No, the Note 8 does not explode, but it’s a dynamite device. It’s easily one of Samsung’s best flagships, and you definitely need it in your life. Let’s talk about it below.
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It’s not surprising that the phone’s expensive. If you’re hesitant, know that the memory variant and warranty you get affects the Note 8’s final price.
Company warranties are more expensive than store ones. And the larger its storage capabilities are, the more expensive the phone would be.
The Note 8 is a rectangular device, and its edges are pretty pointed. We have to say, this makes it somewhat difficult to hold.
It’s also a big phone. Its dimensions are 162.5 x 74.8 x 8.6 mm, which may be worrisome if you have smaller hands.
It’s shiny, though. We love how reflective it is, it makes the Note 8 look as premium as possible. You can get it in quite a few colours. Our favourite is the Midnight black. You can get it in Maple Gold, Orchid Gray, and Deep Sea Blue as well.
It’s no surprise that the phone’s quite durable. You’re getting Gorilla Glass 5 on its rear, which is exactly what you want.
Did we mention that it’s heavy? The Note 8 is a 193-gram device, promising you a wrist work out.
If you look around its sides, you’ll see a headphone jack, easy to reach buttons, a MicroSD slot, and a USB-C port. There’s a button that activates Bixby too.
Although its buttons are easy to reach, we think its fingerprint sensor is placed awkwardly. We’re also not fans of how its camera set up looks, but this is completely subjective.
Of course, you get the S-pen resting on the bottom. It feels great in your hand. You won’t worry about losing it again. The phone beeps if you move and it’s not placed properly.
The Note 8’s screen is 6.3 inches. This gives its Super AMOLED display more than enough room to shine. It offers a viewing experience you’d expect from a former flagship. For starters, it’s insanely detailed. You’re getting a 1440 x 2960-pixel screen resolution.
You barely get any bezels too. The sides of the Note 8 are curved, being one with its aluminium frame. This takes your viewing experience to the next level.
You’re probably wondering what its screen to body ratio is. It’s 83.2%.
Considering that its display is also very bright, we’re in love. The Note 8 rocks a 1200 maximum nit screen, basically making its display a torch.
We mentioned that there is Gorilla Glass 5 on its rear. This is true for its front too. With the added protection of tempered glass, you don’t have to worry about cracks as much.
Its display is always on, which is a nice touch. Its ability to play HDR10 content is more than appreciated as well.
You’re getting a 3300 mAh unit that can last a day. Remember how the Note 7 used to explode? No, your Note 8 won’t blow up. Samsung made sure that the Note 8 was thoroughly tested before it released.
With your purchase, a 15 W fast charger is by your side. By today’s standards, this is not great for a flagship device. After all, the phone takes over an hour and a half to fully charge.
You get wireless charging too, but it’s not the fastest. The Note 8 can go from 0-100% in around 2 and a half hours.
Can we talk about its S-pen? It comes with 4096 levels of pressure sensitivity, making it an artist’s dream.
You can note things down when its screen is off, which is especially useful. However, this isn’t something we haven’t seen before. This feature was introduced in the Note 7.
The live messages feature is neat. You can write ‘live messages’ and send them as GIFs. Is this useful, though?
There are too many instances where the S-pen comes in handy. From translating texts to capturing gifs, once you use it, you can’t go back.
Moving on, you get Android 7.1 out of the box. What about Android 10? Independent developers are your friends. You can get a custom upgrade, not an official one.
Much like the S8, the note 8 is also nearing the end of its software update run. This was evidenced by Samsung's recent announcement that the device would, going forward, only receive quarterly updates compared to the monthly updates it was receiving.
What kind of processor will Android 10 be powering? Well, the Note 8 comes with the Exynos 8895 chip. Considering that the device is a former flagship, it’s a beast of a unit.
Its internal storage is impressive. The Note 8 comes with 64, 128, and 256 GB of space. Remember how we mentioned that it comes with a MicroSD slot? You can expand its storage if you want.
In terms of RAM, you get 6 gigs. This helps the phone be as snappy as it is.
UI wise, TouchWiz is notorious for its bloatware. Thankfully, Samsung took care of this. The Note 8 is pretty easy to use.
Don’t get us started on how powerful its camera is. It’s vivid, detailed, and incredibly quick. You’re also getting enough camera modes to play with. The best thing about this is that you can download more if you want.
We think its bokeh shots are amazing. Not only are they high quality, but you get a bar that lets you adjust the background blur. This gives you control that any photographer wants.
How about its camera specs? Well, the Note 8 has a dual-camera set up for you to play with. They’re both 12 MP sensors. One of them is a wide lens while the other is a telephoto.
Now that we know how great its rear camera is, let’s talk about its front set up. You’re met with dual cameras again. The primary sensor is 8 MP while the secondary one is its 2 MP iris scanner.
We’ve established that the Note 8 is an amazing device. Let’s wrap this review up by comparing it with a few alternatives.
Unlike the Note 8, the S9+ is not rectangular. Its edges are curved, making it easier to hold.
