Samsung Launches The Galaxy Note8 With Dual Cameras And IP68

In an event in New York, Samsung has just launched its new iteration of the Note series, the Samsung Galaxy Note8 at a price of GBP 869 (Rs 71,100 approx). After the Samsung Galaxy Note7 was recalled globally due to a fault in the battery, causing it to catch fire, the South Korean electronics giant made a comeback of sorts with the Galaxy S8 and S8+.

The Samsung Galaxy Note 8 has been launched in four colours – the Midnight Black, Orchid Gray, Deep Sea Blue and Maple Gold.

Just like the Galaxy S8 and S8+, the new Galaxy Note 8 features a glass front and back and the AMOLED display has curved corners and a long aspect ratio. The new 2017 Samsung Galaxy Note has a 6.3 inch 2960 x 1440 px 18.5:9 aspect ratio Super AMOLED display with an 83.1% screen-to-body ratio and Corning Gorilla Glass 5 on the front and back of the device.

The Galaxy Note 8 runs Android 7.1.2 Nougat and Samsung has promised an update to 8.0 Oreo in the near future. The phone is powered by a non-removable 3,300 mAh battery with QuickCharge 2.0 through the USB Type C port and because of the glass at the back, the phone also supports wireless charging as well. Just like the Samsung Galaxy S8 and S8 Plus, the fingerprint sensor sits at the back of the device right next to the dual-cameras. The iris scanner and face unlock features also return to the Galaxy Note 8 for further security.

As is with all Samsung flagship devices, the Galaxy Note8 will ship with two different chipsets, the Qualcomm Snapdragon 835, 2.45 GHz octa-core processor with Adreno 540 GPU for USA and China, and the Exynos 8895, 2.3GHz Quad-Core (Custom CPU) + 1.7GHz Quad-Core (Cortex-A53) with Mali-G71 MP20 for the remaining markets. The device will have 6GB RAM and onboard storage options of 64GB/128GB/256GB which will be expandable via microSD card up to 256GB.

What makes the Note series stand out from the flagship crowd is the S-Pen. The new Galaxy Note 8 comes with a new S Pen with improved functionalities. The Galaxy Note 8 and the S Pen are both also IP68 certified water and dust resistant. The S-Pen comes with a host of new features such as Smart Select, which allows you to easily select, clip and copy the content that you like. You can also send .gif messages via the S Pen. Another interesting feature is the Screen Off Memo, wherein you can quickly jot down important notes and details without going through the hassle of unlocking the device and opening the Notes app. The S Pen will be available in Midnight Black, Orchid Gray, Deep Sea Blue and Maple Gold colours.

The Galaxy Note 8 is the first phone from Samsung to feature dual-cameras with a 12MP dual-camera setup, the primary camera has a wide-angle 12MP lens with an f/1.7 aperture and the secondary camera has a 12MP telephoto lens with an f/2.4 aperture. The telephoto lens enables a 2X lossless optical zoom and has features such as the Bokeh effect, much like the iPhone 7 Plus. The dual-cameras are capable of capturing 4K videos at 30 FPS On the front is an 8MP camera with an f/1.7 aperture and captures 4K videos at 30 FPS.

Samsung has also launched a host of Galaxy Note 8 compatible accessories today. The Samsung signature flip cover, a wireless charging pad in two colours, a back cover with a felt touch finish in 4 colours and a half-and-half gripper like the one launched for the Galaxy S8 and S8+.

The Samsung Galaxy Note 8 will be available starting in mid-September, in major markets including US, Europe, Australia, New Zealand and in India.