Samsung Galaxy Note 8.0 Review

Introduction

Starting out from a weird “phablet” device, Samsung's Note series of smart products have grown to become a complete line-up, which today includes a 5.5” phablet, a 10.1” tablet, and now a smaller, 8” tablet. The Galaxy Note 8.0 keeps the characteristic feature of the series, namely the S Pen stylus, which seems to be getting more and more capable with each new iteration.

As with the Note 10.1, the Note 8.0 will probably have some tough time because its direct competitor is the Apple iPad mini. Apple's smaller tablet is already enjoying some notable demand, which comes to show that there's money to be made in this device category. Another popular device, which is also dangerously close to the Note 8.0 is the Nexus 7. Being so aggressively priced, Google's 7” tablet sure is a force to be reckoned with.

With such mighty competitors, it's very interesting to see what the Galaxy Note 8.0 is going to offer. Has Samsung loaded its product with enough features? Will the S Pen play its part and provide the Note 8.0 with some much needed differentiation? Read on to find out!

Design

Surprise is the last thing you can feel upon opening the box of the Samsung Galaxy Note 8.0. The tablet has Samsung's traditional design language, which gives it a kind of a retro look with those rounded corners. This kind of design actually works quite well for the Note 8.0, which doesn't look bad at all.

As always, this Samsung device uses smooth, glossy plastic for its exterior, which we appreciate. It makes the Note 8.0 easy and comfortable to hold.


The Home button, as well as the ones around the sides of the Galaxy Note 8.0 function very well. Only the power button could have been a bit better, but it's not too bad the way it is.

All in all, we like what Samsung has done with the design of the Note 8.0. The device isn't anything groundbreaking, especially when compared to something like the iPad mini, but it's OK and is quite comfortable to use. Thanks to its light weight of 11.92 oz (338 g), it's also easy to hold with just one hand – something very important for an 8” tablet.


Display

The Galaxy Note 8.0 doesn't surprise with some kind of innovative display technology. It simply has a quality LCD TFT screen with a resolution of 800 x 1280 pixels. This makes for a pixel density of 189 ppi, which is certainly not too high, and that's easy to notice when using the tablet. In terms of clarity, the Note 8.0 positions itself below the Nexus 7 but above the iPad mini, which has an even lower pixel density. Anyways, Samsung's newest tablet has just enough resolution to make everything readable without annoying you, but yeah, it won't blow you away with super-sharp visuals.

Viewing angles are pretty decent, and so is outdoor visibility, as the display is able to get quite bright. At the same time, we're glad to report that it can also get very dark, which is very valuable when using the device in the dark.


S Pen

The signature feature of the Samsung Galaxy Note 8.0 is, of course, the S Pen stylus that can be used for stuff like note-taking and drawing. The stylus itself fits into its silo very tightly, so there's absolutely no chance of it falling by accident. The S Pen is big enough to be comfortable to hold, although it probably would have been even better if it was a tad bigger. Still, it's OK the way it is right now.


As you probably know, Samsung has worked with Wacom, the company that makes professional grade tablets for designers, in order to integrate some of its technology in the Note 8.0. As a result, the stylus is pressure-sensitive, and we're more than happy to say that writing with it is actually quite convenient. Sure, most people will probably find it harder to write with the S Pen than with a real pen, but the difference seems to be surprisingly small.

You can learn more about the S Pen and the apps that are optimized for it in the following sections of the review!


Interface and Functionality

The OS that you'll find preloaded on the Samsung Galaxy Note 8.0 is Android 4.1.2. Yes, it's not the latest version, but Samsung has tried to make up for it with its TouchWiz Nature user interface. The UI isn't anything different from what we've seen on the Galaxy S III, Note II, and the company's other recent Android devices.

We actually like this custom software. It's definitely one of the best, if not the best custom Android UI out there currently. It moves very fluidly and all applications open quickly with any considerable delay. Of course, the powerful hardware is one of the reasons for this, but Samsung should also be given credit for the optimizations it's done to the code.


