be 18.5:9. The display will support Mobile HDR as well as 3D touch on the home on screen button.
Under the hood will be a Snapdragon 835 or Exynos 8895 depending on religion. This are the battery frugal 10nm chipsets that ran on the Galaxy S8, it is important to note that they are still the most powerful chipsets in the market right now. A whooping 6GB RAM will come standard in all variants of the Note 8. It will be accompanied by 64GB base storage which is expandable to 256GB using the new UFS micro SD cards. This will effectively make the Note 8 the first phone to use these faster speed cards.
The software package is running on Android 7.1 Nougat with features such as Bixby, Dex station and VR platforms supported. There is an improved split screen multitasking feature that allows you to run two instances of the same app, at the same time. For instance, your professional WhatsApp account can run on one window while your personal account can run on the other, at the same time.
The S Pen features that distinguish the Galaxy Note series from the Galaxy S series have been improved as well. The S Pen supports 4096 pressure levels just like the Note 7 and has a very thin 0.7mm tip diameter. A new feature called Live Message will let you record your scribbling as a GIF, which you can then send out via chat apps or social networks. Also, features that were launched on the Note 7 have made a come-back as well, they include the ability to make notes with the S-Pen without having to turn on the phone display. In addition, you can also hover over words with the Pen to translate them or magnify objects on the screen. Moreover, the S Pen is now water resistant just like the phone, so you can make notes under water, say, when studying a coral reef or showing off to your swimming buddies.
The rest of the specs include a 3300mAh battery which supports both wireless and fast charging. Sound matters has been upgraded as well, the audio has been tuned by AKG, a premium sound company acquired by Samsung under the Harman Kardon deal and yes the 3.5mm jack is still present. Bluetooth 5.0 that was recently launched is supported by the Note 8, with it comes new exciting features such as streaming music to two different earphones or loud speakers in different rooms at the same time. In terms of security, a fingerprint scanner has been hosted on the back just like on the S8. However, this time round, the flash separates the print reader from the camera lens to avoid smudging.
The phone will retail for 999 Euros, with available colors including Midnight Black, Maple Gold, Orchid Grey and Deep Sea Blue. Pre-orders start tomorrow in the US and Europe. Among the early pre-order goodies include free Gear 360 camera or a Galaxy Foundation Kit (128GB microSD + wireless charger).
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