The phone is 6.2 inches across, so it’s as big as the Note 8. Like its counterpart, you’re getting a Super AMOLED display. This isn’t a surprise as Samsung loves the panel. You already know how we feel about it.
The same screen resolution is by your side. That being said, you’re getting a better screen-to-body ratio. The S9+ comes with less bezel, boasting an 84.2% ratio.
The sides of its display are curved too. This gives a more immersive viewing experience.
We’re also fans of the Gorilla Glass 5 on the front and back. We love a durable device. Its ability to play HDR10 content is nice too.
Out of the box, you’re getting Android 8. Thankfully, you can upgrade the S9+ to Android 10.
Wondering what kind of processor Android 10 be powering? You’re getting the Exynos 9810 chip. It’s more powerful than the Exynos 8895.
Now onto its memory variants. You’re only getting 6 GB of RAM. The storage capacities at your disposal are the same too. Yes, its storage can be expanded with a microSD card.
Let’s talk about its battery:
You’re getting a larger 3500 mAh unit, but it can only last a day. In terms of its charger, a 15 W fast charger by your side. It takes the phone around an hour and a half to fully charge. Similarly, the ability to wirelessly charge is by your side.
Camera-wise, the S9 Plus is more than impressive. Samsung’s flagships are notorious for their cameras. You’re met with a dual camera set that boasts of two 12 MP sensors, similar to the Note 8. The primary sensor on the S9 Plus has a better aperture though, this lets it capture more light. Front camera-wise, the same set up in the Note 8 is seen again.
You’re getting a much smaller device. The S8 stretches 5.8 inches across. It’s a feather in comparison too. It’s only 155 grams. You’re still getting Gorilla Glass 5 on its front and rear though.
If you weren’t a fan of the Note 8 being rectangular, know that the S8 is pretty curved. We love that the sides of its screen are curved too.
No surprise, its display is Super AMOLED. It comes with the same screen resolution and a very similar screen to body ratio. How do you feel about that?
Its screen isn’t as bright, unfortunately. It’s a little over 1000 maximum nits. Living in Sunny Sri Lanka, the brighter a phone is, the better.
If you were a fan of the Note 8 being able to play HDR10 content, rejoice! The S8 can play HDR10 content too. Its display is always on as well.
Out of the box, you’re getting Android 7. But is the S8 getting the Android 10 update? Once again, independent developers are the way to go. You can get a custom upgrade, not an official one.
Let’s talk about the processor Android 10 will be powering. The S8 comes with the same Exynos 8895 chip as its Note counterpart. We’ve already established that it’s a beast.
In terms of its memory variants, things don’t look that good. There’s only 1 memory variant and it comes with 64 gigs of space and 4 GB of RAM. Thankfully, its storage can be expanded with a microSD card.
Unfortunately, the S8’s battery is smaller. You’re getting a 3000 mAh unit. It usually lets you last a day but users have reported its battery draining very fast.
Onto its charger:
There’s a 15 W fast charger for you to use. Like the Note 8, expect to wait for a little over an hour and a half to fully charge your device.
Does the phone support wireless charging? The answer is yes.
Camera-wise, the S8 is very good. It doesn’t come with a dual-camera setup, however. Instead, you’re getting a single 12 MP sensor. In the front, the same dual camera set up we met in the Note 8 is present.
The Note 9 also is a rectangular phone, and we don’t know how to feel about it. We do know how to feel about its weight, however. The Note 9 is a 201-gram device, making it feel more premium.
It’s a 6.4-inch phone. As you guessed it, you get a Super AMOLED panel on its display. The same screen resolution as the Note 8 is seen again. You’re getting an almost identical screen to body ratio too. While talking about its display, know that the Note 9 can play HDR10 content and has always-on capabilities as well.
Its back is made from Gorilla Glass 5. Like its counterpart, it has the glass on its front too.
The Note 9’s processor is much better than the Note 8’s. It rocks the Exynos 9810 chipset, which we discussed in our S9 Plus review.
You’re probably wondering what its memory variants are. You can choose from 128 and 512 GB of space, as well as 6 and 8 gigs of RAM. Similarly, you can expand its storage with a MicroSD card.
No, you don’t get Android 7.1 out of the box. Instead, it has Android 8.1. If you guessed it, yes, the Note 9 is getting the Android 10 upgrade.
Its battery is much larger. It has a 4000 mAh unit. It’ll still last you a day, however. Charging wise, a 15 W fast charger is by your side. Yes, the Note 9 has wireless charging capabilities. We’d be surprised if it didn’t.
Camera-wise, you’re getting a dual camera set up again. The two 12 MP cameras in the Note 8 is present again. Like the S9 Plus, the only difference is that the Note 9’s primary sensor has a better aperture, letting it capture more light. In terms of its front camera, we’re met with the same set up as the Note 8.
What do we think about the Galaxy Note 8? It’s easily one of the best phones Samsung’s ever put out. It’s fit for life in 2020. It comes with a beast of a processor and an amazing display. However, we’re not too sure about the position of its camera. But this is subjective. It’s large and in charge.
It performs exceptionally great when compared to alternatives, so nothing’s stopping you from taking the leap.
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