Samsung Unveils Galaxy Note8 With 6.3-inch Infinity Display, Dual Rear Cameras (venturebeat.com)

VentureBeat reports: After months of leaks, Samsung today unveiled the Galaxy Note8 in an event in New York City. The company's latest stylus-equipped flagship smartphone is expected to be available for preorder starting tomorrow, August 24. The phone ships "in mid-September" with Android 7.1.1 Nougat, but you can expect it will be upgradeable to Android Oreo, which was only officially announced two days ago. The Galaxy Note8 succeeds the Galaxy Note7 (you may think that's obvious, but the Note7 succeeded the Note5). Samsung is likely holding its breath with the Galaxy Note8 given the Galaxy Note7 fiasco due to exploding batteries that led to a product recall. The direct result of this is that the Note8 has a smaller 3300mAh battery, which can be charged either via the USB-C port or wirelessly. Samsung's Galaxy Note8 features a 6.3-inch SuperAMOLED edge display (1440 x 2960 resolution, 18.5:9 aspect ratio, 521 pixels per inch) and has minimal top and bottom bezels which the company markets as Infiniti. For those wondering, yes, this is the biggest screen ever on a Note device. The phone is powered by an Exynos 8895 system-on-chip globally and Qualcomm's Snapdragon 835 in the U.S., 6GB of RAM, and starts at 64GB of internal storage (128GB and 256GB variants also available, all expandable via a microSD slot). The device is also IP68-certified, meaning it is dust and water resistant. The phone weighs 195g and physical dimensions come in at 162.5mm by 74.6mm by 8.5mm. No word on pricing yet. Update: Between $930-$960.

Comments

That new gadget is sure will fire-up consumers !!!

[Anonymous Coward]

That new gadget is sure will fire-up consumers !!!

I hate the sound of breaking glass

[petes_PoV]

and has minimal top and bottom bezels

Next year marks my 30th anniversary with a mobile phone. During that time I have had many - and I have dropped pretty much all of them at one time or another.

However the only one that has broken its screen was my last (and only) bezel-free model. I do not consider this to be a coincidence.

So in future I'll be looking for a nice thick bezel ALL THE WAY AROUND my phone. If that means I don't appear cool and trendy, then that's another bonus, too!

Re:I hate the sound of breaking glass

[AmiMoJo]

I just super-glue mine into my hand, that way there's no chance of me dropping it!

Re:I hate the sound of breaking glass

[Kernel Kurtz]

Maybe get an Otterbox or something similar if you plan on dropping it.

Re:I hate the sound of breaking glass

[__aaclcg7560]

If you include pagers, I'll be hitting my 30th anniversary with mobile devices.

Re:I hate the sound of breaking glass

[DontBeAMoran]

However, it does result in disturbing phone calls when you masturbate.

Re:I hate the sound of breaking glass

[Trax3001BBS]

and has minimal top and bottom bezels

Next year marks my 30th anniversary with a mobile phone. During that time I have had many - and I have dropped pretty much all of them at one time or another.

However the only one that has broken its screen was my last (and only) bezel-free model. I do not consider this to be a coincidence.

So in future I'll be looking for a nice thick bezel ALL THE WAY AROUND my phone. If that means I don't appear cool and trendy, then that's another bonus, too!

I dropped my phone once and this over asphalt while I sat. It hit in the perfectly, if breaking the glass was ones intention. It hit on it's corner nicking the glass, during the months a break appeared across the screen radiating from that corner.

I like a rubber covering around the bezel, Otterbox was mentioned above and good brand. I had one for my Xoom tablet, it was droppable but never was. I like Motorola and stick with that brand of phone, hard to find a good wrapper for it.

Re:I hate the sound of breaking glass

[torkus]

I've never liked (or used) otterboxes. Cases make phones larger and heavier, but that's a whole different level.

In general, I pick up a $10 knock-off case that I make sure covers the 4 corners and has a lip slightly higher than the screen (i.e. if face-down on a table, only the case touches the table.

Number of phones I've cracked since the original iPhone days (or blackberry preceding but they were plastic cases) is exactly zero. This despite dropping them many times and having my phone with me pretty much 24/7. I did manage to crack one iPad but that lacked a case at the time.

While my evidence is purely anecdotal, I don't understand how people manage to crack so many phone screens. Maybe if I dropped one while flying down the highway on my motorcycle?

Wanna avoid another battery fiasco?

[Anonymous Coward]

Use replaceable batteries! DUH!

Since customers are too stupid to create a market demand, replaceable batteries (with a real eject button) need to be mandated by the government. It's a basic safety issue, and you can ensure the phone is turned off.

