Samsung has released its latest smartphone, the Galaxy Note 8.
The latest flagship phone in the company’s portfolio will come as a 6.3-inch device with the now standard “infinity display” and the company’s first foray into the virtual assistant market, Bixby, will also be included.
Coming with an S-pen stylus, the Galaxy Note 8 will give customers the ability to use the stylus even when the phone’s screen is off.
In addition to the screen and virtual assistant, Samsung is releasing the phone with a dual camera lens, similar to that of the iPhone 7 Plus and some Android phones. The two 12MP cameras are designed to add greater depth to a photo, in addition to improving the zoom capabilities.
Ben Wood, Chief of Research, CCS Insight, said: “Samsung’s launch of the Note 8 underlines its current confidence. It’s a testament to Samsung’s stubbornness and determination that the launch of the Note 8 cements its position as the leading Android smartphone maker drawing a clear line under the Note 7 problems.”
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“The Note 8 joins the well-received S8 and S8+ arguably giving Samsung the best high-tier Android line-up of any manufacturer. The fact Samsung was prepared to continue using the Note brand shows its belief that there is significant pent up demand for another top-of-the-line flagship device alongside the rest of its smartphone portfolio.”
“By launching the Note 8 now, Samsung gets the oxygen of publicity ahead of Apple’s highly anticipated iPhone 8. Samsung will be hoping that a trio of competitive high end products will appeal to anyone looking for a new Android phone. Furthermore, these devices are certainly good enough to turn the heads of a few iPhone owners who fancy a trying a different device.”
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“There appears to be significant pent up demand for the Note 8 from a loyal group of customers who love the big screen and the utility of the stylus. It is striking how many long-term Note users who were not able to get the Note 7 (or had to return it) have been holding out for this latest update.”
“Arguably the biggest bet on this device is the camera. This is the first time Samsung has integrated dual rear-facing cameras, something other phone makers, most notably Apple, have supported for some time. Having image stabilisation on both lenses takes Samsung one step ahead of Apple, but at present there don’t appear to be any plans to support augmented reality features – something we expect to feature prominently on the next iPhone.”
“The Note 8 demonstrates to rival phones makers what a fearsome competitor Samsung is. It offers a smartphone with a pen-centric twist which will act as a halo device to Samsung already strong line up.”
“By maintaining the Note brand, Samsung is sticking with a tried and tested formula despite the challenges it faced with the Note 7. In so doing, Samsung is using product and marketing strength to relegate the Note 7 issue to a footnote. Had Samsung simply retired the Note brand, it would arguably have had a greater and far more negative legacy.”
The Note 8 launch comes just a few weeks before Apple is set to launch its latest flagship phone. Now that the benchmark has been set, onlookers will be expecting Apple to pull no punches and wow customers in order to maintain its market share.
