New Note 8: Blazing hot – in a good way

AYEAR after the Galaxy Note 7 burst onto the scene – literally in some cases as it turned out – Samsung has unveiled its successor, a device it says will be the premium largescreened smartphone to beat in terms of specs and safety.

From what I saw of the Note 8 at the launch in New York on Wednesday and live streamed globally, it might be right. Instead of downplaying the fiery fate of the Note 7, the South Korean tech giant wisely chose to acknowledge the elephant in the auditorium.

Samsung mobile president DJ Koh thanked fans of the Note brand for their “relentless passion”, adding, “They’ve been a constant inspiration to us and we designed the new Note for them”.

The Note 8’s battery – the Achilles heel of its predecessor – is smaller this time round (3 300mah versus 3 500mah) and has been independently vetted by safety certification company, UL.

That’s in addition to being subjected the same eight-point battery safety check the S8 and S8+ went through. As none of those have gone up in flames, Samsung will be hoping it’s finally laid the Note 7’s fiery ghost to rest.

Among the phone’s many other attractions are its stunning good looks and “infinity” display.

Even better, the good looks serve a practical purpose, allowing you to comfortably fit in your hand a screen that would just a couple of years ago have required a neartablet-sized device. Make no mistake, this is a big display – 6.3 inches of retina caressing, Quad HD+ Super AMOLED goodness.

Under the eye-candy exterior purrs a powerhouse combo of an Exynos octa-core core processor and 6GB RAM, the most memory Samsung has crammed into one of

Note 8 boasts IP68 water and dust resistance, so you won’t have to worry about dropping it in the drink when lining up that perfect poolside snap when summer returns.

Speaking of photos, that brings me to what is arguably the Note 8’s most exciting new feature is its first dual-camera system, positioning it to take on the likes of LG, Huawei and, more recently, Apple in this department.

There was disappointment among

g Mobile Care Service free for early birds.

The Galaxy Note 8 will land in South Africa on September 22, but pre-orders will start to be fulfilled from September 15. If you want one, Be prepared to pay around R18 500 or budget for a suitably hefty monthly contract. Follow Alan Cooper on Twitter @alanqcooper.