The line between big smartphones and small tablets blurred when a 5″ tablet was on the market, and Samsung at that time showed a 5.3″ smartphone. Now, a tablet is tacitly considered a device with a display diagonal of more than 7 inches, and a smartphone with a diagonal of less than 6.1″. Something like this. So name your Samsung new galaxy Note 8.0 smartphone - no one would understand this today, too abruptly, we are not ready for this yet. It's like a first date proposal. Therefore, Galaxy Note 8.0 is 100% tablet and 100% smartphone, today we'll see what it is.
Appearance and arrangement of elements
As soon as I started looking at the layout of the elements, I immediately asked the question: is this more a tablet, or a smartphone? You won’t poke me at the number 8.0 in the title, proving that this is definitely not a smartphone? Because 2-3 years ago, if you were told about a 5-6″ smartphone, you would not have believed it either. Let's assume that the size will please someone and will be completely comfortable, what else distinguishes the Galaxy Note 8.0 from a smartphone? For example, in most tablets with a diagonal of 7-8 "there is no conversational speaker and no questions arise. Here it is not only there, but also located in right place, and it looks like a Galaxy Note 2. And it's designed for conversations, so this device can already be a smartphone and no one will prove to me otherwise. But, in order not to breed disputes, the manufacturer called it a tablet, and you, if you want, call.
The tablet, by the way, easily fits into any jeans, even moderately fitted ones. I tried it myself.
All other elements are also in place: the volume key, lock, microUSB connector and so on. Separately, I will only note that there is an IR port on the right side - a handy thing, you can control TVs, set-top boxes, music centers and others from different manufacturers.
Galaxy Note 8.0 looks very different from all other tablets, regardless of size. It does not look more like a medium-sized tablet, but more like huge smartphone. And I even know what! Nevertheless, I cannot say that such a design is unsuccessful, it is convenient to use the tablet and this is the main thing. The case is made of plastic, the design and main controls are the same as those in the Galaxy Note 2 and Galaxy S 3/4. It is worth paying attention to the usual Samsung smartphones controls under the display - two touch keys "menu" and "back", and mechanical - "home". If there are no complaints about the latter, on the contrary, its presence turned out to be very convenient for a tablet, then touch sometimes fall under the hands when it is not required, especially in horizontal orientation devices. So you can exit the game at the most inopportune moment, for example.
The dimensions of the SGN 8.0 are slightly larger than in iPad mini, here the frame on the sides of the display is noticeably wider. At the same time, the width is the most per millimeter, just the display itself is already due to the different aspect ratio. However, in practice, this frame turned out to be convenient, SGN 8.0 allows you to take yourself by the side edge, without touching the display. And you can completely take one and the second tablet in the palm of your hand, so the SGN 8.0 wins in terms of the number of possible positions in the hand.
On the Galaxy photos Note 8.0 looks bigger than it actually is, I was sure it was wider, for example. In life, it is comfortable to hold it with one hand, if you can put it that way in relation to the tablet.
Display
The Galaxy Note 8.0 has an 8″ PLS screen with a resolution of 1280x800 pixels. I can’t say that the screen is better than the iPad mini, it’s just good, but the pixel density is higher here - 189 ppi versus 163. Upon closer inspection, the pixel grid is clearly visible, however, as well as from a distance at which it is convenient to look at the display, but it does not cause discomfort.
You need to understand that if there was a Full HD display in the tablet, this would entail at least a significant increase in the cost of the product, and, most likely, also a decrease in autonomy or an increase in thickness / weight. Viewing angles are sufficient, problems, as is the case with top Sony smartphones not here. The maximum brightness is also good, although the display fades under the sun, you can still read information from it. But the minimum brightness is beyond praise, it is so small that during the day you won’t even understand if there is an image on the display. But in complete darkness, you do not create discomfort for your vision, and for those around you.
The screen covers the glass, it is quite dense, it is difficult to squeeze through. This is nice, in most modern tablets, a slight pressure on the display surface is enough and divorces go along it.
cameras
The main camera in Galaxy Note 8.0 has a 5 MP sensor, video can be recorded at a resolution of 1280x720 pixels. The front camera is 1.3 MP, but the video only records in VGA. It’s a little unclear why this is the case with the resolution when shooting video, because the hardware allows you to shoot Full HD / HD of the main and front cameras, respectively. The photo quality is good for a tablet. Perfect for document photography. During the day, the quality of the pictures is good, but the darker it gets, the more noticeable the noise becomes. Unfortunately, it will not work to highlight something with a flash - it does not exist.
