Galaxy Note 8 returns with more functions

Samsung Electronics’ Galaxy Note 8

By Kang Seung-woo

NEW YORK ― Samsung Electronics seems to be righting the ship after the exploding Galaxy Note 7 saga, as the Korean company has rolled out a competitive flagship smartphone for the second straight time.

Samsung took the wraps off the long-awaited Galaxy Note 8 in New York, Wednesday. The latest big-screen phone has several features that are more user-friendly and functional in work and life.

Earlier this year, Samsung released the high-selling Galaxy S8 that helped the firm shrug off the Note 7 failure and move forward.

“The selling points of the Note 8 are dual-lens camera technology and an enhanced S Pen stylus,” a Samsung official said.

The Note 8 is Samsung’s first-ever high-end smartphone with two cameras on the rear that enables DSLR-like photos with a depth-of field effect.

The dual-camera setup is not a new technology in the mobile business as Apple’s iPhone 7 Plus and LG Electronics’ G6 have already featured it. But Samsung is confident its system beats the rivals.

The jumbo phone comprises a 12 megapixel (MP) wide-angle lens and a 12MP telephoto lens that separate the background from the foreground to clearly focus on foreground objects, with the background blurred under the name of “live focus.”

Plus, it can adjust blur intensity in the background to make a subject really pop out of the picture.

In dual capture mode, both rear cameras take two pictures simultaneously and allow users to save both images; one close-up shot from the telephoto lens and one wide-angle shot that shows the entire background.

In addition, the new handset supports twice the optical zoom and has optical image stabilization on both lenses that promises less blurry images and smoother video by reducing motion and shaking.

Upgraded S Pen

The S Pen, which has been the signature accessory of the Note phones since their 2011 inception, has returned with new and improved features.

The advanced S Pen lets users create “live messages” and share them in animated GIF image format, which enables them with nearly every social media messenger, including Kakao Talk, the nation’s most-used mobile messenger.

With the latest S Pen, users will be able to translate selected texts as well as words in 71 languages _ even those on image files in nearly 40 languages. Currency and unit conversions can also be performed using the tool.

Above all, the S Pen’s most popular feature is the screen-off memo that allows users to take a quick note, doodle, or write down something they need to memorize without unlocking the device. Now Note 8 users can write notes or ideas on as many as 100 pages, which is a huge upgrade from one from its previous version.

Biggest screen ever

In terms of display, the Note 8 took cues from the Galaxy S8.

Along with the 6.3-inch super AMOLED “infinity display” with an 18.5:9 aspect ratio, the latest premium phone also has a curved edge-to-edge display with narrow bezels to help users see more and scroll less, as evidenced by its screen-to-body ratio surpassing 83 percent.

However, Samsung has given fewer curves to the Note 8’s edges and more of a square look to help users effectively take notes.

“For better note-taking, we had to go flatter than that of the S8,” the official said.

Samsung was often criticized for placing the fingerprint scanner directly next to the Galaxy S8’s rear-facing camera due to the high possibility of smudging the camera while unlocking the device.

To avoid it, Samsung has given some room between the camera and the scanner, but it remains to be seen if users will be happy with the decision.