The Samsung Galaxy Note 8: A Review of Its Features and Specifications

Dan Seer here with The Verge, and we're excited to show you the latest addition to Samsung's Galaxy Note family - the Note 8. As its name suggests, this device boasts an 8-inch display, sitting comfortably between the Note 2 and the Note 10.1 in terms of release date.

One of the standout features of the Note 8 is its sleek design. With a display resolution of 1280x800 pixels, it's clear that Samsung has aimed to create a device that is not only aesthetically pleasing but also functional. The phone measures just 7.95mm in thickness, making it remarkably thin and lightweight. This level of portability is made possible by the use of plastic materials, which are commonly used in many Samsung devices.

The Note 8's design isn't the only aspect that sets it apart from its predecessors. The device features a glossy finish on the back, giving it a typical Samsung look and feel. On the front, there's a 1.2-megapixel camera, while the rear is equipped with a 5-megapixel camera. This balance of cameras allows users to capture high-quality images and videos.

In terms of hardware performance, the Note 8 is powered by a quad-core Samsung Exynos processor clocked at 1.6 GHz. The device comes with 2GB of RAM, which should provide smooth performance for most users. Samsung has announced that the Note 8 will be available in two storage options: 16GB and 32GB. As expected from a Galaxy Note device, the S Pen functionality is also included, allowing users to access it through the S Pen digitizer.

One of the notable features of the Note 8 is its ability to use the S Pen on hardware keys. This was not possible with previous Note devices, making this feature an exciting addition for fans of the series. Furthermore, Samsung has bundled their popular Note software - a note-taking app that's been well-received on iOS platforms - with the device at no extra cost.

Software-wise, there are several other new features worth mentioning. One such feature is the ability to hover over content while using third-party apps. The first app optimized for this feature is Flipboard, which allows users to view headlines without having to click into them. Samsung plans to bring this functionality to other apps in the future.

Another unique aspect of the Note 8 is its inclusion of an infrared blaster on the side. This allows users to control their home entertainment center and television using the IR remote, a feature that's also used by HTC in their Sense TV product on the new HTC1 device. The Note 8 also features Samsung's Dual View mode, which reduces lag compared to previous devices.

The battery life of the Note 8 is an area where we don't have much information at present. However, Samsung has mentioned that it includes a 4600 milliamp hour battery, which should last around a day for most users. As with any new device release, this will require further testing to determine its actual performance in real-world scenarios.

One final feature worth mentioning is the Note 8's ability to make phone calls. The international version of the device comes equipped with an earpiece and microphone at the bottom, allowing users to use it as a calling device on the go - provided they have a compatible 3G network. Additionally, Samsung plans to release both Wi-Fi and LTE versions of the Note 8.

Overall, the Samsung Galaxy Note 8 promises to be a powerful and feature-rich device that will appeal to fans of the series and those looking for a high-end Android smartphone experience. With its sleek design, advanced hardware performance, and innovative software features, it's clear that Samsung has set out to create something special with this latest addition to the Galaxy Note family.

