Galaxy Note 8 Contract Deals – How To Find Them
The Samsung Galaxy Note8 with XXL display, dual camera and very powerful hardware is one to watch. It has since been replaced by the Galaxy Note 9, and soon the Note 10, but is it still worth considering as Samsung still manufacture it? Let's find out...
2017's top model from the South Koreans offered many additional functions - such as the comfortable S-pen operation. After the debacle that was the Galaxy Note 7, the entire technology world looked forward to the successor.
The Galaxy Note8 is 6.3 inches and was not only the largest, but also the most expensive phablet at the time of launch, but now that it can be had for around £400, it still has a lot of luxury in the luggage. It is aimed at tech-savvy and demanding customers who are looking for a versatile all-rounder for work and play.
S-Pen is feature-ready
What distinguishes the 8 from premium-class smartphones like the Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8 +? Of course, its the S-pen - typical of the Note series. This has been supplemented with many functions that offer great added value in practice:
- Focus image areas without having to zoom in on the whole image
- Translate words and calculate currencies and units of measurements
- Write notes on the lockscreen and then attach them to the always-on display
- The S-Pen you integrate when not in use right down in the case.
Functional diversity can also be recognised with regard to the software.Our reviewer noted that it comes with Andoird 8.1, not the latest version now - but still very capable and can be upgraded anyway once the Network allows it.
Build and Design
Samsung's Note 7 was a gorgeous handset, but the Note 8 is in a different league with its Infinity Display. It's not entirely bezel-less, but it's close enough, with a screen-to-body ratio of 83 percent and an 18.5:9 aspect ratio.
In real terms, there's about a centimetre of frame visible above and below the display, but the rest is all immaculately polished and largely fingerprint-free glass, with a load more space for enjoying media and games, and for working with multiple apps at once.
On either side the panel curves right round to the frame edge, leaving only a minimal bezel top and bottom in which to house the selfie camera, speaker and various sensors. It's a different - and much preferred - design to the first 'bezel-less' phone we saw, the Xiaomi Mi Mix 3, which has only a bottom bezel and requires you to turn it upside down to use the bizarrely placed selfie camera
To achieve these slim bezels Samsung has removed the physical home button, moving the fingerprint scanner round to the rear beside the camera, and incorporating a pressure-sensitive home button within the display itself.
The latter takes a little getting used to, but you can always wake up the phone using the power button (don't get it confused with the dedicated Bixby button, as we often did) or popping out the S Pen stylus.
Samsung has come a very long way from the days of dimpled plastic covers, and it does not compromise on design.
Infinity Edge Display is intense
The near-borderless Super AMOLED screen with Quad HD+ resolution is among the best according to experts. Whether it's black level, contrast, colour reproduction or brightness - the very sharp display masters everything brilliantly and is easy to read.
The dual camera comes with 2-fold Optical Image Stabilizer (Dual-OIS), this is unusual on smartphones because most people use this feature only with the help of the main camera. According toTechAdvisor, it is recommended to familiarise yourself with the technology. Only then can strengths such as Live Focus for blur effects before and after photos and dual capture best use.
According to our reviewer, the camera performs especially well in low light; videos are also recorded excellently.
Future-proof and powerful
Its versatility is proven by combining the Note 8 with the Samsung DeX docking station. It integrates the mobile phone into your workstation with monitor, keyboard and mouse. So you can make apps, e-mail programs and text formatting on the big screen while working with multiple documents. In any case, the model shows as a future-proof working device with 6 GB of RAM and 64 GB of memory. Small weaknesses are things like the positioning of the fingerprint sensor wich is placed on the back and hard to reach for left-handers.
Even though the battery is 3300 mAh - smaller than the 3500 mAh power sender in the S8+, it comes with a quick charge function and can be charged wirelessly.
The Foned verdict
With the Galaxy Note 8 many good reasons to buy it exist - like the noble design, the brilliant OLED display and the highly regarded performance. The S-Pen is very easily integrated and distinguishes the model as the dual camera from the upscale S8 series.
The launch price was extortionate, but this has since come down a long way, and if you're not after an expensive Samsung device for the sake of it, then you could do much worse than buying the Note 8 in 2019.
Galaxy Note 8 Price UK
You can currently get a Note 8 contract for about £18 a month, with a reasonable upfront cost. If you adjust the sliders above you'll be able to find the right Note 8 on pay monthly. If you prefer to buy outright, it'll cost you about £350.
All Galaxy Note 8 colours:
- Galaxy Note 8 contract deals in Maple Gold
- Galaxy Note 8 contract deals in Black
- Galaxy Note 8 contract deals in Gold
All Galaxy Note 8 storage sizes:
Check each individual page for each size or storage capacity, to find the best deals.