Photo examples
Video example
Specifications
Hardware tablet resembles samsung galaxy S 3, Note 2 and Note 10.1 with one exception - Note 8.0 has 2 GB of RAM. The processor is a quad-core Exynos 4412 Quad with a frequency of 1.6 GHz (by the way, in the listed models and the frequency of this processor is slightly lower - 1.4 GHz), it is paired with Mali 400MP graphics. The RAM, as I said above, is 2 GB, half of which is available to the user, the built-in memory is 16 GB. There is a slot for microSD memory cards, cards up to 64 GB are supported.
The battery capacity is 4600 mAh. That's a little more than the iPad mini, but the general impression is that the Note 8.0 runs a little less under more or less the same workload.
- Dimensions: 211.3 x 136.3 x 7.98 mm.
- The weight: 338
- Operating system: Android.
- CPU: quad-core Exynos 4412 Quad, 1.6 GHz.
- Graphic arts: Mali 400MP.
- Display: PLS, 8″, 1280 x 800, 189 ppi.
- Memory: 16 GB flash, microSD card slot.
- RAM: 2 GB.
- Camera: 5 MP, video recording in 1080p, front - 1.3 MP.
- Wireless technologies: WiFi, Bluetooth 4.0.
- Interface connectors: 3.5mm headphone jack, MicroUSB.
- Battery: Li-Pol battery 4600 mAh.
ON
The tablet is equipped with Android 4.1.2, on top of which is the usual shell for Samsung smartphone users – TouchWiz. Although the Note 8.0 looks like a large smartphone and the main orientation of the tablet and interface is vertical, it is still a tablet and any application and menu easily transforms into a landscape display.
S-Pen and software
Like the entire Galaxy Note line, our device has a stylus, or pen. It is called the S-Pen and is attached to a specially designated slot in the case, held there with a magnet. This is good, unlike a mechanically implemented clip, there is no chance that the stylus will fall out over time. The magnet will not wear off or loosen. When the pen is removed, the tablet vibrates and sends you to a dedicated desktop that encourages you to be creative.
With the help of pre-installed software, you can create graphic and handwritten notes, you can recognize formulas and handwritten text, and so on. Moreover, the stylus recognizes up to 1024 degrees of pressure, you can draw like on paper. However, there is a slight delay between the action and the reaction of the device, as before. You'll also have to get used to where the stylus hits when you touch it, though, the display doesn't touch the edge of the pen like you would with a regular pen and paper.
In addition to the well-known powerful S-Note application, the Galaxy Note 8.0 comes with aNote, or Awesome Note, which is well known to iOS users. This is a very functional planner and notepad that can, in fact, replace all other applications of this kind. By the way, the application was not released for Android in general, even on the manufacturer's website there is a die on top: for iPhone, iPad and Samsung Galaxy Note. Unfortunately, the Samsung version does not sync with Google Drive and Evernote.
Price
It's time to compare the Samsung Galaxy 8.0 with its main competitors. The main competitor, hardly anyone will argue, is the iPad mini. You can also add a number of 7″ tablets here, but I won’t do this, there are too many of them, I don’t want to compare with everyone. The situation is as follows, in order to compare prices, you need to choose similar configurations, SGN 8.0 has 3G and 16 GB of memory (let's close our eyes to MicroSD, just remember this). So we will compare the iPad mini in the configuration with LTE and 16 GB. The latter will cost about $100 less when compared minimum prices for one and the second in Ukraine. At the same time, the iPad has an aluminum case (some will not consider this an advantage, but it's worth remembering) and App Store with many applications. What will Samsung brag about in response? Let's go point by point.
Information about the make, model, and alternative names of a particular device, if any.
Design
Information about the dimensions and weight of the device, presented in different units of measurement. Used materials, suggested colors, certificates.
| Width Width information refers to the horizontal side of the device in its standard orientation during use. | 210.8 mm (millimeters) 21.08 cm (centimeters) 0.69ft 8.3in |
| Height Height information refers to the vertical side of the device in its standard orientation during use. | 135.9 mm (millimeters) 13.59 cm (centimeters) 0.45 ft 5.35in |
| Thickness Information about the thickness of the device in different units measurements. | 8 mm (millimeters) 0.8 cm (centimeters) 0.03 ft 0.31in |
| The weight Information about the weight of the device in different units of measurement. | 338 g (grams) 0.75 lbs 11.92oz |
| Volume Approximate volume of the device, calculated from dimensions provided by the manufacturer. Refers to devices with the shape of a rectangular parallelepiped. | 229.18 cm³ (cubic centimeters) 13.92 in³ (cubic inches) |
SIM card
The SIM card is used in mobile devices to store data that certifies the authenticity of mobile service subscribers.