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: enthis is Dan Seer with the Verge and we're here in Barcelona for Mobile World Congress and we're checking out the Samsung Galaxy Note 8 right now the Note 8 is the latest member of Samsung's Galaxy Note family and obviously by its name it's got an 8 in display which kind of sits in between the Note 2 and the Note 10.1 which have been previously released uh for specs wise it's got a 1280x 800 pixel display it's pretty thin it's only about 7.95 mm so it's under 8 mm thin and it's really light in your hand of of course it is all plastic as many Samsung devices are it's kind of got that glossy typical Samsung finish on the back here we've got a 5 megapixel camera while up front there's a 1.2 megapixel camera the device is powered by a quad core Samsung exos processor clocked at 1.6 GHz and it's got two G uh 2 gbt of RAM and Samsung's going to be offering this in 16 or 32 GB uh versions of course since it is a Galaxy Note it comes with Spen functionality which you can access with the Spen digitizer here what is new about this is that you can use the S Pen on the hardware Keys which you couldn't do on the older note devices so that's new for the Galaxy Note 8 a couple of other things are new uh software-wise uh Samsung is bundling the awesome Note software which is a note taking software that has been pretty popular on iOS this is the first time it's on Android and Samsung is including it with the Note 8 for free so the other new feature here is the ability to hover over uh content when you're using a third party app the first app that's optimized for that is this Flipboard app that's been optimized to be able to show you uh headlines while you just hover the uh pen over the device without having to click into it Samsung says it's going to bring this to other apps in the future the other unique part of the hardware here is an infrared blaster on the side uh Samsung has included a version of the peel software so that you can control your home entertainment center and television using the IR remote on the side of the device it's the same software that's uh HTC is actually using for its Sense TV product uh on the new HTC1 device the note a .0 also features Samsung dual view feature which we saw on the Note 10.1 and also on the Note 2 it's much less lag with the Note 8.0 in this mode than we saw with the Note 10.1 so it seems that Samsung has improved the software greatly here Samsung isn't quoting a battery life for the Note 8 but it is saying that there's a 4600 milliamp hour battery included uh typically most companies say that will last about a day but we'll have to see what this runs when we actually get a tester unit in for review the Galaxy Note 8 International Version can actually make phone calls so you can see it's got an earpiece here and there's a microphone at the bottom so if you really wanted to you could use this as a calling device with the 3G equipped model Samsung's also going to be releasing a Wi-Fi version and an LTE version the company says that the Note 8.0 will be available by the end of the second quarter this year but it's not yet talking price and we don't exactly know the final specs for the US versionthis is Dan Seer with the Verge and we're here in Barcelona for Mobile World Congress and we're checking out the Samsung Galaxy Note 8 right now the Note 8 is the latest member of Samsung's Galaxy Note family and obviously by its name it's got an 8 in display which kind of sits in between the Note 2 and the Note 10.1 which have been previously released uh for specs wise it's got a 1280x 800 pixel display it's pretty thin it's only about 7.95 mm so it's under 8 mm thin and it's really light in your hand of of course it is all plastic as many Samsung devices are it's kind of got that glossy typical Samsung finish on the back here we've got a 5 megapixel camera while up front there's a 1.2 megapixel camera the device is powered by a quad core Samsung exos processor clocked at 1.6 GHz and it's got two G uh 2 gbt of RAM and Samsung's going to be offering this in 16 or 32 GB uh versions of course since it is a Galaxy Note it comes with Spen functionality which you can access with the Spen digitizer here what is new about this is that you can use the S Pen on the hardware Keys which you couldn't do on the older note devices so that's new for the Galaxy Note 8 a couple of other things are new uh software-wise uh Samsung is bundling the awesome Note software which is a note taking software that has been pretty popular on iOS this is the first time it's on Android and Samsung is including it with the Note 8 for free so the other new feature here is the ability to hover over uh content when you're using a third party app the first app that's optimized for that is this Flipboard app that's been optimized to be able to show you uh headlines while you just hover the uh pen over the device without having to click into it Samsung says it's going to bring this to other apps in the future the other unique part of the hardware here is an infrared blaster on the side uh Samsung has included a version of the peel software so that you can control your home entertainment center and television using the IR remote on the side of the device it's the same software that's uh HTC is actually using for its Sense TV product uh on the new HTC1 device the note a .0 also features Samsung dual view feature which we saw on the Note 10.1 and also on the Note 2 it's much less lag with the Note 8.0 in this mode than we saw with the Note 10.1 so it seems that Samsung has improved the software greatly here Samsung isn't quoting a battery life for the Note 8 but it is saying that there's a 4600 milliamp hour battery included uh typically most companies say that will last about a day but we'll have to see what this runs when we actually get a tester unit in for review the Galaxy Note 8 International Version can actually make phone calls so you can see it's got an earpiece here and there's a microphone at the bottom so if you really wanted to you could use this as a calling device with the 3G equipped model Samsung's also going to be releasing a Wi-Fi version and an LTE version the company says that the Note 8.0 will be available by the end of the second quarter this year but it's not yet talking price and we don't exactly know the final specs for the US version\n"