Samsung Galaxy Note 8 review – Everything fans could've hoped for and so much more

• FOR • Stunning Display • S Pen Now More Accurate • Dual-lens Camera a Cracker • Decent Battery Life • Fast Performance
• AGAINST • Very Expensive • Very Big • No Android Oreo • Samsung’s Cheaper S8 Offers Almost as Much 

A year after the disaster of the Note 7, Samsung is well and truly back with the launch of its new Galaxy Note 8.

This device aims to return the popular Note series to its former glory and, with a new design and updated S Pen, there’s certainly plenty for fans of this smartphone to be thrilled about.

But with an extortionate price and giant size is the Galaxy Note 8 really worth considering?

Express.co.uk has been testing the Galaxy Note 8 and here’s our full review.

DESIGN

Taking its design blueprint from Samsung’s beautiful S8, the Note 8 is a simply stunning smartphone.

With a display that curves subtly around both sides of the device, and with almost invisible bezels, you’ll be hard pressed to find anything that looks quite this good.

The rear of the Note 8 is also covered in glass and Samsung has even managed to rid the device of a camera bump which all adds to its premium look and feel.

Due to Samsung’s incredibly clever design the Note 8 fits its immense 6.3-inch display into a device that’s only marginally bigger than Apple’s 5.5-inch iPhone 7 Plus.

It’s intelligent stuff from Samsung but you should still be warned that, despite this space-saving design, the Note 8 is still a very big phone and it’s certainly noticeable when squeezed inside your pocket.

Although there’s plenty to love about the Note 8’s design it does come with one irritating issue.

This latest device has followed the S8 with its frustrating placement of the fingerprint scanner.

And, because the Note 8 is so much bigger, attempting to reach it on the rear case becomes even more tricky.

Samsung has also popped this vital sensor right next to the camera which often leaves a mucky mess all over the lens.

However, even with the fingerprint niggles there’s no doubting that the Note 8 is a truly glorious phone and there’s very little, if anything, out there that comes anywhere close for sheer style.

DISPLAY

If you’re after the best display on a smartphone you shouldn’t bother looking anywhere else.

The Note 8’s incredible 6.3-inch Quad HD+ Super AMOLED screen is simply breathtaking with a viewing experience that’s leaps ahead of most of the competition.

Colours spring from the screen and content looks pin-sharp and packed with detail.

Samsung has also slightly reduced the size of the curved edges that are found on the S8 and this is a smart move.

When Express.co.uk reviewed the S8 we ran across a few websites that let words run over the dual-curves, making text a little finicky to read.

There’s also a slightly frustrating blue light bleed on this older device that occasionally runs the length of the curve, especially on plain white webpages and settings menus.

But these screen niggles aren’t so apparent on the Note 8 and it’s an improved experience over its sibling.

To make full use of this monster monitor, Samsung has included a new feature called App Pair which instantly loads two of your favourites applications side by side on the display.

This means you can surf the web and check your emails at the same time, or watch YouTube and tweet without closing apps.

App Pair is fully customisable with users able to choose which applications they want to be paired.

There’s even good news when you’re not using the Note 8 as the device includes an always-on display which shows time, date and a limited number of notifications when the device is off.

CAMERA

We love the screen and design but it’s the camera where the Note 8 really begins to shine.

Samsung has finally caught up with the competition and included a double camera lens on the rear of the Note 8 and this snapper is incredible.

With a wide-angle and telephoto lens both included, the Note 8 now offers the ability to zoom, without losing image quality, and add DSLR-style depth of field to your snaps.

We put the Note 8 to the test at a family wedding and the results had the guests desperately wanting to know more about the Note 8.

The camera is so fast and simple to use with the images some of the best we’ve ever seen from a phone.

We did notice the results aren’t quite so good in lower light but this is our only criticism of what is otherwise a first-rate camera.

