Samsung would not admit but the upcoming Galaxy Note 8 release is basically a souped up version of the Galaxy S8 hence the reasons to step up when the phablet flagship touches down seem not compelling enough. And it's already given the Note 8 will cost more, the base price rumored to start at $1000, so what users will get that are not already packed with the GS8, and at a relatively lower price?
Dual camera
Samsung has confirmed and more signs are saying the Note 8 will come equipped with dual camera. The latest is a freshly leaked image of the handset rear panel showing off a shooting system with twin sensors in horizontal orientation. Also seen is pair of LED flash and what appears as a biometric sensor.
It could be that the same sensor functions as heartbeat reader as seen in the past Galaxy S iterations but most likely it is a fingerprint scanner, WCCFTech said in a report, adding that the latest piece of information, though unconfirmed, pointed to two things. That the Note 8 unlike the GS8 will have a dual camera setup but the fingerprint reader is still rear-located like the GS8.
Larger screen
Speculations are rife the Note 8 will sport a 6.3-inch Infinity Display panel, which if true will be the largest flagship phone release from Samsung. However, it's not automatic that the device will end up as the most gigantic in the Samsung line of smartphones. The Note 8 form factor is expected to be nearly identical with that of the GS8 and GS8+.
That's because the next-gen Samsung phablet is seen to exceed the 83 percent screen-to-body radio that was unpacked with the Galaxy S8, meaning the Note will have a screaming all-screen display but with the bulk considerably reduced by the device engineering.
Powerful engine
Like the GS8, the Note 8 will certainly rock both the Snapdragon 835 and Exynos 8895 processors, and the chip that users will get will depend of market destination. However, the GS8 was only limited to 4GB of RAM support, which Samsung will more likely increase to 6GB RAM for the global Galaxy Note 8 rollout.
One thing to note is Samsung released a Chinese version of the GS8 with 6GB RAM on board, raising a possibility of the same approach for the Note 8 but with 8GB of installed RAM.
S Pen
One Galaxy Note element that is exclusive to the line is the S Pen stylus. There is no way the tool can be found or work with the GS8 so this is sort of a Note 8 exclusive. For the 2017 upgrade, the S Pen is seen to include significant enhancements both in the hardware and software departments.
First to get Android O
It is believed the Galaxy Note 8 will debut powered by Android 7.1.1 Nougat, which is not exactly an earth-shaking prospect. But the chance is high it is the Note 8 that will get Android O first, at least among Samsung's flagship offerings and outside of the Pixel line. If the rumors are correct, the Note 8 could get Android O or Oatmeal Cookie before the end of 2017.
Early arrival
Korean media reports have indicated Samsung will want to beat the Apple iPhone 8 to the market. That could mean the Galaxy Note 8 introduction is set middle or late August while the actual release date will be around September 2017 or a number of weeks ahead of the next iPhone rollout.
