April 16, 2024

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[THE INVESTOR] Samsung Electronics on Aug. 23 unveiled the much-awaited Galaxy Note 8 with a 6.3-inch display and dual-lens camera, the successor of the ill-fated Note 7 whose sales were suspended last year due to faulty batteries.

As widely expected, the display screen is slightly larger than the 6.2-inch Galaxy S8 Plus, making the new phone the largest-ever Note phone. The Infinity Display has almost removed side bezels to give the device a simple yet immersive styling. 

Samsung holds an unpack event for the Note 8 in New York on Aug. 23.

The battery capacity is 3,300 mAh, which is lower than the 3,500 mAh pack used in the fire-prone Note 7.

The new phone is the first Samsung smartphone to come up with a rear-facing dual-lens main camera arrangement. Two 12-megapixel lenses allow users to take both wide-angel and telephoto shots. The front camera offers an upgraded 8 megapixels for selfie lovers.

Compared to the bigger S8, which weighs 173 grams, the Note 8 is slightly heavier at 195 grams.

The device will come with three storage capacities of 64GB, 128GB and 256GB, which can be extended up to another 256GB through a microSD slot. Samsung has revealed the devices will be released in four colors at launch, namely black, gray, gold and blue.
The latest Note device, moreover, comes with an improved S Pen, which allows users to take notes even with the screen off. The stylus is capable of recognizing 39 languages and translating them into 71 languages.
Samsung said its S Pen is capable of discerning 4,096 levels of pressure, making it feel and act like an actual pen.
Both the device and the stylus are IP68 certified for water and dust resistance. The rating indicates the device can withstand up to 30 minutes underwater at a depth of up to 1.5 meters.
The Galaxy Note 8, like previous Samsung phones, sports iris, fingerprint and facial recognition for speedy and secure unlocking, as well as quick and wireless charging capabilities. The artificial intelligence voice recognition system Bixby has also been included.

By Lee Ji-yoon and newswires (jylee@heraldcorp.com)