This week Samsung will launch its new Galaxy Note8 smartphone in New York almost exactly a year after the ill-fated Note7 went on sale before being discontinued after battery defects caused fires and explosions.
You can rest assured the Note8 won’t be suffering such a fate.
Samsung has learned a lot from the disastrous Note7 experience and has put in place numerous safety checks to ensure the issues with the doomed smartphone don’t occur again.
Samsung got back on its feet in fine style when it unveiled the Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+ back in March.
These devices were instant hits and have set a new benchmark for smartphone design and performance.
But what can we expect to see when Samsung reveals the Note8 this week?
INFINITY DISPLAY
The device will reportedly follow on from the Galaxy S8 and adopt the Infinity Display to give it that edgeless look and feel.
SCREEN SIZE
We understand the device will have a larger 6.3-inch Super AMOLED screen (the S8+ has a 6.2-inch display) but won’t be as narrow as the S8 and S8+.
SCREEN RESOLUTION
Rumours suggest the screen may even have a resolution of ultra high definition resolution 3840 x 2160 so you’ll be able to watch 4K content on the move.
Netflix and YouTube already support 4K content on their mobile apps.
S PEN
The signature feature of the Galaxy Note devices is the S Pen so you can write directly on the screen.
Another reason the Note8 will have a slightly wider screen than the S8 is to give users more room to write on the screen.
The S Pen will likely have another trick or two up its sleeve to give the Note8 even more functionality.
PROCESSOR
The Samsung Galaxy Note8 will be a powerhouse with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 processor.
The Note8 is aimed at the high-end user so we’re expecting nothing less than laptop performance in your hand.
We saw this with the Galaxy S8 but it’s a sure bet the Note8 will be even more powerful.
Reports have been indicating there will be a whopping 6GB RAM and 64GB of internal memory with an expandable memory card slot.
DEX COMPATIBILITY
One of the standout features of the Samsung Galaxy S8 was DeX – the device that allowed you to connect the S8 to a keyboard and monitor and turn into a desktop solution.
With the expected increased power of the Note8 this would provide an even better experience.
The smartphone powers the whole thing so you can look at your emails and documents on a larger screen. And then when you’re done you remove the phone and take everything with you.
There is not data left behind because everything you were using is on the phone.
CAMERA
The Samsung Note8 will have the company’s first dual-lens camera. This camera system was planned to be included with the Galaxy S8 but it didn’t make the deadline.
But it will be part of the new Note8 with 12-megapixel resolution and a likely 8-megapixel front camera.
BIXBY
Bixby, Samsung’s own assistant with artificial intelligence, will also be making an appearance with the Note8.
First seen with the Galaxy S8, Bixby can allow you to take full control of the device using your voice.
Unfortunately, we are still waiting for the Bixby voice-activated assistant in Australia but maybe it will be ready to be pushed out for Note8 users and the very patient S8 users who have been waiting since April.
BATTERY
We’re hearing the battery will have a capacity of either 3000mAh or 3500mAh.
The battery is a sensitive issue with the Note so Samsung has been careful not to put a battery with a massive capacity onboard – just in case.
USB-C PORT
Once again the Note8 will have a USB-C port. The Note7 was actually the first Samsung mobile device to include a USB-C port.
WATER RESISTANT
The Samsung Note8 will reportedly have an IP68 rating which means it is water resistant so it can be submerged at a depth of 1.5m in fresh water for up to 30 minutes.
* Tech Guide will be at the Samsung Galaxy Note8 launch in New York so be sure to come back to the site for a full wrap-up of the launch event and a hands-on review of the product.
