Samsung Galaxy Note 8 launch: Everything we know about the device so far

Samsung Mobile today is geared up to **announce** its all-new Samsung Galaxy Note 8 smartphone phablet. The Note 8 will be announced at an event in New York held at 11 AM EDT meaning fans in India will be able to **catch the livestream**  at 8:30 PM IST on Wednesday 23 August. [caption id=“attachment_3887731” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] The Samsung Galaxy Note 8. Twitter/ @evleaks[/caption] Despite several rumours after the Note 7 disaster, Samsung has retained the Note branding and seems to have not given up on its phablet with a stylus. And this makes sense since Samsung was the company to start this segment from scratch, with the original Samsung Galaxy Note (N7000) that was launched back in October of 2011. Everyone’s anxious and Samsung has plenty riding on the not just on the launch of the Note 8, but the design of the device itself, thanks to the Note 7 incident. To recall, Samsung’s Note 7 units **started catching fire late last year** . Design While the Galaxy S8 and S8+ models, clearly set a new benchmark for Android smartphones, the Note 8 is expected to take this a bit further, by stretching the Infinity Display deeper into the corners of the front face. From the **leaked renders** we have so far, the design almost resembles the Galaxy S8 from the front, save for the less rounded corners. The construction is expected to be the same with a metal chassis sandwiched between two sheets of curved 3D glass on both sides. [caption id=“attachment_3887733” align=“alignnone” width=“825”] The Samsung Galaxy Note 8. Venture Beat[/caption] While cameras have been aligned horizontally at the back, the fingerprint reader seems to have moved to an even more extreme side (right from the back) instead of being pushed down to a more usable top centre alignment. Looks like iris recognition will still be the easiest way to unlock this beast of a smartphone. Apart from the above, we can also expect a new stylus, with added features. As for colour options, the Samsung Galaxy Note 8 should be available in gold, Midnight Black, Artic Silver, Orchid Gray, Coral Blue, Dark Blue, Pink and Deep See Blue. These finishes would obviously be market dependant. Specifications As for the specifications of the soon to be launched Note 8, Samsung’s adding something special this time around. This would be the presence of a **dual camera setup** on the back, which would be a first for Samsung’s flagship lineup of smartphones globally. Samsung is a bit late to the game, but it should have a few software tricks along with a **3X optical zoom** up its sleeves apart from delivering some top notch sensors and that expected f/1.7 aperture lens setup. Coming to the specifications that have leaked out so far, the device is expected to sport a 6.3-inch QHD+ display sporting a resolution of 1440 x 2960 pixels with an 18.5:9 aspect ratio. The unit would be a bendable Super AMOLED display and like the S8 it to is expected to be branded as an Infinity Display, meaning that it would stretch from edge to edge and curve along the left and right bezels. [caption id=“attachment_3913573” align=“alignnone” width=“825”] Image Courtesy: Weibo @Reviewer[/caption] Delving deeper, there should be a Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 inside for the US market and the Exynos 8895 chipset globally. Unlike the Galaxy S8 and S8+ models that launched with 4 GB RAM (a 6 GB RAM variant was launched recently in India) the Note 8 is expected to pack in 6 GB RAM as standard. Accompanying that RAM would be 64 GB of internal storage that should be expandable via a microSD card slot. There was also news about the phablet arriving with **two storage variants** which would include a 128 GB model at launch. According to a recent leak, a **256 GB internal storage variant** is also expected to be launched in China or South Korea at a later date. Powering all of the above would be a 3,300 mAh battery that should be charged wirelessly or via a USB Type-C port at the bottom. Lastly, expect the Galaxy Note 8 to be Samsung’s third flagship smartphone to feature its intelligent voice assistant Bixby. The company only yesterday made Bixby available in 200 countries globally, after a limited rollout to the US and South Korea initially. Also expected to be announced are some Bixby-powered earphones. As for the operating system, expect the Note 8 to be powered by Android 7.0 Nougat with the usual Samsung customisations, only this time around, there will be 6 GB of RAM, so the user interface should run lighter. Pricing and Availability As of now, there are no solid details regarding the price of the Samsung Galaxy Note 8. The device is expected to go on pre-order in a number of countries soon after the launch. In fact, even Amazon India has put up a banner ad with a “Notify me when available” button for those who are interested in the device post launch. Expect the device to be launched in India by mid-September.