As promised, Samsung's flagship Android phablet: Galaxy Note8 hit stores in India for Rs 67,900 on September 21.
As part of the launch offer, Galaxy Note8 consumers can avail an attractive Introductory Offer comprising a one-time screen replacement (have to pay Rs 990) and a free Convertible Wireless Charger.
Also read: Google buys HTC's mobile hardware division to take on Apple; confirms Pixel 2 series coming next month
The company has also announced 'Samsung Upgrade' program offering its loyal Galaxy device owners the maximum value when they trade in their old device for Galaxy Note8. The program offers a convenient solution through My Galaxy app (powered by Cashify).
Galaxy Note8 buyers will also get a Double Data offer on Jio, under which they can get up to 448 GB of extra 4G data over 8 months, as well as complimentary Jio Prime Membership.
To further sweeten the deal, consumers who purchase their Galaxy Note8 using an HDFC Credit Card will get a cashback of Rs 4,000.
With the release of Galaxy Note8, Samsung has got a headstart over arch-rival Apple, which is scheduled to launch iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus on September 29.
Samsung Galaxy Note8 flaunts a gorgeous 6.3-inch super AMOLED screen with Infinity Display feature, that makes the screen cover more than 75 percent of the front-panel offering rich viewing experience and also improving exterior looks by several notches compared to previous generation model.
In India, it comes packed with Samsung's proprietary Exynos 8895 octa-core backed by 6GB RAM, 64GB internal storage and a 3,300mAh battery with fast wire/wireless charging capabilities.
Having learnt from the Galaxy Note7 fiasco, Samsung has carried out a broad range of internal quality and safety measures to improve the product safety, including the eight-point Battery Safety Check (BSC) and additional protocols like multi-layer safety measures. Rest assured, Galaxy Note8 is the safest Samsung phone to date, unless you physically damage it.
As far as the photography is concerned, Galaxy Note 8 comes with top-of-the-line camera hardware. It houses dual-camera system, one 12 MP primary camera (Wide-angle lens with f/1.7 aperture and dual-pixel autofocus) and a 12 MP Telephoto camera (f/2.4 aperture and 2x Optical Zoom) with OIS (Optical Image Stabilisation). On the front, it features equally impressive wide-angle 8MP snapper with f/1.7 aperture.
Samsung Galaxy Note8 comes with new S Pen with improved pressure sensitivity and more features. One notable aspect is the Screen off memo, that allows the user to take up to one-hundred pages of notes as soon as they remove the S Pen, pin notes to the Always On Display (AOD) and make edits directly from the AOD.
On the other hand, the new Apple iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus are priced in the range from Rs 64,000 to Rs 86,000.
They look pretty much same as their predecessors — iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus — in terms of design structure. But, come with a substantial incremental hardware upgrade in terms of construction material, processor, camera modules and value-added wireless and fast charging capability.
The key improvement is the incorporation of the glass design, which makes the device look glossy. But this can turn out to be a problem as there are chances of the devices getting finger-print smudges, provided it has an oleophobic coating, which the company has not confirmed so far.
Another notable aspect is that iPhone 8 Plus' dual camera supports AR (Augmented Reality). Each camera is individually calibrated, with new gyroscopes and accelerometers for accurate motion tracking. AR benefits from new A11 Bionic, which handles world tracking, scene recognition and incredible graphics at 60fps, while the image signal processor does real-time lighting estimation. Apple iPhone 8 Plus' front camera will get Portrait Lighting mode support via software update before the end of 2017.
Apple has also finally incorporated the much-needed wireless charging capabilities in both iPhone 8 Plus and iPhone 8 and they also support fast charging, which according to the company, can charge up to 50 percent within 30 minutes.
We are not sure how successful the iPhone 8 series will be, but the anniversary iPhone X, which costs up to Rs 1.02 lakh, the most expensive Apple iPhone to date, might still be able to find traction thanks to the gimmicky Face ID. It is slated to hit Indian stores on November 3.
Read more: Apple iPhone X vs iPhone 8 Plus: Key Differences
Follow us @IBTimesIN_Tech on Twitter for latest updates on Samsung and Apple products.
Key specifications of Samsung Galaxy Note8, Apple iPhone 8 Plus and the iPhone 8:
| Models | Samsung Galaxy Note8 | Apple iPhone 8 Plus | Apple iPhone 8 |
| Display | 6.3-inch Quad HD+ (2960x1440p) Super AMOLED screen, HDR 10 content compatible Corning Gorilla Glass 5 shield
|
5.5-inch wide-screen LCD Retina HD (1920x1080p) multi-touch IPS display
|
4.7-inch wide-screen LCD Retina HD (1334x750p) multi-touch IPS display
|
| OS | Android 7.1.1 Nougat (Android 8.0 Oreo is coming soon) | Apple iOS 11 with improved Siri voice assistant | Apple iOS 11 with improved Siri voice assistant |
| Processor |
|
64-bit class Apple A11 Bionic chip with neural engine+ Embedded M11 motion coprocessor | 64-bit class Apple A11 Bionic chip with neural engine+ Embedded M11 motion coprocessor |
| RAM | 6GB | 3GB | 2GB |
| Storage | 64GB/128GB/256GB | 64GB/256GB | 64GB/256GB |
| Camera |
|
Video recording:
|
Video recording:
|
| Battery | 3,300mAh;
|
|
|
| Network | 4G LTE (Cat. 16) | 4G-LTE Advanced with VoLTE | 4G-LTE Advanced with VoLTE |
| Add-ons |
|
|
|
| Dimensions | 162.5 x 74.8 x 8.6 mm | 158.4 x 78.1 x 7.5 mm | 138.4 x 67.3 x 7.3 mm |
| Weight | 195g | 202 grams | 148 grams |
| Colours | Midnight Black, Orchid Gray, Maple Gold and Deepsea Blue | Space Grey, Silver and Gold | Space Grey, Silver and Gold |
| Price | Rs. 67,900. |
|
|
