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

I've moved from an iPhone 6 to a mid-range Android phone (Motorola G5 Plus) and I love it! Sure there's some niggles but it goes both ways, no such thing as the perfect phone I'm afraid.

The move to ever bigger screens is not really for me, the 5.2" of the Moto is around the limit. The new movement towards taller and narrower screens looks a bit silly to me, and wasn't the iPhone 5 parodied for this exact move?

I'm hoping that the scheduled upgrade to Android 8.0 Oreo (full Android re-architecture) will see the introduction of timely updates independent of the manufacturer and carrier.
 
Beautiful hardware, and I quite like Android as an OS, but I could never use an Android phone that isn't a Pixel (or the previous Nexus line). I tried switching to Android with the Samsung S7 Edge and while I loved the phone hardware, the software was still way too laggy. It would drop frames in Gmail just scrolling and selecting messages. Not to mention all the bloatware that came with the device I had to uninstall or hide piece by piece. Oh ya, and not getting timely software updates was an annoyance I just couldn't get past.

I also tried the Nexus 6P which I thought was fantastic overall, but the phone was just too big and unwieldy for me, and was missing some features of iOS I had gotten accustomed to and couldn't go without (like ApplePay and iMessage, for instance). Performance-wise, though, the 6P was a winner.

I'll be buying the iPhone 8/X/Edition/whatever when it's released, but I'd be lying if I said I wasn't tempted to switch to the Pixel line. And I would be even more tempted by these Samsung phones if the software situation was different. If I could get stock Android on a Note 8 or S8, and have everything work perfectly, that would be a game changer.
 
MacFather said:
No disgusting protruding lens either.
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For those using a case, the iPhone's protruding lens is an advantage. By extending into the case's hole, the protrusion eliminates the need to make the entire phone thicker to accommodate the camera. Of course, if you use the phone without a case, this advantage becomes a disadvantage.
 
Best phone you can buy if you know how to draw - Just amazing.

That said, no phone is worth that kind of money.
 
pat500000 said:
First company to bring out sim free phone, will win a customer.
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It got facial sensor. #what'stheproblem?
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See: Brian X. Chen on the Samsung Galaxy Note 8

That brings us to what stinks about the Note 8. Some of the biometrics, including the ability to unlock your phone by scanning your face or irises, are so poorly executed that they feel like marketing gimmicks as opposed to actual security features.

The iris scanner shines infrared light in your eyes to identify you and unlock the phone. That sounds futuristic, but when you set up the feature, it is laden with disclaimers from Samsung. The caveats include: Iris scanning might not work well if you are wearing glasses or contact lenses; it might not work in direct sunlight; it might not work if there is dirt on the sensor.

I don’t wear glasses or contact lenses and could only get the iris scanner to scan my eyes properly one out of five times I tried it.
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ani4ani said:
my key point is that the iPhone is made up of much cheaper components because they have a lower spec, e.g. Low res LCD v high res OLED screen
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I wouldn't exactly say "low res" for the iPhone.

The smaller iPhone 7 has a PPI of 326... that's still pretty sharp.

The bigger iPhone 7 Plus has a PPI of 400

But yes... the Galaxy Note 8 has a PPI of 521

Is 521 a bigger number than 400 and 326? Sure! But at some point the pixels get small enough and the image is sharp enough. :p
 
citysnaps said:
Yeah... Samsung might sell a whopping 25 million of these. A blip...
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What timeframe are you thinking? Would that be lifetime sales?

Last quarter Samsung supposedly sold 10 million Galaxy S8 and 9 million S8+

I believe the Note series sell in much fewer numbers (per quarter)
 
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We got Apple and the iPhone in a week, Google and the Pixel next month so it looks like November is the month to make a decision, September if your married to iOS.
 
Hustler1337 said:
Are you kidding? The Galaxy S8 is the most beautifully designed phone I've seen yet. Compared to the rumoured iPhone 8 design with that fat notch on the top of the screen, the S8 still wins hands down in terms of design.
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The S8 is way overrated by everyone and all those tech sites with its design.

Let’s see:

- Badly placed fingerprint scanner
- Badly placed bixby button (which you can’t switch off) and is mistakenly triggered by people thinking it’s the volume down button
- Pointless curved edges that do nothing but reflect light which is distracting and cause unintended touches by simply holding it comfortably (personal experience)
- Easily damaged screen if you drop it from a normal height due to said curved edges

The S8 is bad design to me. And the note 8 is no different, but hey let’s say it has the best design out there just because it looks good despite all of these shortcomings. There is more to design than how “sexy” it looks you know. Usability is far more important.

