Galaxy Note 8 Hands-On At Samsung Unpacked 2017 In NYC: Premium, Empowered Android

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We had the chance to spend some time at Samsung’s Unpacked 2017 event in New York City today, where the brand new Galaxy Note 8 was officially unveiled. If you missed our initial coverage of the announcement, the Galaxy Note 8 features a 6.3-inch Super AMOLED Infinity Display with a WQHD+ resolution (2960×1440) and many design cues borrowed from the Galaxy S8. Here’s a quick hands on to give you a closer look at the device and how it handles...


The Note 8’s design is slightly more square in comparison to the Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+. We should also mention that the near bezel-less display means that the Galaxy Note 8’s fingerprint sensor is now placed on the rear of the device, beside the dual cameras.

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Samsung Galaxy Note 8 With New S Pen

Inside the Note 8 is Qualcomm’s fastest mobile SoC, the Snapdragon 835, which is paired to 6GB of RAM (equaling the RAM included with the OnePlus 5). 64GB of internal storage will be included on the U.S. version of the device, though 128GB and 256GB versions of the Galaxy Note 8 will be made available in other locales as well, including its home market of South Korea. If 64GB isn’t sufficient for your needs, you can always rely on the microSD slot to expand your storage (up to 256GB).

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 Midnight Black and Orchid Gray Note 8s

The Galaxy Note 8 features a dual 12MP camera setup on the back, both of which feature optical image stabilization (OIS). One of the cameras has a wide-angle sensor with a f/1.7 aperture and dual-pixel autofocus, while the other features a telephoto lens with a f/2.4 aperture. If you check out the video above, you'll see that taking photos with the rear cameras captures images from both sensors, which allows for some interesting effects. Selfies come by way of an 8MP front-facing camera, with a f/1.7 aperture.

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Galaxy S8 (Left), Galaxy Note 8 (Right)

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Galaxy S8 (Top), Galaxy Note 8 (Bottom)

The Galaxy Note 8 will be offered in Midnight Black and Orchid Gray here in the United States through virtually all of the major wireless carriers. Preorders begin tomorrow, and the device will be available in stores beginning September 15th. If you purchase a Galaxy Note 8 between August 24th and September 24th, you’ll be able to choose from either a free Gear 360 camera or a Galaxy Foundation Kit, which includes a Samsung 128GB EVO+ memory card and Fast Wireless Charging Convertible.