Bonnet de douche! The hotly rumoured Samsung Galaxy Note 8 has been snapped au naturel with a Galaxy Note 2 by Gallic phone paps Frandroid. It's the first time we've been able to compare the new tablet to one of its stylus-toting freres.
It's not an official pic from Samsung, of course, but it looks exactly the same as the other purported leaked pics we've seen, from a few different sources.
The pic seems to confirm the Note 8, as we expect it to be called, will come with a meaty S Pen stylus like its big-screen brethren. In previous Notes, the S Pen has been cleverly integrated with Samsung's take on Android, with all sorts of little tricks bringing up extra information, such as a thumbnail appearing on the timeline of a video when you hover the pen over it.
The pic above shows something we've not seen before on Samsung's Android tablets -- separate windows for different apps. It looks as though the Chrome browser and Facebook app (or possibly Facebook in another Chrome window) are open at the same time in movable windows, like a desktop OS.
The Note 2 and Note 10.1 offered a kind of split-screen system, so you could have two compatible apps, such as Gmail and chat, open at the same time, but this looks more flexible. There's also pop-up play, which lets you keep a video playing in a resizeable, moveable window while you do whatever else you want on the device.
Despite widespread scepticism from the tech press -- including me, I must confess -- Samsung has somehow persuaded people they need a stylus again, like it's 1997 or something. My colleague Andrew Hoyle was totally won over in his review of the Note 2, giving it a prestigious Editors' Choice award.
Previous Notes have been 5.3, 5.5 and 10.1 inches across, so the Note 8 is filling a gap. It'll compete with Apple's iPad mini and Google's Nexus 7 for the attention of people who want something bigger than a phone but smaller than a dinner plate, and its S Pen gives it another interesting feature.
The Samsung Galaxy Note 8 will almost certainly be officially unveiled at Mobile World Congress, the annual phone show that takes place in Barcelona at the end of February. CNET will be there en masse, and the Note 8 is top of our list of gadgets to look out for.
Are you psyched for this new Note? Would you buy it instead of an iPad mini or Nexus 7? Scribble a note down in the comments, or over on our handwritten Facebook page.
Image credit: Frandroid
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anonymous 28 January, 2013 12:48
This looks beyond silly.
I don't know of anyone in the world that could handle that "phone" and not look abnormal.
anonymous 28 January, 2013 12:53
this sounds like it could be the perfect mix of power and portability.
I dont like the size and weight of the large ipad (or maybe that should be the ipad maxi... second thoughts, that sounds even more like a feminine hygiene product than before) but 7 inch tabs seem to be just a bit too small (and far too much bezel) so i'm hoping 8" will be the sweet spot. the s-pen features are definitely the unique selling point here and will cost a premium (compared to the nexus 7) but the combination of a modern finger friendly interface and the good "old" stylus' precision for annotating and editing is just about perfect if you ask me. when android hurries up and gets its screen mirroring sorted, so these tabs can be used for sharing thoughts around a conference table, there wont be much more to ask for.
then again, we always want more dont we.
anonymous 28 January, 2013 12:58
just to clarify. the above two anonymous comments are not from the same anonymous person. I was 2nd and agree entirely that you would look ridiculous if you put this up to your ear as a phone. then again i would never do this as i would only buy the wifi only version and continue to use my phone for mobile calls/data. no point in having two contracts is there.
also does anyone know what the sensor (or whatever it is) in the top left corner of the bezel is for?
anonymous 28 January, 2013 13:10
err well then there are two stupid people that note 8 is not a phone its a tablet it has no feature for a phone i suggest in the future do some reasearch or at least read the article before commenting on it
anonymous 28 January, 2013 13:32
@anon 13:10
I also thought they were being a bit ignorant by thinking it was a phone, however if you look at the picture there is actually a telephone function on the bottom left of the screen. It also has the little speaker for next to the ear at the top middle...interesting...
anonymous 28 January, 2013 13:43
LOL @anon 13:10 - look at the photo again. "i suggest in the future do some reasearch or at least read the article before commenting on it" :O)
anonymous 28 January, 2013 14:13
@ anonymous 28 January, 2013 13:10
I am the first anonymous comment maker on here, and if you had done YOUR research properly, you would not be looking like an idiot right now.
