Breaking news from China suggests that Samsung has decided on the Galaxy Note 8 screen size, with the forthcoming phablet benefiting from a 6.3-inch panel. The news was delivered by the increasingly significant Chinese social media site Weibo, with the leak emanating directly from an industry insider.
Small increase
The reported size of the display can perhaps be considered something of a surprise, as it would only be extremely marginally larger than the existing Galaxy S8 Plus. Samsung has tended to define the Galaxy Note range as a phablet, with the Galaxy S8 being deemed a smartphone. But this is beginning to change seemingly with Samsung having produced a large wraparound display for its Galaxy S8 Plus released earlier this year.
Aside from revealing the potential display size of the forthcoming Galaxy Note 8, the source also commented on previous reports regarding the dual-camera technology rumored to be included. ValueWalk reported on this aspect of the Galaxy Note 8 recently, and sources close to the Korean company now seem to believe that it will indeed emerge.
Most analysts concur with today’s verdict, suggesting that Samsung will attempt to produce a particularly outstanding snapper for the Galaxy Note 8, probably as a way of distinguishing it from its other smartphone releases. Not only would this provide photographic benefits for the phablet, but it would also enable the Korean consumer electronics giant to remove the unsightly bulge that has been present in recent Samsung releases.
This latest leak is indicative of the intention of Samsung to resurrect its Galaxy Note range after the disaster of the Galaxy Note 7. This probably generated more headlines than any previous device release when it was found to explode and catch fire with alarming regularity. This led to a complete recall of one of Samsung’s most important products; highly an ideal scenario for the company.
Moving on
Yet the Korean manufacturer has made a significant recovery from this seeming disaster, posting impressive earnings figures and seeing its share price recover and even make significant gains. Samsung has now also revealed a plan to release a refurbished version of the Galaxy Note 7, while its flagship Galaxy S8 release has been well received both critically and commercially. This has been welcome, considering its ongoing battle with Apple.
Meanwhile, with the Galaxy Note 8, Samsung is now expected to persist with the 18.5:9 aspect ratio that was introduced when the Galaxy S8 emerged. This will almost certainly result in a lengthy smartphone, with the 6.3-inch diagonal of its display resulting in a smartphone that is noticeably taller than existing releases.
Other specs being linked with the Galaxy Note 8 at this juncture are also impressive, with the consensus of opinion being that the phablet will be driven by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 Soc, at least in the Western marketplace. Samsung is also likely to persist with its proprietary Exynos technology in the East Asian market, but still deems the Snapdragon to be preferential for the devices that it sells in the Western world.
Benchmark revealed
The benchmarks of the latest Snapdragon have already been revealed, with improvements to battery life, charging and performance all indicated. The manufacturer firstly states that the 835 will utilize around 25 per cent less power than the previous release in the series, obviously leading to a direct improvement in battery life. Qualcomm also notes that the Snapdrgaon 835 will achieve efficiency savings of 30 per cent in some tasks, including recording video and rendering 3-D games.
QuickCharge 4, included in the 835, also promises to be a major innovation in this system. Qualcomm claims that QuickCharge 4 is 25 per cent faster than its previous processor release, while also delivering 30 per cent improved efficiency. This means that the extra speed will not result in additional heat, meaning that the Galaxy Note 8 should be convenient to use while also extremely speedy.
Speaking of speed, the Snapdragon 835 utilizes an updated version of Qualcomm’s Kryo CPU, known as the 280, clocked at a higher speed than any previous Samsung release. The four large cores in this unit run at 2.45 GHz, with the four smaller cores delivering 1.9 GHz of processing power for background tasks.
New camera and audio functionality has also been built into the 835, and it promises to make a massive contribution to what should be an exciting Galaxy Note 8 release.
Other Galaxy Note 8 specs
Samsung is also believed to be considering arming the Galaxy Note 8 with 6GB of RAM memory, while internal storage should also be extended to 256 GB. This large memory quantity will ensure that the smartphone runs like clockwork, while the internal storage is probably due to be improved. Despite the increase in storage, it is still probable that Samsung will include micro SD with this phablet.
Aside from the power-saving functionality built into the processor included in the Galaxy Note 8, the battery is also believed to be slightly larger, at 3,600 mAh. Naturally the cell included in the Galaxy Note 8 will be a particular focus for Samsung, considering that the battery was blamed for the problems associated with its predecessor. Thus, Samsung will not be willing to take too many risks with the battery used in the Galaxy Note 8, and has indeed instigated a new safety procedure in order to ensure that there is no repeat of the Galaxy Note 7 travails.
The Galaxy Note 8 is beginning to take shape, and it promises to be an exciting smartphone contender when it releases in what is assumed to be around August.
Source: Weibo.
