A Noteworthy Return To Form

Samsung Galaxy Note8

- James Lu

A year on from the disastrous Note7 launch, Samsung is back with a new Note. The Note8 uses the same Infinity Display design as Samsung’s S8 series, with the display curving at both edges and cascading over the sides like an infinity pool. There are no physical buttons on the front, and only tiny bezels at the top and bottom. Compared to the S8, the curved edges on the side of the Note8’s display are steeper, which provides a larger surface area to use the S Pen. The phone is IP68 dust and water resistant, which means it can withstand up to 1.5 meters of water submersion for up to 30 minutes at a time.

On the rear of the phone, there’s a glass panel that curves at both sides, mirroring the design of the front. Back here, you’ll also find the Note8’s standout new feature: a dual rear camera setup that pairs a 12MP telephoto f/2.4 lens with a 12MP wide-angle f/1.7 lens.

The biggest difference between Samsung’s dual camera setup and every other dual-camera phone on the market, is that it’s the first to include OIS (optical image stabilization) on both lenses, followed by the iPhone X. Image quality from both of the Note8’s cameras is consistently good, with crisp details across the entire picture, accurate colors, good contrast, and low noise.