Custom features like Pop Up Play and Smart Stay are naturally on board, and so is the Multi Window view, which allows you to work with two apps running simultaneously side by side. In contrast to when it's used on a phone, this feature is actually convenient and useful on a tablet like the Note 8.0, which has enough screen space to keep things big enough. There's also a visible handle that's always present on the left, which you can pull to reveal a number of frequently used apps. You can then simply pull those apps and decide where you want them to occupy the upper half of the screen, the lower half or the full screen. It's a very convenient way to boost your multitasking.



Messaging

One thing we didn't enjoy when using the Samsung Galaxy Note 8.0 was typing on its on-screen QWERTY keyboard, which seemed too small, even for the 8” screen. Thankfully this is easy to fix by installing a third-party keyboard.


You can also use the S Pen to take advantage of the handwriting recognition technology of the device, if that input method will suit you better. However, we didn't found it to be very accurate. Not that it's unreliable, but it could certainly use some more work. If you try to use it as your main input method right now, you'll constantly have to check if the device has recognized your handwriting correctly. Don't trust it too much!

S Pen applications and performance

Alright, let's take a look at the software that Samsung has provided for use with the S Pen!

First off, there's the S Note application, which can be used for all types of note-taking. Samsung's efforts with regards to the integration of the Wacom technology really show here, as writing with the S Pen feels almost as natural as typing with a real pen. Our only complaint here has to do with the presence of some slight lag, which makes the experience a bit less appealing than it could have been. Anyway, that doesn't make writing itself much harder.

Samsung has been paying attention to the small details recently. Behind-the-scenes features like Smart Stay prove that. The fact that the device isn't registering your whole hand while writing with the S Pen also proves that. Since writing with a pen without resting your hand on the surface isn't really a comfortable experience, that's exactly what the user tends to do when writing with the S Pen. The problem here is that you actually have to rest your hand on the tablet's screen itself. Under normal circumstances, this could have ended ugly, but thanks to the tweaks Samsung has done, the Note 8.0 never registers your hand as a touch while you're using the S Pen.

As a result of all this, and the versatile nature of S Note, we can conclude that the Galaxy Note 8.0 is a wonderful device for note-taking. And we mean serious, quick, during-a-meeting note-taking. You can't do this on any other tablet out there, because it's simply not possible with a regular capacitive stylus.

Awesome Note is another app for note-taking. Making its Android debut on the Note 8.0, Awesome Note is like a normal notes app on steroids – it features a bunch of options that let you organize and prioritize your notes/graphs, whatever you work with. It can also show a calendar at all times, making it easy for the user to view and create notes for different days.

Paper Artist is a simply drawing app which allows you to take or import a picture and then draw on top of it using some basic tools like a pencil or a brush. The app also features a set of photo effects, most of which being a bit over the top. Anyways, it's interesting to play with if you have some free time, but it's nothing of interest for people how need some more advanced functionality. In such cases, better install a third-party app like Photoshop Touch.


Processor and Memory

The Samsung Galaxy Note 8.0 is equipped with the trusty quad-core Exynos 4412 processor clocked at 1.6 GHz. Throw 2 GB of RAM in, and the Note 8.0 provides a perfectly fluid experience with no major delays.

Samsung Galaxy Note 8.0	6747	17013	60.1
Google Nexus 10	4446	8954	55.4
Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1	5479	12722	58.9
Asus Transformer Pad Infinity	4204	12693	39.6

The Note 8.0 comes in two storage space variants: 16 GB and 32 GB, with both variants featuring a microSD slot for memory expansion.

Internet and Connectivity

Internet browsing is another area where we want to congratulate Samsung for the exceptional job it's done. What's so special about the Note 8.0 and its web browsing capabilities? Well, the best part about it is that Samsung has kept its own browser as the default, and hasn't replaced it with Google's Chrome, which, as you know, is the default Android browser since version 4.1. Actually, we're not entirely right when we say that this is Samsung's “own browser”, because it's more like an upgrade of the previous default Android browser – the one that was used in all Ice Cream Sandwich versions.

To be honest, we're still confused as to why Google decided to replace the ICS browser with mobile Chrome. Everyone who has seen how the two browsers perform side by side, can confirm that Chrome is much slower and significantly less responsive than the wonderful browser that was present in ICS. Not only that, but the ICS browser still supports Adobe's Flash Player, while Chrome doesn't (and probably never will).

