The Galaxy Note 8 Discussion: Anand's review is up.

[Bateluer]

Official Specs
http://www.samsung.com/global/microsite/galaxynote/note8.0/specifications.html

Exynos 4412@1.6Ghz, 2GB of RAM, SD slot, 1280x800 LCD, 4600mah battery.

The Verge's Review
http://www.theverge.com/2013/4/9/4203380/samsung-galaxy-note-8-0-review

GOOD STUFF
S Pen is a great drawing tool
Fast, consistent performance
Light and thin

BAD STUFF
Samsung software is overbearing
Weak, poor speakers
Display resolution is quickly becoming obsolete

Engadget Review
http://www.engadget.com/2013/04/09/samsung-galaxy-note-8-review/

So what's the kicker? There isn't one, really. We've already highlighted just how insane that $399 price tag seems compared to all the other mid-sized tablets out there. But then again, that's a comparison to relatively old, less-powerful hardware. As we said before, the Note 8.0's competing in a league of its own -- at least, for the time being. We may not be so sweet on the S Pen anymore, but its inclusion is more of a bonus than anything else. All told, the US Note 8.0 is a solid product. In fact, it's quite nearly the Swiss Army knife of Android tablets. Or, it would've been, if Samsung had just left those damn HSPA+ radios intact.

The pickings are rather slim in the ~8in Android tablet space. The old Galaxy Tab 8.9 is heavily obsolete and the Kindle Fire HD 8.9 is so heavily skinned it might as well not be an Android device.

I'm not a huge fan of the Note 8's design language, adding the physical buttons is a step backwards and the price tag of 399 is about 100 dollars above where it should be IMO.

 

[lothar]

Exynos 4412@1.6Ghz, 2GB of RAM, SD slot, 1280x800 LCD for $399.
I stopped reading as soon as I saw the specs and the price.

This is almost as bad as Apple's $329 iPad Mini pricing.

 

[Bateluer]

Exynos 4412@1.6Ghz, 2GB of RAM, SD slot, 1280x800 LCD for $399.
I stopped reading as soon as I saw the specs and the price.

This is almost as bad as Apple's $329 iPad Mini pricing.

Well, everything but the screen resolution is pretty solid. Exynos 4412 is the same SoC that powers the Note 2 and the Note 10.1, and its no slouch. 2GB of RAM is nice, expandable storage really nice.

 

[s44]

Exynos 4412@1.6Ghz, 2GB of RAM, SD slot, 1280x800 LCD for $399.
I stopped reading as soon as I saw the specs and the price.

This is almost as bad as Apple's $329 iPad Mini pricing.

Apple prices don't budge. This will be great when it goes on sale.

But yeah, not a $400 device at 12*8. Did I read somewhere that there's a limitation to the digitizer's resolution?

 

[Mopetar]

The screen seems like a bit of a letdown (the next version will probably be a retina display of some sort) but the 2 gigs of RAM will be nice. Tablets have always felt more limited than PCs for that reason, but we're approaching the point where it won't matter soon. Next year we'll have 3GB and in another two the cutting edge tablets will probably have 4GB. Unless web pages and apps become a lot more bloated, most people will be hard pressed to chew through that much memory with casual use.

 

[Mopetar]

Apple prices don't budge. This will be great when it goes on sale.

But yeah, not a $400 device at 12*8. Did I read somewhere that there's a limitation to the digitizer's resolution?

Makes sense. Either that or Samsung doesn't have the production capacity to make retina displays for it. With all the phones they've been making, they must be fairly supply constrained in some areas.

 

[s44]

Next year we'll have 3GB

My bet is 4GB by Christmas.

T4 supports it already, and with dual-channel it's the logical next step.

 

[darkswordsman17]

People complain about Apple but wow Samsung's tablets are just out of touch in my opinion, but they're still selling.

Also, I'm really starting to wonder if Wacom is charging a ridiculous amount to license their tech. We basically just have these halfbaked Samsung models at too high of prices and the Surface Pro which many consider priced too high.

 

[krumme]

Agree this is absolutely to expensive, and therefore only relevant to those who needs the pen. This will not sell in huge numbers.

But still, if you need the pen, the screen is way above IP mini as well as performance and added functionality.

Theverge stupid Apple bias, gets through here as usual. Not mentioning the ipad mini as well and ipad2 screen just is stoneage compared to this pls screen.

"Plastic problem" ?? Get out of here, i have seen enough ipad wrapped in ugly rubber. Pathetic.

 

[ponyo]

$399 with HSPA+ radio and I would be excited.
$399 wifi US model? No thanks.

 

[Chocu1a]

Resolution is limited by the wacom digitizer.
I want one of these, but for $20-$30 more you can get a Note 10.1.

 

[Dari]

The resolution is fine. I don't understand the obsession with such high resolutions on tiny devices. Then people complain about battery life or heft or how there's nothing to take advantage of it. Even if there was, the novelty of high resolution images wears off quickly from the distance you're holding it. So long as this device comes with a good note-taking program then it's worth it.

 

[Capt Caveman]

I think 8" screens are so much better than 7" ones for viewing content in portrait mode but there's nothing special about this tablet.

 

[Roland00Address]

Apple prices don't budge. This will be great when it goes on sale.

But yeah, not a $400 device at 12*8. Did I read somewhere that there's a limitation to the digitizer's resolution?

