Take Note of this

Samsung’s new Galaxy Note8 is a great all-round performer, writes Izwan Ismail

THE Note series smartphone from Samsung has its followers — those who want a great productivity tool as well as a device that brings out the creativity in them. For years, it has been Samsung’s most advanced smartphone in its entire line of smart devices.

Can the new Note 8 meet the high expectations of fans?

DESIGN

Despite its 6.3-inch infinity screen size, which is the biggest on a Note device todate, the Note8 doesn’t look imposing.

Thanks to the narrow body design, the phone still feels comfortable in one hand. Withsuch a large screen, there’s more space to watch, read and draw.

The phone is thin and slips into the pocket easily, even if you are wearing jeans.

The screen aspect ratio of 18.5:9 results in a more immersive viewing experience, especially when watching videos and playing games.

Its larger screen space also makes multitasking more efficient where features like Multi Window help to improve productivity by allowing users to complete multiple tasks at once.

Samsung always has an edge when it comes to screen. For the Note8, it uses a Quad HD+ Super Amoled infinity display, resulting in super fine, vivid and crisp images.

The phone is all glass, in the form of Corning Gorilla Glass 5 on both the front and back. This gives a really smooth and sleek look to the thin design.

THE S PEN GETS BETTER

The S Pen remains the signature trait of the Note phones. At the phone launch, Korean actress Song Ji-Hyo showed how to use the device to access the Live Messages.

Slotted at the bottom right of the phone,

A photo taken with the Galaxy Note8. the S Pen has a finer tip, improved pressure sensitivity and features that enable users to express themselves in ways that no other stylus or smartphone has ever done.

Although slightly thinner than a normal pen, it is still comfortable to hold and use.

Samsung has added the Always On Display that allows users to stay on top of their notifications without unlocking their phone.

A new feature called Screen off memo enables you to jot down notes or ideas wherever and whenever you need. Simply pop the S Pen out and immediately begin writing.

I find this handy expecially when you have to jot down something really fast and don’t have the time to open the specific app to take notes.

It’s like grabbing any piece of paper you see and start writing.

Also, for overseas travel or when you come across a website in a foreign language, the improved S Pen Translate feature lets you hover over text to quickly translate not only individual words but entire sentences in up to 71 languages. It also instantly convert units and foreign currencies.

Vivid shots are a given with the Note8.

tured, I can say that the Note8 has one of the better cameras among smartphone brands released this year.

The photo quality is simply gorgeous, detailed, clean and with punchy colours.

The fast F1.7 aperture wide-angle lens with Dual Pixel technology and F2.4 telephoto lens deliver photos that can challenge the quality of real cameras.

Focusing is fast and accurate. I’m able to capture sharper and brighter shots even in low light conditions.

The dual Optical Image Stabilisation (OIS) also helps in giving that steady shots.

Samsung has added new camera features like the Live Focus and Dual Capture, which give users creative control over their photos.

If you use the Live Focus feature, you can adjust the bokeh effect ortochangethedepthof field of a shot.

Users can control the intensity of the overall blur effect and apply it before taking the image in preview mode, or after capturing the photo in the Gallery app.

The Galaxy Note8 is also equipped with an 8MP F1.7 autofocus front-facing camera for sharp selfies and video chats.

Its big aperture lens keeps details clear even in low light, while Smart Auto Focus tracks the faces in the shot, resulting in a focused shot every time.

CAMERA The Note8 has a 12MP dual camera at the back. This comprises two separate cameras and their respective image sensors that complement each other.

One camera functions like a normal camera, capturing colour images while the other adds elements that are not captured with the the first one. The Gear Fit2 Pro.

For example, when a user takes a picture, two separate images are captured. It is the combination of both these images that produce a clear, high-quality photography with a greater depth of field.

It also utilises both the phone’s rear wide-angle lens and telephoto lens simultaneously to produce optimal results.

Does it work? From the images cap- OTHER FEATURES The Galaxy Note8 comes with a slew of unique features and capabilities.

For a premium phone, water and dust resistance is a must. This phone is waterproof with an IP68 rating, meaning it can be submerged to a maximum depth of 1.5m for up to 30 minutes.

The phone also offers fast wireless charging capability, a choice of biometric authentication options, including iris and fingerprint scanning.

Samsung Knox provides defence-grade security at the hardware and software layers, and with Secure Folder, your personal and professional data are kept separate.

Its 6GB RAM, a 10nm processor and expandable memory up to 256GB give users the power they need to browse, stream, play games and multitask.

Meanwhile, the Samsung DeX enables a desktop experience. You can keep your files on your device, conduct work on-the-go, and use Samsung DeX when you need an even bigger screen.

The Galaxy Note8 also includes Bixby, a voice control virtual assistant that helps users use the phone better. It wakes up by calling “Hi Bixby”.

Adding on to the Galaxy ecosystem is Samsung’s latest GPS sports band, the enhanced water-resistant Gear Fit2 Pro, to help users stay motivated, maintain a healthy lifestyle and achieve their fitness goals.

It pairs seamlessly via Bluetooth to the Note8 and allow you to receive calls, messages and view social media updates.

Its super Amoled curved 1.5-inch display and a high-resolution colour touchscreen result in real-time updates and notifications easier to read.

Its slim design and light feature also make it really comfortable to use.

The device is designed to go up to 50 metres and has a new swim and heart rate monitoring capabilities.

Its advanced built-in GPS tracking helps capture your run or ride with accurate activity tracking.

CONCLUSION

At RM3,999, the Galaxy Note8 is quite pricey but its features, capabilities and design are worthit.

The Gear Fit2 Pro, meanwhile, is priced at RM799.

If you’re a power user, a mobile photographer and want the best in a smartphone, the Note8 should be on your list. The Samsung Galaxy Note8 with the S Pen.