All agog over Note8
> Eager fans found out how Samsung’s latest flagship smartphone allows them to ‘do bigger things’ at its launch last Thursday
THE LAUNCH of the Samsung Galaxy Note8 and its new Gear Fit2 Pro attracted a sea of people to Pavilion Kuala Lumpur last Thursday.
Lines began to form as early as 7am, three hours before the doors officially opened for the grand event which was graced by the appearance of South Korean celebrity Song Ji-Hyo.
Cheers filled the air as Song appeared on stage. The actress, best known for her participation in the variety show Running Man, said: “I’ve always been a huge fan of the Galaxy Note series, so as soon as I heard Samsung is launching the Galaxy Note8 in Malaysia, I immediately got on board.”
She then demonstrated her favourite feature on the Galaxy Note8, Live Message.
Using the stylus, Live Message turns anything that is hand-drawn or written on the Note8 into an animation. It also works on pictures.
In keeping with the tagline of the Note8, which is ‘Do Bigger Things’, Song took a wefie with the crowd.
The first 100 fans that purchased a Galaxy Note8 at the event got to meet Song in person and received a free Clear View Standing Cover autographed by the star herself.
Samsung Malaysia Electronics IT & Mobile Business head Liew Kian Meng said: “The new Galaxy Note8 features a refined design, an enhanced S Pen, a best-in-class dual camera, and innovative entertainment and productivity capabilities to help people do bigger things.”
Also present at the event were Samsung’s IT & Mobile Business product marketing head Julian Thean, IT & Mobile Business sales head Hosea Heen, chief marketing officer Elaine Soh, and business manager Yoo Jin Hyun.
The Note8 features a 6.3in Quad HD+ Super Amoled Infinity Display with an 18.5:9 ratio.
This makes the device feels thinner when held in portrait compared to the standard 16:9 display used by almost every other phone.
It also features two 12MP rear cameras with Optical Image Stabilisation (OIS) on both its wide-angle and telephoto lenses, making videos look smoother and pictures sharper, despite any shaking.
Inside the Note8 is an octacore 64-bit 10nm processor paired with 64GB of expandable storage and 6GB of memory, and a 3,300mAh battery.
The Galaxy Note8 is available in midnight black, orchid grey, and maple gold with the recommended retail price of RM3,999.
Also launched at the event was the new Gear Fit2 Pro, an upgraded GPS sports band by Samsung.
It features from fitness tracking to nutrition and sleep monitoring.
Liew said: “We have a long history of embracing choice and innovation, and the Gear Fit2 Pro is designed to help consumers of varying fitness levels meet their goals and aspirations. “We want to help remove the stigma that fitness trackers are complex and only for the most intense of workouts.” Truly water-resistant, the new Gear Fit2 Pro can survive submerged in a depth of up to 50m and touts swim tracking capabilities as well. It has an automatic activity detection built into the device that is tuned to your body to make every movement count regardless of whether the user is walking, running, cycling or performing dynamic activities such as dancing and playing basketball. The wearable device is also compatible with a variety of third-party fitness apps including several Under Armour applications customised for Samsung. The Gear Fit2 Pro is available in liquid black and diamond red for a recommended retail price of RM799. For more, visit the Samsung Malaysia website.