The Samsung Galaxy Note 8 is the most complete smartphone ever made. It offers a nice, big, beautiful AMOLED display, a formidable camera system, unique S-Pen features, and sheer, raw power. You will pay a really high price tag for it all, but this is the one phone that may be worth every penny.
For $399, the ZTE Axon 7 is one of the only Daydream VR certified phones on the market., which means it can take advantage of Google’s latest vision for VR. That’s not just marketing speak, either, as Daydream phones have some serious requirements to be called such, the most consistent of which are the inclusion of a Snapdragon 820 chipset, 4GB of RAM, and a 5.5-inch 2560 x 1440 display.
At $99, the ZMax Pro brings an immense amount of value with features like a massive 6-inch Full HD display and even a fingerprint sensor. For horsepower, the phone relies on an octa-core Snapdragon 617 chipset and 2GB of RAM, and a 13MP camera on the rear should do well enough for some casual memory capturing.
The Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL are the first smartphones to achieve a score of 98 from DxOMark’s mobile testing labs, beating out the likes of the Galaxy S8 and HTC U11. HTC’s camera takes well-balanced photos with a pleasing color balance, great sharpness and detail, and remarkable low-light performance. Add in Google’s AI-infused enhancements and there’s little that can match it.
The Zenfone 4 Max has one of the biggest batteries available in a smartphone. All that battery makes for a hefty device, but it’s surprisingly thin. Just think of it like a permanent battery case.
The Moto G5 is a great option for kids. The smartphone comes in starting as low as $199, and it has a wide range of features to ensure your child can do whatever you need with it. Specs include a 5-inch 1080p display, a 13-megapixel rear camera and 5-megapixel front camera, and a 3,000mAh battery with Turbo Charging.
The Samsung Galaxy S8 Active may not be the most durable phone on this list, but it certainly is the most well-rounded of the lot. This phone’s tough exterior can withstand more than a punch or 2. At the same time, you don’t have to sacrifice powerful specs, a beautiful display, and a great camera.
The Galaxy Note 8 may have a safe battery that’s run through many tests to ensure that fire hazard isn’t an issue, but it looks like some Note 8 units are refusing to power on once they reach 0% battery charge. Quite a few Note 8 owners have taken to the Samsung community and forums on sites like Android Central to complain that their Note 8 stopped working after they let the battery drain completely. Samsung has been offering replacements, but like many other issues with its flagships, the company hasn’t officially confirmed or released a statement on why this might be happening.
To make things worse, Samsung seems to be replacing bricked units with refurbished devices, which seems a little strange considering every Note 8 would be covered by warranty just a couple of months after its release. Owners of the device from US carriers seem to be most affected, so it’s possible it’s only the Snapdragon variant of the phone that’s at risk. The problem doesn’t seem to be too widespread, but it’s still interesting to see that a phone can fail to boot just because its owner might have used it until the battery ran out.
It’s also unclear if this is a hardware or software issue. Some users report that their phone does show the charging circle when connected to a power source but refuses to actually charge, while others say the phone gets warm when connected but the screen remains blank. It’s a similar theme with wireless charging: the blue charging light on the charger comes up, but the phone remains unresponsive, suggesting the software might be to blame.
No known fix at this point
If the fault’s in the software, it’s possible it was introduced in a recent software update. There’s no way to tell and no known fix, and the only way to keep the phone in working condition right now is to ensure it’s plugged in before the battery charge reaches 0 percent. If your Note 8 does run out of juice and refuses to power up, be sure to contact Samsung to request a replacement. We’ll try looking into more such reports to see just how widespread the issue is; at this point, it’s looking like one of those problems that can affect any device, especially since there’s at least one Galaxy S8+ owner who seems to have encountered the same phone-bricking bug.
Some Galaxy Note 8 users reporting that their phones will not accept charge
Fault seems to occur after fully draining the battery
Samsung is aware of the issue and appears to be replacing affected devices on a case by case basis
Update, (12/27) 17:49: According to a number of our readers in the comments, as well as a friend of Android Authority’s, the Galaxy S8 Plus is experiencing similar battery issues. We’ll investigate this issue further.
It’s now just over a year since Samsung prematurely killed off the Galaxy Note 7 after a batch of defective batteries caused numerous devices to “explode” – in the process doing immeasurable damage to the Note brand and forcing the South Korean giant to overhaul its battery safety checks.
Since then, the Galaxy S8, S8 Plus and, most significantly, the reborn Note 8 have been praised by fans and reviewers alike, have sold by the bucketload, and have avoided any major battery problems on the scale of the Note 7 debacle.
While it doesn’t seem to be anywhere near as dangerous, Samsung may have another battery related headache on its hands, however, as some Galaxy Note 8 are reporting that their phones are refusing to accept any charge.
According to a number of users on Samsung’s Community Forums (via PiunikaWeb), the issue occurs after the phone falls to 0% battery and switches off. At this point, affected Note 8 devices apparently won’t accept charge and become completely unresponsive. This includes the LED charging light in most cases.
One user even recorded a video showing an attempt to revive a defective phone to no avail. Many of the impacted users have also tried several charging cables and attempted to reboot the dead phone in safe mode, but most have had no success.
Thankfully, Samsung is responding to those affected in most cases. In one thread, a moderator going by the handle ‘SamsungMel’ is advising customers to return their faulty phones for a warranty replacement, saying that “this particular problem with the Note 8 not turning on is definitely something that we want to get addressed immediately.”
As PiunikaWeb notes, it’s hard to tell how widespread the issue is at this stage, but Samsung will certainly want to pinpoint the source and resolve the fault quickly to alleviate any concerns that it has shipped another batch of faulty batteries.
The problem also appears to be affecting some phones sold via carriers, with Verizon, Sprint, and T-Mobile customers all posting similar concerns. If that’s the case with your Note 8 I’d suggest you go through your carrier’s RMA process as soon as you can.
For seven years, Samsung has been consistent in releasing two flagship devices each year. In the spring, we get the Galaxy S model. This phone is Samsung’s bread and butter, ushering in the newest version of Samsung’s software and giving general consumers a sleek and powerful device. If you’re a true Samsung loyalist you probably know that the company’s fall release is typically the device you should wait for, but that’s not really the case this time around.
I think we can all agree that the prestige around owning a Note isn’t what it used to be. In the past people, bought the note because it was a bit ridiculous. It was substantially larger than mainstream devices and offered a battery which could easily last two days. But the screen on the new Galaxy Note8 is just 0.1-inches bigger than the Galaxy S8 Plus’ and the battery inside the phone is roughly the same size as well.
After the explosive demise of the Galaxy Note7, it’s quite evident that Samsung is playing things safe with the Note8.
