In the tablet and mobile world there is no such thing as a well-kept secret and the announcement of the Samsung Galaxy Note 8.0 is no exception.
The latest offering from Samsung was unveiled this week at the Mobile World Congress 2013 and we all knew it was coming. Samsung Galaxy Note 8.0 going to be in direct competition to the iPad Mini and the Google Nexus 7.
Portable Samsung Galaxy Note 8.0
As soon as you pick up the Note, it immediately become apparent how very light and comfortable it is to hold. At 338gms you’re not going to have to concern yourself about achy wrists anytime soon. However, it’s still just that little bit too big to get a real grasp on comfortably.
What’s under the hood
The unit is powered by an impressive 1.6GHz quad-core A9 processor and a not-too-shoddy 2GB RAM, which will keep everything under the bonnet running smoothly. The 8.0 happily moves in and out of app with the greatest of ease, making for a very satisfying experience.
Display
As you would expect, consumers will immediately compare the Note with the Google and Apple equivalents. It has 1280 x 800 pixel resolution, however, interestingly, its 189 PPI is a smidge ahead of the iPad Mini which comes in at 163.
Make calls
You can make calls on the Note, though I’m not exactly sure why anyone would want to. Pretty much everyone in the civilised world owns a phone that they take everywhere and with the exception of Dom Jolly, I can’t see anyone wanting to pull something this size out of their pocket to answer in the library.
S Pen
Again, one of the Note’s big selling points is the S Pen. Screen sensitivity has been enhanced with handwriting becoming clearer than ever. It looks good, but will it ever be anything that is regularly utilised for writing purposes? I doubt it. However, for those using it as a study aid there is the annotate feature, which allows users to make notes on the screen as they read.
5 Megapixel Camera
On the rear there is a 5 megapixel camera with a 1.3 megapixel front facing too. The camera does the job if you want to take a spontaneous picture, and that’s probably all you need. I mean, who is going to pull a tablet out of their bag to take pictures whilst on holiday or at a concert?
Saying that, whilst a lot of reviews have questioned the reasoning behind adding both a phone and camera, I have one word for them: Skype.
Other features of Samsung Galaxy Note 8.0
3G functionality, a SIM slot on the side and a microSD port, in case you want to add up to 32 GB of extra storage and has features that we have come to expect from Samsung devices, such as the S Planner and S Note.
Conclusion
After the success of the Samsung Galaxy S3, it’s no surprise that Samsung have yet another produced very nice portable device – Samsung Galaxy Note 8.0. However, no official information on the Samsung Galaxy Note 8.0 price in India, it’s impossible to really weigh it up against its competitors, so the final verdict will have to wait until another day.
Article by Vishal
Meet Vishal Gaikar, the tech wizard hailing from Pune, India, who's on a mission to decode the digital universe one blog post at a time. When he's not tinkering with gadgets or diving deep into the digital realm, you can find him concocting the perfect cup of chai or plotting his next adventure. Follow his tech escapades on Twitter and buckle up for a wild ride through the world of innovation and geekery!
