After all the rumors and leaks, Samsung has finally launched its flagship smartphone Galaxy Note 8 at an event featuring a whopping 6.3-inch display. Hopefully, what happened with Galaxy Note 7 is not gonna happen with Galaxy Note 8. It has been priced at $950 for 6GB RAM and 64GB storage variant, however, it is the only variant launched as of now. Samsung will start shipping the device from September 15 in Midnight Black, Orchid Gray, Maple Gold, and Deep Sea Blue.
The device is available to buy in the U.S. in Orchid Gray and Midnight Black colors via AT$T ($950), Verizon ($960) and other carriers with all offering free stuff to attract customers. On buying Galaxy Note 8 from either AT&T or Verizon, you can get a free 128GB microSD card and Fast Charge Wireless Charging Convertible or Samsung Gear 360 for free. Other offers on AT$T include savings up to $500 on a purchase of new Samsung TV (only if you add DirecTV services to it) and up to $200 off when you trade in your current device (based on device’s eligibility) for Galaxy Note 8. There are more offers available, you can visit either store’s website to explore.
The all new Galaxy Note 8 sports seamless body and curves to offer a comfortable grip and with its giant 6.3-inch QHD+ (1440×2960 pixels) Super AMOLED Infinity display that comes protected with Corning Gorilla Glass 5, you have more space to write freely with S Pen. It also features Samsung’s virtual assistant Bixby which is now available in over 200 countries and territories in U.S. English and Korean languages. The smartphone is powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 octa core (4 Kryo @ 2.35 GHz & 4 Kryo @ 1.9GHz) SoC paired with 6GB of RAM and Adreno 540 GPU. Countries other than USA and China will get Samsung Exynos 8895 octa core (4 cores @ 2.3 GHz & 4 cores @ 1.7 GHz) SoC paired with Mali-G71 MP20 GPU. It comes with 64GB of internal storage which can be expanded further up to 256GB via microSD card.
There are two 12MP cameras on the back, one is telephoto (f/2.4 aperture and 2x optical zoom) and other is the wide angle (f/1.7 aperture) with both having optical image stabilization (OIS). It also packs different modes such as Food mode, Panorama, Pro mode, and Slow Motion mode allowing you to capture the way you want. Galaxy Note 8 also sports 8MP selfie camera with f/1.7 bright lens and smart auto focus.
Samsung has brought back its S Pen (Stylus) which can now be used to draw emojis, make animated GIFs, or writing messages on photos. With S Pen’s smart select feature, you can select a section of video to make your own GIFs. Samsung Notes offers a range of tools such as brushes, colors, and pens to enhance your drawing skills. You don’t have to unlock the device every time you make notes, just pop the S Pen out and start writing on the lock screen. You can also pin these notes to the Always On Display to keep it handy or save it. The device and the S Pen are rated IP68 making them dust and water resistant. Water resistance rating is based on test conditions of submersion in up to 1.5 m of fresh water for up to 30 mins.
It’s a dual SIM (Nano) smartphone that comes packed with 3300mAh non-removable battery rated to deliver 22 hours of talk time. It runs on Android 7.1.1 Nougat and the device can be unlocked using either your face, or eyes, or fingerprint. All your biometric data is protected with Samsung Knox. Connectivity options on the smartphone include WiFi 802.11a/b/g/n/ac, Bluetooth v5.0, GPS/ A-GPS/ GLONASS, NFC, 4G LTE, 3.5mm audio jack, and USB Type-C port. Sensors on board Samsung Galaxy Note 8 include- accelerometer, proximity, an iris scanner, fingerprint sensor, ambient light, gyroscope, heart rate, magnetometer, SpO2, and barometer.
Using Samsung Dex technology, a Mobile-to-PC transition tool that converts your smartphone into a desktop like configuration, you can use your smartphone the same way you use your computer by just docking it to the monitor, keyboard, and a mouse. With Gear 360 camera and Gear VR, you can experience the world in 360-degree. Shoot your own 360-degree videos and watch it later using the Gear VR on your Galaxy Note 8.
