Samsung Galaxy Note 8 Reviews: 'Beautiful' Display and Solid Dual Rear Cameras at Premium Price

[MacRumors]

Nearly two weeks after being unveiled at an event in New York City, and with a week and a half still to go before it launches to customers on September 15, Samsung's Galaxy Note 8 smartphone has received its first batch of reviews posted online today. Many publications marked the Note 8's large 6.3-inch "Infinity Display" as a step forward for Samsung, compared the smartphone's "Live Focus" bokeh effect mode to Portrait Mode on the iPhone 7 Plus, and agreed that the lack of an explosive battery made the Note 8 a solid contender in the smartphone market.

Most reviews touched on comparing the Note 8's new dual rear camera system to that of the iPhone 7 Plus, and Engadget found that each smartphone's bokeh effect largely provides the same finished products, although Samsung's device has the edge in features. Unlike the iPhone 7 Plus, the Note 8 lets you change the blurring effect both before and after the picture has been taken, so that if the effect is too enhanced, it's easy to dial back a UI toggle and find a happy-medium spot where the Live Effect looks better.

Images via Engadget​

On the other hand, in the camera's UI and in the rest of the Note 8's operating system, Engadget noted that anyone who purchases a Note 8 will have to struggle with "a little software strangeness" in the Android smartphone.

Honestly, my biggest gripes have more to do with the camera interface than the cameras themselves. Let's say you're trying to zoom in on a subject. By default, you can tap a button to switch between 1x and 2x zoom modes, but it disappears for a while after you tap on the screen to lock focus and exposure. You can still pinch to zoom in and out, but it would've been nice if the shortcut button showed up again sooner. Shooting in Live Focus mode also offers close-up and wide-angle views of your photo, and you can switch between them in your gallery.

Strangely, there doesn't seem to be a way to save the view you didn't select as a separate photo, even though earlier demo units did it just fine. There's definitely a little software strangeness going on here, and while it's never outright frustrating, Samsung could have stood to polish these apps further.

PC World called the Note 8 "the best phone Samsung has ever made, bar none," praising the smartphone's display, fast wireless charging, and 6GB of RAM. The site said that the new Samsung smartphone is "at least as fast as any Android phone" that it has used, as well as the iPhone 7 Plus.


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Article Link: Samsung Galaxy Note 8 Reviews: 'Beautiful' Display and Solid Dual Rear Cameras at Premium Price

 

[826317]

Great device, but like Lew from Unbox Therapy said: Get the S8 plus instead at $100 cheaper. Pretty much the same.

 

[farewelwilliams]

still the worst position for a fingerprint sensor ever

 

[NIKKG]

I checked it out at Best Buy today, it is a very nice phone. Gonna wait for iPhone announcement next week before I decide on what phone to get. Apple better bring their A game or I’m switching to the dark side.

 

[Piggie]

still the worst position for a fingerprint sensor ever

Indeed I would agree it's not the best.

However think of it this way for a moment.
Say that you, personally, like having a finger print sensor on you mobile phone.

What's the better option. Having one in a less than ideal position or not having one at all ?

 

[MacFather]

Deleted.

 

[richpjr]

Glad to hear it getting praised - competition is good for all of us.

 

[rjohnstone]

Great device, but like Lew from Unbox Therapy said: Get the S8 plus instead at $100 cheaper. Pretty much the same.

If you don't use the pen and prefer a single lens camera... sure.

 

[Solarioc]

I checked it out at Best Buy today, it is a very nice phone. Gonna wait for iPhone announcement next week before I decide on what phone to get. Apple better bring their A game or I’m switching to the dark side.

I am in the exact same boat. I want something cutting edge. I hope apple brings it I really do

 

[imran5720]

Still cannot stand android

 

[Art Mark]

Glad to hear it getting praised - competition is good for all of us.

