Samsung drops Galaxy Note 8 from future updates

After four full years of software updates from Samsung, the sun is finally setting on this model as well, bringing its lifecycle to end—although that doesn't mean it won't be usable for a while longer, if you happen to have this handset as a daily driver.

It turns out that the last August update was the Galaxy Note 8's last, and Samsung will no longer be dishing out software improvements or security patches in the future. This was to be expected, as the phone was first launched on August 23, 2017, and Samsung has followed through on its promise to provide full four-year support to its smartphones before letting them go and moving on.

And the Note 8 has done its job well. It was the container of several innovations in the series, such as the introduction of Samsung's first dual-camera system on its Galaxy smartphones. The Galaxy Note 8's 12MP telephoto lens was included alongside the regular 12MP primary shooter for the first time ever. Of course, now we have quadruple camera systems in the latest models, but that was where it all started for the Galaxy series.

Other innovations the Note 8 brought to the Galaxy lineup was the ability to control background blur in the camera app, and Screen off memo, which enabled users to quickly jot down notes directly onto the lock screen.

The Galaxy Note 8 also hit record sales for Samsung in 2017, reaching over 270,000 units sold during the first weekend of its launch. But all good things must come to an end, to make way for even better things—and even as the Note 8 is being dropped from Samsung's security update schedule this year, we're hoping to see the series continue to thrive with a Galaxy Note 22 model next year.