Mobile networks
A mobile network is a radio system that allows multiple mobile devices to communicate with each other.
Mobile technologies and data rates
Communication between devices in mobile networks is carried out through technologies that provide different data transfer rates.
Operating system
The operating system is the system software that manages and coordinates the operation of the hardware components in the device.
SoC (System on a Chip)
System on a chip (SoC) includes all the most important hardware components of a mobile device in one chip.
| SoC (System on a Chip) System on a chip (SoC) integrates various hardware components such as processor, GPU, memory, peripherals, interfaces, etc., as well as the software necessary for their operation. | Samsung Exynos 4 Quad 4412 |
| Technological process Information about the technological process by which the chip is made. The value in nanometers measures half the distance between the elements in the processor. | 32 nm (nanometers) |
| Processor (CPU) The main function of the processor (CPU) of a mobile device is the interpretation and execution of instructions contained in software applications. | ARM Cortex-A5 |
| Processor bit depth The bit depth (bits) of a processor is determined by the size (in bits) of registers, address buses, and data buses. 64-bit processors have higher performance than 32-bit processors, which, in turn, are more productive than 16-bit processors. | 32 bit |
| Instruction Set Architecture Instructions are commands by which the software sets/controls the operation of the processor. Information about the instruction set (ISA) that the processor can execute. | ARMv7 |
| First level cache (L1) Cache memory is used by the processor to reduce access time to more frequently accessed data and instructions. L1 (level 1) cache is small and much faster than system memory, and other cache levels. If the processor does not find the requested data in L1, it continues to look for them in the L2 cache. With some processors, this search is performed simultaneously in L1 and L2. | 32 kB + 32 kB (kilobytes) |
| Second level cache (L2) L2 (level 2) cache is slower than L1, but in return it has a larger capacity, allowing more data to be cached. It, like L1, is much faster than system memory (RAM). If the processor does not find the requested data in L2, it continues to look for it in the L3 cache (if available) or RAM. | 1024 KB (kilobytes) 1 MB (megabytes) |
| Number of processor cores The processor core executes program instructions. There are processors with one, two or more cores. Having more cores increases performance by allowing many instructions to be executed in parallel. | 4 |
| Processor clock speed The clock speed of a processor describes its speed in terms of cycles per second. It is measured in megahertz (MHz) or gigahertz (GHz). | 1600 MHz (megahertz) |
| Graphics Processing Unit (GPU) Graphics Processing Unit (GPU) handles calculations for various 2D/3D graphic applications. AT mobile devices it is used most often by games, consumer interface, video applications, etc. | ARM Mali-400 MP4 |
| Number of GPU cores Like the CPU, the GPU is made up of several working parts called cores. They handle the graphical calculations of different applications. | 4 |
| Volume random access memory(RAM) Random access memory (RAM) is used by the operating system and all installed applications. Data stored in RAM is lost when the device is turned off or restarted. | 2 GB (gigabytes) |
| Type of random access memory (RAM) Information about the type of random access memory (RAM) used by the device. | LPDDR2 |
Built-in memory
Each mobile device has a built-in (non-removable) memory with a fixed amount.
Memory cards
Memory cards are used in mobile devices to increase the storage capacity for storing data.
Screen
The screen of a mobile device is characterized by its technology, resolution, pixel density, diagonal length, color depth, etc.
