Samsung Galaxy Note 8 set for mid-September launch; New phablet to come with improved S Pen and 3,300 mAh battery
Samsung is going to unveil the Galaxy Note 8 in the second week of September, according to a new report. The much-anticipated handset is a tad larger than the current flagship, the S8 Plus, but it packs considerably more power. It also boasts new features never before seen in any Samsung phone.
Samsung is about to make an explosive return. The company is reportedly preparing for the launch of the Galaxy Note 8, which may end up as its most expensive yet. The handset is considered to be the make-or-break mobile device of the South Korean giant following the Note 7 fiasco.
The upcoming 6.3-inch phablet is going to sport an edge-to-edge display with an 18.5:9 aspect ratio, just like the 5.8-inch Galaxy S8 and the 6.2-inch Galaxy S8 Plus. The Note models have always been larger than the S series units, and Samsung has apparently decided to continue with the tradition. But is the screen size the only feature that will separate the Note 8 from the S8 Plus?
The answer is no, as Samsung is reportedly boosting the new Note series handset with select major upgrades. What’s more, the device is also furnishing twin cameras together with the more capable series exclusive S pen stylus. Months prior to the S8 devices’ launch, it was rumoured that the Plus model was getting its own stylus, but thankfully that didn’t push through as it has always been a Note trademark.
The new Note phablet is packing high-end Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 and Exynos 8895 processors, the same chipsets as the current S series duo. What makes the Note 7’s successor better is its abundant 6 GB of RAM, which makes it the brand’s second phone ever to go past the 4 GB wall. The first one was the 6.0-inch Galaxy C9 Pro, which was released in November of last year.
It seems that Samsung really wanted to go all out with the Note 8. It’s the company’s first handset to equip rear dual horizontal cameras that individually come with 12 MP sensors and independent optical image stabilization (OIS) to boot. They are reportedly positioned at the left portion of the heart rate sensor and the flash.
In a surprising move, Samsung went with a somewhat inadequate 3,300 mAh battery for its new phablet. Its now-defunct predecessor housed a 3,500 mAh cell, although that obviously didn’t work for anybody. Rounding out the Note 8’s features are its enhanced split-screen multitasking usability and DeX functionality.
The Samsung Galaxy Note 8 carries a €999 price tag, as Venture Beat notes. In the US, an unlocked S8 and S8 Plus currently cost US$725 and US$825, respectively, while in Australia, they’re available for AU$1,199 and AU$1,349. That said, the new Note handset should sell for over US$900 in North America and a little over AU$1,500 in Australia. It’s coming in three colours: gold, black and blue.
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