Soon after Samsung unveiled the Galaxy Note 8 last night, the first batch of hands-on posts and videos on the device went live. The Galaxy Note 8 is among the most anticipated devices to launch this year with its big and beautiful 6.3-inch QHD+ Infinity Display alone making users go bonkers over it.
On paper, you are going to find very little to complain about the Galaxy Note 8. But how does the phone feel to use in real-world? Let’s see what the hands-on of other formidable publications out there suggests.
Ars Technica
Ron Amadeo’s hands on of the Galaxy Note 8 highlights just how similar the device is to the Galaxy S8. While this means that all the strengths of the S8 are also present on the Galaxy Note 8 — great build quality, a beautiful display, oodles of raw horsepower, it also comes with the same set of weakness. The Galaxy S8 was widely criticised for its oddly placed fingerprint scanner location and Samsung has continued to place it in the same spot on the Galaxy Note 8 as well. This will make unlocking the Note 8 a frustrating experience, much like the Galaxy S8 before it.
The fingerprint reader is a real poster child for questioning why the Note line exists. If the launches are so close together that you can’t do anything about the Galaxy S8’s biggest flaw, why are you bothering? It really stings that the fastest, easiest, best form of authentication might as well not exist on the Note8. I suspect that, like the S8, I’ll end up ignoring both the fingerprint reader and the iris scanner and go back to the old-school PIN or pattern as my primary phone authentication.
Read: Galaxy Note 8 Hands On
Android Central
The publication praises Samsung’s engineers for nailing the hardware design on the Note 8 — a trend which started with the Galaxy S8 earlier this year. Despite its slim frame, the Note 8 features a beautiful design and packs all the hardware features you can think of — iris scanner, IP68 certification, headphone jack, and a bezel-less display.
It notes that the new glossy coating on the Note 8’s chassis helps make it feel more like a part of the glass rather than being a separate piece of metal.
The aluminum frame still stands solid as ever, but with how it’s finished in a glossy coating and flowing into the glass on front and back feels more like a continuation of the glass than anything else. That’s particularly apparent when you look at the black Note 8, which is monolithic and featureless at a glance.
The hands on also notes that Samsung’s UI Experience on the Note 8 is very similar to that of the Galaxy S8 with some improvements and S Pen related features being added to the mix.
Read: Galaxy Note 8 Hands On
The Verge
Like with other hands-on of the Note 8, The Verge’s hands on of the device praises its design and gigantic screen at the front. The media outlet also highlights the resemblance of the Galaxy Note 8 and the S8 in its video.
The handy Screen Off Memo is also demoed in the video along with Live Message.
If you are looking to pick up the Galaxy Note 8 over the Galaxy S8, it has to be due to the slightly bigger screen, S Pen, and the dual-camera setup at the rear.
MrMobile
MrMobile’s Galaxy Note 8 hands on impressions pretty much match up with what other publications have said about the device. The 6.3-inch display on the Note 8 is easier to handle thanks to the lack of bezels, though due to its tall aspect ratio, it is still not possible to use it one handed all the times.
What do you think about the Galaxy Note 8 based on the above hands on impressions? Impressive? Worth buying? Drop a comment and let us know!