Apparently

[batukhan]

this is what it looks like http://i.imgur.com/78C1K68.jpg

Re:Apparently

[torkus]

Actually, it's only slightly bigger than the S8+

I know this since I had both in my hand earlier today at the launch. Granted the screen is only .1" larger than the S8+ so that's not hugely shocking.

From what I can tell, the two reasons to buy the Note8 over the S8+ (or S8 and smaller screen) are because 1) the s-pen is a major feature for you or 2) you want the dual-lens camera.

Otherwise they all support multi-tasking, high res screen, 64GB memory + expansion, dual-quad core CPU, water-resistant, high quality camera, wireless charging/USB3, edge screen, DeX docking...

Specs beat Pixel XL

[Anonymous Coward]

But you know what? Who gives a fsck what specs any of these "devices" have, as the only way to get them to do what you actually want to do involves downloading from a shady website some obscure, proprietary security exploit to "root" the damn thing.

What a waste of resources.

We're all carrying around arbitrarily crippled computers, and then just throwing them away when it's time to upgrade to some new set of emojis.

exciting

[avandesande]

Yay. Does anyone give a shit about phones any more?

Re:exciting

[avandesande]

What's the last thing exciting that got released on a phone. When apple removed the headphone jack?

Re:exciting

[avandesande]

You didn't answer my question. What feature would a consumer get excited about on a phone from the last few years? You know, something that might improve their life in some way.

S8+

[fred6666]

So it's an S8+ with a second rear camera and a pen?

Re:S8+

[fred6666]

It also have more RAM. But still, I wonder why it took them 5 more months to release it.

Re:S8+

[HumanWiki]

So it's an S8+ with a second rear camera and a pen?

That's how I read it.. As a Note 3 and Note 5 owner.. I yawned through most of the other data and the release videos.. There's a few kinda neat tricks on Note 8 only, but, not worth it for me to jump ship to it.

Re:S8+

[torkus]

Yup.

More RAM, smaller battery to account for the pen, and (maybe) a minor CPU revision though the core count is identical.

If you don't need the s-pen and aren't trying to take "professional photographs" with a smartphone then the S8+ is a better bet TBH.

Re:S8+

[LynnwoodRooster]

The second pen is only on the DaVinci edition...

Re:S8+

[xlsior]

Because the galaxy S and galaxy Note release dates have always been staggered, so there:s always a premium Samsung phone available that's less than 6 months old.

Re:S8+

[fred6666]

The Galaxy S is new, but the Note is just a re-launch of the Galaxy S which is already 6 months old on day one.

Re:What about the battery?

[ranton]

Smaller battery than the S8+ which is very disappointing. I have owned two Note phones, but finally bought an S8+ last week when Best Buy started offering $300 off. Other than the stylus, there doesn't seem to be any reason to go with the Note line of phones anymore. I have never used the stylus but bought past Notes just because they were the biggest. If the Note 8 had a half inch larger screen than the S8+ I would have paid $1500 for it, but with just an extra 0.1" it just isn't worth the price premium.

headphone jack?

[denis-The-menace]

{crickets}

No word on pricing yet.

[xfizik]

In Canada it's $1299 CAD without contract - just over $1000 USD.

Re:No word on pricing yet.

[jgullstr]

Well, if money burns a hole in your pocket...

apps

[bugs2squash]

and all the latest applications: kindle, spark, firefox...

Is battery removable?

[amigabill]

I see microSD card, check.
I hope for a headphone jack, even with usbC.
But I really wish for a removable/changable battery. After the Note 7 nonsense, how can they not do a removable battery? I'm still in my Note 4, which I can continue using by getting new batteries when they get old, and am still quite happy with it. Make a phone disposable, and I'm much less interested, especially if it tries to dispose of me or my car or house.

Re:Is battery removable?

[apoc.famine]

After the Note 7 nonsense, how can they not do a removable battery?

Because it's still cheaper to glue it in, when you sum up the cost across the entire product line to make all the batteries removable. And because only a small percentage of people will say

Make a phone disposable, and I'm much less interested

I thought I was one of those people when I had a Galaxy S4. I did like you and changed the batteries out, swapping multiple times per day when they got old. Always charging, removing, charging, removing. I got an S7 with a glued in battery, and so far I don't miss the removable batteries. The fast charge gets me 40% charge in 15 minutes, 80% charge in an hour, and that's plenty to keep me topped off. Wireless charging means I just drop the phone in the cradle. Compared to swapping batteries, it's sooooo much less effort. Sure, if I ever go backpacking for a few days it won't be as convenient, but for those sorts of one-off things I'll bring a charge pack or invest in a solar charger.
 
