Samsung Reveals Galaxy Note 8 With Dual Rear Cameras and 6.3-Inch AMOLED 'Infinity Display'

At its "Unpacked" event in New York City today, Samsung unveiled the all-new Galaxy Note 8 smartphone, following months of speculation about the device's August debut. The event began with a recap video of the Note line's history, including user testimonies following the Note 7's fire-catching scandal and how they continued to support Samsung during the recall.

Looking forward at the new device, the Galaxy Note 8 has a 6.3-inch Quad HD+ Super AMOLED "Infinity Display," with an edge-to-edge screen that represents the largest screen ever on any Note device. The display has an 18.5:9 aspect ratio, which allows users to see more content than ever before, according to Samsung. This includes access to a new multitasking feature called "App Pair," which lets users create custom pairs of their favorite apps on the Edge side panel, simultaneously launching two apps to interact with them at once.

galaxy note 8

“We appreciate the relentless passion of the Note community. They’ve been a constant inspiration to us, and we designed the new Note for them,” said DJ Koh, president of Mobile Communications Business, Samsung Electronics. “From the Infinity Display to the enhanced S Pen, to the powerful Dual Camera, Note8 lets people do things they never thought were possible.”

The Galaxy Note 8 comes with a new and enhanced S Pen with a finer tip and improved pressure sensitivity. When using the S Pen, users can send "Live Messages" to handwrite text messages -- and add in special effects -- within the text message app. An enhanced screen-off mode lets users quickly jot down notes when the smartphone is turned off, and then save the note to view later.

On the photography side of things, the Galaxy Note 8 has one 8MP front-facing camera and two 12MP rear cameras, and includes optical image stabilization on both of the rear cameras. The rear-facing cameras include one wide-angle f/1.7 lens and one telephoto f/2.4 lens, while the front camera has an aperture of f/1.7.

A "Live Focus" mode lets users take a picture and control the depth of field of everything surrounding the main subject of the image, so users can adjust the bokeh effect before and after the photo is taken.

Expanding the ecosystem of the Note smartphone line, Samsung also introduced "Samsung DeX," which lets the smartphone communicate with a user's PC to seamlessly transfer between working on the go and at home or in an office.

galaxy note 8 2
Additionally, the Galaxy Note 8 is water and dust resistant (IP68), includes fast wireless charging, a 3,300 mAh battery, and various biometric authentication options (iris and fingerprint scanning). Samsung's new smartphone has 6GB of RAM, a 10nm processor, and 64GB/128GB/256GB of internal storage, depending on market and carrier availability. The device also keeps the standard 3.5mm headphone jack.

A few websites have already gotten to go hands-on with the Galaxy Note 8, including The Verge, Engadget, CNET, and USA Today. Many sites pointed out the similarities of the device's dual-lens camera system to that of the iPhone 7 Plus, with Engadget noting, "Samsung has a camera setup excellent enough to make iPhone owners consider switching."

Those interested will be able to pre-order the Galaxy Note 8 starting tomorrow, August 24, and the smartphone will then go on sale September 15. In the United States, the device will be available in Midnight Black and Orchid Gray for carrier and Unlocked by Samsung versions, and customers will be able to purchase it at all of the major carriers, as well as Samsung.com, Best Buy, Target and Walmart.

According to a Verizon press release, the Samsung Galaxy Note 8 will cost $40/month for 24 months, or $960 at retail. The Verge reports that the smartphone will cost $930 at T-Mobile and $950 at AT&T.

For any original Note 7 owners, CNET noted that Samsung will be offering a discount on Note 8 devices: purchasing the smartphone through Samsung.com will allow previous Note 7 users to receive an instant trade-in credit of up to $425 when upgrading a current phone to Note 8. In addition, anyone at all who purchases a Note 8 between August 24 and September 24, 2017 has the chance to get either a free Samsung Gear 360 camera or a free Galaxy Foundation kit with a 128GB memory card and fast wireless charger.

For even more information on the Samsung Galaxy Note 8, check out the company's website.

Popular Stories

Apple CarPlay Ultra instrument cluster themes 01

Apple's CarPlay Ultra Is Here – Does Your iPhone Support It?

