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vm_triplicate
Forum Team (Retired)
Forum Team (Retired)

Do bigger things with Samsung's new super-sized smartphone

Samsung Galaxy Note 8, with stylusSamsung Galaxy Note 8, with stylusDuring a week when Google officially unveiled the latest version of their Android operating system (timed to perfection with a solar eclipse), Samsung have come full circle themselves and treated us to the latest addition to the Note family.

Introducing the Samsung Galaxy Note8: complete with Infinity Display.

Lets run through the checklist of requisite features:

Dual cameras? Check, and both are 12MP to boot.

Fingerprint sensor? Check, on-back and off-centre.

Stylus, waterproofing, memory card support? Absolutely! The new S-Pen is even better than last year's iteration, the phone is IP68 and dustproof, and can take microSD cards up to 256GB.

In terms of processing horsepower, Samsung’s in-house Exynos 8895 chipset makes its appearance on the European and Asian variants, while Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 835 motors the American and Chinese versions.

Before we forget, a 3300 mAh battery makes its appearance powering a 6.3” QHD+ Infinity Display pushing 521ppi at 420 nits. A front-facing 8MP camera, nano-SIM card slot, USB-type C charging port and Corning Gorilla Glass 5 round off this autumn’s highly anticipated newcomer to the Android world.

Hardware specs aside, the Note8 launches with Android 7.1 overlaid with TouchWiz 4.0. Not too different from the Samsung S8/S8+, but we fully expect the Note8 to upgrade to Android O in due course.

Samsung are ready to once again tap into the yearning groundswell for a 6”+ Android device, six years after they introduced the world to the first Note – which featured a display a whole inch smaller. The future does point to bigger things still as 5” - 6” devices pick up the mantle from those with smaller displays.

Surprised at how far we have come? We think you will be, especially as Samsung’s Note8 teaser invited us to “Do bigger things”.

Pre-order the Note8 (in midnight black) on Virgin Mobile before 15 September and receive Samsung’s DeX accessory - enabling you to connect your Note8 to a keyboard, mouse and monitor and all but do away with your desktop computer altogether - as well as a 64GB micro-SD card.

Sound off in the comments and let us know what excites you most of the new Note – go on, you know you want to.

28 Comments
indie24
On our wavelength

Will you deliver this on release day 15th or will it be delivered the on16th?

Bernard57
Tuning in

Mine didn't arrive on the estimated date of the 16th. Been told should recieve a notification by Wednesday 20th nothing definate though.

Aimie
Forum Team (Retired)
Forum Team (Retired)

Hi @indie24 and @Bernard57

Have you recieved your shiny new Note 8s yet?

Kind Regards,

Aimie

indie24
On our wavelength

Hi, Yes I received mine on Saturday 16th as promised despite ordering it on Wednesday 13th September.


Bernard57
Tuning in

Hi. Smiley Sad Nothing yet! 

Aimie
Forum Team (Retired)
Forum Team (Retired)

Hi @indie24


 

That's great to hear! I guess you're all set up? What are your first thoughts on the handset?

Aimie
Forum Team (Retired)
Forum Team (Retired)

@Bernard57 Oh No!

I'm going to send you a private message.

indie24
On our wavelength

I love it! I initially had a Note 7 and after the fiasco that happened with that I couldn't wait for the next revision. Don't think I'll need to upgrade for another 3 years or so now. No other phone comes close to any of the Note series..


Aimie
Forum Team (Retired)
Forum Team (Retired)

@indie24

Awesome, I have had a peek but not actually used it myself. I love the overall look and feel and the camera looks impressive.

As far as using it what would you say are the top features for you?

indie24
On our wavelength

Has to be the S Pen.. The S Pen is what sets it apart from all other devices. Camera is decent, but not all that different from the S7 Edge, I guess the dual OIS is where the difference will be. Big plus is although it has a mammoth screen, it still feels managable and not a whole lot bigger in the hand than the S7 Edge.

Aimie
Forum Team (Retired)
Forum Team (Retired)

Well, when we're talking tech (dual OIS) i'd have to handover to my colleague @vm_triplicate as they're the expert!

Interesting you mention the screen size, something i'm often on the fence about. I like the idea of 'doing bigger things' as Samsung put it. But i can find a big screen hard to handle especially when it comes to typing.

Bernard57
Tuning in

Interested in which case you have or have not decided to go for?

Aimie
Forum Team (Retired)
Forum Team (Retired)

@Bernard57 who was your question aimed at?

indie24
On our wavelength

@Aimie I'm used to big screen sizes as I used to own the Nokia 1520 (6" Screen) before the S7 edge. You get used to it very soon and like I said before it's not much bigger than the S7 Edge.

 

@Bernard57 I got 2 cases from amazon, the Spigen Ultra thin and Basstop ultra slim. I much prefer the feel and look of the Basstop which can be found here https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B07515F9L1/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o06_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I also like having my phone screens protected with tempered glass protectors but as you may know, they are very hard to find on curved screens. I used the Whitestone Dome on the Note 8 which is expensive but it actually works as its a full adhesive protector which uses Loca glue and UV light to cure. It actually feels as good if not better than not using a protector but at least I know my screen is protected.

Bernard57
Tuning in

Right, I am new to the community: smileyindifferent: So you will have to humour me for a while! The question was intended for indie24 but not sure how you tag the intended person?

Aimie
Forum Team (Retired)
Forum Team (Retired)

@Bernard57 No worries! And welcome! Great to see people getting involved it's exactly what the community is for.

You can use the @ and then include the name

Bernard57
Tuning in

@Aimie thank you for the info. 

vm_triplicate
Forum Team (Retired)
Forum Team (Retired)

A bit late to my own party, but here I am...

@Aimie:Thanks for the shout-out! Regarding your comment on screen-size, Samsung do have one-handed mode included in their settings, and this was a feature introduced on the S8/S8+ and migrated across to the Note8. With this mode enabled, one can swipe from the bottom-right corner of the screen toward the centre, resulting in a miniature version of the display being dragged to the right-hand corner. This allows elements such as notifications along the top of the screen to come within reach (and also adds to an easier typing experience?). Probably a feature better shown than explained, so I will pop by later to demo. [Some tout this mode to be Samsung's equivalent of Apple's Reachability introduced on the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus, I believe.]

@indie24: I quite like your choice of cases, especially the one from Basstop. Have you considered ones from Incipio or Ringke as well? I can tell you are going for the slim profile and I think both cater to this need (at least from past experience of using similar cases on other devices). The dual rear-camera setup on the Note8 (with OIS enabled on each), factored with the 4K recording option, are a definite plus (a step up from the S7 Edge if you are drawing that comparison). The added screen real-estate (with Samsung's Infinity Display) and S-Pen certainly contribute to the allure of the Note8.

@Bernard57: Welcome to the community, hope you find it useful.

indie24
On our wavelength

@vm_triplicate I like the feel on the Basstop and it doesn't add much size to the Note 8. I haven't tried the Incipio or Ringke but don't mind if you want to send them to me for free Smiley Tongue

Camera and S Pen are certainly the major selling points of the Note 8 and if you ever owned a Note series before, you know there are no other phones like them!

Aimie
Forum Team (Retired)
Forum Team (Retired)

@indie24 I've just been given a mini demo of the one-handed mode by @vm_triplicate .... I could well be tempted!