The reason we want to congratulate Samsung here is its decision to keep the oldbrowserand enhance it, as this easily makes the Note 8.0 a superior device for web browsing, compared to other Jelly Bean-based devices. Sure, you can always install third-party browsers, but if we don't take their special features into account (like syncing of tabs, history and so on), the ICS-based browser as found on the Galaxy Note 8.0 is arguably faster and more versatile (thanks to Flash) than any of them – Dolphin, Firefox and Opera included. Dolphin Browser comes super-close with regards to responsiveness, but it refuses to play Flash content if your device is running Jelly Bean.


Internet browsing aside, the Samsung Galaxy Note 8.0 is compatible with all Wi-Fi protocols, while the 3G/HSPA+ variant can go up to 21.1 Mbit/s downlink speeds, and 5.76 Mbit/s up. There isn't an LTE-enabled model announced right now, but such might be in the works, because we're yet to see the US carriers announce their Note 8.0s. Bluetooth is supported in its 4th iteration, and there's even an IR blaster for those moments when you feel like using your tablet as a remote.

An interesting feature of the international 3G-enabled Note 8.0 is that you can make phone calls with it. That doesn't necessarily mean that you should keep it next to your ear like a phone, though. You can simply use it to make calls with a Bluetooth headset of some sort, which can be very helpful in certain situations.


Camera and Multimedia

Yes, there's a camera on the Samsung Galaxy Note 8.0 and it's a 5MP one. As you can imagine, the Camera application is full of settings, so if tweaking the basic snapper of a tablet is your cup of tea, then you surely have the option to do so!


The camera itself takes the safe approach of taking pictures which are a bit on the softer side, thus minimizing noise, but also the fine details. The weather conditions in which we took the photos weren't the best possible, though, so the Note 8.0's camera isn't the only thing to be blamed for the gloomy colors that you'll see in the samples below. Samsung's cameras tend to come up with realistic tones, so obviously this one isn't an exception to the rule. Overall it's a pretty decent camera for outdoor pictures. It'll definitely get the job done if you only have your tablet to take photos with.


Indoor photographs are also fine. Details are OK and everything looks sharp, though we're a bit disappointed by the colors, which have come out a bit greenish for some reason.

The Note 8.0, not being a camera-centric device, supports video recording at up to 720p resolution. The video plays smoothly, but it won't blow you away with its quality, which isn't so high. The microphone is also mediocre, as the sounds that it captures are quite harsh. The loudspeakers of the device aren't bad. We like them because they aren't overly sharp and the sound has some low end to it. They are also pretty decent in terms of loudness.

Samsung Galaxy Note 8.0 sample video:



Samsung Galaxy Note 8.0 indoor sample video:



There are an OK music player and picture/video gallery preloaded on the Galaxy Note 8.0 – no suprises here. In addition, you'll also find the manufacturer's Music Hub and Video Hub, where you'll be able to purchase content.

Smart Remote is new application that takes advantage of the IR blaster of the Note 8.0. As the name implies, it'll let you use your tablet as a remote control for your TV. There are many brands supported, including Samsung (surprise!), Panasonic, Sony, Sharp and Toshiba.



Conclusion

There's no doubt about it, the Samsung Galaxy Note 8.0 is a wonderful tablet. While the inconvenient pen support of the first Note looked more like a weird experiment, the technology has been gradually improved to arrive on the Note 8.0 as a capable and reliable feature. The Galaxy Note 8.0, with its sizable screen and optimized software, proves that the S Pen is not just a gimmick, but a feature that can really let you take handwritten notes in a comfortable, almost natural-feeling way.

The tablet isn't perfect, of course. The screen could have had a higher resolution, and the design could have been a bit more inspiring, but the good thing is that they are OK the way they are now. An 8-inch tablet is supposed to be light and comfortable to hold, and the Note 8.0 is both. It has an OK appearance and a rich feature set, which makes it one truly versatile device.

The star of the show here, though, are Samsung's decisions with regards to software. Not only does the TouchWiz Nature interface feel polished and responsive, but it also offers a best-in-class web browser and a series of features that you may never notice, but they'll be secretly working to make sure that you're getting a noteworthy experience.

Software version of the reviewed unit: Android 4.1.2, Build JZO54K.N5110XXBMB6