Most everyone remembers the Galaxy Note 7 debacle of 2016. I had preordered the Note 7, only to send it back because of the Note 7’s predisposition to explode. Given the disappointment that I felt after preordering anything for the first time, I decided to wait out the preorders for the Samsung Galaxy Note 8. Then a co-worker showed me his cell phone: the Samsung Galaxy Note 8. I recognized it immediately after seeing a photo with text written on it by the stylus. After seeing it in the wild, I had to get one. The following day, my friend and I went to the nearest Best Buy–as it so happens he needed to buy a new computer.
I bought the phone outright and unlocked. It would have been nice, and less expensive upfront, had I been able to go through my carrier, but they would have forced me to use a data plan which was more costly than my current plan. After transferring the data from my old phone, a Samsung Galaxy Note 4, to the Note 8, I began to customize the look of the environment, adding widgets and icons. So what has been my experience with the Samsung Galaxy Note 8 thus far?
First, and this is very important if you want to save yourself some frustration, install the SIM card before you customize your new Note 8. What happens if you don’t? As I have already mentioned, I began customizing the Note 8 with widgets and frequently used apps. The SIM card in the Note 4 was too large for the SIM tray in the Note 8, so I knew I had to get a new SIM card from my carrier if I wanted to use my new cell phone as a cell phone along with my data plan from my carrier. So what happened when I inserted the new SIM card into the Note 8? The phone restarts, erasing all that customization, except for the picture of my cat as the background. So after the new SIM card was installed, it was back to transferring all those apps from my old phone to the new phone–79 applications to transfer. Once that is finished, then it was time to place apps.
I kept the Note 8 appearing minimalist compared to my Note 4. I was still using three pages, the middle page being the home page with the weather and time widget. The page on the left contained the Evernote and Google Calendar widgets. The page to the right of the home page, housed my social media and e-mail apps, including a folder which contained the apps I would use for images (gallery, Snapseed, PhotoGrid, et. al.) As a reminder, you will have to re-enter your username and password to some applications. If the majority of your apps use your Google username and/or password, you should be able to enter these Google apps without having to type anything.
After the phone environment was situated, I began to watch Samsung Galaxy Note 8 videos on YouTube. I specifically searched out videos with “tips and tricks” for the phone. There are many helpful pointers in these videos: pinning camera shortcuts on a page, using a picture on the always-on display, using the edge app drawer, etc. There are videos, however, that delve more into a specific topic that you do want to check out: how to use the camera, and Bixby. You can still use the camera as a simple point-and-shoot, but that is just the tip of this new and improved iceberg (i.e. Live Focus, Bixby Vision, RAW pictures). And speaking of Bixby. it’s definitely something to consider. Watch a video explaining the usage of Bixby. If you’re not going to use it, there’s a way to turn it off and also deactivate the Bixby button as well as deleting the Bixby page. Not only is that fingerprint sensor in the wrong place, but the Bixby button is annoyingly close to the volume buttons.
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| With Live Focus |
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| Without Live Focus |
I was pleasantly surprised that there was very little bloatware on the Note 8, but I did buy it unlocked so I didn’t have my carrier’s app included, and Flipboard wasn’t the first thing I deleted. The Note 8 is very responsive for its first week out of the box. I kept my 64 gb memory card for the Note 8 although it can handle up to a 256 gb memory card. So far, I haven’t had a need to upgrade my memory card’s capacity, but as I understand it can transfer some apps into the memory card to save the onboard memory of the Note 8. Regardless, I try to keep the number of apps to a minimum on my phone. (Update: I ordered 128 gb memory card to store, not only photos, but videos as well.)
I was equally surprised by the duration of the Note 8’s battery. After my lunch hour, I usually have to plug in my Note 4 to an external battery pack because the battery drops down to 60%. With the Note 8, it drops down to about 80%. I understand that the Note 8 battery is smaller than the Note 7: 3300mAh compared to 3500mAh. The battery on the Note 4 is 3220mAh. But don’t let the “small” battery fool you because the Note 8 itself is much larger than the Note 4. Okay, it’s taller. I gave my Note 4 to a friend after having set my Note 8, and I set it up for him. I actually found the Note 4 screen small especially going back to check on my notifications on my Note 8. The Note 4 has a screensize of 5.7 inches while the Note 8 has 6.3 inches.
This is just the first week of owning the Samsung Galaxy Note 8. I have no buyer’s remorse; so far, it has been buyer’s euphoria. With all its amazing features, you have to watch those Galaxy Note 8 “tips and tricks” videos to be aware of what all this phone can actually do. I highly recommend, however, to watch videos concerning Bixby–if you’re planning to use it–as well as the camera. Videos concerning the camera are probably the most important to watch since the Note’s camera has updated its features–hello Live Focus. Let me know what you think of the Note 8 or other phones which are better than the Note 8. I always like to hear what works for people.
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