Samsung Galaxy Note 8 Review: Only For Those Who Really Need The Stylus

Ben Sin

Samsung Galaxy Note 8 (left) and the Galaxy S8+ (right).

Samsung's newest flagship, the Galaxy Note 8, has a large, beautiful display that pumps out stunningly lush colors and immersive deep blacks. It's got one of the very best cameras in all of the mobile industry, capable of producing crisp images in most lighting conditions. Its hardware is top notch in every way, from the newest mobile processor (Snapdragon 835 or Exynos 8895) to the best in class industrial design.

The thing is, I can say the exact same things about Samsung's other phone, the Galaxy S8+, and that handset costs about $250 less than the Note 8.

There are really only two features that separates the Note 8 from the S8+: a secondary camera on the device's back and a stylus, which Samsung's calls "S Pen."

That secondary camera is mostly a superficial addition. Sure, it can produce that cool but gimmicky "bokeh effect" shot, like below...

Ben Sin

Taken with the Galaxy Note 8.

... but do you really need to pay 200 bucks extra for that artificial blur when the Galaxy S8+ can snap the shot below?

Ben Sin

Taken with the Galaxy S8+

Samsung's marketing team will point out that the second camera also brings a superior 2X zoom, but over the past two weeks I've taken dozens and dozens of shots with the Note 8 and V30, and the Note 8's "dedicated 2X zoom" did not produce images that differed much from the V30's "digital zoom" (I'll have samples later in the article). I noticed this same problem when I tested the iPhone 7 Plus and its supposedly "optical 2X zoom" last year.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not bashing the Note 8's camera at all. It often produced gorgeous images with very punchy colors on the first shot -- it's just not much better than the Galaxy S8's camera.

So the only reason to get the Note 8 over its much cheaper cousin sitting on the same store shelf is if you need that stylus. Personally, I like having it around because I have a side job as a proofreader so I do enjoy using it to annotate documents at times, but overall I don't feel it's a crucial, must-have smartphone accessory. I believe most average consumers won't have much use for it other than silly gimmicky things like drawing mustaches on their partner's portraits.

But I'm aware that there is a group of dedicated Note fans who swear by the stylus and its importance to productivity. I know they exist because every time I write about the Note series and mention the stylus not being a necessity I get angry reader comments. In fact I'm sure a few are typing furiously in the comment section right now.

So with that said, I'm going to focus this review mostly on the stylus (with a bit on the camera) because there's really no point in dwelling on an overall pros and cons of the Note 8, since that list will read very similarly to the S8+'s pros and cons. We all know Galaxy flagship phones have stunning OLED displays, the newest processor at the time, and all that other good stuff. That same Samsung software I found so annoying and bloated from the S8+ is still here on the Note 8, so all the gripes I had with the former applies to the latter. And yes, the Note 8 does get laggy on me when I push it, the way all Samsung phones lag due to that heavy software. So if you really want to learn all of that, please read my Galaxy S8 review instead. 

All right, let's continue...

Ben Sin

The S Pen.

So, the stylus. Like all previous Note devices, it's a thin plasticky stick measuring about 4-inches that can be pulled out from the bottom of the device. It's got a 0.7 millimeter tip with 4,096 levels of pressure, making it fine and sensitive enough to sketch -- at least in theory. Though the Note 8's 6.3-inch screen is large by smartphone standards, it's still a bit cramped for serious sketching or note taking in my opinion. Of course, others will disagree -- and there are some truly impressive works of art on Samsung's S-Pen-centric "Pen-up" app.

Pull the stylus out of the Note 8 and a pop up menu immediately takes over the full screen, from here, you can access various features, from longtime Note stables like Samsung Notes and "Smart Select" (which lets you crop a specific part of the screen with the stylus) to relatively new features like Translate and Screen Write (both work as its name suggests). A new addition this year is "Live Message," which lets you write or draw a message that is then turned into an animated gif (showing your strokes) that can be shared on just about any chat app. It's a cute little feature that can be fun for people with partners or close family members. I don't see much use beyond that -- it's not like I'm going to jot an animated "what's up" to my male friends or colleagues.

Ben Sin

Live Message on the Note 8 (left) and using the stylus to browse through photos in the gallery.

The stylus can also do other superficial things like slightly enlarge a photo in a gallery so you can get a preview of the shot without needing to "click into" the photo, but let's be honest, all the stuff I just mentioned are either not crucial or can be done with our fingers (translating text with the stylus is cool, but I can copy and paste the block of text and translate in Google Translate on the S8 almost just as fast). The major practical use of the stylus, aka the best case for buying the Note 8, is if you need to annotating documents.

Ben Sin

The best case for needing the Note 8 -- if you annotate often.

Being able to circle words and jot down notes directly on the screen can be very useful for publication editors, professors, or lawyers. As mentioned, I proofread/edit copy as a side gig so I did use the stylus for the task. I still think it's much, much easier and less muscle-cramping to do this on, say, an iPad Pro or a laptop (which I almost always have on me when I'm out and about), but I can see the use of the Note for people who only carry one device.

Next page: photo comparisons vs iPhone 8 and LG V30; performance, battery life ...