| Type/technology One of the main characteristics of the screen is the technology by which it is made and on which the image quality of information directly depends. | TFT |
| Diagonal For mobile devices, the screen size is expressed in terms of its diagonal length, measured in inches. | 8 in 203.2 mm (millimeters) 20.32 cm (centimeters) |
| Width Approximate Screen Width | 6.78in 172.31 mm (millimeters) 17.23 cm (centimeters) |
| Height Approximate Screen Height | 4.24in 107.7 mm (millimeters) 10.77 cm (centimeters) |
| Aspect Ratio The ratio of the dimensions of the long side of the screen to its short side | 1.6:1 16:10 |
| Permission Screen resolution indicates the number of pixels vertically and horizontally on the screen. More a high resolution means sharper image detail. | 1280 x 800 pixels |
| Pixel Density Information about the number of pixels per centimeter or inch of the screen. Higher density allows information to be shown on the screen in clearer detail. | 189 ppi (pixels per inch) 74 ppcm (pixels per centimeter) |
| Color depth Screen color depth reflects the total number of bits used for the color components in a single pixel. Information about the maximum number colors that the screen can show. | 24 bit 16777216 flowers |
| Screen area Approximate percentage of screen space on the front of the device. | 64.99% (percentage) |
| Other characteristics Information about other functions and features of the screen. | capacitive Multitouch |
Sensors
Different sensors perform different quantitative measurements and convert physical indicators into signals that are recognized by the mobile device.
Main camera
The main camera of a mobile device is usually located on the back of the case and is used for taking photos and videos.
| Flash type The most common types of flashes in mobile devices cameras are LED and xenon flashes. LED flashes give a softer light and, unlike brighter xenon flashes, are also used for video shooting. | LED |
| Image Resolution One of the main characteristics of mobile device cameras is their resolution, which indicates the number of pixels in the horizontal and vertical direction of an image. | 2592 x 1944 pixels 5.04 MP (megapixels) |
| Video resolution Information about the maximum supported resolution for video recording by the device. | 1920 x 1080 pixels 2.07 MP (megapixels) |
| Video - frame rate/frames per second. Information about the maximum number of frames per second (fps) supported by the device when shooting video at the maximum resolution. Some of the main standard shooting and video playback speeds are 24p, 25p, 30p, 60p. | 30 fps (frames per second) |
| Characteristics Information about other software and hardware features related to the main camera and improving its functionality. | autofocus geo tags panoramic shooting Touch focus Face recognition Adjusting the white balance ISO setting |
Additional camera
Additional cameras are usually mounted above the screen of the device and are mainly used for video calls, gesture recognition, etc.
Audio
Information about the type of speakers and audio technologies supported by the device.
Radio
The radio of the mobile device is a built-in FM receiver.
Location determination
Information about navigation and location technologies supported by the device.
WiFi
Wi-Fi is a technology that provides wireless communication for short distance data transmission between different devices.
Bluetooth
Bluetooth is a standard for secure wireless data transfer between different types of devices over short distances.
USB
USB (Universal Serial Bus) is an industry standard that allows different electronic devices to communicate.
HDMI
HDMI (High-Definition Multimedia Interface) is a digital audio/video interface that replaces older analog audio/video standards.
Headphone jack
This is an audio connector, which is also called an audio jack. The most widely used standard in mobile devices is the 3.5mm headphone jack.
Connecting devices
Information about other important connection technologies supported by the device.
Browser
A web browser is a software application for accessing and viewing information on the Internet.
Video file formats/codecs
Mobile devices support various video file formats and codecs, which store and encode/decode digital video data, respectively.
Battery
Mobile device batteries differ from each other in their capacity and technology. They provide the electrical charge they need to function.
| Capacity The capacity of a battery indicates the maximum charge it can store, measured in milliamp-hours. | 4600 mAh (milliamp-hours) |
| Type of The type of battery is determined by its structure and, more specifically, by the chemicals used. There are different types of batteries, with lithium-ion and lithium-ion polymer batteries being the most commonly used in mobile devices. | Li-Ion (Li-Ion) |
| Talk time 2G Talk time in 2G is the period of time during which the battery charge is completely discharged during a continuous conversation in a 2G network. | 8 h (hours) 480 min (minutes) 0.3 days |
| 3G talk time Talk time in 3G is the period of time during which the battery is completely discharged during a continuous conversation in a 3G network. | 8 h (hours) 480 min (minutes) 0.3 days |
| Characteristics Information about some additional features device battery. | Fixed |
It was presented in February this year at MWC 2013. In my opinion, in this moment The Note 8.0 is the quintessence of all that is good about the Galaxy Note line. However, first things first.