To add to the appeal, Samsung even allows users to tweak the clever bokeh blur effect after the image is taken and even remove it altogether.

This is because the Note 8 always keeps a copy of the original image tucked in its memory banks.

Bundled with the camera are plenty of effects and stickers which add style and a bit of fun to your photos.

On the front of the phone you’ll find an industry-leading 8-megapixel Smart Auto Focus front-facing camera for sharp selfies and video chats.

Like most devices, videos can be captured in full 4K resolution although it’s worth noting that this ultimate format does use up a huge amount of disk space.

BATTERY AND PERFORMANCE

Under the glass casing you’ll find some pretty tasty specs with the Note 8 featuring a very quick octa-core 10nm processor.

This is the same set of brains that power the S8 and they certainly offer a slick experience.

During our time with the Note 8 we’ve not found any performance issues although a recent test by EverythingApplePro did show Samsung’s latest phone still struggles against Apple’s iPhone in a straight app speed test.

Along with its excellent processor the Note 8 also features a huge 3,300mAh battery that can be charged wirelessly – although sadly there’s no charging dock in the box and buying one will set you back an extra £30.

Luckily, battery performance is good with the Note 8 surviving our gruelling Star Wars trilogy test with 68 per cent still in the tank after the six hour movie marathon.

During our general usage test the Note managed to get through an average day without needing a charge but don’t expect to head away for weekend without it needing a refill.

Samsung is also boasting the the new Note 8 is Gigabit LTE ready which will allow it to download files at ultra-fast speeds – this is dependent, however, on your mobile operator having the ability to supply those speeds in the first place.

Finally the Note 8 is water resistant and includes a pair of ear-pleasing AKG headphones in the box and, unlike Apple’s iPhone, Samsung hasn’t ditched the 3.5mm headphone jack.

S PEN

Of course this is a Note smartphone and tucked inside this phablet is an all-new S Pen.

This stylus is now more accurate with a 0.7mm nib offering a precise experience when scribbling on the screen.

Samsung has also upgraded its ability to write when the display is switched off and this feature now allows up to 100 pages of notes to be written and saved without ever hitting the on button.

Users can also scribble Live Messages which instantly turn handwriting into fun animated gifs and a new translate feature means the S Pen can help decipher foreign text with one easy command.

The S Pen has always been a nice addition to the Note 8 but this latest digital stylus takes its features and usability to a new level especially as it even works in water.

FACIAL RECOGNITION

With no fingerprint scanner on the front of the Note 8, and with this vital sensor being moved to an awkward position on the rear, Samsung is hoping to make it easier to unlock the device using your eyes and face.

Iris and facial recognition is nothing new as the Note 7 and S8 both had/have some form of biometric security baked in.

However, it does seem much improved on the Note 8.

The device unlocks in the blink of an eye when you raise it to your face and it appears very secure.

We’ve been trying to trick the Note 8 since it arrived at Express HQ but the device has outsmarted us every time.

We have found the facial recognition isn’t quite so responsive when the lights are low and we’d still rather have the fingerprint scanner on the front but the Note 8 is certainly a huge improvement over its predecessor.

ANDRIOD O AND BIXBY

For some bizarre reason Samsung hasn’t included the latest version of Android on its new smartphone.

Android O is Google’s all-new operating system but it seems you’ll have to wait a while until it lands on Samsung’s flagship phone.

This failure to include Oreo means Samsung is behind some of its biggest rivals especially with Sony already shipping Google’s new OS on its newly announced Xperia XZ1.

We can’t understand why Samsung hasn’t included Oreo on its latest and greatest smartphone and we have a feeling Note owners will be faced with a long wait before it becomes available.

The Note 8 continues with Samsung’s personal assistant with it even including a dedicated Bixby button on the side of the phone.

Bixby is improving but with the Note 8 also featuring Google’s Assistant it seems like a slightly pointless addition although we may be proved wrong about this as more Bixby features arrive later this year.