If you like phablets, Samsung is the company to turn to. The new Galaxy Note 8 brings you all a phablet should have but at very high price.
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The Note 8 is a mix of curved metal and glass and while it looks like the S8, it is more straight-edged which may be the intention to use it in a business environment. Thanks to its design, not just sheer dimensions of a 6.3-inch QHD+ display, the Note 8 looks and feels huge. And you are in fact holding the display with the phone on its back. No need to mention picture quality, Super AMOLED technology is superior to anything else on the market today. Period.
The aspect ratio is 18.5:9 aspect ratio and if you ask yourself who came with exactly 18.5, don't bother: We doubt even its creators have no idea. Aside of most economic use of material. But you can stretch videos and apps to fit the screen and the device is HDR certified by the 4K Alliance. Where can you find HDR content? Again - don't ask. But it sounds nice and maybe with time the content will be expanded. That aside, everything you look at looks gorgeous, from colors to definition.
There are a few design differences between the Note 8 and its S8 siblings. The biggest is the addition of the S-Pen stylus, which is tucked away next to the USB Type-C port on the phone’s bottom. Even though this adds a for water to get in the Note 8 has the same level of IP68 water-resistance as the S8. The S-Pen is more sensitive than previous versions, and its combination with the Note 8 will be ideal for artists looking for a mobile sketch station.
The Note 8 has three flavors of internal storage: 64GB, 128GB and 256GB. On top of that there's a microSD slot (up to 256GB supported). The 3300mAh power pack feels too small for such a big display and Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 or the Exynos 8895 processor. All of that, with all other amenities, like a good camera, will cost you north of $930 in the U.S. The Note 8 is a very good phablet, but for that money you can buy a veeeeery powerful laptop. The verdict: it's nice and shiny but too expensive. ■
