Samsung’s latest flagship device is the Galaxy Note 8. The device is available in Kenya starting at Ksh 104,999. I have been using this phone for close to three weeks and thought it was a good idea to list down some of the things I like about it before the full review. This post will cover the five things I like about this phone for the time I have had it, the full review will be up next week.
Even though there are many things about the Samsung Galaxy Note 8, I will just list down the five things I like about it. I am also planning to write another post listing the five things I hate about it, that post will be up in a couple of days.
Infinity Display
The one thing I noticed with the Galaxy Note 8 and really love is the display. This is the same one we saw earlier this year on the Galaxy S8 and I still can’t get enough of it. The very thin bezels on the side and the curved edges of the display give it a futuristic look that will turn heads every time you take out your phone.
This is the sort of design you expect on a flagship device and you just have to love it. Not many other manufacturers have been able to incorporate such a display on their devices and not many will be able to do so in the near future. This display felt fragile the very first few days I had the phone but I quickly got used to it.
18:9 Aspect Ratio and Design
Still on the display, the Samsung Galaxy Note 8 has one with an 18:9 (read 18 by 9) aspect ratio. This aspect ratio and design makes the Galaxy Note 8 taller than most smartphones we have on the market. With an 18:9 aspect ratio, the Note 8 is twice as wide as it is high. A normal smartphone has a 16:9 aspect ratio. The 16 bit refers to the height of the phone and that is why the Note 8 with an 18:9 ratio is a bit taller.
The 18:9 aspect ratio and the ‘tall’ design of the Note 8 looks futuristic and different from what we have on the market. Manufacturers such as LG have also embraced this aspect ratio so Samsung is not the first one to have it. I just like how Samsung has implemented it together with the infinity display.
With the 18:9 aspect ratio, Samsung has used a 6.3 inch display but the phone is not that big, I can easily carry around and it even feels more comfortable than most smartphones with 5.9 inch displays.
Performance
When you buy a high end smartphone, you expect it to perform better than other phones below its price. The Galaxy Note 8 does not disappoint here. It comes with Samsung’s own Exynos processor paired with 6GB of RAM. So far I have not had any issues with performance, opening apps and switching between multiple applications is a breeze.
One of the things that Samsung has mentioned many times when talking about the Note 8 is the performance. Having actively used the device, I can say that it really does handle tasks as you’d expect it to.
Camera
Another thing that I love about the Galaxy Note 8 is the camera. It comes with two cameras at the back, both of which are 12MP units and have Optical image stabilization (OIS), that is dual OIS by the way. This is the first smartphone from the company with a dual camera setup and one of the first with dual OIS.
One of the cameras on the Galaxy Note 8 is a telephoto one and this offers 2X Zoom, the other one is a wide-angle one. The 2X zoom on the Note 8 is optical not digital zoom and this ensures much detailed shots compared to what you would get with a digital zoom lens.
The Note 8 can also take two shots simultaneously using both lenses so you can use the one you like. In addition to this, the camera has the Live Focus feature that blurs the background to focus on the main subject at the front.
S-Pen
What would be the Galaxy Note 8 without the S-Pen? I had to mention the S-Pen because it is one of the things most people associate the Note series with. As with previous Galaxy Note devices, the S-Pen here helps with hands free use and specifically for note taking among other uses.
The one cool feature about the Note 8 and the S-Pen that I like is the Live messaging feature. This allows you to write animated messages turned into GIFs that you can share with your friends. The S-Pen also makes translating texts on the screen much easier. You just select the text you want translated and you are good to go. These are just some of the features you get with the S-Pen, its main aim is to improve productivity when using the device.
Read Now: Samsung Will Update Its Smartphones With Android Oreo In Early 2018
