Samsung Galaxy Note 8 will be expensive, but worth it
First, the success of Galaxy S8 and S8+, and now the announcement of another winner (on paper at least), the Galaxy Note 8. To Samsung's cheer, flagships from the South Korean smartphone manufacturer's stable have set the industry on fire – thankfully, not literally like last year.
The Galaxy Note series, which looked to be on the verge of extinction after the Note 7 fiasco, appears to have risen spectacularly from the ashes of all the countless battery explosions. Suffice to say 2017 is indeed turning out to be a good year for Samsung.
But Samsung's biggest achievement perhaps is the fact that this phoenix in the guise of the Note 8 has answered a lot of uncomfortable questions over the company's position as a market leader and brought the tech giant to the end of its road to redemption.
What is the design like?
Coming back to the Note 8, the phablet - despite its new design scheme - manages to carry forward the DNA of the Note series. The inclusion of the infinity display previously seen on the S8 and S8+ has brought a fresh but welcome look to the Note 8. Easy on the eye with a 6.3-inch display and curved glass on the front and back with a metal frame sandwiched them, the device is definitely a looker.
Further, to its credit, despite being slightly bigger than the S8+, Note 8 is not difficult to use. It's huge, and its frame intimidating, but it still remains a phone that fits in your palm really nice and feels like a perfect fit for two handed use.
Launching in Orchid Grey, Midnight Black, Maple Gold and Deepsea Blue, the Note 8 brings with it a familiar premium design that is sure to be a hit with consumers.
Display
The biggest selling point of the Galaxy Note 8, like most Note devices, is the phone's big, but gorgeous display. To make amends for the Note 7 fiasco that saw close to 2.5 million phones being recalled worldwide, Samsung has decided to equip this year's phablet offering with a 6.3 inch 1,440x2,960 QHD+ display with a pixel density of 521 pixels per inch.
This display is similar to the ones found on the S8 and S8+. However, the ultra-widescreen Super AMOLED infinity display on the Note 8 is slightly less curved than the one found on the S8 and S8+, which in theory should make it a little less fragile than the displays found on the two flagships.
What's under the hood?
The Note 8 is a beast of a phone when it comes to the internals. The device uses the same Samsung Exynos 8895 and Qualcomm 835 SoCs found on the international and US variants of the Galaxy S8 and S8+. These have been paired with 6GB of RAM and up to 256GB of built-in storage.
Powering the package is a 3300 mAh battery which Samsung claims has been subjected to multiple checks to ensure that it does not blow up while sitting in your pocket. The battery also brings with it fast and wireless charging capabilities.
Probably the best dual camera setup in the market
Another big improvement to the Note 8 is the inclusion of a 12-Megapixel dual camera module that Samsung claims is the best in the business because of the inclusion of OIS technology on both the telephoto sensor sitting next to the wide-angle sensor already found on the Galaxy S8.
Though similar camera setups are available on other phones, the pictures clicked on the Note 8 turn out to be far superior because of the addition of stabilisation tech on both sensors – something that is lacking on competing devices like the iPhone 7 and OnePlus 5.
On the software front, the Note 8 offers a feature called Dual Capture mode. This allows the dual camera setup to click two pictures simultaneously and allow you to save both images; one close-up shot from the telephoto lens and one wide-angle shot that shows the entire background.
At the front, the phone comes with a more than capable 8-Megapixel selfie camera than the S8 range comes with.
All the cool features
The Note 8, however, is not all brawn; it packs a lot of brains. The device has been announced to run Samsung's take on the Android 7.1.1, which will come with its own set of additions. The 6.3-inch display of the phone helps the UI's multitasking capabilities shine.
The inclusion of Samsung Pay and Bixby voice assistant also adds to the package that the Note 8 is. However, the coolest feature of the phone, one that is akin to the Note series, is the addition of the S-Pen.
The phone's stylus brings with itself some nifty tricks that help the Note 8 set itself apart from the crowd. Be it drawing Live Messages, art, taking notes or simply hovering the tip of the S-Pen over a word for live translation, the stylus turns out to be more than just an expensive gimmick.
Price and availability
Samsung has announced that the phone will go on sale in the US and other markets at a steep price of $930 (approx Rs 60,000). This is a substantial increase from the Note 7's price that originally came out with a tag of $850. Though the pricing strategy for India hasn't been announced yet, expect this $80 rise to catapult the price of the phone to the above Rs 65,000 mark in India.
Is it a good buy?
There's no denying the phone costs a bomb and considering the troubles of the Note 7 are still fresh in the consumers' mind, its pricing strategy appears to be a bit risky. But having said that, it cannot be ignored that the Note 8 is not its predecessor and should be looked at in isolation for what it is – the best phone that the smartphone maker has created.
It's a brilliant phone worth each and every buck that Samsung will charge for it.
Another clear message that Samsung is sending out with the pricing strategy is that the Note 8 is no apology note for its predecessor's mistakes.
The Note 8 — with its refreshed design and the inclusion of dual cameras, a first for Samsung – is the company's way of looking ahead and moving on from the disaster that 2016 was.