Design
It’s clear that Samsung’s done a lot of work to bring a unified design to its phones in 2017. If it weren’t for the S Pen on the bottom edge and the rearrangement of the camera and fingerprint sensor array on the back of the phone, the Note8 could easily be mistaken for the Galaxy S8 Plus. The placement of the fingerprint sensor is definitely awkward since you need to readjust your grip to reach it, but you should at least have fewer fingerprint smudges on the camera lens since Samsung placed the heart rate sensor between them.
As for everything else, the Note8 looks and feels like the S8. You get a metal frame that’s sandwiched between the front and back glass panels, a pretty useless Bixby button next to the volume rocker on the left edge, a power button on the right and the S Pen, USB-C port and 3.5mm headphone jack on the bottom. And despite having all those holes, the Note8 is also IP68 dust and water resistant.
Overall, the phone looks and feels like a thousand bucks — as it should, since the phone sells for $929.
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Specs
The Note8 is the most expensive mainstream Android device on the market, but that doesn’t mean that its specs are any better than what you’d get if you bought any other 2017 flagship device.
The phone runs on a Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 processor with 6GB of RAM and 64GB of storage. There are also 128GB and 256GB storage options for those who don’t mind paying a bit more, but you can always bump the storage capacity up later with a microSD card. The battery measures in at 3300mAh and it supports wireless charging as well as Fast Charging with Adaptive Fast Charging.
It also has a 6.3-inch, 18.5:9, Quad HD+ AMOLED display which features curved edges. Biometric security features include a fingerprint reader, an iris scanner and facial recognition with the front-facing camera.
The main camera setup features a pair of 12-megapixel cameras, both with optical image stabilization. The main sensor features a f/1.7 lens while the second one sports a f/2.4 lens with 2X optical zoom. Like the Galaxy S8, the front-facing camera on the Note8 features an 8-megapixel sensor which is paired with a f/1.7 autofocus lens.
Performance
The Snapdragon 835 that’s used in this phone is quite common, but Samsung’s done a bit more tweaking on the software to make sure it’s incredibly fast. In the past, Samsung has gotten a lot of flak for its bloated UI since it has always hindered the performance of its devices. While we expect this phone could run faster if it were running stock Android, Samsung’s software tweaks don’t seem to get in the way this time around.
Benchmark scores show that the Note8 is one of the fastest devices of 2017 and day-to-day use confirms that. There’s not even a hint of stutter or lag and it kills the competition when it comes to multitasking. Thanks to the phone’s 6GB of RAM (a first for a Samsung device), you can easily jump in and out of apps and even pick up a game exactly where you left off 2-3 hours ago without it needing to reload. Pair that performance with the phone’s 6.3-inch display and the included S Pen and you’ll be hard-pressed to find a device that’s better suited for multi-tasking.
Display
The 6.3-inch AMOLED panel is absolutely stunning. It’s bright, crisp and doesn’t have any of the issues that we’ve seen on the LG V30 or the Pixel 2 XL. The 18.5:9 aspect ratio does take some time to get used to, but the taller display means that the Note8 is surprisingly manageable despite its obnoxious size.
Since the edges of the display aren’t as curved as those of the Galaxy S8, the visual appeal isn’t quite the same, but it’s definitely more functional since there’s a clear distinction between the actual display and the edge of the phone. Samsung says the curve was reduced to improve the usability of the S Pen. While that makes total sense, it’s interesting to see how the edge display seems to be getting smaller and smaller with every new Galaxy phone that comes out.
As with other AMOLED panels, you get extremely deep blacks. Unfortunately, the colors seem to pop a bit too much, but you can tone things down manually in the settings.
Battery
As you might expect, the battery life by the Galaxy Note8’s 3300mAh cell is a bit disappointing. Yes, Samsung is playing it a bit safe since it admitted that the demise of the Note7 was in part because it had crammed too large of a battery into the phone, but they could have done a bit better than this.
The phone will still make it through a full day with more than 4 hours of screen-on time, but I’ve come to expect a whole lot more from Samsung’s Note series. Making things worse is the odd inclusion of Adaptive Fast Charging that is equivalent to Quick Charge 2.0 when Quick Charge 4.0 is readily available. This means you’ll need to wait nearly two hours for the phone’s battery to fully charge.
Gone are the days when Samsung’s Note devices were known for exceptional battery life.
Camera
As mentioned before, the main camera on the Galaxy Note8 features two 12-megapixel sensors. We all know that Samsung is a bit late to the dual-camera game, but they are the first to include optical image stabilization on both sensors.
Like most other dual-sensor camera setups, Samsung is using the wide angle and zoom approach with a portrait mode which will digitally blur the background in the photo. But rather than just copy everyone else, Samsung’s phone can capture your shots with both sensors, allowing you to choose between the wide angle and zoomed-in image.
The results you get from the camera are quite impressive. Colors are well balanced, the edges are crisp and there’s very little noise in the shots unless you’re taking pictures in extremely low light situations. The auto white balance can be a little too cool at times, but that’s easily adjustable in the settings.
We were pretty impressed with the Galaxy S8’s camera earlier this year, but Note8 takes things to a whole new level.
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S Pen
While there are plenty of large phones on the market these days, the real reason to buy the Note8 is for the S Pen. There’s nothing stopping you from using a stylus with the phone you already own, but the experience will never match what the Note8 offers out of the box. And this year, the S Pen has learned a few new tricks. It can now be used for live currency and measurement conversion along with language translation within the browser and other apps when you use the S Pen to select the text.
If you want to jot down notes when the phone’s display is off, you can now write to your heart’s content since the feature has been updated so that users can write up to 100 pages of notes without having to turn the screen on.
And if that wasn’t enough, the S Pen also allows you to create animated notes which can be shared with your friends. Just jot down a quick note and sketch something out and the phone will save your stroke work as an animated GIF which can be shared via your favorite messaging apps.
But of course, the main appeal is still the basic note-taking functionality of the S Pen. We may be living in a digital era, but there’s still something extremely satisfying about writing by hand rather than punching it out on a virtual keyboard. And that’s really the only reason why you should buy the Note 8.
Samsung Galaxy Note8 8.5 / 10
There’s a lot to love about the Samsung Galaxy Note8, but the only way you can really justify spending this much money on a phone is if you simply can’t live without the S Pen. The large display is nice and the camera is great, but there are other devices on the market with displays which are just as large or cameras which are just as good.
It’s a bit odd to say this about one of Samsung’s Note devices, but the Note8 would definitely be worth its $930 asking price to a lot more people if its battery life wasn’t simply mediocre.
How to Shoot RAW/DNG Photos on Samsung Galaxy Note 8
The Samsung Galaxy Note 8 is the first flagship device from Samsung to feature a dual-camera setup at its rear. The secondary 12MP telephoto lens features an f/2.6 aperture and OIS and allows the Note 8 to take some pretty incredible shots.
