Samsung Galaxy Note 8.0 hands-on: First look

Introduction

Samsung is trying really hard to fill every empty slot in the mobile market, so the Galaxy Note 8.0 announcement shouldn't be a surprise to many. The compact tablet follows the same design guidelines as all the other Samsung high-end devices announced in the last year or so and has set its aim on the Apple iPad Mini.

Samsung has given the Galaxy Note 8.0 an S Pen and the slew of Touch Wiz-exclusive software features to help it in its battles. Driving them is the company's Exynos 4 Quad 4412 chipset with four 1.6GHz Cortex-A9 CPUs, Mali 400MP4 GPU and 2GB of RAM.

   
Samsung Galaxy Note 8.0 official photos

Here's a quick view of the Galaxy Note 8.0 features list.

Samsung Galaxy Note 8.0 at a glance:

• General: Optional 2G/3G/4G connectivity
• Form factor: Tablet
• Dimensions: 210.8 x 135.9 x 8 mm, 338 g
• Display: 8" 16M-color TFT capacitive touchscreen with a resolution of 800 x 1280 pixels (189ppi)
• Stylus: S Pen, 1024 pressure levels, hover functionality
• Chipset: Exynos 4412 Quad
• CPU: Quad-core ARM Cortex-A9 1.6 GHz processor
• GPU: Mali-400MP
• RAM: 2GB
• OS: Android 4.1.1 (Jelly Bean)
• Memory: 16/32GB storage, microSD card slot
• Still camera: 5 megapixel auto-focus camera, face detection and Best faces feature, touch focus and image stabilization; 1.3MP front facing camera, video-calls
• Video camera: Full HD (1080p) video recording at 30fps
• Connectivity: Wi-Fi a/b/g/n, Wi-Fi hotspot, Bluetooth 4.0, standard microUSB port with MHL features (TV Out, USB host), GPS receiver with A-GPS and GLONASS, 3.5mm audio jack, NFC
• Battery: 4600 mAh
• Misc: Nature UX, Extremely rich video/audio codec support, built-in accelerometer, multi-touch input, proximity sensor, gyroscope sensor, Smart stay and Smart rotation eye-tracking, Reading mode

Sounds familiar, doesn't it? That's the Samsung Galaxy Note 8.0 is little more than an upsized Galaxy Note II. Or is that a downsized Galaxy Note 10.1? The only differences are the new S-Pen software features that come with Android 4.1.2 and the latest TouchWiz, but those have already been made to the Note 8.0 predecessors.

The screen is of the TFT PLS variety with a slightly last-year-sounding 1280 x 800 pixels resolution. This results in 189 pixels per inch, which may not sound like match, but it's still more than the iPad Mini's 162 ppi.

As for the camera, it's a 5MP sensor capable of shooting 1080p@30fps coupled with an LED flash. Join us on the next page to learn more about the hardware features of the Galaxy Note 8.0, which also doubles as a huge phone thanks to its native calls support.

Samsung Galaxy Note 8.0 hands-on

Samsung hasn't taken any chances with the design of the Galaxy Note 8.0 and has sticked to the lines of the Galaxy S III and Galaxy Note II. The plastic of the portable slate is very similar to that of the company's flagship smartphone, too. Now, that may not sound too bad at first, but the design is really starting to wear off at this point, so we really wish Samsung went in a different direction this time.

Rather peculiarly, just like the Galaxy S III and the Note II, the Galaxy Note 8.0 tablet supports native phone calls (or at least as far as the 3G/4G version is concerned). It houses micro-SIM card slot as well as a microSD card slot.

At 338 grams, the Note 8.0 feels reasonably light in hand, but it's still a bit heavier than the iPad Mini. Whether or not the extra heft is worth it depends greatly on your need for an S Pen and the Wacom digitizer that comes with it.

    
The Galaxy Note 8.0 follows the design language of the recent Galaxy family members

Mentioning the Samsung Galaxy Note 8.0 display, we have to admit we hoped to see a Super AMOLED panel, so the regular TFT PLS unit left us a bit disappointed. It still gets the job done, but with its only average contrast and unspectacular ppi, it's not what you would call a premium screen. And Samsung employees at the booth would really go out of their way to convince us that the Galaxy Note 8.0 is, in fact, a premium device.

Android 4.1.2 is at the driver's seat of the slate, which of course means the Note 8.0 benefits from Project Butter. The latest version of the TouchWiz UI, known as Nature UX, is also in tow and comes with the latest bells and whistles the company bundles with its high end devices.

