Samsung Electronics revealed on Wednesday the new Samsung Galaxy Note 8. The next-gen phablet has mostly the same specs of the Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+, save for a few distinctive hardware differences and additional features. It is available for preorder on all major carriers starting at $929 and it launches September 15.
The South Korean giant took the wraps off its latest device at a dedicated unveiling event in New York City, in spite of the massive amount of leaks that preceded the much-awaited date. By the time of its announcement, it was closer to a confirmation of what we already knew about the upcoming Note.
The Samsung Galaxy Note lineup faces ones of the biggest challenges of the tech industry in recent times. The new phone’s predecessor, the Note 7, infamously tainted Samsung’s sparkling record among consumers with a hazardous cloud of explosions and incidents due to faulty batteries that led to its global recall.
What’s so special about #GalaxyNote8? https://t.co/9NxFIf8JM1
— Samsung Electronics (@Samsung) August 23, 2017
What’s new in the Samsung Galaxy Note 8?
“The phone that defined big, just got bigger,” is Samsung’s tagline to introduce the latest Note. They’re not wrong, though, since the size of the Infinity Display is actually one of the new things that the phone brings with it. At 6.3 inches, it is the company’s largest so far.
The Galaxy Note 8 also jumps on all the latest trend wagons by reducing the top and bottom bezels even more and packing dual cameras for the rear array. A 12 MP telephoto lens pairs with a wide-angle lens of equal resolution to give users a seamless zooming experience without sacrificing image quality.
Other than that, the signature S Pen is back with no significant changes in its design but with some cool new trick additions to its function catalog. You can now send live notes to others that display somewhat like GIFs, jot down screen off memos, translate in real time, and prompt Bixby if you need it.
Things to look out for when buying the Galaxy Note 8
The first thing you should know is that the Galaxy Note 8 is expensive as in more-than-$1,000 expensive for the versions with more storage capacity. No need to completely break the bank if you have a microSD, which will then set you back $929.99 for the standard 64 GB model unlocked and sold by Samsung itself.
Verizon and Sprint will start off their Note 8 prices with a $30 surplus, making it $960 at their full retail cost. As far as monthly payment plans go, Sprint lets you pick up the phablet for $20 a month while Verizon asks for twice that much over 24 months (2 years).
AT&T is next at $950 full price or $31.75 for 30 months. T-Mobile offers the phone at manufacturer prices and gives you two options for periodical payments: either pay $39 per month or give them a $210 down payment followed by $30 monthly fees until you cover the cost.
However, BGR notes that people might want to hold off getting the Galaxy Note 8 from T-Mobile since it won’t be compatible with its 600 MHz networks. This means that service won’t be as good as it could, and it could be crazy good. This band spectrum is currently reserved for a handful of phones, including the iPhone 8.
Source: Samsung
