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Samsung unveils a comfortable, functional Galaxy Note 8 (hands-on)
BARCELONA, Spain--After months of leaked pics and rumors, Samsung's Galaxy Note 8 is now officially a corporeal thing of reality. If I can trust in my senses, today I actually got to touch and use the Note 8 for a limited time. What follows are my impressions. Look for in the second quarter of 2013. A price has yet to be announced.
A comfy feeling
The Note 8 definitely feels different than a typical 7-inch tablet; it's noticeably wider of course, but still feels comfortable in my hands. It's a simple, elegant design with really smooth edges and corners. The Note 8 feels to be made of the same stuff as the Note 10.1, wIth a bit more metal thrown in for durability sake. It's also fairly thin and at only 0.74 pounds it's only slightly heavier than the iPad Mini.
From left to right sit three bottom bezel buttons: menu, home button, and the back button and Samsung has added the ability to use the S-Pen with the three buttons. Something that was missing on the Note II.
The 5-megapixel back camera is located directly in the top middle of the back, which probably lowers the chance an unwanted finger will enter the frame with taking a picture.The front camera however sits off to the top right corner on the front. On the bottom edge are two speaker grills, a micro USB port, and a slot for the S-Pen.
On the right edge sits a SIM card slot and with a microSD card slot. under it. On the left edge is an IR blaster, supporting Peel's Smart Remote software, along with a volume rocker and power/sleep button.
The S-Pen of course returns with its pressure sensitivity in tow. Writing on the tablet with it felt a lot less cumbersome compared with the 10.1-inch Note, but it wasn't quite as conducive to writing as the Note II is.
New and refined options
The Galaxy Note 8 will ship with Android 4.1.2 (Jelly Bean), with Samsung's ever-present TouchWiz UI over it. While in most international markets the Note 8 will include 3G (HSPA+ 21) capability, in the U.S. it'll strictly be a Wi-fi-only tablet. The tablet includes GPS support and the 3G version will have support for the GLONASS satellite navigation system.
If you're at all familiar with the Galaxy Note 10.1, the Note 8's software suite won't surprise you. S Note makes a return and there's some new functionality with Flipboard where hovering the S-Pen over tiles delivers headline previews. Samsung claims it also has a 1-year Android exclusive with Awesome Note, a feature-rich list-making app.
While the Note 10.1 only supported dual-screen functionality with six different apps, the “reading mode” technology to enjoy e books with optimized resolution, video and voice calls* Samsung has now increases support to many more apps.
The sharp, colorful 8-inch screen measured 1,280x800 pixels with a 189 ppi and Samsung's TouchWiz UI makes yet another tablet appearance. Swiping felt responsive whether when using the S-Pen or my fingers and apps seemed to load without much delay.
Hardware features
The Note 8 houses an unidentified 1.6GHz quad-core A9 and 2GB of RAM. Tablet mainstays like 802.11 a/b/g/n (2.4GHz and 5GHz) Wi-Fi support, Bluetooth 4.0, and GPS are included as well as gyroscope, accelerometer, and a digital compass. The tablet will come in both 16GB and 32GB varieties.
First thoughts
I'm going to be honest: without a price, it's difficult to have a strong, concrete opinion of the Note 8. While it'll be offered as a phablet internationally, in the states it'll be in full on Wi-fi tablet mode. As an 8-inch tablet, it'll compete directly with the 7.9-inch iPad Mini and with its S-Pen stylus, the Note 8 offers functionality the iPad can't match. But at what price? Samsung has yet to announce a price and the company isn't in the habit of aggressively pricing its premium tablets and that likely won't change anytime soon. With an SD card slot, S-Pen stylus, a home button, and native Jelly Bean support the Note 8 offers a compelling package. I just hope it's not priced beyond the means of most.
Look for the Note 8 to launch worldwide sometime in the second quarter of 2013.
BARCELONA, Spain--After months of leaked pics and rumors, Samsung's Galaxy Note 8 is now officially a corporeal thing of reality. If I can trust in my senses, today I actually got to touch and use the Note 8 for a limited time. What follows are my impressions. Look for in the second quarter of 2013. A price has yet to be announced.
A comfy feeling
The Note 8 definitely feels different than a typical 7-inch tablet; it's noticeably wider of course, but still feels comfortable in my hands. It's a simple, elegant design with really smooth edges and corners. The Note 8 feels to be made of the same stuff as the Note 10.1, wIth a bit more metal thrown in for durability sake. It's also fairly thin and at only 0.74 pounds it's only slightly heavier than the iPad Mini.
From left to right sit three bottom bezel buttons: menu, home button, and the back button and Samsung has added the ability to use the S-Pen with the three buttons. Something that was missing on the Note II.
The 5-megapixel back camera is located directly in the top middle of the back, which probably lowers the chance an unwanted finger will enter the frame with taking a picture.The front camera however sits off to the top right corner on the front. On the bottom edge are two speaker grills, a micro USB port, and a slot for the S-Pen.
On the right edge sits a SIM card slot and with a microSD card slot. under it. On the left edge is an IR blaster, supporting Peel's Smart Remote software, along with a volume rocker and power/sleep button.
The S-Pen of course returns with its pressure sensitivity in tow. Writing on the tablet with it felt a lot less cumbersome compared with the 10.1-inch Note, but it wasn't quite as conducive to writing as the Note II is.
New and refined options
The Galaxy Note 8 will ship with Android 4.1.2 (Jelly Bean), with Samsung's ever-present TouchWiz UI over it. While in most international markets the Note 8 will include 3G (HSPA+ 21) capability, in the U.S. it'll strictly be a Wi-fi-only tablet. The tablet includes GPS support and the 3G version will have support for the GLONASS satellite navigation system.
If you're at all familiar with the Galaxy Note 10.1, the Note 8's software suite won't surprise you. S Note makes a return and there's some new functionality with Flipboard where hovering the S-Pen over tiles delivers headline previews. Samsung claims it also has a 1-year Android exclusive with Awesome Note, a feature-rich list-making app.
While the Note 10.1 only supported dual-screen functionality with six different apps, the “reading mode” technology to enjoy e books with optimized resolution, video and voice calls* Samsung has now increases support to many more apps.
The sharp, colorful 8-inch screen measured 1,280x800 pixels with a 189 ppi and Samsung's TouchWiz UI makes yet another tablet appearance. Swiping felt responsive whether when using the S-Pen or my fingers and apps seemed to load without much delay.
Hardware features
The Note 8 houses an unidentified 1.6GHz quad-core A9 and 2GB of RAM. Tablet mainstays like 802.11 a/b/g/n (2.4GHz and 5GHz) Wi-Fi support, Bluetooth 4.0, and GPS are included as well as gyroscope, accelerometer, and a digital compass. The tablet will come in both 16GB and 32GB varieties.
First thoughts
I'm going to be honest: without a price, it's difficult to have a strong, concrete opinion of the Note 8. While it'll be offered as a phablet internationally, in the states it'll be in full on Wi-fi tablet mode. As an 8-inch tablet, it'll compete directly with the 7.9-inch iPad Mini and with its S-Pen stylus, the Note 8 offers functionality the iPad can't match. But at what price? Samsung has yet to announce a price and the company isn't in the habit of aggressively pricing its premium tablets and that likely won't change anytime soon. With an SD card slot, S-Pen stylus, a home button, and native Jelly Bean support the Note 8 offers a compelling package. I just hope it's not priced beyond the means of most.
Look for the Note 8 to launch worldwide sometime in the second quarter of 2013.
![[JUGRAJ SINGH]](https://www.unp.me/data/avatars/s/123/123038.jpg?1591210006){kind=avatar}
