Glance at the Note 8 and you'll see the hallmarks of Samsung's recent design: a metal core, with curved glass front and back, for a tight and seamless finish. It's an obvious evolution of the Note 7 design, one that incorporates the Galaxy S8's biggest design shift - that the display aspect ratio is The Note is still the largest Galaxy model, although only fractionally. Those who aren't savvy with the shift in screen aspect may think this results in a huge phone, but the Note 8 is not. At But what it gains in height it more than trims by comparison in width: at Which is really important.
Samsung's aim is to deliver screen space without expanding the width, making for a phone that's easy to grip and manageable one-handed. And it's mission accomplished. That shift in aspect sees some big changes for the face. With dual curved edges to the display there's no bezel as such to the edges, but at the top and bottom of the phone the forehead and chin have shrunk, seeing the loss of the home button and Samsung logo.
The front still means business, squeezing in the speaker, iris sensor, camera, and little else. As it's all "screen, screen, screen", the fingerprint scanner is positioned on the back, sitting alongside the expanded dual-camera unit in a location that's not very convenient.
Galaxy Note 8 Review: Redemption Never Looked So Good
The fingerprint scanner is fast enough, but with the increased size of this phone and very little to distinguish the scanner from the camera, it's slightly tricky to use. Still, with the Note 8 supporting iris scanning, face recognition and voice unlocking through Bixby, fingerprint isn't the only biometric unlock option you have. On a phone this big and expensive, you'd expect nothing less. The looks are very close to the new Note 9, in fact at a glance you'd think they were the same phone.
There's no such extravagance on the Note 8. The Galaxy Note is very much about its big display. Samsung has even got the polarising layer organised so those wearing polarising sunglasses won't experience any dimming. The phone's edges don't curve off as much as they do on the Galaxy S9 models, with the aim here to give a slightly wider, flatter surface to make it more practical to use with the S Pen.
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That makes things a little more conservative in terms of display design - there's less wow factor as we said - but less of your content rolls over the edge of the Infinity Display. It's not a complete solution, however. Go to copy and paste text that's filling the width of the display and you'll find the edges get fiddly as it rolls over the corner. It's a downside of design and might mean you need to zoom out a touch to get that text copied, as the curves don't respond well to touch. High Dynamic Range is very much the talking point of TV and entertainment at the moment.
The Note 7 was the first HDR compatible device even if that promise was never fulfilled , but Mobile HDR is now very much a mainstream thing - even the iPhone offers it. HDR Mobile sources are fairly limited, but fire up Netflix and you'll find support: Marvel's The Defenders has added contrast and looks stunning with wonderful colours and lighting, but as can't say that mobile HDR is really a game changer. It doesn't have the same huge shift that your TV does.
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There's long been a debate about which hardware platform is better, with people generally falling behind Qualcomm as the preferred choice. However, we've no complaints about the power of Exynos either. The platform you'll get in the Note 8 depends on your region and Samsung doesn't detail too much about how that breaks down.
In reality, it doesn't need to, as it's unlikely to cause you any concerns whichever is to be found under the hood - although with the launch of the Note 9, there's now a more powerful set of hardware in play. If you're a gamer, newer devices will give you more graphical power, but otherwise, day-to-day running isn't likely to be that different. This might be different when it comes to intensive AR and VR applications, and its certainly nice to know that there's the hardware backup if you're an intensive multi-tasker, something that the Note 8 does with aplomb.
Importantly, the refinement that Samsung puts into its software these days is evident throughout the Note 8. Some manufacturers say they are stripping away the additions they make to Android to speed things up: Samsung Experience UX is a more comprehensive skin than any other and it still flies, which is testament to Samsung's experience and attention to detail.
This means that the mobile connection on this phone has the potential to be really fast, if you have network support for it. In the UK that falls to EE , with the company rolling out support in big cities first. We've found the Note 8 to offer good, solid, network reception, as well as excellent Wi-Fi performance. The long and short of it is that the Galaxy Note 8 performs like the flagship phone that it launched as. There's little that makes it stumble and it can compete with if not exceed the performance of most other devices of and some of Moving into it's now bettered, but it still stands-up as a leading device.
Glance over the Note 8's spec sheet and there's little that will cause concern, but you might raise an eyebrow at the mAh battery capacity. We typically managed to get into early evening with the Note 8 under fairly intensive use, but this doesn't feel like the Note of old that would easily get through the day. There is a lot you can do to extend the life of the battery, however, thanks to power-saving modes. Customising the "mid" level mode is a good starting point, with options to change the screen resolution, throttle the hardware and reduce the peak brightness, all of which make a difference and all of which wind back what makes the Note 8 more special than much of the competition.
There are also options to manage background activity to make sure there aren't apps using power they don't need.
Samsung Galaxy Note 8 review: Display with HDR skills
However, this battery performance needs to be put into context of the 8. A bigger battery would undoubtedly mean a thicker phone and, for obvious reasons, we suspect that Samsung is erring on the side of caution here. Read on for pricing and an in-depth look at the Galaxy Note 8's key features. You'll find a full specs list and a comparison with other top phones at the end. Read also : iPhone X didn't crush the Galaxy Note 8. This review originally posted September 5 and was updated September 15 to indicate that the phone is now on sale.
Preorders started Aug. It'll roll out globally through October. Until Sept. The big catch? It's only for US buyers so far and you can only get it through Samsung. There's plenty of fine print; I summarize it here. This has nothing to do with being a Note 7 owner, it's available to everyone. More details here.
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- Galaxy Note8: Features, specs and everything else you need to know;
- What is Mobile HDR and which phones support HDR?.
You'll be able to buy the phone through carriers, Samsung. Samsung is also doing something different and immediately selling the Galaxy Note 8 unlocked rather than waiting weeks or months to offer an unlocked option. It's too early to truly call the Note 8 a Note 7 redeemer until it's survived weeks on the market without the phone overheating and catching fire.
After all, CNET's multiple Note 7 review units remained incident-free even while an unusually high number of handsets around the world charred within just a few weeks of that phone's release.
The middle of Samsung's new Galaxy S20 devices is powerful and large, without being ridiculous. New cameras, longer battery life, Night Mode, a goofy selfie feature and a price drop Premium, pocketable and packed with all the features you need to level up your photography Be respectful, keep it civil and stay on topic.
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