I really thought that I needed removable batteries, but a year plus into the S7, and that's still not the case.

Ah, a microSD again, now if only Android would use

[magarity]

... it for anything other than media files. "Move app to SD" in every case moves maybe a few MB of app data to SD and never the muilti-GB app itself. Grrrrrrr

Wireless charging...

[Khyber]

" which can be charged either via the USB-C port or wirelessly"

And we know wireless charging tends to produce a good bit of heat due to inefficiencies even at millimeters of distance, so I recommend not using that method of charging anything other than Ni-MH or Ni-Cd batteries until they get that solid-state lithium battery done.

Re:Wireless charging...

[Ksevio]

Lots of people use wireless charging with lithium ion batteries. It gets a little warm, but they've taken that into account. The problems only occur when the batteries are defective.

Re:Wireless charging...

[Anonymous Coward]

Every modern phone refuses to charge if the phone temperature is too high to do so safely, and automatically shuts down if the temperature gets even higher. I wireless charge all the time here in Phoenix, including in my car - sometimes, I just have to wait for the A/C to bring the temperature down before charging will start. Parent is full of FUD.
Can you imagine a cell phone with a NiCd battery?

Re:Wireless charging...

[torkus]

Samsung has had wireless charging since what, the S5? (ya, i'm too lazy to google) so at least 4 generations...no, there's no problem with heat. Plus, it's super handy and I wish it was incorporated in more things/places. I've been debating hacking one into my car console.

The Note7 issues were due to defective batteries, nothing more, nothing less.

Re:Wireless charging...

[Khyber]

"Can you imagine a cell phone with a NiCd battery?"

Yes. My old Nokia stil runs for weeks on a single charge.

About security? Certainly.

[emil]

My Nexus 6 running LineageOS got the full August 5th security update on August 11th.

My "gifted" Galaxy S7 is still sitting on the April update.

I will not tolerate my vendor denying these updates to me. I will never run a Samsung phone as a daily driver again.

Re:Ah, a microSD again, now if only Android would

[Anonymous Coward]

You mean like adoptable storage?

https://www.androidcentral.com/adoptable-storage

I've used it on a Moto E2 budget phone and it works flawlessly, all apps default to the adopted area. You just can't remove the sdcard thereafter.

They are slowly inching towards larger screens

[Shompol]

I currently use a 6.5" Huawei Honor Note 8 -- $400, ordered directly from China. The battery seems to last forever compared to last Samsung Galaxy Note minus the fire hazard. I am happy they realized there is a market for phablets in US but will stay away from the subpar battery at a premium price point.

Re:That's why the government will never support it

[mean pun]

See? you're exactly one of the stupid people I'm talking about, precisely the reason we need more regulation. The government has a right to make sure what we buy is safe. I don't want your phone to bring down the airplane I'm riding in.

Please explain how making batteries removable makes phones safer, because I don't see it.

But does it have a removable Battery?

[lordmage]

Seriously. I have both the NOTE 3 and 4 and love them. The NOTE 4 and 3 are fantastic. Modular pieces of hardware inside makes simple replacement of power/usb ports. Replaceable Battery and MicroSD card slot. Simple things that mean a whole lot. I use the Headphone Jack to fly on planes with my serious noise cancelling headset. The NOTE's are Rooted and easy to update.

So.. I am wondering: Is Samsung going to be smart and get my money back by putting simple things that make our life better? Did the NOTE 4 removable battery/MicroSD and easy maintenance cause Samsung to lose money? NO.. It just made life easier for the consumer. I blame Apple for "teaching" samsung to lock down hardware as a way to make money. I still use the older phones until I get a better NOTE!

None of the specifications matter except one

[nightfire-unique]

Is the battery glued into the phone?

If no: let's talk. I need a new phone. I still have a Note 3.

If yes: I hope Samsung is forced into another recally due to battery issues (as long as no one is hurt), and I hope the stock price suffers dearly. No money for you.

Re:Such a shame - another iPhone wannabe

[Anonymous Coward]

I have a Note 4. While the Note 8 seems nice, I see no need to upgrade. When I do, I'll be looking for something with a removable battery and SD card. I couldn't care less if the bezel is 1/16" or 1/32". There's other phones which will offer the features I'll want, if Samsung isn't going to provide them.

Dual cameras, for 3D?

[Trax3001BBS]

Must be one of those features they put a lot of time into, released when no real market is out there. 3D is dead and Samsung was of the first to drop it... https://entertainment.slashdot...