Wacom uses a 1920x1080 panel on the Microsoft Surface (10.6). This is 208 pixels per inch. The note 8 uses a panel that is 188 pixels per inch.

If you scale the surface down to 10.6" with the same pixels per inch you get 208 pixels per inch (the note 8 screen dimensions are 6.8 inches by 4.25 inches for a total of 8 inches diagonal), you get 1414x884 pixels. To get a 1440x900 pixels screen (a nice ratio for 16x10 monitors) all you need to do is boost your pixel density from 208 pixels to 212 pixels per inch. This is completely doable.

 

[Bateluer]

I want one of these, but for $20-$30 more you can get a Note 10.1.

What if the individual doesn't want a 10in tablet? Like I said in my op, ~8in devices are slim pickings.

 

[Midwayman]

Wonder what the street price will be? That is at least the nice thing with Samsung. Street price and MSRP are different. At $350ish I could see it being worthwhile.

 

[Geekbabe]

I'll have to get some hands on time with one of these. I love my Note 2, getting to experience the S-pen on the 8 inch screen would be nice.

 

[Bateluer]

Note 8 is in stock at Newegg.com and bestbuy.com. BB shows its instock and available at local B&M in Phoenix too. Not sold on it though, need to go hands on personally. But I'd really like to sell off my Tab 8.9 for something with a little more oomph.

 

[Bateluer]

Cnet seems to like the screen.
Thats not one of the high points, though I've yet to see a Note 8 in person.

http://reviews.cnet.com/tablets/samsung-galaxy-note-8/4505-3126_7-35618822.html

I'd like to see Android Police review this after their scathing review of the Note 10.1.

 

[Ravynmagi]

I want a good 7 or 8 inch tablet (something even better than the Nexus 7). But I just don't need the digitizer that badly and would rather have a higher resolution display. The Exynos 4 I guess is still a decent SoC, but isn't the Mali-400 a bit dated these days? And I wish Samsung would put a little texture on the back of their tablets for better grip (not sure how much the glossiness would bother me in the smaller 8 inch size).

I think I'll just wait to see what the next Nexus 7 tablet looks like (though it'll probably not arrive until July or so).

 

[StrangerGuy]

Exynos 4412@1.6Ghz, 2GB of RAM, SD slot, 1280x800 LCD for $399.
I stopped reading as soon as I saw the specs and the price.

This is almost as bad as Apple's $329 iPad Mini pricing.

Almost as bad? It makes the iPad Mini a steal IMO and for the masses.

Considering Samsung has to undercut Apple to get them to where they are now, this thing is going to flop. Hard.

 

[Puddle Jumper]

Note 8 is in stock at Newegg.com and bestbuy.com. BB shows its instock and available at local B&M in Phoenix too. Not sold on it though, need to go hands on personally. But I'd really like to sell off my Tab 8.9 for something with a little more oomph.

I'm also considering a new 7-8" tablet but I'm waiting to the what SoC the 7" Surface will be getting before making any decisions, if it is Bay Trail or AMD I'll be going that route.

Almost as bad? It makes the iPad Mini a steal IMO and for the masses.

Considering Samsung has to undercut Apple to get them to where they are now, this thing is going to flop. Hard.

The iPad Mini is terrible for the price, despite what the iPhans claim it's obvious that it's running an obsolete SoC in everyday usage and the display is subpar at best. The Note 8 has more than double the cpu power, much better ppi, and much more ram, all of which will be very visible to the end user.

 

[Bateluer]

My local Best Buy had Note 8s in stock so I went hands on when their floor unit this afternoon.

This is a decent tablet. The screen is quite good, at 8in, the 1280x800 resolution is fine. Could be better, but its not a deal breaker. Text is sharp, colors are good, brightness has a wide range.

Its fast. In the time I played with it, including web browsing, multiwindow between browsers, note apps, gallery, etc, there was nary a hiccup to be seen.

Its also definitely a Samsung device, obviously it follow the same design logic as the GS, GS4, Note 2, and a lot of the Note 10.1. While it felt sturdy and light in the hand, the slick plastic seems like it'd collect finger prints and become slick in your hands if there was any sweat. A thin layer of soft touch rubber would do wonders for the feel of the Note 8.

If the Note 8 was 350 or less, I probably would have walked out with one. At 299, I would definitely have bought one. But, at 399, its a tough pill to swallow. I think my opinions echo what the reviews have said.

My personal opinion here, but I love the ~8in tablets. They're large enough to use more than a phone, getting all the positives of the 10in tablets with none of the draw backs. Right now, I think the only 8in devices shipping are the Lenova A2109, the Kindle Fire HD 8.9, and the Note 8. And of these, the Note 8 is undeniably superior. The 8in range is completely under served.

 

[StrangerGuy]

The iPad Mini is terrible for the price, despite what the iPhans claim it's obvious that it's running an obsolete SoC in everyday usage and the display is subpar at best. The Note 8 has more than double the cpu power, much better ppi, and much more ram, all of which will be very visible to the end user.

I'm talking about mass appeal here, and for that specs really doesn't matter. If most people doesn't mind the lack of retina screen which is by far the most obvious thing to them, they definitely are not going to care for the stuff inside. Price is a far more powerful factor in the buying decision.

 

[Rifter]

$399 with HSPA+ radio and I would be excited.
$399 wifi US model? No thanks.

Yeah this is pretty weak of them to gimp it with wifi only. Especially at the price point they chose.