How the Samsung Galaxy Note 8 Will Measure Up to the Galaxy S8 Models

Samsung is selling the Android market’s most advanced smartphones in the Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+. But it’s still planning to introduce another high-end smartphone it will call the Galaxy Note 8. The Galaxy Note models with their extra large screens, which some refer to as phablets, were popular with users until Samsung was forced to recall all of the Galaxy Note 7 models in late 2016 because of overheating batteries that were causing the handsets to burn and explode. While Samsung hasn’t actually confirmed the Galaxy Note 8’s features, it has confirmed it’ll launch later this year. And when it does, it could come with features similar to those in the Galaxy S8 line, including a big screen, fast processor and powerful cameras. Here’s how the Galaxy Note 8 might compare to the Galaxy S8 line.

According to several rumors, Samsung isn’t planning a major design shift with the Galaxy Note 8. While the display will likely be larger than its stablemates, the Note 8’s basic design will be nearly identical design to the Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+, complete with a curved screen that nearly covers the smartphone’s face. Samsung will also reportedly eliminate the physical home button in favor of a virtual button at the bottom of the Galaxy Note 8’s display.

There’s some debate over the size of the Galaxy Note 8’s screen. Some reports have pegged it at 6.3 inches, making it slightly larger than the 6.2-inch Galaxy S8+. Still others say the smartphone will come with an even larger 6.4-inch screen. Either way, expect it to be big, to offer high-end resolution and to have the same 18.5:9 aspect ratio as with the Galaxy S8+.

For weeks, reports have said Samsung, like it did with its Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+, would bundle the Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 in the Galaxy Note 8. Now, though, some reports are claiming Qualcomm has improved the Snapdragon, and it will be the more powerful and more power-efficient Snapdragon 836 that’ll come with the Galaxy Note 8.

Samsung disappointed some industry watchers by bundling a single-lens camera in the Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+. But that won’t be the case with the Note 8, which some are saying will come with a dual-lens camera. It would be the first Samsung device to offer a dual-lens camera, which would put it in direct competition with the iPhone 7 Plus’ dual-camera array.

The S Pen stylus isn’t supported in the Galaxy S8 line, but it will be what differentiates the Galaxy Note 8 in the marketplace. According to several reports, Samsung is working on a new S Pen that would be more accurate and support finer detail while writing and drawing on the screen.

If customers are going to even think about buying the Galaxy Note 8, Samsung knows it must make it clear that its upcoming handset battery is reliable, thanks to the troubled batteries in last year’s Galaxy Note 7 that ultimately forced the company to discontinue the product. Since then, Samsung has improved its batteries and will bundle those safer batteries in the Galaxy Note 8.

The Galaxy Note 8’s software experience should be identical to that of the Galaxy S8 line’s. That’s because the latest reports say Samsung is unwilling to wait for Android O and will instead opt to bundle Android Nougat in the Galaxy Note 8, the same operating system users will find in the Galaxy S8.

Samsung’s virtual personal assistant Bixby is available exclusively on the Galaxy S8 line, but that will change later this year when the tech giant brings it to the Galaxy Note 8. It’s unclear, however, whether Bixby will have additional features that can take advantage of the Galaxy Note 8’s support for the S Pen.

Why Samsung would launch a smartphone with features nearly identical to those in its high-end Galaxy S8+? Publicly, Samsung says a subset of customers want to use a stylus with a big-screen handset. The company also believes releasing another device in the latter part of the year allows it to bundle some advanced features that weren’t available when the Galaxy S line was released. But perhaps most importantly, Samsung is releasing the device just weeks before Apple launches its new iPhone, making the Galaxy Note the company’s best competitor to the latest iPhone.

There are still some important questions surrounding the Galaxy Note 8 that have yet to be answered. Chiefly, neither Samsung nor the rumor mill has said how much the Galaxy Note 8 will cost. Reports have only suggested it’ll be very expensive and could cost more than the $850 Galaxy S8+. Samsung has also failed to confirm when the handset will be released, though some reports have pegged its unveiling to late August or early September. Either way, expect to see it on store shelves before Apple’s upcoming iPhones.