Moving past last years' dud that was the Galaxy Note 7, we were quite sure that Samsung will bounce back with a great Note device this year. Samsung Galaxy Note 8 is now available to users and at the first glance it looks like a worthy upgrade. And with each step of the testing phase the phone made us fall for it further (barring a few issues). Below is what we experienced during our review of the Samsung Galaxy Note 8.
Design and Display
Innovation is the name of the game and like Apple, Samsung has also been innovating throughout the years. Samsung Galaxy S8 and S8 plus are examples of good innovation and design, with infinity display. Samsung Galaxy Note 8 is built on the same lines, yet has a different shape and feel to it.
With a 6.3-inch super AMOLED infinity display and 18.5:9 aspect ratio the Samsung Galaxy Note 8 has rectangular-ish aesthetics, while the Galaxy S8 and S8 plus are more curved. The display (with Corning Gorilla glass 5 on top) is a treat to work with and showcases vibrant colours and deep blacks. Everything on this widescreen looks superb. Even the gaming experience was slightly better than found on the Galaxy S8 plus.
The Note 8 comes across as a business phone built for serious users, which has a very nice grip (better than S8 Plus). Design features include a thicker metal frame running all around the sides of the smartphone. The frame also has the power button on the right along with the volume rocker and dedicated Bixby button on the left.
The SIM + MicroSD card slot is positioned on the top while a mono speaker, S PEN, USB-C charging and 3.5mm audio ports are placed at the bottom. The selfie camera, sensor and ear speaker are placed above the screen. Flip the Samsung Galaxy Note 8 around and one can see not one but two rear cameras. This is the first offering by Samsung that has dual cameras. The rear also sports an awkwardly placed finger print reader (like the one found on S8 Plus), a heart rate sensor and a dual tone flash, embedded on an all-glass (Corning Gorilla 5) back. Oh, did we mention that this smartphone is IP68 ready, which means it can take a dip in the water and nothing will happen to it.
Performance and Camera
In India, Samsung has been bringing its flagship smartphones with Exynos CPUs instead of Snapdragon. Snapdragon is only available in USA and China. The Indian version we reviewed carried the Exynos 8895 Octa core chipset (4x2.3 GHz + 4x1.7 GHz cores). Further, the Samsung Galaxy Note 8 comes in two variants when it comes to SIM slots, we used the single SIM + memory card variant.
As far as on board memory is concerned the Samsung Galaxy Note 8 has 64GB on board storage (expandable by up to 256 GB) and RAM is maxed at a nice 6 GB. Jumping over to the cameras this smartphone can give the best, a run for its money. We absolutely loved every bit of the front and rear snappers. The images from the rear 12 MP cameras come out vivid (outdoors and indoors). The results were boggling in low-light and this smartphone works exceptionally well at night too.
Thanks to the dual camera rear setup, users now have the option of Bokeh effect. This means that the users can choose the amount of blur they want in the image, even after the image has been clicked. Moreover, one can easily zoom 2X (twice over the primary camera) with the small button located at the bottom of camera screen, which switches the camera.
The front snapper has an 8MP sensor and the results here are no different. The images shot during the day, low-light and night are pleasant and vivid. Like the Samsung Galaxy S8 Plus, the Samsung Galaxy Note 8 front camera also comes with effects, which gives users more control over the shot, and stickers. All of this works very well.
Running Android 7.1 out of the box this nifty device has minimum of bloatware. Transferring data and contacts from the previous Android device was child's play. We were able setup and transfer everything (25 GB of photos, app, contact, text messages and more) in under 20 minutes. Samsung does supply the usual set of its apps like Samsung Health and Gear on it. All the nice things seen on Samsung Galaxy S8 Plus (like the split screen mode et al) can be found on the Note 8, too.
At a touch of a button Bixby starts running and if you are already member of Samsung's eco system then within 2-3 clicks you will be able to start using it. The Bixby voice command is functional now. It works in a similar fashion like Google Assistant and Apple Siri, however it does need a bit of work to understand the Indian accent. One can also unlock the phone with voice, using Bixby. But, that's not the only way to unlock the Samsung Galaxy Note 8. The most common is the fingerprint sensor at the back. IRIS scanner is also available and like the S8 Plus it opens this smartphone faster than you can blink.
The S-pen is spring loaded and pops out as soon as you press it. Users can take notes immediately after pulling it out, no need to unlock the screen. Memo screen appears on its own when the pen is pulled out. The air menu system comes to life when the screen is unlocked that has features like notes, translate (to translate text) and live messages. With this feature, users can send live text messages in the form of a GIF. The S-pen is pressure sensitive and we enjoyed the sketching experience with it. The apps edge is also available on the Samsung Galaxy Note 8, but we didn't use it much. Never felt the need.
On the Antutu benchmarks Samsung Galaxy Note 8 scored 1,77,024 points and on Geekbench 4 multi core CPU test it got 6,668 points and 9,402 points on compute test. Everything indicating extreme performance. However, the phone does get slightly hot when we played graphic intensive games. But, managed to come down to normal rapidly when the game was switched off.
The sound quality of the phone is not as great as its sibling S8 Plus, but is loud for a single speaker phone. We recommend using the AKG headphones (supplied in the box) with this smartphone for better resonance. The voice quality on the other hand is top notch. The sound is crisp (on 4G) and one can hear the other person's speech clearly.
Verdict
Yes, the Samsung Galaxy Note 8 is slightly thicker than its brother the Galaxy S8 plus, mostly because it has to accommodate the S-pen. 3,300 mAh of battery juice provides just 22 hours of work time (nominal use with Wi-Fi on). Which is not so bad for a phone that has a larger-than-life smart screen and extended features. Overall, the Samsung Galaxy Note 8 with a price tag of Rs 67,900 is a worthy player in the premium segment of smartphones.
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