Just about a year later after the string of incidents that led to the ignominious and early exit of its immediate predecessor, the Galaxy Note 8 phone-tablet by Samsung finally sees the light of day. The Korean electronics manufacturer certainly has an uphill battle to fight in order to restore confidence to the product line. Still fresh in the minds of many is the rash of overheating and burning Galaxy Note 7s of 2016, the result of many factors but primarily centered on some faults in the battery packs that caused them to catch fire.
Since the Note 8 has only been just introduced, attention falls first on what it can do, in the hope that consumers will trust it again.
Not like the Note 7
Samsung has been teasing the Galaxy Note 8 for quite a while now, hoping to drum up interest from would-be buyers before its official unveiling. That finally took place on Wednesday, August 23 during their special ‘Unpacked’ product event. Knowing full well the reputation of the previous Galaxy Note 7 that nearly ruined their earnings the year before, the Korean company declared right off the bat that the successor unit will not be in the habit of blowing up anytime soon.
And they mean it too, seeing as they have signed a partnership with a third party. The American safety sciences company UL (Underwriters Laboratories), will perform their own quality inspection on the battery packs designed for the Galaxy Note 8, in addition to Samsung’s already existing eight-point safety check procedure. With such a seal of approval ensuring their devices, the Korean manufacturer can, therefore, focus on espousing the elegant look and the latest features added to their latest phone tablet - technologies already found in its straight smartphone brother the Galaxy S8.
Better than ever
A going–over of the features listed by Samsung for the Galaxy Note 8 reveals a series of hardware and system upgrades that, while beefy, are not really all that surprising.
A more powerful processor (Snapdragon 835), more storage and RAM are all given improvements. The most obvious differences with the Galaxy S8 can be seen in the larger screen display and its dual-lens back camera. This and the front camera are also touted to have optical image stabilization (where rival iPhone 7 Plus has it for only one lens). To forestall lingering fears of the battery going red hot again, the Note 8’s pack has been toned down to only 3300mAh, so there is that.
Rounding up the package are the Galaxy Note 8’s Android 7.1.1 operating system and Samsung's Bixby digital assistant, both carrying over from the S8. The stylus pen is said to also have water resistance and greater pressure sensitivity, plus the ability to scribble notes on the screen with the display off. The resurgent phone tablet line will have ample time to impress everybody before it hits the market this coming September.