Overall, the Note 8’s camera is among the best you can find in a smartphone right now. And if you know the basic aspects of photography, you can make the most out of the camera by using the manual mode in the camera. If that’s not enough though, you can always shoot photos in RAW/DNG format on the Note 8 so that you can process them on your PC later on. Wondering how to shoot photos in RAW format on the Galaxy Note 8 though? Follow the steps below to know how.
Step 1: Open the default Camera app on your Samsung Galaxy Note 8 and tap the Settings button (cog icon) located on the top-right corner of the display.
Step 2: Tap on Picture size and from the menu that opens up, simply enable the ‘Save RAW and JPEG files’ toggle.
Enabling the toggle in itself is not enough to make your Galaxy Note 8 start saving photos in RAW/DNG format. You will also have to take all photos in the ‘Pro’ camera mode to ensure they are saved in RAW/DNG format. You can switch to the Pro mode on Galaxy Note 8 by swiping to the left from the camera viewfinder and selecting the relevant option.
If you know your way around Photoshop or any other image editor, you should be able to extract a wee bit more from the Note 8’s camera by manually tweaking the RAW/DNG photos shot from it. In the end though, do remember that we are talking about a smartphone camera here so the gains are going to be limited.
The Galaxy Note 8 is an incredible phone. Back when I reviewed it for PCWorld I gave it the highest possible score and raved about its display, still the greatest I’ve seen in Android phone. The dual camera delivered impressive portraits and lush landscapes, and the battery powered through the busiest of days. In short, it was the best phone I had ever used and I thought it would be a long while before anything topped it.
I was wrong. Apple’s iPhone X not only beats the Note 8, it practically makes it seem obsolete. I’ve tested a wide array of Android handsets over the past 12 months, and I can confidently say that none are in the same league as Apple’s newest handset. And only a couple come close.
The Galaxy Note 8 is an extraordinary phone, but iPhone X beats it in every category.
Quite frankly, it’s hard to even describe how much better iPhone X is without using it for a stretch of time, and most Android fans will never get that chance. That’s a shame. It wasn’t until I spent a day or two with iPhone X, going back and forth with the Note 8, Google Pixel 2 XL, and LG V30 that I could see just how much of a triumph it is.
Samsung might need its own Note X just to catch up.
iPhone X vs. Android: Display
Before we debate the benefits of the notch, let’s talk about the display. Yes, Apple is playing catch-up here. Android phones have been using OLED displays for years, and while Apple might have made the best smartphone LCDs in the business, they were still a notch below the superior color-handling and power efficiency of the best OLED phones from Samsung and Google.
So, I didn’t expect to be blown away by Apple’s first OLED. As I said, iPhone displays have always been superior, and I assumed iPhone X would be more of the same, a marginal improvement over iPhone 8’s already great True Tone screen and on par with what I saw with the Note 8.
That’s not the case. Apple has worked wonders with its Samsung-sourced OLED display for iPhone X. It’s accurate without being dull, bright without bring harsh. And while the Note 8’s screen is technically brighter based on my light meter tests, iPhone X is just as readable in direct sunlight. And with True Tone turned on, I don’t even have to manually increase the brightness.
Keep in mind this is out-of-the-box calibration. With Android phones, I generally spend a few minutes cycling through the various screen modes to find the most pleasing one. With iPhone X there aren’t any settings or switches to play with. While the Note 8’s quad HD 1440p display is again, technically superior to the iPhone X’s 1125p one, that advantage is neutralized by Apple’s tremendous calibration. Even if I could adjust the colors, I wouldn’t.
The Pixel 2 XL’s blueish screen (left) is much more obvious when compared to the Note 8 (center) and iPhone X (right).
And it puts the Pixel 2 XL and LG V30 to shame, both of which have LG-made displays. The V30‘s screen has similar issues as the Pixel 2 XL, which have been well documented, but they are amplified next to iPhone X. While my Pixel 2 XL test unit hasn’t exhibited any image retention, it does have a noticeable blue hue that overtakes every color, even at slight angles. But aside from that, there’s no denying the overall dullness of it. Even with the new boosted and saturated settings switched on, there’s still a general flatness to the display that’s hard to miss when compared to iPhone X. And little things I overlooked about the Note 8—particularly the smooth feel of gesture animations thanks to iPhone X’s 120Hz touch sample rate—became glaringly and distractingly obvious.
I do prefer the size of the other phones (particularly the 6.3-inch Note 8), and I’m hoping the rumors of a Plus size next year are true. Also, I very much miss the always-on display when using iPhone X, something that’s a staple on Android flagships. But to say that iPhone X has the best display I’ve ever used might actually be selling it short. It’s likely to be better than the ones in next year’s crop of Android phones too.
My pick: iPhone X
iPhone X vs. Android: Design
2017 has been something of a watershed year for smartphone design. While it was starting to seem as though we were approaching the limits of what could be done with glass rectangles (iPhone included), Samsung, LG, Essential and others pushed the envelope by dramatically trimming the bezels and tweaking the standard 16:9 screen ratio to make their phones easier to hold and use.
Apple follows that path with iPhone X but also manages to break new ground. Lying on a table, iPhone X looks a lot like LG’s V30, with a wraparound chrome edge sandwiched by two pieces of curved glass. But while the V30 and most other 18:9 Android flagships have slivers of glass above and below the screen, iPhone X is the first to truly go “all screen.” Now, you can quibble over that characterization since there is a healthy bezel going around the entire edge of the display, but the symmetry of the design does make it seem like you’re truly holding nothing more than a screen.
That’s not an iPhone X Plus. That’s just an LG V30 next to iPhone X.
Of all the Android phones, I prefer the Note 8’s boxy shape and overall aesthetic, but Apple’s design still wins out. I particularly appreciate the corners of the screen, which are perfectly rounded, unlike the V30’s rough edges and the Note 8’s somewhat beveled ones. The sloped edges of the Note 8’s Infinity Display might feel a touch more luxurious, but iPhone X is nothing less than a dramatic leap ahead in smartphone design and will no doubt spawn a slew of imitators.
The corners of iPhone X’s display are perfectly round, unlike the V30 and Note 8.
Which brings us to the notch. I’ll admit to being extremely skeptical of it based on photos I saw, but in reality it makes a lot of sense, if for no other reason than the aforementioned symmetry. The notch doesn’t upset the visual balance of the phone like a full strip of glass does, and it does a nice job of tucking the status bar out of the way without sacrificing precious pixels. When the status bar disappears, pictures elegantly fill every corner of the display, and developers are already experimenting with cool ways to use the “horns” to their advantage. The only time it’s distracting is in landscape mode, but even there, it’s worse in pictures than in practice.
