The Shiny Galaxy Note 8 gets dual cameras, but plays it safe
Updated with
more details on Samsung's trade-in program for Galaxy Note 7 owners.
There's a
lot riding on the Samsung Galaxy Note 8's glossy, curved shoulders, two rear
cameras and digital S Pen stylus.
The Galaxy
Note 8 has to wash away the bad taste of last year's battery-burning Note 7
double-recall. It has to outshoot every other phone with a set of dual cameras
that's already out there. And finally, Samsung's highest-end phone needs to
outshine the LG V30, Google Pixel 2 and iPhone 8, while also convincing buyers
to choose it over the cheaper Galaxy S8 ($649.88 at Amazon Marketplace) and
Galaxy S8 Plus ($729.95 at Amazon Marketplace).
See what I mean? Tough work.
From what I've seen of the Note 8 so far, it stands a fighting chance at doing all three. The phone itself satisfies all the requirements of today's modern, high-powered handset, with its bright, 6.3-inch screen, twin rear cameras with portrait mode, a top-of-the-line-processor, wireless charging and water resistance. There's also external storage and its S Pen stylus has a handful of new tricks you can use to write, draw and navigate the screen. And did I mention the headset jack? There's one of those, too. (Nudge, nudge, iPhone 7.)
As the first new, (hopefully) safe Note since the Note 5 in 2015 -- remember, Samsung skipped the Note 6 name in favor of the Note 7 -- you'd expect the Note 8 to go big, silencing the naysayers and rewarding the fans. After all, Note buyers are the Samsung's biggest mobile cheerleaders, "the most energetic, engaged, loyal consumers," according to Justin Denison, a senior VP of product marketing and strategy at Samsung.
Instead of
splashing out, though, Samsung played it safe. The Note 8's battery is smaller
than 2016's model, in part to keep from repeating last year's fatal mistake.
There are
also a lot of carry-overs from the Galaxy Note 7 and Galaxy S8 that keep the
Note 8 from feeling truly fresh. For example, the S Pen stylus only adds a few
more tricks, none of which will set off industry shockwaves. (They're still
fun, though. More on that below.) And then there's the awkward placement of
that fingerprint sensor. Sorry, rumor junkies, it hasn't moved under the screen
after all. Why Samsung chose to replicate the worst design shortfall of its
earlier phone is beyond me; the Note 8 is a large phone that'll have you
stretching for the sensor. Or else you'll give up and use a different way to
unlock the phone and green-light Samsung Pay.
The twin
rear cameras are the only major feature that's truly new, and they're a first
for any Samsung phone. But dual cameras are now so common in high-end handsets
that they've quickly become the norm. Samsung's implementation, however, is
really promising, and it takes Apple's Portrait Mode to the next level. That's
tentatively a notch in Samsung's belt. (And again, much more on this below.)
I can't wait
to fully test the Galaxy Note 8's new twin cameras, battery life and hidden
tricks. At first glance, it's an attractive, fully featured device for power
users who are looking for the ultimate in handheld computing. In a lot of ways,
the Note 8 is the Galaxy Note 7 we should have had, but with a modern camera
experience that promises something extra.
samsung-galaxy-note-8-s-pen-features-9
Enlarge
Image
The S Pen
stylus is a drawing machine.
Andrew
Hoyle/CNET
There's just
one final sticking point, and that's price. The Note series is typically
Samsung's costliest phone, an expense that Samsung justifies with the most
cutting-edge features and a heap of stylus tricks. This could work in Samsung's
favor if the iPhone 8, Google Pixel 2 and LG V30 also cost a bundle. Or, the
relatively high price could backfire if more buyers go for the Galaxy S8 Plus
($729.95 at Amazon Marketplace) instead. Sure, the S8 Plus has only one rear
camera and no stylus, but it's otherwise about the same, for a little less
cash.
Read on for
a breakdown of the Galaxy Note 8's specs, and photo-taking capabilities and S
Pen features. For a full comparison with today's top phones, skip to the end.
And
remember, our final verdict on whether the Note 8 is worth the price will come
after we've received a review unit and had a chance to fully test the phone.
Note 8 price
and when to buy
Absolutely
excellent news for original Note 7 owners: Samsung will grant a discount on the
Note 8 as an apology for the hassle of having returned your last phone. The big
catch? This is currently for US customers only. It's a good start, and one we
hope Samsung will extend to other affected buyers worldwide.
