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The Galaxy Note 8 is billed as the phone that lets you ‘do bigger things’. It’s not hard to see why. From its expansive screen to its massively upgraded dual lens camera, Samsung seems to pulled out all the stops to make sure the Note 8 is a genuinely monumental smartphone.
But beyond the super-sized specifications and marketing claims, how does it really measure up? Here we take a key look at its key features in turn.
At 6.3-inches, the SuperAMOLED Infinity Display is among the largest on any smartphone and almost nudges the Note 8 into tablet territory. But for all that, it really doesn’t feel unwieldy and can be used easily with one hand.
That’s because Samsung has opted for a design with small bezels (the edges that surround the screen). As a result, the Note 8 is able to incorporate a large screen while the phone itself remains pretty compact.
As anyone who has ever squinted through their favourite TV show on a small four-inch phone knows, the large display makes for a far superior viewing experience when you’re watching video on the go.
That goes double because in the case of the Note 8 because its 2K screen resolution means picture quality is excellent, while colours are pleasingly vibrant and rich.
The Note 8 is the first Samsung Galaxy handset to feature a dual camera at the rear. This so-called dual-lens set-up pairs a 12-megapixel camera that features a large f/1.7 aperture with a secondary 12-megapixel camera that packs a f/2.4 aperture and 2x optical zoom.
So does two cameras mean it’s twice as good? In some respects, very much so. For instance, it really excels at what the experts call ‘bokeh’ shots, whereby the cameras combine to give your shots an incredible sense of depth.
The large apertures also let in lots of light for better quality images when you’re shooting at night, or in any location where there’s not much natural light.
Both cameras are equipped with optical image stabilisation technology to limit the blurrycam effect and help you get clear images and video when you’re on the move.
Around the front, you’ll find an eight-megapixel ‘selfie’ camera with a f1.7 aperture.
Samsung has equipped the Note 8 with a large 3,300mAh battery, which will easily get you through a full day’s use on a single charge and can be charged wirelessly.
In the event you do run low of power, it’s got a Quick Charging mode too.
Samsung’s Bixby voice assistant comes with the phone and enables you to use voice commands to bring up local business details, check the weather and latest football scores and much more besides.
The Note 8 also supports Google Assistant and Amazon’s Alexa, which offer broadly comparable functionality.
Note 8 owners get a choice of 64GB, 128GB or 256GB of internal storage to play with. There’s also a slot for a microSD card, so you can boost capacity if you need to.
With dimensions of 62.5mm x 74.6mm x 8.5mm, the Note 8 is pretty slim for a phone with such a large screen and doesn’t feel unwieldy in the hand.
It features a slightly more square design than the Galaxy S8 and Note 7, which we slightly preferred, and is made from a blend of metal and glass.
The Note 8 comes with an IP 68 certificate. That means it’s water-resistant and can withstand submersion in up to 1.5m of water for up to half an hour.
A powerful Exynos 8895 processor keeps the Note 8 ticking over, teamed with 6BG of RAM.
You can pick up the Galaxy Note 8 in a choice of Midnight Black, Maple Gold, Orchid Grey and Deep Sea Blue.