Samsung had a harrowing time in 2016 with the Galaxy Note 7 and the saga of battery explosions.
However, that hasn’t deterred Samsung from forging ahead with the Note brand. After all, Note is what heralded the so-called phablets. Note 7 didn’t even make it to the Indian market last year, but the new one has reached the shores. The Galaxy Note 8 is priced at Rs 67,900, making it the first $1,000 flagship phone in India.
Does it match up to its price?
Design: Premium Touches
The bezel-less display makes an appearance here as well, after making its debut with an 18:9 display ratio on the Galaxy S8 earlier this year.
The new Note has a 6.3-inch screen with edge-to-edge display and is enamelled with a glass body finish. Compared to the Galaxy S8, the Note 8 feels a lot safer in your hands (phew!). Having said that, you still need to be careful with this device, especially considering its price tag.
The unibody finish of the Galaxy Note 8 feels premium. The S Pen slots in at the bottom, right next to the built-in speaker. The home button is integrated into the display on the front although the fingerprint scanner is still located at the back (not again, Samsung).
Display: Bigger is Better
The Galaxy Note 8 gets a 6.3-inch Super AMOLED Quad-HD Infinity display with 2560x1440 pixels resolution. It’s bright and the colours are sharp – which has been the hallmark of Samsung’s display over the years.
The use of an 18:9 ratio display on the Galaxy Note 8 gives you a bigger viewing experience, ideal for multimedia users.
Samsung has simplified the use of the multi-display feature. You can create a customised dual-app option, which will open up together on the screen.
A lot has been already written about the display prowess of Samsung’s Infinity display, and the Galaxy Note 8 is a mere extension to what we’ve already seen and used.
Cameras: The Dual Brigade
The Galaxy S8 has one of the best cameras in the market right now, even without packing dual sensors. But the Galaxy Note 8 comes with dual 12-megapixel snappers at the back with f/1.7 and f/2.4 aperture set, respectively.
The camera is capable, with quick auto-focus, and captures impressive detail in daylight conditions. But that’s not all, the low-light shooting is as good as anything in the market right now.
With the addition of dual cameras, Samsung has talked up features like Live focus (ability to blur the foreground) available on the Galaxy Note 8.
Let’s Talk About the S Pen
S Pen has been the fulcrum of the Note series ever since its inception. It may be an accessory at best, but over the years, the accuracy and the use-case of the S Pen has improved.
Samsung claims the S Pen with the Galaxy Note 8 comes with improved accuracy, packs a thinner pointer, and ensures your original handwriting turns into the digital form.
In addition to that, the S Pen is capable of translating text (with help from Google Translate).
Worth It?
Samsung Galaxy Note 8 in India comes with Exynos octa-core processor with 6GB RAM and offering 64GB storage, expandable up to 256GB. Feature-wise, the phone comes with face-recognition and a fingerprint scanner at the back. The headphone jack is still there and Bixby finally comes to India (more on that later).
At Rs 67,900, Samsung has ensured that the pricing of Galaxy Note 8 doesn’t go off-the-roof. Having said that, the phone, along with the S Pen, caters to premium users, who need to make sure they handle it with care, especially with the Infinity display in tow, and a glass body.
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