Thursday May 15, 2025 5:17 am PDT by
Apple's recently announced CarPlay Ultra promises a deeply integrated in-car experience, but not all iPhone users will be able to take advantage of the new feature. According to Apple's press release, CarPlay Ultra requires an iPhone 12 or later running iOS 18.5 or later. This means if you're using an iPhone 11, iPhone XR, or any older model, you'll need to upgrade your device to access...
iPhone 17 Air Pastel Feature

iPhone 17 Air Battery Capacity and Weight Allegedly Revealed

Monday May 19, 2025 2:22 am PDT by
Apple is expected to launch an all-new ultra-thin iPhone 17 Air later this year, and while there have been plenty of rumors about the camera's overall design and thinness, we haven't heard any details about the device's weight and battery capacity until now. According to the leaker going by the account name "yeux1122" on the Korean-langauge Naver blog, the 6.6-inch iPhone 17 Air has a weight ...
Apple CarPlay Ultra instrument cluster themes 01

Apple's 'CarPlay Ultra' Experience Now Available

Thursday May 15, 2025 5:07 am PDT by
Apple today announced that its next-generation CarPlay experience, now dubbed "CarPlay Ultra" begins rolling out today, starting with Aston Martin vehicles. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. CarPlay Ultra is now available with new Aston Martin vehicle orders in the U.S. and Canada. It will also be available for existing models that feature the brand's next-generation ...
CarPlay Ultra Climate Controls

Apple Says These Vehicle Brands Plan to Offer All-New CarPlay Ultra

Thursday May 15, 2025 8:13 am PDT by
Apple today announced the launch of CarPlay Ultra, the long-awaited next-generation version of its CarPlay software system for vehicles. CarPlay Ultra features deep integration with a vehicle's instrument cluster and systems, built-in Radio and Climate apps, customizable widgets, and more. The interface is tailored to each vehicle model and automaker's identity, and drivers can also adjust...
Apple Intelligence General Feature

Report: Apple's Next-Gen Version of Siri Is 'On Par' With ChatGPT

Monday May 19, 2025 9:00 am PDT by
Apple has big plans to improve Siri over the next few years, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman and Drake Bennett report. Some Apple executives are now reportedly pushing to turn Siri into a true ChatGPT competitor. A next-generation, chatbot version of Siri has reportedly made significant progress during testing over the past six months; some executives allegedly now see it as "on par" with recent...
iOS 18 Siri Personal Context

Apple Will Reportedly Be More Cautious About Announcing New Features Well in Advance

Sunday May 18, 2025 2:50 pm PDT by
Apple plans to mostly stop announcing new features more than a few months before they are ready to launch, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman and Drake Bennett. The pair of reporters revealed this noteworthy tidbit towards the bottom of a lengthy report about Apple's artificial intelligence shortcomings today. This alleged change in strategy comes after Apple was forced to delay its more...
WWDC 2025 Banner

Apple Announces WWDC 2025 Schedule, Including Keynote Time

Tuesday May 20, 2025 8:13 am PDT by
Apple today announced a more detailed schedule for its annual developers conference WWDC, which runs from June 9 through June 13. The schedule confirms that Apple's keynote will begin on Monday, June 9 at 10 a.m. Pacific Time, with a live stream to be available on Apple.com, in the Apple TV app, and on YouTube. During the keynote, Apple is expected to announce iOS 19, iPadOS 19, macOS 16,...

Top Rated Comments

MacFather Avatar
101 months ago
Deleted.
Score: 82 Votes (Like | Disagree)
nviz22 Avatar
101 months ago
Great specs on paper, nice looking device. However, with Samsung's software, you're in for a rough experience because they are inconsistent with software updates and bog down over time.
Score: 34 Votes (Like | Disagree)
newyorksole Avatar
101 months ago
Seems nice, but there's no way I'm switching over. Apple's ecosystem is just too good. Hardware, software, services and just overall experience.
Score: 30 Votes (Like | Disagree)
cracksoup Avatar
101 months ago
Yeah no thanks. The iPhone 6 has literally better RAM management with 1GB of RAM than Sammy has with 6GB of RAM. It's embarrassing at this point. Looks good though.
Score: 27 Votes (Like | Disagree)
MrGimper Avatar
101 months ago
Yeah no thanks. The iPhone 6 has literally better RAM management with 1GB of RAM than Sammy has with 6GB of RAM. It's embarrassing at this point. Looks good though.
Yup, 4 times the spec to run 1/4 as efficient as iOS
Score: 18 Votes (Like | Disagree)
dannys1 Avatar
101 months ago
Mobile phones are quite boring at this point aren't they.
Score: 18 Votes (Like | Disagree)