Well, it's been slightly over a week since I got the Galaxy Note8 and I've been using it as my daily throughout that time and I've learned enough about it that I'm going to compile a short list of my overall thoughts on it.
Note that mine is different from the SM-N950U models in that it's an SM-N950F, powered by the Exynos 8995 SoC in comparison to the Snapdragon 835 SoC that's powering US models. It also uses an ISOCELL S5K2L2 camera sensor and has UFS 2.1 storage.
I'll keep this short and simple: I love it. After nearly a year with the Moto Z and missing many of its featureset, the Note8 feels a lot like homecoming and it also ended up being a surprisingly superb phone for a multipurpose lifestyle.
• The design is superb. This is currently one of my favorite designs out of ahy smartphone. Ever since the Galaxy S6, Samsung has been doing very well with the design of their phones. It looks great and it's ergonomic for the most part.
• It's not perfect though. The fingerprint sensor may not ve in the best spot for those with smaller hands (my giant hands don't seem to have problems with it however) and being a glass phone, it's slippery and also a smudge magnet.
• I don't need to mention displays. This is currently the best OLED display out there and possibly the best out of any phone. It's absurdly bright with either punchy saturation or extreme accuracy depending on screen mode with the typical high contrast.
• Performance is actually very good. While my Note7 had some stutters here and there, the Note8 performs very well by comparison. It's probably not much to do with its extra RAM, but memory management is also good and lag occurs in very rare moments, although time will tell.
• The camera, unsurprisingly, is great. The main camera is one of the better all rounders with fast performance, reliable and quick autofocus while delivering good image quality. I have some gripes with the camera app however.
• The secondary camera is a bit of a mixed bag to me. In very good lighting, it's awesome for more reach and even for macros. But it's clear that it's not great in lower light conditions, owing to how it switches to the main camera in these conditions. I would prefer if they went monochrome, but it is what it is.
• I actually like Samsung's new software. I hated the older versions of TouchWiz, but Samsung Experience is actually nice to use. It has a more cohesive design and it's a cleaner experience that doesn't feel overburdened.
• Oh yeah, the S Pen. If you've used the Note7, this one operates in pretty much the same way, but the improvements and extra features to its software is very much appreciated.
• The speaker is, well, decent. It's a bottom mono firing speaker and while it's not too bad in terms of quality and it gets quite loud, it would be nice to have some form of stereo speakers. Oh yeah, that headphone jack.
• Battery life is not bad. With Bluetooth on and constant LTE/WiFi use with an overnight standby, I get around 5 hours of onscreen time over 16 hours averaged. Fast charging and wireless charging are great, but Samsung should unbuckle themselves from QC 2.0.
Note that mine is different from the SM-N950U models in that it's an SM-N950F, powered by the Exynos 8995 SoC in comparison to the Snapdragon 835 SoC that's powering US models. It also uses an ISOCELL S5K2L2 camera sensor and has UFS 2.1 storage.
I'll keep this short and simple: I love it. After nearly a year with the Moto Z and missing many of its featureset, the Note8 feels a lot like homecoming and it also ended up being a surprisingly superb phone for a multipurpose lifestyle.
• The design is superb. This is currently one of my favorite designs out of ahy smartphone. Ever since the Galaxy S6, Samsung has been doing very well with the design of their phones. It looks great and it's ergonomic for the most part.
• It's not perfect though. The fingerprint sensor may not ve in the best spot for those with smaller hands (my giant hands don't seem to have problems with it however) and being a glass phone, it's slippery and also a smudge magnet.
• I don't need to mention displays. This is currently the best OLED display out there and possibly the best out of any phone. It's absurdly bright with either punchy saturation or extreme accuracy depending on screen mode with the typical high contrast.
• Performance is actually very good. While my Note7 had some stutters here and there, the Note8 performs very well by comparison. It's probably not much to do with its extra RAM, but memory management is also good and lag occurs in very rare moments, although time will tell.
• The camera, unsurprisingly, is great. The main camera is one of the better all rounders with fast performance, reliable and quick autofocus while delivering good image quality. I have some gripes with the camera app however.
• The secondary camera is a bit of a mixed bag to me. In very good lighting, it's awesome for more reach and even for macros. But it's clear that it's not great in lower light conditions, owing to how it switches to the main camera in these conditions. I would prefer if they went monochrome, but it is what it is.
• I actually like Samsung's new software. I hated the older versions of TouchWiz, but Samsung Experience is actually nice to use. It has a more cohesive design and it's a cleaner experience that doesn't feel overburdened.
• Oh yeah, the S Pen. If you've used the Note7, this one operates in pretty much the same way, but the improvements and extra features to its software is very much appreciated.
• The speaker is, well, decent. It's a bottom mono firing speaker and while it's not too bad in terms of quality and it gets quite loud, it would be nice to have some form of stereo speakers. Oh yeah, that headphone jack.
• Battery life is not bad. With Bluetooth on and constant LTE/WiFi use with an overnight standby, I get around 5 hours of onscreen time over 16 hours averaged. Fast charging and wireless charging are great, but Samsung should unbuckle themselves from QC 2.0.
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