This phone feels, performs and looks to me more advanced than the Note 7. I'm pretty much over the N7 now. My opinion, if someone enjoyed the Note 7 they'd be more than happy with the 8.
I'm probably a rare case, but I don't feel a thing is wrong with the pricetag currently. The phone is worth the asking price. Granted, it's nice getting it minus the $425 trade in discount for former N7 owners- but if I HAD to pay full price for it, I would.
My only thing is the virtual buttons take some getting used to. It'll take me some time to keep from hitting them accidentally instead of the spacebar on a virtual keyboard for example.
A physical button for Bixby: I hate it with a passion so far. The volume button being a rocker, it's all too easy to hit the stupid Bixby button instead of vol. down- and then it takes over the screen and disrupts things like dual app mode. (That has to be a bug they fix). I've seen there's ways to disable it and I may end up doing so.
Just had to do a side by side with my last two Notes, the 3 and 4. (Of course the 7 I returned).
I usually don't sell my old phones, though I probably should.
My only wish for the Note 8 is purely cosmetic- I wish I could have gotten it in the same metallic blue as my replacement Note 7 was.