In this guide

  • Review
  • Details
    • Pricing & Availability
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Samsung Galaxy Note 8 review: Plans | Pricing | Specs

  • Alex Kidman's headshot
Samsung Galaxy Note 8
4.0
★★★★★
Finder score
  • Battery Score 4
  • Camera Score 4
  • Design Score 4
  • Performance Score 4

Summary

Galaxy Note 8 was the success Samsung needed it to be despite its asking price, though discounted models make it more attractive for today's market.

  • Excellent dual cameras
  • S-Pen works well
  • Solid app performance
  • Big and tall in your pockets
  • Terrible fingerprint sensor placement
  • Expensive

In this guide

  • Review
  • Details
    • Pricing & Availability

Details

Pricing & Availability

RRP $1,499
Launch date 2017-09
Samsung Galaxy Note 8

Samsung very much needed the Galaxy Note 8 to succeed. Not just because of the colossal failure of the Galaxy Note 7 and whatever damage that had done to the brand, but also because it had set itself a very ambitious target with the Note 8.

The Galaxy Note 8 was the most expensive Android handset to go on sale in Australia at its time of launch, although it was rather easily eclipsed by the pricing of the iPhone X and the newer Galaxy Note9.

Still, pricing any smartphone at $1,499 outright is a bold move that speaks to what Samsung expected the Note 8 to do for consumers, especially considering that 2017 was an exceptional year for premium smartphone handsets.

The Note 8 even has to compete in-house with Samsung's own, less expensive but still premium Galaxy S8+ and Galaxy S8 handsets. So how does it compare?


Design

  • "Infinity" curved display is just as attractive as it was in the Galaxy S8/S8+
  • Large size is not exactly pocket-friendly
GalaxyNote8_2_738

Camera

  • Dual-lens 12MP camera is a significant improvement over the Galaxy S8/S8+
  • Plenty of customisation options for photography pros while still making basic photography a snap
GalaxyNote8_3_738

Performance

  • A powerful handset, but effectively identical to the Galaxy S8/S8+
  • Pricier than most other smartphones of similar power

Battery life

  • Among the longest-lasting premium smartphones currently available
  • Can't match the longevity of the Galaxy S8+, however
GalaxyNote8_4_738

S-Pen

  • A handy tool for taking notes and annotating documents on the fly

Verdict

  • Undeniably one of the best smartphones Samsung has made
  • Also one of the most expensive

Pricing and availability

  • Price: ~$1,100
  • Where to buy: eBay

Specifications

Display

Display Size
6.3 inches
Resolution
1440 x 2960px
Pixels per inch (PPI)
521 ppi

Camera

Rear camera megapixels
12MP + 12MP
Rear camera aperture size
f/1.7 + f/2.4
Video recording
4K
Front camera megapixels
8MP
Front camera aperture size
f/1.7

Physical Dimensions

Dimensions
162.5mm x 74.8mm x 8.6mm
Weight
195g

Connectivity

NFC
Yes
Wi-Fi
802.11 a/b/g/n/ac
Network category speed
Category 16

Power, storage and battery

Processor
Exynos 8895
RAM
6GB
Operating system
Android 7
Internal storage
64GB
External storage support
Up to 256GB
Battery capacity
3,300mAh

Device features

Headphone jack
Yes
Fingerprint sensor
Yes
Water resistance rating
IP68
Wireless charging
Qi

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Image: Shutterstock

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