Samsung Galaxy Note 8

When it comes to Samsung Galaxy Note, the eight model for specification purposes, it is one of the best smartphones offered in the market. The device comes with 6 GB of RAM memory, 64 GB of internal storage, a 12-megapixel rear-facing camera/8-megapixel front camera, fingerprint scanner, 6.3-inch screen, and much more. The design is very screen-oriented as the majority of the front side is taken by it. The back has the traditional Samsung logo with a camera and a flashlight positioned horizontally above it.

Good Characteristics

The Display

With the latest Quad HD, sAMOLED screen, Samsung Note 8 delivers an unreal experience of colorful and large images and videos. The brightness has been updated and now goes up to 1,200 nits. For reference, iPhones only go up to about 600. Also, auto brightness calibration has been improved and the phone will use many of its sensors to detect if someone is standing in the sun or in a dark room. Then, it will adjust the brightness accordingly.

Camera

As the first Samsung device to possess the so-called dual-camera, Note 8 takes pictures and videos better than anything this company has come up with. With portrait, pro, or auto mode, one can decide what type of picture they are looking for before even taking it. Further, there is an 8X digital zoom as well as panorama, slow motion, and hyperlapse. Videos can go up to 4K quality.

Battery Life

Though there are options that can be disabled to make the battery last longer, Note 8 will deliver a full day of usage even with factory settings. This includes data and wifi connections, background apps, multitasking, calling, texting, and anything that is a normal use of the phone throughout the day. Charging can be done wirelessly or through a traditional cable.

Shortcomings

All-Glass Setup

Besides the front, which is completely covered by the display, the back of the phone is also made of Gorilla Glass 5. This gives the device a nice design but leaves it vulnerable to cracks and scratches. As seen by some tests, the phone is not particularly resilient to getting dropped from any height as the glass makes it fragile. Furthermore, choosing a dark color will result in countless prints and every dirt particle will be highly visible.

Speaker Power

Unlike many other smartphones in the market, Samsung created this one with a single speaker. This is one of the problems that users have complained about the most as it makes it difficult to watch videos or have calls that are speaker-based. Even when the volume is turned up all the way, hearing can be an issue even with the slightest background noise.

Fingerprint Scanner

Unlike Apple, Samsung places fingerprint scanners on the back of the phone with the rear-facing camera. With Note 8, minor shifts have caused the fingerprint scanner to be pushed upward. The problem people are finding with this concept is the difficulty of reaching it. Unless someone happens to have overly long fingers, they will have to readjust their grip on the phone just to get to the scanner that is placed high. The actual technology works perfectly fine, which means that the phone unlocks rapidly after the finger is scanned, yet the additional movement required is not the most favorite update for many buyers.

The Verdict

As with every smartphone device, Samsung Galaxy Note is a state-of-the-art model that comes with a handful of innovative features and some negative sides. Generally, for every positive characteristic, one could point out the negative side. Consider charging for example. Samsung has made this device friendly to wireless charging. Many users, however, have reported unsatisfactory (extensive) time that is required to “fast charge”. Those parallels come in almost every aspect of the phone, and one will have to personally decide which side outweighs the other!