Hands-on with the Samsung Galaxy Note 8.0

The Samsung Galaxy Note 8.0 has an 8in screen and includes a Wacom-powered stylus called the 'S Pen'. It's on sale now in Australia and we've just got our hands on a review unit. Let's check it out!

The design of the Samsung Galaxy Note 8.0 doesn't break any new ground. It uses the same glossy, plastic finish already set by the company's [[artnid:460740|Galaxy S 4]] and [[artnid:439169|Galaxy Note II]] smartphones, along with the [[artnid:434234|Galaxy Note 10.1]] tablet. The first thing you'll notice is a much thicker bezel than the [[artnid:441333|Apple iPad mini]].
Weighing 338g, the Galaxy Note 8.0 is a tad lighter than [[artnid:431505|Google's Nexus 7]], but heavier than the iPad mini. The glossy white finish on the back is a huge fingerprint magnet and feels slippery to hold.
For a comparison perspective, here's the Galaxy Note 8.0 next to the iPad mini. Note the much thicker bezel on the front.
Galaxy Note 8.0 (left) next to the iPad mini.
The Galaxy Note 8.0 has more rounded corners but is slightly thicker than the iPad mini.
On the right side of the Galaxy Note 8.0 you'll find a built-in microphone, a power/lock screen button, a volume rocker and an infrared port.
Two speakers are built into the bottom, either side of a standard micro-USB port for charging.
Samsung currently sells the 16GB Wi-Fi version of the Galaxy Note 8.0 in Australia, but the tablet comes with a microSD card slot for memory expansion. The slot is covered by a plastic flap and sits on the left side of the device.
The Galaxy Note 8.0 has a 5-megapixel rear camera on the back that doesn't have a flash.
A standard headphone port sits at the top. The brushed metal edging around the device is very similar to the finish on the Galaxy S4. It looks and feels a little cheap.
A front-facing 1.2-megapixel camera handles video calls.
Below the screen is a physical home button, flanked by a back button on the right and a menu button on the left.
The 16GB Wi-Fi version of the Galaxy Note 8.0 sold in Australia has the GT-N5110 model number. A 3G version of the tablet is expected to be launched at a later date, but Samsung hasn't revealed pricing or a specific availability time frame for that model.
The S Pen is integrated into the bottom right of the rear casing on the Galaxy Note 8.0.
One Samsung-exclusive feature on the Galaxy Note 8.0 is the ability to hover over selected apps with the S Pen, called Air View. One app to utilise this feature is popular media aggregator Flipboard, shown in the above image.
When the S Pen is removed from the Galaxy Note 8.0, five recommended shortcuts are immediately displayed in the notifications panel.
Another feature of Air View is list scrolling. This enables you to scroll up or down lists in any app by holding the pen towards the edge of the screen, where an up or down arrow will appear and the page will begin scrolling. The benefit of this feature compared to some others is that it works in any app.

We'll have a full review of the Samsung Galaxy Note 8.0 in the coming weeks. In the meantime, the tablet is available now in Australia for It will sell for $459.

Show Comments

Follow PCWorld: