Samsung Galaxy Note 8 Preview: What There Is To Know So Far
Samsung’s Galaxy Note 8 reveal is rumored to be coming up in the next couple of months and while that seems like it’s far away, the next couple of months is sure to come up faster than you think and before you know it the device will be here. There’s nothing confirmed about the Galaxy Note 8 yet, but there have been plenty of rumors so far, and with those rumors what to expect with the device when it arrives is starting to take shape, so here’s what there is to know about the Samsung Galaxy Note 8 in terms of potential specs, hardware, design, and features.
Design
The design of the Samsung Galaxy Note 8 is likely to be one of the main talking points between interested consumers, as it’s the first thing to see when looking at the phone, and Samsung’s device designs have become a staple in the smartphone market. The latest leak shows what could very well be the final design for the phone and if it is indeed what Samsung has come to in terms of how the phone looks, then it isn’t too different from the Galaxy S8 Plus. The image can be seen above and showcases the similarities between it and the Samsung’s current flagship, with a nearly bezel-free screen, a rear-facing fingerprint sensor, and the familiar (yet also new) taller display thanks to what could be an 18.5:9 aspect ratio. What is different is the appearance of the dual rear-facing camera sensors, which is a feature many thought would be present on the Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8 Plus when they launched. While there’s no guarantee that Samsung has used a dual camera setup on the Galaxy Note 8, rumors of Samsung using a dual rear camera have been around for a while now and many other top brands are already utilizing such hardware features, so it wouldn’t be too out there if Samsung implemented it with its second flagship device line.
The design of the device show in the images up above could certainly be the final design, but other leaked images which look like press renders showcase a slightly different style. In the images below the Galaxy Note 8 still comes with a dual camera setup on the back but the sensor combo is placed vertically instead of horizontally, though the fingerprint sensor doesn’t appear to be present on the back like in the most recent leaks, suggesting that Samsung either used an under the glass fingerprint sensor (which doesn’t seem too likely) or it’s been placed on the side similar in fashion to what Sony has done with their most recent phones from this year and last year. Of course, there’s also the possibility that the design with the vertical rear camera setup isn’t Samsung’s final design. Both seem like plausible options, but the most recent comes across as the most plausible choice as it mimics what Samsung is already doing.
Specs & Features
None of the specs on the Galaxy Note 8 that are currently being discussed can really be labeled as accurate since Samsung themselves have yet to confirm anything, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t a running list of possible hardware and software features of the phone. Quite the opposite, in fact. While some of the earliest specs rumors about the Galaxy Note 8 included a massive amount of internal storage and RAM (such as 256GB of storage and 6GB of RAM, though 6GB isn’t exactly a lot these days now that multiple OEMs are implementing the use of it), the more recent specs rumors are a little more in line with what’s more likely to be in use. A rumor which popped up back on June 30th of this year suggests that the Galaxy Note 8 will come with options for both 64GB and 128GB of storage. This amount of space while not revolutionary, is much more common and due to the cost of storage something as high as 256GB in a device would be sure to raise the cost beyond what many consumers would be willing to pay.
Other internal hardware specs are thought to be a 3,300mAh battery and a Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 processor. While the battery is always generally a surprise with each device release, the use of the industry’s top mobile processor at the moment shouldn’t be too much of a surprise as the Galaxy Note 8 will be a flagship smartphone and Samsung is unlikely to use anything other than a flagship mobile processor. That being said, the Galaxy Note 8 will most likely also feature a different processor for most international markets, and this is probably going to be the Exynos 8895 which is Samsung’s equivalent to the Snapdragon 835 CPU, and the same processor that can be found in the international version of the Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8 Plus. Some rumors have speculated the use of 8GB of RAM and a Snapdragon 836 CPU (which is still an unannounced CPU) but chances are Samsung won’t be opting to include such specs. Screen wise the Galaxy Note 8 could come with a 6.3-inch QHD+ display, but the phone could just as easily come with the same 6.2-inch QHD+ display that’s found on the Galaxy S8 Plus, which while not an improvement, there isn’t much difference in size between 6.2-inches and 6.3-inches, and with using the 6.2-inch display from the Galaxy S8 Plus Samsung would be saving on having to come up with a whole different panel. The cameras are expected to be dual 12-megapixel sensors on the back, while the front-facing camera would most likely be the same 8-megapixel sensor that Samsung is using on its Galaxy S8 lineup.
The Galaxy Note 8 will no doubt come with Samsung’s new Bixby software though by the time it launches Bixby should be a little more fleshed out and hopefully come with all its intended uses. When it launched with the Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8 Plus, Bixby was lacking its most anticipated function – the ability to use its voice features. As a competitor to Google Assistant many expected the full capabilities of Bixby to be available from the start but unfortunately this wasn’t the case. Samsung has delayed the launch of Bixby’s voice features in the U.S. but now maintains that it expects Bixby Voice to hit U.S. consumers before the second half of July. If this happen then Bixby’s voice feature should easily make it to the Galaxy Note 8 as well.
Cases
Sort of building on the design aspect of the phone, there have been a number of case leaks for the Galaxy Note 8. While the cases themselves aren’t too exciting what they do provide is a look at the design of the device to some degree, and the design matches up with the design of the phone in the most recent leaks, which includes the dual rear cameras being situated horizontally with the fingerprint sensor to the right of the camera sensors just like on the Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8 Plus. What’s more, is that the leaks include different types of cases which show the same type of design, so it seems more and more likely that the most recently leaked design is how the phone will look when Samsung unveils it later this year.
Availability & Price
When it comes to high-end phones like the Galaxy Note 8 availability is always going to be a topic of interest. Samsung typically announces its Galaxy Note devices in the Fall and usually at IFA, then it launches the phone some weeks later. This year things may be a little bit different as Samsung is now rumored to be unveiling the Galaxy Note 8 at the end of August. Back at the end of June a rumor popped up which stated Samsung would be launching the phone in August at an event in New York. Then a day later the date was specified as August 26th. This a close to a week or two before Samsung would normally announce the device so it’s not too much earlier, but it could give Samsung just enough time to unveil the phone before any other big name OEMs announce their own fall lineup.
As for the price, it’s tough to say at this moment but at least one rumor has pegged the Galaxy Note 8 as becoming available in Europe for the cost of €999, which would make it close to $900 in the U.S. These prices seem a little high so they should still be taken with a grain of salt but the Galaxy Note 8 is a high-end device so even if the costs aren’t completely correct they may not be too far off from the actual price that Samsung intends to put the phone out on the market for. More rumors about price and availability may turn up before the end of next month when the phone is expected to launch, but for now the late August time frame and the possibility of a $900 and up price tag provide an idea of what to expect in this area.
Wrap Up
There’s still plenty about the Galaxy Note 8 that’s unknown and most of if not all of the actual details will remain a mystery until the possible launch at the end of next month. That being said the Galaxy Note 8 is already starting to take shape and that should be an exciting thought. The Galaxy Note line has grown into an extremely popular device series and this year probably won’t be any different even in the wake of the issues that Samsung had with the Galaxy Note 7 last year. While all of the information here is unlikely to be the end of Galaxy Note 8 rumors, as more surfaces this post will be updated.
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