Re:Dual cameras, for 3D?

[torkus]

Not 3D, but faux-bokeh. The second lens lets you adjust background blur to simulate bokeh.

Also kinda handy is the ability to capture a wide angle picture along with your close-up. Out of all the nonsense features, this one is actually useful to me. I can't count the number of times I've taken both shots back-to-back.

Just another embarassment for Samsung

[hackel]

How absurd to release a NEW device that is *already* running an out-of-date operating system. It's not even Android 7.1.2—the latest version pre-Oreo. But the fact is Oreo has been out as a developer preview for months. (And what is Samsung, if not an Android developer and OEM?) Not only that, but the final build of Oreo is from June 23rd. Had Samsung gotten that release ready, they could have pulled the trigger the moment Google decided it was final. They've had 2 months. This is just ridiculous.

STOP BUYING SAMSUNG PRODUCTS YOU FOOLS!

Re:Just another embarassment for Samsung

[Voyager529]

Shocking as this may be, there are more than a handful of people who are okay with running an ever-so-slightly-out-of-date version of an OS. I cannot point to a single Android feature since Jelly Bean that I would miss.

Awesome, backup cameras!

[goombah99]

it's a brilliant innnovation to have these cameras on the back so that the zombies walking around starting at their phones can see what is in front of them.

Re:What about the battery?

[hey!]

Sometimes a company with a complex product just sucks at one aspect of that product. When I was a kid back in the 70s Fords had a reputation for leaking oil. You'd buy a new Ford, park it in your driveway and there'd be an oil slick the next day. In the 90s, after the glory days of 1-2-3 on DOS, Lotus was never able to deliver any products whose UI wasn't a miserable failure.

The thing is, dysfunctional companies produce dysfunctional products. If your car leaks oil or your users can't figure out your UI, you'd think the solution would be simple: hire an engineer with expertise in the relevant areas and do what he says. And yet it often takes years for companies to correct obvious deficiencies in their practices.

I owned a Samsung S6, and it's battery life was comically bad. If I actually used it as a smart phone, I could actually *watch* the battery percentage drop as the phone became almost too hot to hold; I ended up carrying it in "super battery saving mode", which essentially turns it into a dumb phone, because that's the only way I could get through a full eight hour day and still have any battery left.

So when the Note 7 fiasco happened, I simply wrote Samsung off. Obviously power management is something they suck at. Now maybe the S8 will be better, but I'll wait a generation or two of products; if the can go two or three years without a fiasco maybe I'll consider them again, but my experience with technology is not to assume a company will get its act together because you'd think they'd do it.

Smaller battery + Large screen = ?

[AnthonywC]

I have the Phab Pro 2.

It is not a great phone by any means but it does has a 6.4 inches screen + 4050 mAh battery. The battery life I get out of that is only average (meaning daily charge). I wonder how the smaller battery will hold out for Note 8.

Re: What about the battery?

[KGIII]

Every product?

I'm thinking you're insane.

Re:What about the battery?

[lgw]

It's one of the biggest priorities. Just not the way you'd like it. Every product is carefully engineered to break after some time.

I think my TV broke within a week of being out of warranty, so you may be on to something. In Japan there's a word that translates as "sonytimer" that describes this effect for Sony devices.

Samsung really seems to have followed the "Sony quality arc", just must faster.

Re:That's why the government will never support it

[mean pun]

Because... they're removable?? Are you really that dumb? Damn! No wonder Trump is president!

Because... they're removable??

Well, it is true that if you remove the battery from the phone and hand it over to experts for safe disposal you are left with an far safer device. However, the problem is that said device is no longer a phone, because it doesn't function as such any more. Therefore, engineers generally recommend that you do not remove the battery from the phone, despite the increased safety issues.

You might argue that carrying the battery and the rest of the phone separately increases safety. Given that the biggest threat to a battery is structural damage, and given that phones form a sturdy box around their battery, I strongly doubt this is true in practice. Scientific studies to the contrary are welcome.

Are you really that dumb? Damn! No wonder Trump is president!

I agree that Donald Trump's election to president is still at many levels an event that requires further analysis, and the intelligence of the US voter is certainly an issue here, but I strongly doubt that the issue of removable batteries in cellphones is relevant to this discussion.

Re:What about the battery?

[notb666]

Just for your info, I have been using Samsung Galaxy S3 for almost 5 years now, will be 5 years in October.

Re:What about the battery?

[lgw]

Yes, Samsung used to be good. Just like Sony back in the day. Don't replace it with another Samsung when it finally goes - that's my heartfelt advice.