Re: I have an Ipad mini and a Note 8: No contest
First Samsung tab. Previously had multiple iPhones, the iPad 2, and most recently a Kindle Fire (that sucked). Jumped from the iPhone to the Nexus4 last December and have been pleasantly surprised (I especially like saving 40 buck a month on my cell phone plan). Love the stock Android image, so the uninstallable bloatware and lack of control without rooting on the Note 8 is one con for me in comparison to the Nexus, but not necessarily in comparison to the iPad/Phone. In all fairness Apple does the same thing, but their forced apps always seemed to work pretty well...oops forgot about maps! The Sammy crapware doesn't work half the time (e.g. WatchOn, Peel, etc).
The other main problem for me, and this is true of both my Android devices is the app quality and particularly the Google Play App Store environment. Not as many tablet apps, and the quality and design of the apps just don't seem as polished as they are in the Apple environment. And as far as the Play Store itself, don't get me started on their latest so called 'interface improvement'. I can't figure out how to manage apps on two devices. Although I can install to either device there doesn't seem to be a way to individually view apps by device. And when you go to purchased apps under your account, anything you have ever purchased shows up in one long list with no distinction as to what device it was purchased for or may be installed individually on. This is a major problem and one that may lead me back to the iPhone unfortuately. I need to be able to manage apps by device, especially purchased apps.
As for hardware, the Note 8 is great. I had always heard the build quality is poor (cheap plastic, etc), but I see no issues there. The materials look and feel cheap, no doubt about that, but it has a solid feel overall in spite of that. Photo and video is good. The display is excellent, sharp and fast, with good video quality. Super impressed with the brightness-no issues seeing the display outdoors in sunlight (even with the brightness below max). I can barely see my Nexus screen outside. Great for reading so far. Not as impressed as I thought I would be with the S-pen and ability to have multiple windows open though. Not many s-pen compatible apps, and most apps are not compatible with the split screen. So it's mostly a novelty for now.
So even though it is a great device, I don't think that I would pay $399 for it, especially considering the crapware (and associated storage and inconvenience) that Sammy pushes on you. That's just me though. Got mine on Craigslist a few weeks ago with a case and All Share Cast HDMI dongle (which I also like) for a lot less than that. The mini is $70 cheaper, and much more in line with where I am comfortable on pricing for an 8 inch tab. S-pen and IR blaster is not a $70 upgrade alone. But who am i to judge...I mean Samsung is making a billion a month in profit I guess, right?