If you look at the picture PROPERLY, you can clearly see a 'telephone' function in the bottom left corner as well as a speaker grille along the top. Hence, this is a "Phablet" and not simply a tablet.
Do your research in the future before commenting.
anonymous 28 January, 2013 16:02
been looking forward to this device,kids seem to want to draw using a stylus at the mo. I remember my sony p990i that had a sylus. i still have the phone with games, and was wishing Samsung would take it up the idea on the S3 tho that never happend ;-/ maybe the S4 will have one.
I have a samsung note 10.1 and its the dogs, sold my nexus 7 and waiting for a note 8 to replace it, I have no intension of using the note 8 as a phone and do not need it to have a sim
port.
samsung is more in touch than any other tech company at the moment, when it comes to smart phones and tablets.
anonymous 28 January, 2013 16:56
I think this is an interesting proposition. I'm a little disappointed with my Nexus 7 now the novelty value has worn off.
It's too small for many functions, including web browsing and the extra screen real estate on the Note 8 may be more useful.
anonymous 28 January, 2013 17:41
I cannot wait for this to arrive will make a great addition.
pairing it with my phone (SGS2) for things i cannot really do on my phone like read PDF/eBooks and some content creation.
anonymous 28 January, 2013 18:02
cmon guys, no one thinks this is a phone. it may have a telephone icon here (in a leaked non-official photo...) but no one is marketing or looking to buy this as a phone. you can use phone features on an ipad but no one is confusing that....
anonymous 28 January, 2013 18:29
I completely agree with above comment, just seems stupid to think this is a phone/phablet. It feels a gap thats all.
Meleagru 28 January, 2013 18:30
Just worried about the price. If it's under 300 it will be a very alluring product.
anonymous 28 January, 2013 19:33
@anonymous 12:48 its simply is not a phone, there are many tablets with the phone function.
anonymous 29 January, 2013 01:12
I personally couldn't care if it was a phone or not, I will be getting one as soon as,I already have a note 2, a note 10.1 and a nexus 7 and their all awesome, I used to have an ipad3 but my son kept pinching it so I give it him in the end and bought the 10.1 and nexus7 I already had the note 2, my son is now jealous and wants my nexus 7 but I told him where to go, don't know why I didn't try android sooner, not as smooth as iPad but you can do so much more it beggars belief, I love the fact you can do what you want to do and not what apple tells you you can do,all my devices are synced together and to my PC its awesome.........
anonymous 29 January, 2013 04:57
Going buy the picture I wish if it was more border less.... Would have been easier if held single handedly... Otherwise um just to get this one... I will discard my Note...
anonymous 29 January, 2013 05:52
Settle down people.
1. This one's definitely a tablet, not a phone. It's almost 8" FFS.
2. All samsung galaxy tablets have external speaker and mic suitable for teleconference type usage, and in conjunction with this, they include a phone app. Of course, can also use bluetooth headsets. This does not make it a phone - it's a bleeping tablet.
anonymous 29 January, 2013 09:10
7 inch upward is a tablet
anonymous 29 January, 2013 10:25
Looking forward to this to replace the disappointing Nexus 7, which suffers from poor build quality and an edge bleeding screen.
I'll also be getting a Note 2 when I replace my mobile next month.
anonymous 29 January, 2013 15:45
To all those suggesting this is a tablet only and not a phablet, kindly refer to the speaker grill along the top of the tablet. It is clearly there to receive phone calls from.
Can anyone name another tablet that has a similar speaker grill along the top and is only a tablet??
anonymous 29 January, 2013 21:18
Yes it's a phone too.....and you'll look a right knob using it as one !
anonymous 30 January, 2013 04:26
I don't see why it can't be a phone. Just use a hands free set. Either wired or bluetooth would work. Personally I use a phone far less than I do a tablet so maybe I could use this as a phone and occasionally tolerate the laughter of strangers.