The next race will be the one to deliver the first edge-to-edge phone without a notch, and I suspect Samsung or LG will beat Apple to the finish in that one. It might not be as functional as the home button, but the notch is going to be Apple’s new defining characteristic for the iPhone. And in an era where it’s getting harder and harder to tell flagship phones apart, the notch gives iPhone X an unmistakable identity.
My pick: iPhone X
iPhone X vs. Android: Battery
iPhone X’s battery is a smidgen bigger than the 2,691mAh cell that’s in the iPhone 8 Plus, but it’s still way smaller than the ones in its Android peers. To compare the specs, you’d think iPhone X is at a serious disadvantage here:
But numbers don’t tell the whole story. Case in point: The iPhone 8 Plus has a smaller battery than the iPhone 7 Plus (2,691mAh versus 2,900mAh), but there’s no noticeable dip in longevity. Granted, you’ll still need to charge it overnight, but it should be able to power though as long of a day as the 7 Plus. In short, Apple’s iOS efficiency and battery optimization lets it do a whole lot more with less.
And the same is true of iPhone X. Power users might want to keep a battery charger around, but the vast majority of people will be able to easily make it through a day of heavy use. iPhone X was mostly on par with the Note 8, but the Pixel 2 XL fared a bit better in all of my tests, as I assumed it would. For example, streaming a 1:40 HDR/Dolby Vision movie over Wi-Fi with the brightness cranked up to max yielded these results:
It’s true that iPhone X experienced the biggest draw, but considering the size of its battery compared to the Pixel 2 XL and Note 8, I expected the gap to be much bigger. The same was true with other tasks I tested. iPhone X was consistently a couple of percentage points below its Android counterparts, but nothing that would suggest it had such a smaller battery. As such, by the end of the day I was usually in the red with iPhone X and the V30, near the red with the Note 8, and around 25% with the Pixel 2 XL. I can live with that.
That being said, it’s irritating that Apple refuses to put bigger batteries in its flagship phones. Next year’s Android phones will likely all have 4,000mAh batteries and we’ll be lucky if the next-generation iPhone X has topped 3,000mAh. That shouldn’t be the case for a $1,000-plus phone, even if Apple has optimized the heck out of it. If the iPhone X had a 3,500mAh battery like the Pixel 2 XL, it would likely last well into a second day and possibly a third.
My pick: Android (Pixel 2 XL)\
iPhone X vs. Android: Charging
Charging is another point of contention. While iPhone X finally supports wireless charging and fast charging, Apple still ships a tiny 5W charger in the box, which only charges slightly faster than a slow-as-molasses wireless charger. Android phones, meanwhile, all ship with a chargers capable of actual fast charging. To replicate the experience with iPhone X, you’ll need to purchase a $19 12W USB power adapter.
Using out-of-the-box chargers, the Android phones I tested were pretty much in line with the charging times I got with the 12W iPhone Xplug. Here’s how fast iPhone X fills up in an hour when it hits 20 percent:
Wireless: 26%
5W plug: 35%
12W plug: 48%
When it comes to wireless charging, the Note 8 faired best when connected to the Samsung Fast Charge Wireless Charging Stand (which also charges the iPhone X, albeit slower), filling up about 10 percent more than the other phones per hour. The LG V30 was roughly in line with iPhone X, and the Pixel 2 XL doesn’t support wireless charging.
iPhone X and the Note 8 (center) both offer wireless charging, but the Pixel 2 XL doesn’t.
It’ll be interesting to see how Apple’s AirPower handles charging speeds. Apple hasn’t offered much in the way of tech specs for its new charging mat other than that it will charge three devices simultaneously, though the upcoming iOS 11.2 update will increase wireless charging speeds from 5W to 7.5W.
My pick: Android (Galaxy Note 8)
iPhone X vs. Android: Sound
iPhone X doesn’t have a headphone jack, but this year it’s not alone. The Pixel 2 XL doesn’t have one either. Both phones comes with the appropriate 3.5mm adapter in the box, but while Apple also includes Lightning EarPods in the iPhone X box, the Pixel 2 XL doesn’t bundle a pair of USB-C headphones.
The LG V30 doesn’t just have a headphone jack, it has a Quad DAC built in.
The Note 8 and V30 both have headphone jacks, with the V30 upping the game with a Quad DAC and Samsung supplying a set of premium AKG earbuds. The V30 leads the pack when it comes to wired sound (though you’ll need to bring your own pair of headphones), but the bundled buds on the Note 8 are no slouch. Both options are substantially better than Apple’s wired earbuds.
iPhone X doesn’t have a pair of front-facing stereo speakers like the Pixel 2 XL, but it sounds like it does. It’s still a phone, so we’re not talking high-fidelity sound here, but to my ears, it sounded just as good as the Pixel 2. The Note 8 and V30 were decent as well, but the Pixel and iPhone were consistently clearer and louder.
My pick: Android (LG V30)
iPhone X vs. Android: Speed, biometrics, and OS
iPhone X features Apple newest processor, the A11 Bionic chip, and it’s every bit as fast as it sounds. Apps launched and loaded incredibly quickly, and the speed boost is noticeable over iPhone 7 Plus or even last year’s iPad. But the Snapdragon 835 processor that powers the Note 8, Pixel 2 XL, and V30 is no slouch either, and in real world use and tests, they all stacked up well against each other. But Apple’s iOS optimizations make the real difference.
Navigation on iPhone X is completely new.
Without a home button, iPhone X offers a dramatically different iOS experience than any other iPhone. All navigation is done using gestures on the home screen, but rather than use a virtual home button, Apple introduces the home indicator, a thin strip at the bottom of the screen. Instead of tapping a button below the screen, your fingers never need to leave the display, swiping and sliding as your apps literally fly across the screen. Apple hasn’t just replaced the physical with the virtual here, and simple tasks like switching between apps feels more natural and intuitive as a result.
Navigation remains pretty consistent across the Android flagships, but there’s an undeniable learning curve when it comes to iPhone X. Apple’s newest phone is different than any one that came before (iPhone or otherwise), and like any new navigation, there will be stumbles along the way. It’ll be several iterations before Apple gets the home indicator just right, but I wouldn’t be surprised to see Android P or Q adopt something similar. After using it for just a week, the physical and virtual home buttons felt stale.
Samsung's Galaxy phones feature iris scanners, but they're not as fluid or reliable as Face ID.
