The Galaxy Note 8 vs. the Note 7: What's changed?
Does Samsung's new big-screen device have what it takes to redeem the Note brand?
Last year the Galaxy Note 7 was actually one of our favorite phones until it started exploding, so we're happy to see Samsung's line of large-screen-with-stylus handsets make its return today with the Note 8. While it would have been easy enough to simply change out the battery and call it a new model, there are a few other changes worth noting. That includes the dual camera, which we've never seen in a Samsung phone before, and the Note now comes packed with AI assistant Bixby. While we certainly hope you turned in your Note 7 during the recall, check out our chart below to see what upgrades await if you pick up a Note 8 when it comes out, as well as if this new phone has the potential to become one of our faves of 2017.
| Galaxy Note 8 | Galaxy Note 7 | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Varies by carrier, starts at $930 | Varies by carrier, starts at $850 (off-contract) |
| Known dimensions | 162.5 x 74.8 x 8.6mm (6.40 x 2.94 x 0.34 inches) | 153.5 x 73.9 x 7.9mm (6.04 x 2.91 x 0.31 inches) |
| Weight | 195g (6.9 ounces) | 169g (5.96 ounces) |
| Screen size | 6.3 inches (160.02mm) | 5.7 inches (144.78mm) |
| Screen resolution | 2,960 x 1,440 (521ppi) | 2,560 x 1,440 (515ppi) |
| Screen type | Quad HD Super AMOLED | Quad HD Super AMOLED |
| Battery | 3,300mAh | 3,500mAh |
| Internal storage | 64/128/256GB | 64GB |
| External storage | microSD | microSD |
| Rear camera | Dual cameras: 12MP, f/1.7 (wide angle) 12MP, f/2.4 (telephoto) |
12MP, f/1.7, 1.4µm pixel size |
| Front-facing camera | 8MP, f/1.7 | 5MP, f/1.7 |
| Video capture | 4K | 4K |
| NFC | Yes | Yes |
| Bluetooth | v5.0 | v4.2 |
| SoC | Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 | Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 |
| CPU | 2.35GHz quad-core | 2.15GHz quad-core |
| GPU | Adreno 540 | Adreno 530 |
| RAM | 6GB | 4GB |
| WiFi | Dual band, 802.11ac | Dual band, 802.11ac |
| Operating system | Android 7.1.1 | Android 6.0 |
| Notable features | Iris scanner, fingerprint sensor, IP68 certified, USB Type-C | Iris scanner, fingerprint sensor, IP68 certified, USB Type-C |