Priced from $930 onwards, the Galaxy Note8 is a slightly bigger and boxier version of the Galaxy S8, albeit a few modifications. For one, it packs in an extra 2 GB RAM and the power of the S-Pen. So, has Samsung finally built a smartphone with almost no drawbacks? Well, let’s find out as we weigh the pros and cons of the Galaxy Note8.
Reasons to Love Samsung Galaxy Note8
1. Infinity Display & Powerful Processor
The Samsung Galaxy Note8 captures the beauty of an edge-to-edge infinity display with a powerful processor. It’s a gorgeous 6.3-inch Super AMOLED display covering nearly 83.2% of the front panel. The almost bezel-less display ends up giving an illusion of the phone being small than it actually is. It is paired with the latest offering from Qualcomm — the octa-core Snapdragon 835, with 6 GB of RAM and 64 GB of internal storage. The Snapdragon 835 is based on 10nm tech making it more powerful as well as battery efficient.
2. The Power of the S-Pen
The Galaxy Note8 comes bundled with the signature ‘S Pen’. This pen isn’t just better designed (with 4,096 pressure levels) but is more efficient than before. With the built-in Live Messages, you can easily send handwritten notes and messages.
3. Dual Camera + Dual OIS
The Galaxy Note8 is one of the first Samsung phones to sport a dual camera setup. It’s a combination of a 12-megapixel telephoto lens and a wide angled lens. What makes this setup truly amazing is the dual OIS (optical image stabilization) technique and the 2x optical zoom. What’s more, you can manually control the amount of blur in a picture before or after you have taken the shot, thanks to the Live Focus feature. Another interesting feature is that it takes two shots at your picture at the same time.
4. Bluetooth 5.0 and IP68
Galaxy S8 was the first phone to come bundled with the latest Bluetooth version– Bluetooth 5.0 and following close on the heels is the Samsung Galaxy Note8. With Bluetooth 5.0, not only are data transfers faster but the range also gets a boost. The new smartphone also dons the same level of resistivity to dust and water as with the Galaxy S8. Both the phone and the S-Pen are IP68 water and dust resistant, so it’s all good if it gets a tad wet under the rain. And it’s touted to be safe up till 1.5 meters of water for 30 minutes.
5. Wireless Charging
The Note8 has the support for both wireless charging and fast charging. The wireless dock makes charging as easy as putting your phone down. And if you go by the official Samsung accessories, the sleek and fast wireless charging pad can also be used as a phone stand.
Reasons Not to Love Samsung Galaxy Note8
1. Small Battery Size For the Size
Is Samsung playing too safe with the Galaxy Note8? Well, it would certainly seem so with the 3,300mAh battery unit. Though the battery efficient Snapdragon 635 will play its part well in preserving the juice, however, there’s no denying that the huge screen real estate and the S-Pen will contribute to battery drain.
2. Fingerprint Sensor
And it seems, Samsung didn’t seem to get the feedback concerning the fingerprint sensor on Galaxy S8. On the Note8 as well, the fingerprint sensor is located on the rear, next to the dual camera setup. And being the tall device that it is, you’d want to grow your fingers a little bit longer (as if we have a choice) to reach up to the sensor.
3. No Stereo Speakers
Undoubtedly, the exceptionally tall and gorgeous display of the Note8 can be used for both work and entertainment. But sadly, you won’t get to enjoy immersive audio, owing to the lack of stereo speakers. When Samsung can utilize Harman’s audio brands and technology (like it did with the Samsung Galaxy Tab S3), it’s quite hard to understand why the same rich audio experience wasn’t paired with the Note8. Especially when it’ll cost you around $930 or more.
4. No IR Blaster
Guess, most of us have to wait for another iteration of the Note before we have a smartphone that actually serves as a universal remote also. Yeah, I am talking about the lack of IR blaster in the Note8 which could have made our lives more easier if it could have been there. And given the huge design, a tiny IR blaster could have been easily accommodated.
Do you Love it or …?
Given the big (boxy) size of the Samsung Galaxy Note8, a smaller battery unit and the lack of a certain hardware, I wonder how the Note8 interiors have been designed. Is there a tini-tiny fire extinguisher hiding under the hood? See Next: 7 Cool Features Samsung Brings to the Galaxy Note8
