Samsung unveils Galaxy Note 8
Koh Dong-jin, president of Samsung Electronics’s mobile business division, shows off the Galaxy Note 8 smartphone during an “unpacked” event at the Park Avenue Armory in New York, Wednesday. / Courtesy of Samsung Electronics
By Kang Seung-woo
NEW YORK — Samsung Electronics finally took the wraps off the much-touted Galaxy Note 8 smartphone, Wednesday, which comes with powerful dual cameras, an enhanced stylus pen and the largest-ever screen.
Samsung held the Note 8 “unpacked event” at New York’s Park Avenue Armory, with more than 1,500 people participating. It was live-streamed globally.
The Galaxy Note 8 will be available starting Sept. 15 across the world and will be offered in Midnight Black, Orchid Gray, Deepsea Blue and Maple Gold — the lone color that will not go on sale in Korea.
The launch was one of the biggest moments in the company’s history as the handset was the first Note phone since last year’s embarrassing recall of the Galaxy Note 7 due to faulty batteries.
“We appreciate the relentless passion of the Note community. They’ve been a constant inspiration to us and we designed the new Note for them,” said Koh Dong-jin, president of Samsung’s mobile business division.
“From the infinity display to the enhanced S Pen and powerful dual cameras, the Galaxy Note 8 enables people to do things they never thought were possible.”
Samsung first introduced the Note phone in 2011 and the Note series has been renowned for its loyal fans.
The latest luxury phone’s newly introduced features are headlined by the dual cameras that Samsung describes as the best-ever smartphone cameras to capture stunning photos.
“Samsung has set the standard for smartphone cameras and with the Galaxy Note 8, we’re delivering our most powerful smartphone cameras yet,” said a Samsung official.
The Note 8 is the first Samsung smartphone with two 12 megapixel rear cameras — one with a wide-angle lens and the other with a telephoto lens — and it has optical image stabilization (OIS) on both. The OIS promises less blurry images and smoother video by reducing motion and handshake.
In addition, the premium smartphone features “live focus” mode for more advanced photo-taking that blurs out the background to make a model really pop out of the picture.
Samsung has upgraded the S Pen stylus, arguably the Note series’ trademark, stressing that it will enable users to express themselves in ways that no other stylus or smartphone ever has.
It came up with a “live message” feature that allows users to share animated texts or drawings in GIF image format, while the improved writing tool can translate not only individual words, but entire sentences in up to 71 languages, and instantly convert units and foreign currencies.
In addition, the S Pen’s screen-off memo allows users to take up to 100 pages of notes, while the screen is asleep.
In terms of display, the Note 8 has become the largest premium smartphone Samsung has ever made, sporting a 6.3-inch Super AMOLED screen and living up to its official catchphrase of “Do Bigger Things.”
Like the Galaxy S8, released in March, the Note 8 employs the 18.5:9 “Infinity Display” that nearly removed bezels. It also features a curved edge-to-edge panel.
“The Galaxy Note 8 gives users more room to watch, read and draw — making it the ultimate multi-tasking smartphone,” the Samsung official said.
It will come with 6GB of RAM and 64GB or 256GB internal storage, while featuring a 10-nanometer processor that will enable heightened speed and efficiency.
Following the Note 7 debacle, Samsung said it continues to uphold its commitment to lead the industry in battery safety. In January, it adopted an eight-point battery safety check, through which the Note 8 was also checked.
“We have been closely working with Samsung to make meaningful advancements in the science of smartphone quality and safety evaluation,” said Sajeev Jesudas, President of UL International. UL is an American safety certification and consulting company.
“As a result, the Galaxy Note 8 has successfully completed a rigorous series of device and battery safety compatibility test protocols. We look forward to maintaining our strategic relationship with Samsung and helping ensure device safety for all consumers,” he added.