Now that Samsung has officially confirmed that the Galaxy Note 8 is real, there are still unanswered questions. For example, what size will its display be? How safe is the battery tech inside it? And ultimately, when will it launch? Today we’re going to take a look at the latest information, which may go some way to answering that, and also share a few of the latest rumors about its specs.
Galaxy Note 8 at IFA Berlin
The Galaxy Club appears to have spoken to a Samsung insider. This insider apparently revealed that the manufacturer is planning on unveiling the Galaxy Note 8 at IFA Berlin. So that means we could find out more official details about the phablet between September 1 and 6.
Launch date
The insider declined to reveal the launch date to the Galaxy Club. However, because Samsung has said the Galaxy Note 8 will arrive this year, most likely in the fourth quarter, is late September possible? We think it is because, while Apple remains silent on the release date for the iPhone 8 (or even its existence), the rumored tenth anniversary device, it’s possible that Samsung has figured out the problems which caused the Galaxy S8 to miss out on certain features. And now, features like a fingerprint scanner embedded in the display and dual-lens setup could find their way onto the Galaxy Note 8.
So could Samsung be planning on launching the Galaxy Note 8 in late September or early October? The answer is that we don’t know for sure. However, it’s highly likely that Samsung would want to steal the show from Apple by presenting a device that takes the Note line to the next level.
It’s clear that Apple and Samsung are racing to embed certain technologies within their devices. The question is whether it matters which one launches first. Surely, Samsung should be focusing on making sure the Note 8 is more reliable than its predecessor, while Apple should be looking to create something which inspires its fans to want to upgrade again.
Regarding the Galaxy Note 8, here are the latest rumors about its features and possible specs.
Dual-lens camera
In a recent research note published by KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, the prominent smartphone soothsayer has predicted details about the camera. According to him, the Galaxy Note 8 will have a dual-lens camera setup that is superior to that found in the iPhone 7 Plus.
In the note, Kuo, suggests that the dual-lens camera will be the handset’s “most significant update” compared to its predecessor. It’s thought that the camera will feature a 13MP wide-angle lens and a 12MP telephoto lens. Additionally, OIS (Optical Image Stabilization) with six-element lenses and 3x optical zoom will likely be present.
Note8 and Note3 side-by-side #Note8 #Samsung #NextGalaxy #iPhone8 #UnboxYourPhone @SuperSaf @EveryApplePro pic.twitter.com/HZOWlKSWnL
— Poyoco Tech (@PoyocoTech) June 6, 2017
Design
Yesterday, a tweet appeared which showed how the Galaxy Note 8 will likely compare to the Galaxy Note 3. This comparison image showed the rear of each device and supposedly indicates that their camera layouts are very similar. If you take a look at the tweet above, there’s no way to know if that’s what the real back of the Note 8 will look like.
However, previous rumors have indicated that the next Note will use the same design aesthetics as the Galaxy S8, although we do expect Samsung to move that design a little further along. What the changes will be is anyone’s guess, but we hope they offer some changes to the Bixby button and a new S Pen design. The above tweet suggests a vertically-aligned dual-lens camera and possibly a fingerprint scanner embedded in the screen.
Android Nougat, not Android O
To back up our September/October Galaxy Note 8 launch prediction, one of the latest rumors suggests that Samsung won’t wait for Android O. Instead, it’s thought it will go with Android 7.1.1 Nougat, which would mean the handset could launch much sooner than expected.
Note8? pic.twitter.com/aZPsIevLbF
— 电流_Current (@MMDDJ_) May 25, 2017
Bezel-less display
Late last month, a tweet supposedly showing a video of the Galaxy Note 8’s front panel appeared. This, apparently to some, confirmed that the phablet would indeed feature an S8-style bezel-less display with an 18.5:9 ratio. It’s also possible to make out in the leaked video that the handset features a black finish. Will this be the only color on offer? We don’t know, but we consider that to be highly unlikely.
Screen size
A recent leak on the Chinese social media platform Weibo attempted to confirm that the Galaxy Note 8 will be the biggest Note ever. According to the leak, it will have a 6.4-inch Infinity display, making it the largest Note and bigger than the Galaxy S8 Plus. Additionally, the information suggests supports for the S Pen will continue and that the same aspect ratio used on the S8 will be found on the handset.
Specs
As far as the specs of the Galaxy Note 8 are concerned, no one knows for sure. However, there appears to be a consensus building which indicates the following is highly likely:
- 6.3in 3840×2160 Super AMOLED curved Infinity display with 18.5:9 ratio
- S Pen support
- Improved iris scanner
- Display-embedded fingerprint scanner
- Built-in Bixby AI assistant
- Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 chip with 6GB of RAM
- Vertical dual-lens rear-facing camera
- USB-C connectivity, 3.5mm headphone jack
- Android 7.0 Nougat
- IP68 certification
- 64GB build-in storage, microSD expansion
- Fast charging, wireless charging support