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Ben Sin

Samsung Galaxy Note 8 (left) and the Galaxy S8+ (right).

Samsung's newest flagship, the Galaxy Note 8, has a large, beautiful display that pumps out stunningly lush colors and immersive deep blacks. It's got one of the very best cameras in all of the mobile industry, capable of producing crisp images in most lighting conditions. Its hardware is top notch in every way, from the newest mobile processor (Snapdragon 835 or Exynos 8895) to the best in class industrial design.

The thing is, I can say the exact same things about Samsung's other phone, the Galaxy S8+, and that handset costs about $250 less than the Note 8.

There are really only two features that separates the Note 8 from the S8+: a secondary camera on the device's back and a stylus, which Samsung's calls "S Pen."

That secondary camera is mostly a superficial addition. Sure, it can produce that cool but gimmicky "bokeh effect" shot, like below...

Ben Sin

Taken with the Galaxy Note 8.

... but do you really need to pay 200 bucks extra for that artificial blur when the Galaxy S8+ can snap the shot below?

Ben Sin

Taken with the Galaxy S8+

Samsung's marketing team will point out that the second camera also brings a superior 2X zoom, but over the past two weeks I've taken dozens and dozens of shots with the Note 8 and V30, and the Note 8's "dedicated 2X zoom" did not produce images that differed much from the V30's "digital zoom" (I'll have samples later in the article). I noticed this same problem when I tested the iPhone 7 Plus and its supposedly "optical 2X zoom" last year.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not bashing the Note 8's camera at all. It often produced gorgeous images with very punchy colors on the first shot -- it's just not much better than the Galaxy S8's camera.

So the only reason to get the Note 8 over its much cheaper cousin sitting on the same store shelf is if you need that stylus. Personally, I like having it around because I have a side job as a proofreader so I do enjoy using it to annotate documents at times, but overall I don't feel it's a crucial, must-have smartphone accessory. I believe most average consumers won't have much use for it other than silly gimmicky things like drawing mustaches on their partner's portraits.

But I'm aware that there is a group of dedicated Note fans who swear by the stylus and its importance to productivity. I know they exist because every time I write about the Note series and mention the stylus not being a necessity I get angry reader comments. In fact I'm sure a few are typing furiously in the comment section right now.

So with that said, I'm going to focus this review mostly on the stylus (with a bit on the camera) because there's really no point in dwelling on an overall pros and cons of the Note 8, since that list will read very similarly to the S8+'s pros and cons. We all know Galaxy flagship phones have stunning OLED displays, the newest processor at the time, and all that other good stuff. That same Samsung software I found so annoying and bloated from the S8+ is still here on the Note 8, so all the gripes I had with the former applies to the latter. And yes, the Note 8 does get laggy on me when I push it, the way all Samsung phones lag due to that heavy software. So if you really want to learn all of that, please read my Galaxy S8 review instead. 

All right, let's continue...

Ben Sin

The S Pen.

So, the stylus. Like all previous Note devices, it's a thin plasticky stick measuring about 4-inches that can be pulled out from the bottom of the device. It's got a 0.7 millimeter tip with 4,096 levels of pressure, making it fine and sensitive enough to sketch -- at least in theory. Though the Note 8's 6.3-inch screen is large by smartphone standards, it's still a bit cramped for serious sketching or note taking in my opinion. Of course, others will disagree -- and there are some truly impressive works of art on Samsung's S-Pen-centric "Pen-up" app.

Pull the stylus out of the Note 8 and a pop up menu immediately takes over the full screen, from here, you can access various features, from longtime Note stables like Samsung Notes and "Smart Select" (which lets you crop a specific part of the screen with the stylus) to relatively new features like Translate and Screen Write (both work as its name suggests). A new addition this year is "Live Message," which lets you write or draw a message that is then turned into an animated gif (showing your strokes) that can be shared on just about any chat app. It's a cute little feature that can be fun for people with partners or close family members. I don't see much use beyond that -- it's not like I'm going to jot an animated "what's up" to my male friends or colleagues.

Ben Sin

Live Message on the Note 8 (left) and using the stylus to browse through photos in the gallery.

The stylus can also do other superficial things like slightly enlarge a photo in a gallery so you can get a preview of the shot without needing to "click into" the photo, but let's be honest, all the stuff I just mentioned are either not crucial or can be done with our fingers (translating text with the stylus is cool, but I can copy and paste the block of text and translate in Google Translate on the S8 almost just as fast). The major practical use of the stylus, aka the best case for buying the Note 8, is if you need to annotating documents.

Ben Sin

The best case for needing the Note 8 -- if you annotate often.

Being able to circle words and jot down notes directly on the screen can be very useful for publication editors, professors, or lawyers. As mentioned, I proofread/edit copy as a side gig so I did use the stylus for the task. I still think it's much, much easier and less muscle-cramping to do this on, say, an iPad Pro or a laptop (which I almost always have on me when I'm out and about), but I can see the use of the Note for people who only carry one device.

Next page: photo comparisons vs iPhone 8 and LG V30; performance, battery life ...

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