But there's not much point in it being a phone unless it's small enough to take everywhere - otherwise you just end up having a second phone anyway - and I don't think there's many people out there willing to take 8" everywhere they go.
anonymous 30 January, 2013 05:20
I like my Nexus 7, but the note functionality is appealing. 3g would be ok as well; my concerns though are weight with the bigger size and the screen clarity with the lower pixels per inch but it still beats the ipad mini from what I've read.
anonymous 30 January, 2013 18:19
@anonymous 30 January, 2013 05:20
The Nexus 7 has a version with both wifi and 3g.
anonymous 30 January, 2013 19:48
seeing as how I've just been trying to compare a nexus 7 and a note 10.1, i think that this could definitely be the answer.
hopefully there will be the WiFi only version, as you're not allowed 3G devices on Norwegian oil rigs, and i don't want to look like a idiot holding it up to my face anyways.
If i need mobile WiFi when onshore, then i can always use my HTC phone as a wireless hotspot.
anonymous 2 February, 2013 04:44
I owned and used Samsung's first crack at Tablets, the Galaxy 8.9, for almost ten months before developing a major I/O and screen issue. By the time I had it diagnosed by Samsung, the 8.9 had been discontinued. I was very disappointed when i realized that my only choice was to buyleast r the 7" or 10" tablets. IMHO, I felt that the 10's were too large and bulky and the 7s were nothing but a phone on steriods. The 8.9 was really the best form factor I have used to date.
Being in the tech field for over 20 years and being the certified tech junkie that i am, I have had a plethora of tablets since then. After the 8.9 was buried, I bought the Galaxy 10.1-V.2, then came the TF300, closely followed by the TF700. At this point, i was pretty frustrated with the faulty units and overall dislike of the weight and bulkiness of the 10s. I broke down and purchased an N7. Great tab....excellent screen...and the "butter" like feel of JB's UI was truly amazing. However, the size did become annoying at times and eventually I was swindled out of it by my son.
So finally, I came to the best tablet currently on the market and by far the finest android creation to date...the Nexus 10. This tablet is a masterpiece by my standards and has lived up to every expectation I have. With one tiny complaint....its just a tad too big to constantly hold in one hand.
So this brings me to the Note 8. I am going to be one of the first to buy this beauty, for sure! The ability to multi task, JB 4.2, and the size should make this an excellent choice for anyone looking for the all in one tablet that addresses the lack of comfortable mobility.
For me, i believe this could be the "sweet spot" all of us super-techs and the travelling businessman have been missing.
Quick side note....i read the inital reports on the note 8's expected price. Fandroid and a couple other sites have reported that the tablet will go for 479.99 euro....(equates to $650 USD)....thats totallly overpriced if its the wi-fi only tab...and will be more expensive than any marketed droid tablet. I agree with the previous commenter that the price should be in the ~$300.00 range for the 16GB and $400.00-$500.00 for the 3G/4G, 32GB units. If Samsung wants to compete with the very popular iPad mini...then they may want to rethink their strategies on price-point. If Samsung thinks they have evolved beyond the iPad, athough technically true....they must have a lure if they are trying to migrate the Applelonians to the android world. If these initial reports are true, the Apple users won't even give it chance.
anonymous 4 February, 2013 12:52
I would definitely buy it. In fact, I was going to buy an iPad mini but saw this precious match for me first. I love the S Pen and looking for a tablet this size, so, really want to buy it as soon as possible.
rossygnol 19 February, 2013 15:09
I read some comments above and I can't understand that some people don't know that blue tooth headset exist. U can therefore use this tablet as your main phone. The only downside being of course the size to carry it everywhere...
anonymous 23 February, 2013 19:25
Samsung Galaxy Note 8.0 is a great device. Pictures and details leaked here > http://www.androidtimes.info/2013/02/samsung-galaxy-note-80-making.html