Apple has also introduced Face ID with iPhone X, a new biometric to replace Touch ID. The Note 8 and V30 also offer facial recognition, but Samsung and LG actually warn you against using their phones’ facial recognition as the primary unlocking biometric. Not only is Face ID way more secure than Touch ID, it’s faster and more accurate too. In most cases, my phone unlocked before I even realized it, and as Apple improves the speed and camera angle, we eventually won’t need to think of it at all. I’ve never had a problem with fingerprint sensors (the placement on the Note 8 notwithstanding), but Face ID makes it seem like a chore.
Granted, Face ID was hardly perfect in my tests, but it worked in all sorts of lighting, only struggling when my face was lit with bright, direct sunlight. The Note 8’s iris scanner, my biometric of choice on Samsung devices, had the same difficulties, and I need to position my eyes just so to trigger it. Facial authentication will be a feature in 2018 Android phones for sure, but Apple has run out to a huge lead here with its TrueDepth camera. Even if Samsung or Google can get authentication right, thoughtful little touches like notifications expanded for my eyes only and of course, animoji, are unlikely to be replicated any time soon.
Android Oreo on the Pixel 2 XL is head and shoulders above any other Android phone.
When it comes to Android, the Pixel 2 XL handily bests the Note 8 and V30 here. Google’s newest handset may have its deficiencies, but its OS isn’t one of them. In fact, it may be reason enough to overlook the Pixel 2 XL’s less points. It’s not just that it’s one of the only phones to run Android Oreo, it’s that it runs it so well, other Android skins are exposed for how bloated and over-designed they are.
However, the choice between the Pixel 2 and iPhone X is no contest. Using iPhone X feels like Apple is finally embracing the future while its Android peers remain grounded in the present. There might be some things that the Pixel 2 XL does better with Oreo and the Note 8 has some cool S-Pen and edge screen tricks, but iOS 11 on iPhone X is the first phone in years that feels like it’s on the verge of something entirely new.
My pick: iPhone X
iPhone X vs. Android: Camera
The camera is one of the main reason why we choose the phones we do, and each of these phones offer top-notch picture-taking experiences (no pun intended). And despite extremely similar specs, they all bring something unique to the table:
iPhone X: 12MP, ƒ/1.8 wide-angle and 12MP, ƒ/2.4 telephoto
Note 8: 12MP, ƒ/1.7 wide-angle and 12MP, ƒ/2.4 telephoto
In the battle of the portraits, the single-camera Pixel 2 XL (center) does a tremendous job of keeping up with iPhone X (left) with just one camera. Meanwhile, the Note 8 (right) made my son look way paler than he should.
The Pixel 2 XL’s lack of a dual camera stands out here, but Google has more than made up for it with its image processing. Not only does it manage to mimic iPhone X’s and the Note 8’s portrait modes with just a single lens, it’s virtually indistinguishable from the dual-camera results (and oftentimes better). So it basically comes down to a matter of which features you prefer. The Note 8 has the ability to adjust the intensity of the background blur before and after the shot, and Apple has added studio lighting effects to iPhone X.
The V30 (right) captured more of the scene, but iPhone X got the lighting right.
Without a telephoto lens, the V30 doesn’t have a portrait mode at all, but its wide-angle lens captures more of the scene than any of the others. But despite some cool app features and the largest aperture of the bunch at f/1.6, the overall quality of its photos often trailed the field, particularly in low-light conditions. It’s not it’s a bad camera, just not as good as the best.
iPhone X (left) nailed Lego R2-D2's white body and picked up some good detail in harsh low-light conditions, but there's more detail in the Pixel 2 XL's shot (second from left). The Note 8 (second from right) and V30 (right) both paled in comparison.
Speaking of low light, the Pixel 2 and iPhone X are pretty neck and neck here. Google’s incredible image processing was consistently able to draw out details that iPhone X and the Note 8 missed, though iPhone X handles white balance better.
All three phones performed well in sunlight, but the flowers in the iPhone X's shot (left) pop with color and detail more than the Pixel 2 XL (center) and Note 8 (right).
Around the front, the picture-taking abilities of the cameras are all basically the same, though the V30 brings up the rear with its 5MP lens. Apple and Google have both added portrait effects for selfies, but while the Pixel 2 is a little more successful, neither is as good as the rear camera. Better is the Note 8’s Snapchat-style stickers for jazzing up your selfies, but I’d still rather have the best rear camera than a fun front one.
My pick: Tie (iPhone X and Pixel 2 XL)
Overall winner: iPhone X
Even in the categories where iPhone X lost out to another phone, it was never by much, and none of the other handsets here offer anything as complete of a package. Yes, it’s expensive, but it’s not like the other phones are cheap:
I expected Apple’s first OLED iPhone to be a clear improvement over the iPhone 7 Plus’s LCD, but I didn’t expect it to handle the top 2017 Android phones so handily. The sharpness, color accuracy, and clarity make all other phones look inferior, and Apple is just getting started. Android’s flagships, particularly the V30 and Pixel 2 XL, have a lot of work to do, and I suspect next year’s flagships will feature 120Hz touch sampling if not full 120Hz refresh rates and a sharp shift toward facial authentication.
iPhone X will cast a large shadow over next year's crop of Android phones.
Even if you could somehow combine the Note 8, Pixel 2 XL, and V30 into a superphone mashup, iPhone X would still come out ahead. From the screen to the design to the camera and chip, iPhone X doesn’t just hold its own against Android’s cream of the crop, it raises the bar considerably for the 2018 models to come.
The bottom line is we’re going to see a lot of iPhone X influence on next year’s crop of Android flagships. So much so that I wouldn’t be surprised to see a couple of them adopt camera notches too.
Tablets have always allowed one to lock the screen orientation to either portrait or landscape, but the latter has not been possible on smartphones, at least not those made by Samsung. But did you know the ability to lock screen orientation to landscape is available on the Galaxy Note 8, and any device that runs the Samsung Experience 8.5 or newer interface?
That’s right: You can finally use your Samsung phone in landscape mode and not have to deal with the orientation flipping back to portrait just because you turn the phone just a tad sideways. Again, this feature is only available on Samsung devices running at least Samsung Experience 8.5; it will be present on newer versions as well, including Samsung Experience 9.0 that will debut on Android 8.0 Oreo.
So, how does one lock screen orientation to landscape on the Galaxy Note 8 and other Samsung phones? Just follow the steps below to see how it’s done.
How to lock screen orientation to landscape on the Galaxy Note 8
Step 1: Access the notification shade by swiping down from the top of the screen, then swipe again to access the quick toggles.
Step 2: Here, tap the screen rotation toggle repeatedly till it says Auto Rotate.
Step 3: Then, rotate the phone to make the screen flip to landscape orientation. Then, bring up the toggles again and tap the screen rotation toggle till it says Landscape.
