Samsung Galaxy Note 8 with 6.3-inch infinity display gets launched

After all the leaks, rumors and speculations, Samsung has finally launched the successor to the ill-fated Note 7- Galaxy Note 8. Pre-orders for the phablet that will be priced between $930 and $960 open today and it will be available in online and offline stores from September 15. There is no word on the India launch date yet from the company.

The device features a metal frame sandwiched between two sheets of 3D curved glass, just like on the previously launched Samsung Galaxy S8. The display is a 6.3-inch QHD+ sporting a resolution of 1,400 x 2,960 pixels in what Samsung has branded as the Infinity Display. On the back, things have changed a bit with a dual camera setup and the fingerprint reader now moving farther away from the center, which may annoy a few users. Other finer details include an IP 68 dust and water resistance rating but at 195 grams, the device weighs in a little hefty.

Buyers in the US will be treated to a Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 chipset inside, while the international model will get a Samsung-made Exynos 8890 chipset. Unlike the Samsung Galaxy S8 that packed in 4 GB RAM as standard at launch, the Note 8 will pack in 6 GB RAM (LP DDR4) with 64 GB/128GB along with a 256 GB of internal storage that is expandable via a microSD card slot.

Moving to the optics, the Galaxy Note 8 is the first smartphone from the South Korean company to pack in a dual camera setup. The device packs in two 12 MP cameras with varying lens setups. The front facing camera is an 8 MP AF unit with a f/1.7 aperture. At the back, there is a 12 MP Dual Pixel AF camera with a f/1.7 aperture and OIS paired with a wide-angle lens. The second 12 MP camera features AF along with a f/2.4 aperture and OIS but with a telephoto lens that delivers 2X optical zoom. The camera can deliver up to 10x digital zoom.

Connectivity options include 4G LTE support, Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, Bluetooth v5.0, NFC, GPS and USB Type-C. The device is also equipped with an accelerometer, barometer, fingerprint sensor, gyro sensor, a geomagnetic sensor, hall sensor, heart rate sensor, proximity sensor, RGB light sensor, iris sensor and a pressure sensor. All of the above is powered by a 3,300 mAh battery that comes with Fast Charging.

The Samsung Galaxy Note 8 runs Android 7.1.1 out of the box and will be available in Midnight Black, Orchid Gray, Maple Gold and Deepsea Blue.