Note 7
owners who go to Samsung.com will receive an instant trade-in value of up to
$425 (about £330 or $AU540) when you upgrade your current phone for a Galaxy
Note 8. It's gratifying to see Samsung make good with 2016's endangered,
inconvenienced buyers. Moreover, it's the final step Samsung needed to take to
finally put the Note 7 disaster to rest.
Preorders
start Aug. 24, and the phone goes on sale Sept. 15 in the US, UK, South Korea
and other select countries. It'll roll out globally through October.
All US
buyers who preorder the phone will get a fast wireless charger and a 128GB
microSD card or a Gear 360 ($254.99 at Amazon.com). This has nothing to do with
being a Note 7 owner, it's available to everyone. More details here.
You'll be
able to buy the phone through carriers, Samsung.com and other retailers.
Samsung is also doing something different and immediately selling the Galaxy
Note 8 unlocked rather than waiting weeks or months to offer an unlocked
option.
In the US,
you can pick up the Note 8 from Best Buy, Target and Walmart in addition to Samsung.com.
As for carriers, AT&T will sell it for $950 and Verizon will sell it for
$960. T-Mobile users can nab it for $930 while Sprint offers it for $960. The
phone will also be available on U.S. Cellular for the full retail price of $963
($32.10 on 30-month plan) or for $899.99 prepaid.
Is the Note
8 battery safe?
If you were
burned by the Galaxy Note 7 flame-out, you might be a little gunshy about the
Note 8.
Here's what
Samsung's done to help cool your fears:
Instituted
an 8-point battery safety check
Reduced
battery size and capacity from 3,500mAh to 3,300mAh to leave more room in the
phone's cavity
Partnered
with UL, a certification company, to endorse the Note 8
Of course,
we won't know for certain if any phone battery is faulty until users' reports
come in. For the record, there have not been similar widespread reports of
problems with the Galaxy S8 and S8 Plus batteries. However, if you're wary, it
doesn't hurt to watch and wait.
Upping the
dual-camera ante
Samsung's
first two-camera setup places a 12-megapixel telephoto lens alongside a
12-megapixel wide-angle lens (there's also an 8-megapixel camera up front).
Both cameras use optical image stabilization (OIS) to help keep images and
video looking smooth.
galaxy-note-8-3762-052
Enlarge
Image
Those two
cameras on the back aren't just for show.
Josh
Miller/CNET
Portrait
mode is the major use case here. This applies a softly blurred background
around the subject (which itself is in focus), like an aura of mystique that
makes the person or thing pop out.
Samsung
calls it Live Focus, and it lets you do more than you can on other phones with
similar modes, including the iPhone 7 Plus ($899.99 at Amazon Marketplace),
which popularized the feature.
You can adjust
the amount of blur on a sliding scale of 0-10 before you take the shot
It lets you
use both lenses to take and save two pictures in the gallery. One photo is the
blurry portrait (this is also called bokeh effect), and one that's a
wider-angle image that keeps the background in focus, and more of it in the
frame. The iPhone 7 Plus does something similar, except its second non-bokeh
image saves at the same aspect ratio as the bokeh one.
It's called
Dual Capture, and although it's automatic, you can turn it off in the settings.
You can also
remove or alter the blur effect from the gallery after you take a picture.
You can pop
between the portrait and full photo.
Other camera
details for shutterbugs: 2x optical zoom, up to 10x digital zoom, F2.4
telephoto lens, F1.7 wide-angle lens with dual-pixel auto-focus.
Galaxy Note
8's best new features
You won't
see these on the Galaxy S8, or any other phone for that matter.
Live Message
This creates
an animated GIF of a handwritten note, which is written back in real time. You
can add photo backgrounds to create your own personal meme. What stands out
here is that you can share these on any app that supports animated GIFs, so
Facebook Messenger, for example, or WhatsApp.
On the Note
8, you can create a Live Message from the Air Command navigation wheel (which
you see when you pull the S Pen from its holster) and from the keyboard, if you
hold down the custom key and find the Live Message option.
Write on the
lock screen
Screen-off
Memo was introduced on the Note 7. It lets you scribble on the screen without
having to unlock the phone, and it's pretty great. You can pin a note to the
always-on display, and now you can save it and pin again to lengthen the list
and create up to 100 pages. You can still transcribe pages if you save them to
your Notes app.
