Galaxy Note 8 unveiled: Dual camera, dual OIS, Infinity Display, better S Pen and more

Samsung revealed the Galaxy Note 8 at its Unpacked event in New York today. While its predecessor had a rough run last year, Samsung seemed to have plans to carry on the momentum it gained from Galaxy S8 and S8 Plus, fitting the new Note with an Infinity Screen that boasts even smaller bezels.

Samsung claims to have made the S Pen, a defining feature for the galaxy Note series, even better than the previous versions. This might even give the Galaxy Note 8 an edge when it goes toe to toe with other flagships launched earlier this year like OnePlus 5, Nokia 8, and iOS contenders like Apple iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus.

The camera is another feature to look for, with this being the first dual camera set-up seen on a Samsung device.

Here's a look at what Samsung brings with the new Samsung Galaxy Note 8:

Display

The edge-to-edge Infinity display is back with the newest member of the Galaxy family by Samsung, and it's even bigger. Samsung has trimmed the bezels around the 6.3-inch screen on Note 8 even further than what was seen on S8 or S8 Plus, leaving the screen with an aspect ratio of 18.5:9. The screen comes with an eye-pleasing resolution of 2960x1440 pixels.

Camera

This is the first time a dual camera system has been seen on a smartphone by Samsung and it comes loaded. About the dual camera on Samsung Galaxy Note 8, the first is wide lens whereas the other is a telephoto lens. This also is the first dual-camera system to feature Optical Image Stabilisation in both camera units, enhancing image quality by that much.

Along with with dual camera, the Samsung Galaxy Note 8 also comes with dual pixel sensor for better photos in low light conditions. For capturing instantaneous moments, it also comes with Quick Launch, which allows the camera to be accessed easily. The camera itself is dust and water resistant, making it a perfect to capture a beach adventure. Leaks suggest that the Samsung Galaxy Note 8 to be two 12-megapixel in the back and a 8-megapixel snapper in the front.

The Samsung Galaxy Note 8 also come with a feature called Live Focus which allows the user to decide how prominently the subject stands out by the adjusting the background blur levels, before or after the picture is taken.

S Pen

Paired with the large screen and wider Infinity Display, the prospects of the S Pen have also grown manifold. Equipped with a finer tip and higher pressure sensitivity, it can now be used to create anything from fine art pieces to day-to-day tasks.

The S Pen now comes with Live Message feature which allows you can animate anything you write or draw, including scribble on photos. These animations can also be messaged for personalised touch.

The Screen Off memo feature has been improved too, allowing users to write for 100 pages without switching on the screen and edit text with double tap. Now entire texts can be translated from one language to another by moving the S Pen over them.

Bixby and Samsung DeX

Samsung's home-grown voice command application Bixby continues to grow and learn, allowing fluent conversations, with a present footprint across 200 English-speaking markets, the company claims. With Quick Commands under Bixby, you can use simple commands or phrases to do complex jobs on your Samsung Galaxy Note 8. These functions can also be customised as required.

Bixby will soon allow users to play music on Spotify, courtesy a partnership between Samsung and the digital music service. Samsung promised more exciting news in its Developers' Conference in October.

With Samsung DeX, the company is making efforts to create an ecosystem of utility and game applications, by partnering with their respective creators, specifically optimised for use on desktop, and form a seamless interface.

Performance

Although the exact processor was not disclosed at the Unpacked event, Samsung did say that the Galoaxy Note 8 will run a SoC based on 10nm architecture. This could mean a Snapdragon 835 or a Exynos processor. The phone will come with 6 GB of RAM though, which makes it able to compete with flagships from other companies.

The Samsung Galaxy Note 8 will come with 64 GB internal memory which can also be expanded using a microSD card.

Features

The Samsung Galaxy Note 8 comes with a host of security features including fingerprint sensor, iris scan, facial recognition and more.

The Samsung Galaxy Note 8 and the S Pen both are IP68 water resistant which allows them protection against occasional splashes. Samsung is offering wireless charging with the device which will charge the 3300mAh battery which runs it all.

Official Launch

The Samsung Galaxy Note 8 will be available in markets from September 15 and the pre-orders are expected to begin shortly. However, the price of the phone has not been declared yet. Reports suggest that the new Note 8 will be priced in the UK markets at 869 euros (over Rs 65,600). There is no word on the India launch either.