That’s it. Your phone’s screen will now continue to work in landscape mode (at least in apps and menus that support it; the home screen, for example, only works in portrait) until you re-enable auto rotation, turn the phone to portrait orientation, then tap the rotation toggle in the notification shade till it says Portrait.
We have three new iPhones, but if you judge by all the news and talk, you would think Apple had just unveiled one: the Apple iPhone X.
The new iPhone X is certainly the one that has everyone’s attention with its new edge-to-edge screen and compact size, but with a prohibitive starting price of $1,000 for the base 64GB model, you might wonder if there is an alternative.
Of course, there is! In fact, the iPhone X is late to the bezel-less screen game, and we round up 5 great Android options for a lower price, but with a similarly great design and cameras. With no further ado, here is our selection of the iPhone X bezel-less alternatives.
The Samsung Galaxy S8 and S8 Plus were among the first phones in the “bezel-less” trend. They have one of the finest Super AMOLED screens out there with lively, vivid colors. The Note 8 is just like the other two, but bigger and with the accurate S Pen on board that allows you to quickly take notes or get creative with drawings.
The Galaxy S8 in particular is available at nearly half the price of the iPhone X and the other two are also great alternatives. One big downside with them? The fingerprint scanner. It’s positioned weirdly to the side of the camera, where it is hard to reach and you will often smudge the camera instead of the finger reader.
Google’s new Pixel 2 XL comes with one glaring issue: an OLED screen that gets very bluish once you tilt the phone just slightly, and it can suffer from a ghosting effect, but if you are not pedantic about having the absolute display. the Pixel 2 XL delivers. It’s a stunning phone: it has arguably the best camera ever put in a phone, a clean version of Android that already has the latest update and is guaranteed to be first in line in the future, it has solid battery life and it performs admirably well.
The Essential Phone is a true design gem with its ceramic back and a solid construction. It has an extremely high screen to body ratio with a very distinct, “notch” design where a tiny cutout at the top of the front is made for the front camera. It all blends together nicely when you have the notification bar at the top, or if you have a black screen, but is otherwise noticeable. The Essential Phone lacks branding, runs on a clean version of Android and comes with the promise for timely updates.
The LG V30 is the company’s best phone as of fall 2017. With a 6-inch display and an edge-to-edge display, the V30 is actually a little smaller than the 5.5-inch OnePlus 5 that has a traditional, 16:9 display with bezels on the top and bottom. And that’s quite the achievement. The V30 – unlike Samsung phones – has its fingerprint on the back, below the camera and properly centered, so it’s really easy for your finger to reach it.
The G6 has a 5.7-inch full-screen display, but it lacks some of the V30‘s media capabilities, and has a less refined camera experience. It makes up with a much lower price. It also looks a lot like the V30, though, and features a very sleek glass and metal build.
The bezel-less Huawei Mate 10 Pro features a sleek design and one of the finest cameras on Android. It performs good as well: equipped with Huawei’s own Kirin 970 system chip, this powerful phone is the first around with a neural engine built-in. Battery life is another strong point for the Mate 10 Pro.
The Xiaomi Mi Mix was certainly one of the most interesting products of 2016: in fact, one could argue it was the device that kickstarted the bezel-less design trend. In 2017, we have the much more practical and smaller in size Mi Mix 2 with even less bezel and a more refined look and feel. The Mi Mix 2 features a 6-inch display with an 18:9 aspect ratio, narrower than the wide 17:9 screen on the original Mix. It runs top-grade silicon with the Snapdragon 835 chip on board and comes in three versions: 64GB, 128GB and 256 gigs. The phone also features an improved camera, now with the Sony IMX386 sensor and with 4-axis image stabilization.
The Samsung Galaxy S8 and Galaxy Note 8 share a lot in common not just in terms of their internals but also the software experience they offer. Both phones have received plenty of praises this year from reviewers and customers alike, and if you have purchased either one of them, you really cannot go wrong with them.
Now, to help you get the most out of Samsung’s 2017 flagship handsets, the Galaxy S8 and Galaxy Note 8, we have a collection of tips and tricks for them. These tips will help you know how to make better use of the existing features on the devices, discover some hidden ones, and more. So, let’s get started.
Force Touch the Home Button
Thanks to their Infinity Display, the Galaxy S8 and Note 8 are all about their beautiful Super AMOLED displays at the front. Due to the all-display front, the phones do not come with capacitive navigation buttons as well like previous Galaxy devices from Samsung. Instead, like Google, Samsung finally decided to implement on-screen navigation buttons on its flagship handsets this year as well.
That’s not all though: the area where the Home button is shown on the Galaxy S8 and Note 8 supports Force Touch. So, you can hard press on that area when the phone is lying idle to wake the display up. Similarly, you can hard press on the home button area even when you are inside an app and the navigation bar is not being shown to go back to the home screen. Considering the fingerprint scanner on the Galaxy S8 and Note 8 is located at such an odd location, I end up Force Touching the Home button to wake the device and then unlock it by looking at the iris scanner.
Do make sure to enable the Unlock with Home button option under Settings -> Display to ensure your Galaxy S8 or Note 8 skips right past the lock screen when you hard press the Home button.
Automatically Enable Iris Unlock
By default, if you use the iris scanner on your Galaxy S8 or Note 8 to unlock the device, you will first have to press the power button/hard press the Home button to wake the device up. Then, you will have to swipe up on the lock screen to initiate the iris scanning process. This can be a particularly tedious and time-consuming process especially when you will be doing it hundreds of time on a daily basis.
To speed up the whole process, Samsung has included a handy ‘Iris unlock when screen turns on’ option under Iris Scanner in Settings -> Lock Screen & Security. Enable the feature and as soon as you wake up your Galaxy S8 or Note 8, the iris scanner will start scanning for your iris.
Quickly Hide the Navigation Bar
For an even more immersive browsing or reading experience, you can quickly hide the navigation bar on the Galaxy S8 and Note 8 by double tapping the small dot located on the left edge of the navigation bar. To restore the navigation bar, simply swipe up from the bottom of the screen and double tap the dot again.
Expand the Status Bar
You can quickly expand the notification bar on the Galaxy S8 or Note 8 by simply double tapping the status bar. This feature only works if you are using the stock launcher and might not be available on certain carrier variants of the device.
Quickly Launch the Camera App
The lack of a physical home button on the Galaxy S8 and Note 8 means you can no longer double press the home button to quickly launch the camera app. Instead, that duty has now been assigned to the power button similar to the Google Pixel. The feature is disabled by default so make sure to enable it by searching for Quick Launch in the Settings menu and enabling it.
Switch Between Front and Back Camera
Another camera related tip for the Galaxy S8 and Note 8 is related to how you can quickly switch between the front and back camera. With the camera app open, simply swipe up/down on the viewfinder to switch to the front/rear camera. An even faster way to switch to the front camera is to double press the power button with the camera app open.
