The Galaxy S8 has barely begun shipping, but we’re already thinking about the Note8. Even with a 6.2-inch screen on the S8+, Samsung has already confirmed that a new phablet is on the way later this year, and from what we’ve heard, it looks like it will be even better.
Reliable flagship phone analyst Ming-Chi Kuo of KGI has weighed in on the Note8, saying that the device will likely pack a 6.4-inch screen and the same Snapdragon 835 chip as the S8. As 9to5Google reports, the premier feature of the phablet will be the biggest omission from the S8: a dual camera system. In what the analyst calls “the most important upgrade” in the Note8, the new setup will combine a 12MP wide-angle lens with a 13MP telephoto one, along with 3x optical zoom and dual optical image stabilization. Of note, Kuo adds that the Note8’s camera system “will be much better than that of iPhone 7 Plus, and likely match that of (the presumed) OLED iPhone.”
Elsewhere in the report, Kuo also notes that the Note8 will stick with the S8’s rear-facing fingerprint sensor, though he doesn’t say whether it will be moved to a more accessible position. While the S8 has received stellar reviews, one sticking point has been the poor placement of the fingerprint sensor next to the camera.
Presumably, the phone will also include support for Samsung’s S-Pen on board, like previous Note models have done. The Note8 will be a major release for Samsung, after last year’s model’s battery issues spurred a widespread recall. Kuo notes in the report the the Galaxy S8 is selling better than expected and upped his 2017 sales target by more than 20 percent, from 40 million-45 million units to 50 million to 55 million units.
Taking Note: We were completely enamored with the S8+, we couldn’t help but think it could have been a little better had Samsung done more to upgrade its camera. It’s not that it’s bad—in fact it's a fantastic camera—but we’d love to see what Samsung could do with a dual camera system. And it looks like we’ll get our chance with the Note8. But even more than that, we really hope it moves the fingerprint sensor further away from it.