One of them is a cool settings feature to fine-tune the screen brightness when using auto screen brightness, by defining an offset (+/-1, +/-2 etc, which mean the Note 8.0 will always select a brightness setting higher/lower than it feels appropriate).

Then there's the special reading mode, which automatically adjusts the display for reading. The feature is only supported by a handful of apps so far, but the good news is the degault ebook reader is among them. The end result should be a better experience for those long reads you do on your tablet. Sounds nice on paper, but we will need to spend more time with the Note 8.0 to be convinced of the usefulness of this feature.

As this is TouchWiz on Jeally Bean, we also found some of the usual Samsung-exclusive features like Smart Stay, Multi-Window mode for enhanced mutli-tasking, Air View functionality as well as Popup Play mode. AllShare Play and Cast are also present.

  
The display of the Note 8.0 doesn't have the best viewing angles around

We found the S Pen to be as useful as ever and is irreplaceable for selecting, highlighting and editing text and images. It's also capable of performing the same tricks as on the Note 10.1 when you press the button found on its side.

By the way, there's also an IR blaster waiting for you to aim it at a TV and start using it as an 8" remote control. We weren't pretty excited that we'll have to use an 8" tablet as a remote control, but the nicely designed app convinced us otherwise.

Sadly, we couldn't take the 5MP camera for a spin and see if it's any good, but we'll try to fix that in the coming days.

Inside the tablet sits a 4.600mAh battery (non-removable, of course). Don't expect it to last a lifetime, but it's not too shabby for a device of this size.

Hold on tight onto the next page, where you'll find our hands-on video detailing the features of the Galaxy Note 8.0.

Samsung Galaxy Note 8.0 user interface hands-on

We shot a video, which gives you a quick tour around the hardware of the Samsung Galaxy Note 8.0. After that we got to take the Exynos 4412-driven TouchWizified Android 4.1.2 UI for a spin. The slate turned out pretty smooth, even though it's not even finalized yet. Check out how it did below.

First impressions

Samsung Note tablets seems to have developed a special bond with the MWC event. Last year the company tried to steal the spotlight with the Galaxy Note 10.1 and this year it's the turn of its smaller brother to try its hand.

The Galaxy Note 8.0 sits comfortably between the large Galaxy Note 10.1 and the more pocket-friendly Galaxy Note II. It seems to get the best from both worlds - an earpiece and a microphone from the Note II and the slightly higher resolution and more comfortable S Pen from the Galaxy Note 10.1.

The Samsung Galaxy Note 8.0 is also a stylish slate, although we have to admit we are starting to get bored with this design line. The good news is the smartphone is light, reasonably easy to handle and packs a display, which while not the best we have seen, is quite impressive for its class. The Mali-400MP4 GPU is certainly capable of handling higher resolution though, and it's a pity Samsung didn't take that chance to gain an even larger advantage over its competitors.

Undoubtedly, the array of software features is a key selling point, but safe for the special reading mode, they were all around for quite some time, so they won't make many Samsung users consider an upgrade.

Many people will find Samsung's latest tablet offering interesting, but we're not very convinced many people will favor it over the Galaxy Note II. Yes, the Galaxy Note 8.0 has more than twice the screen surface, but that's just about all it puts to the table. There's no resolution upgrade to maintain the pixel density and pocketability is certainly worse than it is on the 5.5" phablet.

On the other hand, those that need the S Pen functionality and find the larger screens more productive will certainly prefer the Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1. Unless the pricing (which Samsung stubbornly refuses to disclose) is a nice surprise, the Galaxy Note 8.0 might find it hard to carve a niche for itself.

 
Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 N8000 • Samsung Galaxy Note II N7100

So, Samsung will have to try and deliver the Galaxy Note 8.0 to the market at a price point close to that of the Apple iPad Mini. While the compact iOS slate has a headstart, the Galaxy Note 8.0 won't be doomed in this battle as it offers a more feature-rich platform, and the extra benefit of the S-Pen.

With it's all plastic build, the Galaxy Note 8.0 doesn't hold a candle to the aluminum-clad design of the iPad Mini, but it offers a display of higher pixel density and a more modern widescreen aspect.

Apple iPad mini Wi-Fi + Cellular

We'll know more about the Samsung Galaxy Note 8.0 over the coming months as the tablet get ready to assault markets around the globe. The compact Nature UX tablet certainly has a potential, but it's still in for a tough ride and if Samsung is to make it a success it has to play its marketing and pricing cards right.

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