Gesture Selfie
If you are someone who takes a lot of selfies, Samsung has included a handy gesture on the Galaxy S8 and Note 8 that makes it easier to click a selfie. Instead of struggling to hit the shutter button while holding the phone in your hand for a selfie, you can simply hold your palm in front of the camera to start the time. You can also take a selfie by keeping your finger on the heart rate monitor at the rear or by simply tapping anywhere on the screen.
Tweak the Flashlight Brightness Level
If you are someone who frequently uses the flashlight functionality on their Galaxy S8 or Note 8, you will be glad to know that the flashlight brightness level can also be customised on these handsets. Simply tap the Torch (or Flashlight) text below the flashlight toggle in Quick Settings to gain access to the brightness slider. There are five different brightness levels for you to choose from, though do remember that using the flashlight for an extended period of time can shorten its lifespan.
Use Secure Folder
Thanks to KNOX, Samsung’s version of Android is already among the most secure flavours of the OS out there. However, if you want an even additional layer of security while opening some important banking or enterprise apps, you can make use of Samsung’s Secure Folder feature. All apps put under Secure Folder run in a separate sandbox that is completely disconnected from the main OS.
Blue Light Filter
Similar to almost every other Android device out there, the Samsung Galaxy S8 and Note 8 also come with a Blue Light filter. As the name suggests, the Blue Light filter automatically filters the harmful blue rays emitted from a display by tweaking its color temperature to help reduce eye strain. If you are someone who reads a lot on their Galaxy S8 or Note 8, it is recommended that you turn on the Blue Light filter option especially while reading in the dark. You can also automatically set Blue Light filter to enable itself after sunset or at a scheduled time daily.
Quickly Zoom Into the Subject
The shutter button in the stock Camera app of the Galaxy S8 and Note 8 can also act as a virtual zoom slider. If you long press and drag the shutter button up, the camera will zoom into the subject. Similarly, dragging the shutter button down will zoom out from the frame.
Smart Capture
While every other Android device offers the option to natively take a screenshot, Samsung has taken this feature to the next level with Smart Capture. When you take a screenshot on the Galaxy S8 or Note 8, you can quickly crop the picture, draw on it, add filters and effects to it, and more. Even better, simply pressing the crop button after taking a screenshot will automatically crop out the navigation and status bar which serves no real purpose in a screenshot either way.
Change System Fonts
Samsung remains among the very few OEMs in the market to continue offering the option to customise the system fonts on its devices. Changing system fonts can go a long way in refreshing the UI look and feel, though in typical Samsung fashion, there’s a lot more to know about changing system fonts on the S8 and Note 8 instead of just the steps.
Samsung is among the very few OEMs in the market that continues to offer the option to change system fonts in its skin. While changing system fonts might not seem like a big deal to many, it does go a long way in refreshing the UI every once in a while.
While changing system fonts on the Galaxy Note 8 is a pretty straightforward process, there are still a few things one must know especially if you are coming from a previous Galaxy device. First, follow the steps below to change system fonts on the Galaxy Note 8.
How to Change System Fonts on Samsung Galaxy Note 8:
Step 1: Head over to Settings -> Display -> Screen zoom and font. Here, you will find all the options related to system fonts including its size and display zoom.
Step 2: To change the system font, simply select any of the pre-installed fonts from the ‘Font Style’ option located at the very bottom and tap the ‘Apply’ button located at the top-right corner. You can download additional fonts from the Galaxy App Store.
To change system font size on the Galaxy Note 8, simply drag the slider under Font size to left or right depending on your preference.
Screen Zoom
Google introduced the ability to change the DPI of an Android device in Nougat. With the Galaxy Note 8, Samsung has renamed the option to ‘Screen Zoom’.
With Screen Zoom, you can actually adjust the amount of content being displayed on the screen. This is different from changing the font size as here the UI will also scale depending on whether you increase or decrease the DPI. So, the lower the DPI/screen zoom you select, the more content will be displayed on the screen and vice versa.
‘Font Not Compatible’ Error
If you have a collection of fonts that you had used on previous Samsung Galaxy devices, prepare to be disappointed. Similar to the Galaxy S8 and S7 before it, while you will be able to install third-party fonts through the Play Store or other third-party sources on the Galaxy Note 8, you will be greeted with a ‘Font Not Compatible’ error when you try to apply them. This is because Samsung has changed its font framework starting from Nougat that makes it impossible to apply fonts acquired from other sources. The company took this step to clamp down on the piracy of fonts that was and still is prevalent on the Google Play Store.
So, the only way to download additional fonts on the Galaxy Note 8 is through the Galaxy Apps store. The problem? Apart from one font, almost every other font is paid and that’s not likely to go down well with most people. Sadly, there’s not much that you can do about it as well. On the bright side, most of the fonts are priced at a reasonable $0.99 or $1.99.
Once you have downloaded a font from the Galaxy Apps Store, simply follow the steps mentioned above to switch to your newly downloaded system font.
Coloring is one of the most enjoyable features on the Note 8. Here's how to use it!
It’s always been fun to use the Galaxy Note’s S Pen stylus to doodle in S Note and other compatible apps, but with the Note 8, Samsung has gone one step further — it’s added a dedicated coloring feature.
Part of the little-known but, in some circles, wildly popular PenUP app, the coloring feature gives the S Pen a creative rejuvination by transposing all of S Note’s brushes, styles and colors into a collection of thick line drawings.
The feature isn’t surprising, though: coloring books, both real and digital, have seen a resurgence in recent years as smartphone and tablet addicts look for something that clears the mind and encourages focusing on one task. While it’s not quite meditative, to many people the act of filling in a pictogram with color is relaxing, rewarding, and fun.
If you’re looking to do the same thing on the new Galaxy Note 8, here’s how.
First, enable Coloring in Air Command
You can easily access the Coloring feature directly in the PenUP app, but it’s much easier to get to it using the shortcut in Air Command, which pops up when you remove the S Pen from its holster.
But it’s off by default, so you need to enable it.
Remove the S Pen from the holster. Wait for Air Command to appear.
Tap Add shortcut.
Tap on Coloring under S Pen features.
Now, access Coloring from the Air Command menu.
That’s it! Now the Coloring icon will show up whenever you open Air Command.
Then, play with the features
You can also find the Coloring feature inside the PenUP app.
Swipe up from the Samsung Launcher to access the app drawer.
Open the Samsung folder.
Tap on PenUP.
Navigate to the Coloring section on the right.
Find a drawing.
Play with brushes, opacity, colors and other features.
Now you’re set up to use, in my opinion, one of the best features on the Galaxy Note 8.
