Samsung Galaxy Note 8 Launched: Availability, Price, and on-point Specs

Nathan Ernest Olupot August 24, 2017

2 minutes read

South Korean-based Electronics firm, Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. on Wednesday August 23rd, 2017 launched the predecessor of its recalled Note 7 during it’s unpacked media event that was held in New York. The launch of the flagship will see it battle against its strongest rivals – the Apple’s iPhone 8 and Google’s Pixel phones which have been rumored to be launched later this year.

Samsung Galaxy Note 8 specifications
The South Korean ended all the rumors on the phablet specs. The Samsung Galaxy Note 8 is bigger than ever – literally – sporting a 6.3-inch QuadHD+ AMOLED Infinity Display of resolution 1440×2960, powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 SoC (with some markets getting the Samsung Exynos octa-core variant), comes with a 6GB RAM, 64GB of internal storage with an expandable microSD card slot.

In terms of connectivity features, the Galaxy Note has an LTE Cat 16, and also offers Bluetooth v5.0 becoming the second phablet to the Samsung phablets to receive the v5.0 Bluetooth with the first being the Galaxy S8 and S8+ flagships. The Note 8 also supports NFC and MST for Samsung Pay as well as features a USB Type-C port.

For photography, the Note 8 has dual 12MP rear cameras (as rumored) with optical image stabilization (OIS) on both the f/1.7 wide-angle lens and the f/2.4 telephoto lenses with 2x optical zoom. There’s an f/1.7 8MP camera on the front.

The Samsung Galaxy Note 8 sports a 3300mAh battery and it runs Android 7.1.1 Nougat.

The device also does offer IP68 water and dust resistances certificate, support for wireless charging, a feature that the upcoming iPhone 8 is rumored to feature as well.

With the S-Pen, users will be able to hand write a message. (Photo Courtesy)

Then, of course, the company’s signature S-Pen accessory, which they say will enable people to communicate in more personal ways than ever with the always on-display powered Galaxy Note 8. “With the S-Pen, users will be able to hand write a message, add special effects and share it as an animated GIF via several popular messaging and social apps,” the company states.

Price and Availability
The Samsung Galaxy Note 8 has been available in Midnight Black, Maple Gold, Orchid Grey, and Deepsea Blue color variants and up for pre-orders in select markets effective Thursday with shipping scheduled for September 15th.

In the US, the Note 8 base variant is priced between USD$930 (approx. 3,348,000 UGX) on AT&T and USD$960 (approx. 3,456,000 UGX) on Verizon.

Notably, what really amused us were the accessories that are coming with this handset. Samsung is making it really easier for its Note-series holders to interact with the phone. Some of the accessories are coming with it are;

1. Clear View Standing Cover – more than just protection, this cover also holds the phone at an optimal angle for viewing media on the Infinity Display. Its dedicated UX makes it easy to check alerts, take calls, and more, all without opening it up.
2. LED View Cover – that will easily allow users to check their phone and notifications at a glance and even assign custom icons to their contacts to personalize the caller ID. The covers are available in Midnight Black, Maple Gold, Orchid Grey, and Deepsea Blue color variants to match the color of the phone you acquire.
3. 2Piece Cover – the cover provides a playful vibe while maintaining the comfortable grip. The matte plastic is protective and easy to attach or detach with micro suction pads.
4. Keyboard Cover – convenient and comfortable, the Keyboard Cover offers a tactile QWERTY keyboard that needs no charging or pairing. Simply snap it onto the front of your Galaxy Note8 and start typing, then clip it onto the back when you’re done.