Next-level
split-screen multitasking
If you find
yourself constantly using the same two apps in split screen mode, the Note 8
gives you an option to link them together and open them both with a tap. Say,
for example, YouTube and your internet browser, or Google Maps and music.
It's called
App Pair. You start by pulling out the tab on the edge of the screen, and swipe
to get to the app shortcuts. Samsung says it will start you off with one or two
pairings, but you can also link your own apps in settings. Then when you're
ready to use them, a tap on the app pair icon loads them both in split screen
mode.
Full-sentence translation and currency conversion
You used to have to translate in foreign languages a word at a time -- say by selecting words on a foreign-language website with the S Pen. But now you can click an entire sentence and translate it all at once. The expanded feature works for over 70 languages and uses Google Translate. The tool also converts currency.
What else?
Sorry, US buyers, you won't get blue or gold colors at launch; you get your choice of black and gray. It's possible Samsung will release a new shade down the road.
See full Note 8 specs below.
Samsung Galaxy Note 8 specs versus Galaxy S8 Plus, iPhone 7 Plus, OnePlus 5
| Samsung Galaxy Note 8 | Samsung Galaxy S8 Plus | Apple iPhone 7 Plus | OnePlus 5 | |
| Display size, resolution | 6.3-inch; 2,960x1,440 pixels | 6.2-inch; 2960x1440 pixels | 5.5-inch; 1,920x1,080 pixels | 5.5-inch; 1,920x1,080 pixels |
| Pixel density | 522ppi | 529ppi | 401ppi | 401ppi |
| Dimensions (Inches) | 6.4x2.9x0.34 in | 6.3x2.9x0.32 in | 6.2x 3.1x0.29 in | 6.1x2.92x0.29 in |
| Dimensions (Millimeters) | 162.5x74.8x8.6 mm | 159.5x73.4x8.1 mm | 158.2x77.9x7.3 mm | 154.2x74.1x7.3 mm |
| Weight (Ounces, Grams) | 6.9 oz, 195g | 6.1 oz; 173g | 6.63 oz; 188g | 5.4 oz; 153g |
| Mobile software | Android 7.1.1 Nougat | Android 7.0 Nougat | Apple iOS 10 | Android 7.1.1 Nougat |
| Camera | Dual 12-megapixel | 12-megapixel | 12-megapixel (telephoto), 12-megapixel (wide) | 16-megapixel standard, 20-megapixel telephoto |
| Front-facing camera | 8-megapixel | 8-megapixel | 7-megapixel | 16-megapixel |
| Video capture | 4K | 4K | 4K | 4K |
| Processor | Octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 (2.35GHz+1.9GHz) or octa-core Samsung Exynos 8895 (2.35GHz+1.7GHz) | Octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 (2.35GHz+1.9GHz) or octa-core Samsung Exynos 8895 (2.35GHz+1.7GHz) | Apple A10 chip (64-bit) | 2.45GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 |
| Storage | 64GB | 64GB | 32GB, 128GB, 256GB | 64GB, 128GB |
| RAM | 6GB | 4GB | N/A | 6GB, 8GB |
| Expandable storage | Up to 2TB | Up to 2TB | None | None |
| Battery | 3,300mAh | 3,500mAh | 21 hours talk time on 3G, 16 days standby, 13 hours internet use LTE | 3,300mAh |
| Fingerprint sensor | Back cover | Back cover | Home button | Home button |
| Connector | USB-C | USB-C | Lightning | USB-C |
| Special features | S Pen stylus, water-resistant, wireless charging | Water-resistant (IP68), wireless charging, Gigabit LTE-ready | Water and dust-resistant; portrait image mode | Portrait mode, notifications toggle, dual-SIM, Dash Charging |
| Price off-contract (USD) | AT&T: $950; Verizon: $960; T-Mobile: $930; Sprint: $960; US Cellular: $963 | AT&T: $850; Verizon: $840; T-Mobile: $850; Sprint: $850; US Cellular: $785 | $769 (32GB); $869 (128GB); $969 (256GB) | $479 (64GB), $539 (128GB) |
| Price (GBP) | £869 | £779 | £719 (32GB); £819 (128GB); £919 (256GB) | £449 (64GB), £499 (128GB) |
| Price (AUD) | AU$1,499 | AU$1,349 | AU$1269 (32GB); AU$1419 (128GB); AU$1569 (256GB) | Converts to AU$636 (64GB), AU$715 (128GB) |
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