The great thing about the Coloring feature is that more pictograms are being added every week, and you can compare your work to others who have submitted their work through the community.
Even better, it’s possible to download many of those finished works of art and apply them as wallpapers, or to use as stepping stones for your own projects.
It’s now clear what the main antagonists for late 2017’s smartphone championship are – the upcoming Apple iPhone X, the Google Pixel 2 XL, the exceptional Samsung Galaxy Note 8, and finally, the LG V30. An exceptional round-up of devices, for sure, with each vying for its rightful place in your pocket. But with the hefty premium prices that almost all of these command, you will most likely want to narrow your choice to a single of said devices. Sorry, three will have to go with only one spot available!
So, which one should you pick?
The Apple iPhone X is a new chapter in Apple’s history, featuring a rather flashy new design, an OLED HDR-capable display, an intriguing face-scanning Face ID camera up front, the iPhone X is on its way of being Apple’s most advanced phone yet. And this commands a premium – $999, to be exact, which is already stepping over the psychological barrier of a thousand dollars.
Apple iPhone X
The brand new Pixel 2 XL is a device that aims to put Google on the map, and from what we’ve seen so far it has a rather good chance of doing that if El Goog doesn’t stumble upon any supply issues. The demand is there, but from the looks of it, you will have to wait long if you want to get one of these before Halloween.
Google Pixel 2 XL
The Galaxy Note 8 is easily the most-spec’d out phone out there right now, boasting almost anything but the kitchen sink in its deep feature bag. Aside from the excellent hardware and head-turning design, the Note 8 turns things to 11 thanks to the S Pen – the Note 8‘s single most important feature.
Samsung Galaxy Note 8
Finally, the LG V30 is easily the most affordable of the bunch, but don’t let this fool you, it doesn’t skimp on hardware or design for that matter. Even more, it has found its own niche – LG’s latest top-shelf phone aims to be the multimedia phone to beat out there, with a bevy of multimedia and video-related features on board.
LG V30
Size comparison
So, here’s how all four of these high-end devices stack up against one another as far as size goes.
Apple iPhone X vs Google Pixel 2 XL vs Galaxy Note 8 vs LG V30
Specs comparison
With size out of the equation, it’s time to compare the specs of the four devices and see how the stack up.
The S Pen is the Note series’ defining feature – a versatile tool whose intuitive design and powerful functions make multitasking a breeze, and allow users to express themselves and connect with others in fun and creative ways. There’s truly nothing else quite like it.
The Galaxy Note8’s is the most powerful S Pen the series has ever seen. Here, Hyesoon Jeong, the Principal Engineer of Framework R&D Group for Samsung’s Mobile Communications Business Team, discusses various ways that Samsung optimized the implement’s latest iteration to streamline more facets of users’ daily lives.
Q. What kind of value does Samsung hope to deliver to consumers with the Galaxy Note8 and the S Pen’s new functions?
We’ve been delighted to hear that consumers who have used the S Pen with the Galaxy Note8 have given it good reviews so far, and remarked on how much better it feels to use the S Pen.
Many of these consumers had not had a chance to experience the S Pen’s convenient functions since the last device debuted. Therefore, when refining the design for the Galaxy Note8’s S Pen, we decided to, rather than upgrading the technology within, focus on adding features that would prove convenient in daily use.
Q. What are some of the processes that Samsung utilizes to identify potential S Pen functions?
In the beginning of each year, we hold a series of “Note Kickoff” meetings, which bring together our Development, Product Planning, UX and Usability teams. Each department is asked to present brand-new ideas for innovative features to include in the new model, and come up with ways to improve upon the previous device based on customer feedback. This is how the Note8’s new S Pen features came about – by diligently listening to our customers’ insights on previous S Pens.
Q. One of these new features, Live Message, has been particularly well received. What were your main focuses when developing it?
Live Message is a fun GIF-creation feature that’s an evolution of sorts of Smart Select, which was introduced with the previous Note device. We wanted to expand this type of functionality because the ability to create GIFs has proven popular among Note users, who are very active on social media. Live Message takes GIF creation a step further by allowing users to add personal touches to messages, via animated text or live emojis, and customize their photos with various pen effects.
Our main focus when developing it was usability. We wanted to make sure that the function would be freely available for users in markets across the world. Because people in different countries communicate via different channels, we worked closely with popular messaging services around the globe, working out conditions and regional restrictions, to build something that would work with them.
We also want to show users how easy it is to utilize the function when communicating with their friends. Our developers are currently working on software updates that will introduce more beautiful and decorative examples of animated GIFs for users who may not be entirely satisfied with their own GIF-creating handiwork to plug into messages. We’re also looking into expanding the selection of pen effects that users have at their disposal.
Q. What are some of the ways that users can utilize the S Pen when using Bixby?
Bixby integration currently allows users to utilize its voice command feature to adjust the type of pen they’re using, as well as its color.
The S Pen’s Bixby support also makes it easier for users to shop. When you’re surfing the web and you find an image of a product that you like, you can activate Bixby Vision via Air Command, hover the S Pen over it, and instantly search for it online.
Q. How did you improve the Screen off memo feature?
Screen off memo is another function that’s receiving positive reviews from users. It automatically activates when you remove the S Pen, and allows you to instantly jot down notes to the off screen. This is a new function that enables users to write even when the screen is off, so that you don’t forget any passing thoughts.
For the Galaxy Note8, we’ve enhanced the feature to deliver new levels of convenience after listening to the consumers’ voices. Whereas before this update, the function was well-suited for simple, temporary memos, now, Screen off memo supports up to 100 pages of notes and allows you to pin notes to the AOD and make edits. This makes the function perfect for taking notes during meetings or presentations, managing to-do lists, or writing quick reminders for important tasks.
Q. Could you elaborate on how collaborating with Wacom has helped Samsung maximize the S Pen’s utility?
Our collaboration with (pen display, tablet and stylus manufacturer) Wacom, incorporating its tablet technologies into mobile devices through the S Pen, has been excellent – a win-win. Although other mobile-device manufacturers could design a smartphone with a large screen, by introducing Wacom’s solutions to the mobile realm, we’ve been able to establish a new standard when it comes to productivity.
We’re currently working with Wacom to explore new possible S Pen features and B2B solutions, including support for secure digital signatures, that could offer users and businesses additional convenience.
Q. What motivates Samsung to constantly seek out new ways to innovate with the S Pen?
The S Pen is a feature that’s unique to our company. We often hear that Note users are very loyal, and I would like to add that we developers are also greatly committed to our work. Those of us who work on the Note devices take great pride in providing users with an S Pen experience that allows them to streamline how they work, live, and express themselves.
This desire to arm users with a tool that makes a difference in their daily lives is what motivates us to identify new and exciting S Pen innovations.