They haven choice but to praise it. There are few decent alternatives in the Android space, premium wise. I find it funny though that they are always in love with Samsung products - even the ones that explode and burn things down. But then give them a pass quickly. The bigger issue is they never do anything truly amazing, or really execute on things at the highest level. They seem very happy to be 'Vice President' so to speak, with true design and implementation because they know they sell mostly free phones that people get for singing up or at least very inexpensive ones.

 

[mujtaba.mir]

Great hardware, bad software.

 

[iapplelove]

still the worst position for a fingerprint sensor ever

Where is it? I'm not up to date on Samsung stuff. On the back?

 

[imran5720]

I am in the exact same boat. I want something cutting edge. I hope apple brings it I really do

You must be kidding, If you have used IOS you will definitely hate android whatever is on the outside

 

[Nozuka]

Indeed I would agree it's not the best.

However think of it this way for a moment.
Say that you, personally, like having a finger print sensor on you mobile phone.

What's the better option. Having one in a less than ideal position or not having one at all ?

If the other unlocking features don't work well/better, you are probably right.

 

[macTW]

Samsung reviews: "premium price"

Apple reviews: "overpriced"

Which of these two companies has more than quadrupled top-line ASP in the last decade...? Exactly. Samsung.

 

[rjohnstone]

You must be kidding, If you have used IOS you will definitely hate android whatever is on the outside

That would be a matter of personal preference. I use both daily.
There are many things about iOS I don't particularly care for, just like there are things about Android that suck as well.

 

[Nozuka]

No disgusting protruding lens either.

it might not be protruding, but this black "camera bar" still looks ugly. it's a bit better on the black model though.

 

[spyguy10709]

Where is it? I'm not up to date on Samsung stuff. On the back?

Next to the camera lens, in about the worst position ever. Already got rid of my S8+ because of it... Doesn't matter how great the rest of the phone was because it was a pain in the butt to unlock it, something really crucial because you do it so often. It often just didn't work, really awful.

 

[Zachari]

If the only change on iPhone 8 is a bezel-less screen and the camera is inverted I might **** a brick. to me the iPhone 7 design is so boring I don't think I can stand another year of it.

 

[Eggtastic]

As I mentioned before, from the iPhone 8 leaks, I am not too impressed with the cut outs up top and the lack of borderless screen on the sides. However, I will obviously reserve judgment next week. I could warm up to the idea of something completely different and the worst case scenario I sell it and return to Apple.

I think I would still go with the s8+ though...

 

[44267547]

Great hardware, bad software.

You're exaggerating with the software. It may not be comparable to iOS, but it's not "Bad". Android has come along way in terms Of fluidity and less lag. Being that I am in iOS user, I was an android user for years. And android is nowhere near what it used to be five years ago. It's much improved since then.

 

[J InTech82]

it might not be protruding, but this black "camera bar" still looks ugly. it's a bit better on the black model though.

And honestly, how often are you staring at the camera bar or the protruding lens when taking the picture or using the phone? Better tech sometimes requires trade offs and that's exactly what happened here.

 

[newyorksole]

Still cannot stand android

I've had every iPhone since the original and there is virtually no way that I would switch to Android.

Apple's ecosystem for me is just too damn good despite what haters and critics on here say.

 

[Mascots]

I've read two of these reviews and none mention the elephant in the room with Samsung: Performance.

It's ridiculous and am embarrassment that I have friends spending so much on the S8 and they suffer from lag that their competitors phone's from the pervious generations do not (*cough*Pixel, HTC, OnePlus cough*). They pick up a Pixel or an iPhone and are astounded at the instant-ness of the OS - it's something they can't unsee.

Literally all Samsungs fault for crap development of their touch layer, and often mismanagement of the hardware. I'd not spend a few hundred, let alone nearly a grand if that is something still plaguing their flagship hardware.
People often say they don't care about speed because phones are so fast at this point, but here we see many common actions have some sort of lag that can increase with continued use or heavy usage... that's a basic requirement for any phone.

Obsessives scream that they're buttery smooth, but ask any other Android user and the rep stands firm with the S8