At first, smartphones were not really affordable. Then, manufacturers started to deliver mid-range and entry-level handsets for low prices. The gap between high-end smartphones and mid-range ones got bigger and bigger. Unfortunately, with the latest flagship smartphones, this tendency seems to continue. Even though smartphone manufacturers proved us they can deliver good smartphones for rather low prices, they keep amazing us with the price tags of their flagship handsets. Given the fact that the difference between mid- rangers and high-end handsets is usually not that impressive, it’s hard to imagine why they feel that customers will be ready to pay these prices. The latest rumors state that Samsung will deliver the Samsung Galaxy Note 8 this fall.
While this is not a surprise, as we have been expecting the handset, its price is rather surprising. According to reports, it will start at $900 and will go over $1,000 for some variants. This is definitely not a small price to pay for a smartphone. But is it worth it? Tech enthusiasts could think it is. Others, not so much. $900 is a lot of money, considering the fact that you can buy more than decent handsets for half the price. Let’s take a look at what this sum of money will reportedly bring you, in terms of design, specs, and features.
First of all, the Samsung Galaxy Note 8 will probably look a lot like the Samsung Galaxy S8 and its larger brother, the S8 Plus. The dual-edge screen will be present in the Note 8 too. Samsung will even keep the rather odd 18.5:9 aspect ratio of the AMOLED display. While it is strange at first, this aspect ratio actually enables users to more easily handle the smartphone. Otherwise, the device should be wider, making it really uncomfortable to use. The Samsung Galaxy Note 8 will reportedly have a 6.3-inch display, just a tad larger than the Samsung Galaxy S8 Plus. As a matter of fact, in terms of design, there is a high chance that this and the stylus will the only differences between these devices. A dual camera setup on the back of the handset is also a foreseeable change.
Under the hood, the Samsung Galaxy Note 8 will be almost identical to the Samsung Galaxy S8 devices. The handset will feature the same Exynos 8895 and Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 chipsets as the current Samsung flagships. There will be a minor change on the inside too, in the form of a larger amount of memory. The upcoming flagship will include 6 GB of RAM. It’s hard to imagine that the Samsung Galaxy Note 8 will come running on any other software than Android Nougat out of the box. It would be nice for it to arrive with Android O, but the chances are really slim this will happen. Samsung will probably play it safe with a 3,300 mAh battery instead of a bigger one.
Overall, the Samsung Galaxy Note 8 seems to be a little more powerful handset than the Samsung Galaxy S8 and the S8 Plus. It will look more or less the same, it will have extremely similar features and it will probably work the same way too. Are the differences worth the extra bucks? Are the S Pen and the dual rear camera setup important enough to make users pay almost $1000 for a smartphone? It’s highly likely that there will be a lot of people who will be ready to pay even more for the Samsung Galaxy Note 8. Would you buy it for this price?
Source: VentureBeat
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