Specifications Samsung Galaxy Note 8.0
| Samsung Galaxy Note 8.0 | |
|---|---|
| Operating system | Google Android 4.1.2 |
| Display | 8 inches, PLS, 1280x800 dots, 16 million colors, touch (capacitive matrix + Wacom digitizer) |
| CPU | Exynos 4 Quad, four ARM Cortex-A9 cores, clocked at 1.6 GHz; integrated video accelerator Mali-400MP |
| RAM | 2 GB |
| Flash memory | 16 or 32 GB + microSDXC card slot (up to 64 GB) |
| Camera | 5 MP, autofocus, HD video recording (720p); front-camera 1.3 MP for video calls |
| Wireless technologies | Wi-Fi a/b/g/n (2.4/5 GHz), Bluetooth 4.0, GSM/GPRS/EDGE 850/900/1800/1900, HSPA 850/900/1900/2100 |
| Interfaces | micro-USB, headphone output 3.5 mm |
| GPS | Yes |
| Dimensions and weight | 211x136x8 mm, 338 grams |
Samsung Galaxy Note 8.0 video review
Appearance and design
To be frank, I have an ambivalent attitude to the design of the Galaxy Note 8.0. I don't quite like the way this device looks: I like strict straight lines more than smooth curves. The main body material here is white polycarbonate, which, in terms of tactile sensations, is significantly inferior to aluminum, which is used to make competing products (for example, iPad mini).
Along with this, I can not help but admit that in terms of ergonomics, Note 8.0 worked out amazingly. It lies well in the hand, both in portrait and landscape orientation, which is facilitated by its low weight and its (weight) good distribution. All buttons are located so that the user will not have any dislocation of fingers or calluses from the constant groping for a carefully disguised lock key (which can "boast" HTC One). Even the S Pen stylus slot is located in such a way that the stylus is easy to reach with the right hand, if the tablet is held in the left. In essence, this is good design: it is not visible, but at the same time it makes the device as pleasant as possible to use.
Personally, I had no complaints about the build quality of the test copy of the Galaxy Note 8.0.
Screen
The Samsung Galaxy Note 8.0 uses an 8-inch PLS-matrix with a resolution of 1280x800 (16:10 aspect ratio). This screen has wide viewing angles, and its only major drawback is the narrow color gamut that falls short of the standard sRGB gamut (because of this, the colors look less saturated than they should). At the same time, the uniformity of the gradients and the stability of the color temperature are very good. The measured maximum brightness value is 366 cd/m 2 , the contrast ratio is 480:1.
Software and functionality
In terms of functionality, Samsung Galaxy Note 8.0 is very similar to Note 10.1, adjusted for the fact that the operating system is used here. android system 4.1.2 and not a tablet, but a smartphone version of the TouchWiz shell, for which the portrait screen orientation is the main one. In general, it seems to me that there is not a single person left on earth who has never seen the notorious TouchWiz, so I will not waste extra words, but simply show you screenshots.
Working with the S Pen is again organized in exactly the same way as in the Galaxy Note 10.1. All the features that I loved so much in the Note 10.1 (formula recognition, contour clipping, and handwriting recognition that works perfectly) are present in the Galaxy Note 8.0.
Multi-window (or rather, two-window) mode, which allows you to work with two applications in parallel, began to work much better. If in Note 10.1 switching between two programs located on the screen occurred with delays, then in Note 8.0 everything is in order, working with two applications at the same time can be called really comfortable.
Performance and autonomy
The Samsung Galaxy Note 8.0 uses an Exynos 4 Quad processor, combining four ARM Cortex-A9 cores with a maximum clock speed of 1.6 GHz and a Mali-400MP graphics accelerator. In other words, hardware this tablet is completely similar to the Galaxy Note II and shows exactly the same results in benchmarks.
Time battery life The Galaxy Note 8.0 is about the same as other compact tablets - with occasional use, you can expect 4-6 days of autonomy, with heavy use, the device lasts for a couple of days. In HD video playback at half screen brightness, the Note 8.0 lasted 8 hours - not best result but quite worthy.
In the dry matter
In my opinion, Galaxy Note 8.0 can be called the "golden mean" in the Galaxy Note line: after all, it has a much larger screen than even the largest phone, but at the same time it is much more portable than full-sized (10-inch) tablets, which allows comfortably hold it with one hand while taking notes with the other. The advantages of the device include good performance, high-quality screen, advanced functionality and very good autonomy.
I consider the Galaxy Note 8.0 one of the best Android tablets currently available and definitely the best in the 7-8" segment, which led us to give it a "We Recommended" editorial award.
4 reasons to buy Samsung Galaxy Note 8.0:
- good performance;
- excellent ergonomics;
- S Pen with Wacom technology;
- thoughtful set of pre-installed software.
1 reason not to buy Samsung Galaxy Note 8.0:
- narrow screen color gamut.