“Most people think it’s how they look, but it’s not really how they look it’s how they work”

- Steve Jobs on design

 
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This edge to edge screen looks so much better than the alleged screen of the iPhone 8.
 
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DTphonehome said:
$930 Samsung? Nobody bats an eye. $999 iPhone? EVERYBODY PANIC
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Samsung is already offering US$300 off with qualified trade-in. Samsung was offering US$300 off with any working trade-in on the Galaxy S8 three months after release.

Android phones get discounted pretty quick after release. We will see what happens with iPhones this year.

The Note 8 seems like a great device and I'm sure the iPhone 8 will be a great device. I think the vast majority of people who choose to purchase any 2017 flagship device will be very happy with their purchase.
 
imran5720 said:
Still cannot stand android
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That's why there's chocolate and vanilla. I'm using an iPhone now and am looking forward to going back to Android.
The good thing is as OEMs release better and better devices, consumers benefit.
Now, if only the morons at Sony Canada would sell the XZ1 Compact unlocked.
 
Every keynote from Apple I watched except the most recent one. I didn't even bother to look back and watch, back then even though I already heard the details I still prefer myself to watch again. But couple weeks ago something unusual I ended up watch the Samsung Note 8 event. To be honest I was impressed and the introduction was brave step where Samsung admitted their failure and apologized. Giving me memories where Apple has unbelievable records of denial to the point of blaming their customers for the problem. It seems like the wheel is turning and I never thought that I learn to appreciate Samsung boldness and innovation they're bringing to the market. The biggest claim they had on that event is they listen to the people and that is something that is lacking from Apple. I may not switch right now but the future is so much better than before and Samsung is one of the possibilities.
 
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lowendlinux said:
Ya think?? I'd take the iPhone design any day and twice on Sunday over the sammy design.
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Just the screen. I don't like that bar that the iPhone 8 is supposedly going to have. The screen of the S8 and note 8 are beautiful.
 
Pretty cool phone. Won’t be upgrading the Pixel for another year though as I got a 2 year contract.

Also to the iPhone is better comments, just go with what you like better, it doesn’t really matter what other people use. This Android phone isn’t going to steal your iPhone or anything. Both are good, and be glad there’s both for people to use. Choice is good.
 
imran5720 said:
You must be kidding, If you have used IOS you will definitely hate android whatever is on the outside
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It's a personal preference thing; you can't make blanket statements like that and be correct.

I've owned iPhones for work since 2012 (right now have iPhone 7), and I've owned Nexus devices for personal use since their inception (right now I'm using a 6p). I like that iOS is smooth most of the times, but I far prefer android for most tasks. It allows me to do things in fewer button presses, allows me to pick default apps, customise the operation/appearance of just about all aspects of the device (in 2017 Apple still doesn't let you pick Google Maps as the default mapping system or even arrange icons on the home screen in any location and not in the locked 'matrix' style). On Android I can play games on emulators from the store, or even run scripts in Octave. I also like the way the back button on android devices operates, it's just unbelievably handy.

Things will get better on iOS with the next version release when they have a better file management, but I still prefer the way that Android operates. If Apple would let customers use the devices they bought and paid for in the way that they want, then my opinion might change.
 
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Michael Scrip said:
I wouldn't exactly say "low res" for the iPhone.

The smaller iPhone 7 has a PPI of 326... that's still pretty sharp.

The bigger iPhone 7 Plus has a PPI of 400

But yes... the Galaxy Note 8 has a PPI of 521

Is 521 a bigger number than 400 and 326? Sure! But at some point the pixels get small enough and the image is sharp enough. :p
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Basically every smartphone around $150 has the same screen resolution as an iPhone 7 and for $200 you can gat the same resolution as an iPhone 7 plus.....i agree not exactly low res, but entirely low cost.
 
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ani4ani said:
Basically every smartphone around $150 has the same screen resolution as an iPhone 7 and for $200 you can gat the same resolution as an iPhone 7 plus.....i agree not exactly low res, but entirely low cost.
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Same resolution... sure.

But there is also the quality of the panel, brightness, viewing angles, laminated displays (no air gap), etc.

I don't think the iPhone's screen falls into the category of "cheaper components" even if it happens to have the same resolution as other phones. :p
 
I'm a photographer. How good a camera is on a smartphone or how close it can approximate the images that I can capture on my DSLRs is not a selling point for me, Android or iOS. Having said that, I do appreciate the fact that they're trying to make the smartphone camera's better with each generation.
 
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