SAMSUNG'S GALAXY NOTE 8 COMES WITH A 6.3-INCH SCREEN AND DUAL CAMERA (PART 1)

How do you recover from one of the most disastrous episodes in consumer electronics history? That’s the challenge Samsung has confronted in the months leading up to today’s announcement of the Galaxy Note 8. Undeterred by the battery catastrophe that led to a complete recall and effective cancellation of the Galaxy Note 7, Samsung just unveiled its successor today.

The Galaxy Note 8 is here, and Samsung is hopeful that consumers who appreciate the Note’s features and its signature stylus will be willing to give the brand another chance after months of hearing warnings aboard airplanes and other public transit about the dangers and potential for destruction posed by the recalled smartphone. The name hasn’t changed. It is a Galaxy Note through and through, and it’s definitely the nicest one Samsung has ever made. Preorders begin tomorrow on all the major US carriers, and an unlocked model will be available at launch for the first time. The Note 8 will be released in stores on September 15th.

Samsung’s comeback strategy hasn’t been as flippant as simply moving on and making another phone. In the aftermath of fires, customer injuries, and an avalanche of bad PR, the company has established a multi-point battery safety check, which is being used for the Note 8 just as it was for the Galaxy S8 released earlier this year. So far, the biggest complaints about the S8 have been about Bixby and some displays having a red tint. Batteries haven’t burst into flames or exploded, so the S8 can be considered a successful first half of a rebound. But to truly press on, Samsung needs the Note 8 launch to come and go smoothly — even if it doesn’t break sales records for the line

The leaked photos and specs for the Note 8 have been accurate; it leans heavily on the design of the Galaxy S8 Plus, but features a display that’s slightly larger (6.3 inches instead of 6.2 inches), corners that are more squared off, and less curvature to the front side edges. It’s still very much a curved screen, but you’ve got slightly more flat surface area to work with (and write on). The Note 8 is a bit heftier than the S8+ at 195 grams (0.43 pounds) versus 173 grams (0.38 pounds), and there was a noticeable in-hand difference to me because of that. Color options include black, gray, gold, and blue, although the latter two won’t be available in the United States. That’s a shame since the blue was my favorite of the four when previewing the phone.

When talking about the Note 8’s hardware, Samsung makes a strange habit of comparing it to the two-year-old Galaxy Note 5 — as if the Note 7’s recall has fully extinguished it from history. The company says the S Pen has more levels of pressure sensitivity and is water-resistant this time around, but those things were also true of the stylus slotted inside last year’s phone. In reality, it’s basically the same S Pen.

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