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12 Awesome Things You Can Do With The Samsung Galaxy Note8
Now, this is what you call a comeback
“The Galaxy Note 8 retakes the throne as the ultimate Android phone,” “Another Samsung star,” “the smart choice among smartphones” and the praises go on: Samsung has outdone itself with the Galaxy Note 8 and techies everywhere are more than pleased.
Since its unveiling at Samsung’s “Unpacked” event in August, critics have kept a close watch on all things Note 8. Given last year’s incident with a defective internal battery design, it was considered a bold move for the tech giant to continue charging forward with its Note series. The recall of the Note 7 cost the company roughly $5.3 billion. Ouch. However, bold moves do pay off—especially when the brand is determined to turn weakness into strength and come back out on top.
The Galaxy Note 8 is precisely this: a lesson in taking the good and making them better—and ensuring mistakes of the past stay in the past. With such a superb new release, Android users are more than willing to forgive the Note 7 mishap and excited to embrace the Note 8.
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The superior model in the Note series, the Galaxy Note 8 has design, functionality and topnotch features down pat. The best of the large screen phones, it features a 6.3-inch Infinity Display that seamlessly extends to the edges of the phone frame. There’s also no contest when it comes to resolution. The HDR display is perfect for streaming media, using the Note8 as a creative interface and of course, quality photography.
It’s the tool designed to let techies get creative and stay creative. The Samsung S Pen allows users to create live messages, smart select items on their phone screen and create their own GIFs. To get the most out of the phone’s productivity features, users can also annotate long articles, scribble down commentary and add markups. In the hands of those in the creative industry, the sky’s the limit.
Scroll through and see that Samsung obviously didn’t pass on the opportunity to be bigger and better. As the most advanced smartphone in the market as of writing, the Galaxy Note 8 lives up to the hype, setting the standards higher for the Samsung brand as well as its competitors. Keep scrolling to check out the other cool features the new Galaxy Note 8 comes with!
#1. The S Pen Stylus
The Samsung Galaxy Note 8 comes with a practical new shortcut: screen off note-taking. Users can now jot away without having to turn on the phone screen, input their passcode and click on the notes app. Just whip out the S Pen and get scribbling.
#2: Fingerprint Scanning
This feature will take a bit of adjustment to get used to given the location of the sensor, but users will catch on in no time. To set up this feature, tap the gear icon to access “Settings.” Click on “Lock Screen and Security” and then “Fingerprint Scanner.” A step-by-step guide should walk the user through the process of adding a new fingerprint. Meanwhile, to enable scanning, go to “Settings,” “Lock Screen and Security,” “Screen Lock Type” and then tap the toggle next to “Fingerprints.”
This feature also doubles as a shortcut. The fingerprint scanner enables users to instantly log into websites, apps or even access Samsung Pay.
#3: Infinity Display
Gone are the days where an HD resolution is a perk, upgrade or add-on. With the Note 8, HD is a standard. It comes with various HD settings, but its default is Full HD+. When displayed on the near bezel-less, full-frontal glass, edge-to-edge screen, images are crisp and vibrant; visuals by smartphones of competitors have never been (literally) duller.
#4: Quality Photos Even in Low Light
The mark of a great camera phone isn’t the ability to take outstanding photos during daytime, but its performance during low light or, in trickier cases, at night. The Note 8 manages to capture stunning images—no noise or haziness—even without natural light at the scene. Users have the wide-angle camera with its large 1.4µm pixels and bright F1.7 lens to thank for this. Details aren’t compromised; photos are more vibrant; shots don’t come out overexposed.
#5: Dual Camera
Samsung has decided to take things even further with DSLR-level portraits. The Galaxy Note 8 features a brand-new capability: achieving a wonderful bokeh effect, which brings objects into focus while blurring the background. Users may customize the amount of blurring on their photos, too. Here, they have the added option of applying a blur effect before taking a photo or adjusting the amount of blur on the photo afterwards.
And the Note 8 camera has more tricks up its sleeve: it features a 2x optical zoom as well as a dual optical image stabilization (so those with shaky hands need not worry). The new Dual Camera mode allows users to simultaneously capture both a regular photo and its zoomed-in version. Launch the Galaxy Note 8 camera from the home screen or simply double tap the power button to launch the camera.
#6: Iris Scanning
We are definitely living in the future: The Galaxy Note 8, much like the Galaxy S8, now comes with iris recognition. This snazzy new feature can be used not only to unlock the device, but also to authenticate transactions via Samsung Pay. To enable the Iris Scanner, go to “Settings”, tap on “Lock Screen and Security” and select “Iris Scanner” from the menu of security options. Be sure to read the disclaimer pop-up thoroughly before proceeding with the rest of the setup!
#7: Efficient Multitasking
Get the most out of the wide-angle screen with the Note 8’s split screen capability. Tap on the “Recents” soft key to manage the apps already running on the device. Click on the double rectangle icon on the right-hand side of each pane, select on the apps you want to access simultaneously to begin multitasking. Drag the line between the two apps to resize the panes.
#8: 6GB of RAM
The first of its kind as far as mass-market Samsung devices go, the Note 8 offers 6GB of RAM. As the “instant access memory for multitasking”, this allows apps and all other operations to run simultaneously so creatives can definitely get the most out of the device. The Note 8 is Samsung’s digital love letter to artistic techies after all!
#9: Bixby Vision
Shop straight from your phone, search for hundreds of similar images on the web, snap-and-track exact locations or translate entire passages. All it takes is a click on your camera. With Bixby Vision, users can connect the physical world with the digital. Take a photo of something in real life and use the various features mentioned earlier to look into it online.
#10: Always On Display
Make the Note 8 truly yours with the Always On Display, the sleek visual on Note 8 when it's on standby mode (should the user wish to activate it anyway). Choose from the digital clock, analog clock, world clock, calendar, image and edge clock and enhance the look of the display using colors, backgrounds and the add-an-image feature. Users can also customize the Always On feature by setting a schedule for it.
#11: Face Recognition
Beyond stunning selfies, the front-facing camera can now be used to unlock the Note 8. In addition to the fingerprint scanning and iris scanning capabilities, the Galaxy Note 8 offers a third security option: face recognition. Tap the gear icon to access “Settings”, head over to “Lock Screen and Security” and then tap on “Face Recognition”. The user will then be prompted to enter their password as a form of verification before proceeding to the face recognition setup.
A word of caution: this new feature is quicker than typing up a passcode, but even Samsung warns that the faster facial recognition leads to decreased security. Still, it’s nice to have this option available!
#12: One-Handed Mode
Samsung’s designers and developers even took the giant phone conundrum into consideration: The Note 8 is now easier to use with the one-handed mode. Go to “Settings,” “Advanced Features” and tap the toggle next to “One-Handed Mode” to set this up. To get this going, swipe from the left or right bottom corners of the Note 8 and swipe diagonally across. To go back to full screen mode, tap on the negative space surrounding the minimized pane.
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Won over yet? We are.
Unlock the artist in you and bring to life what you can only imagine. Go further with Samsung Galaxy Note 8, powered by Globe’s larger-than-life data and exclusive premium content. Shop the Samsung Galaxy Note 8 on Globe Shop or in Globe stores nationwide.
