announced the Galaxy S4 and Galaxy Mega 6.3, in early May, Samsung also decided to take the opportunity to grow the family Galaxy Note. And grow is the right verb here: the Galaxy Note II already impressed with its 5.5-inch screen, imagine it with a 8-inch screen and you will have an idea which is very close to the 8.0 3G Galaxy Note: a tablet that also make and receive calls and still serves as a versatile digital notebook.
Design and hardware
8.0 3G Galaxy Note looks like a Galaxy S4 that underwent a rolling pin. The basic design is the same: straight sides and rounded corners, with a button “home” centered below the screen and flanked by two touch sensitive buttons (menu and back). The main difference is size: Note the 8 measures 21 x 13.6 cm, with only 8 mm thick and weighs 338 grams. Lighter and thinner than the 3G version of the Nexus 7, despite the larger screen.
8.0 3G Galaxy Note: Screen 8″ has HD resolution
The front is dominated by the screen “Super Clear LCD” 8 “with a resolution of 800 x 1280 pixels (HD), which has excellent image quality: contrast, color fidelity and viewing angle are very good. The back is flat with the camera lens standing out near the top, and smooth plastic finish gives a feeling that the device is “slippery”. MicroSD card slot (up to 64GB) and SIM card are on the left side, and the power button and volume controls on the right side.
Also on the right side is the infrared LED (it is the “black square” next to the volume buttons), which allows the use of the Galaxy Note 8 as a universal remote control for your electronics with Smart Remote app, which comes pre -installed. At the top of the tablet there is a connector for headphones, and underneath are the micro USB connector and stereo speakers. On the bottom right is also a slot for the S-Pen stylus.
There is no direct HDMI output to connect the tablet to the TV, you need to plug an MHL adapter (sold separately) to the microUSB port for this. The battery is not removable.
Rear slick plastic houses only the camera lens (top)
Inside the Galaxy Note 8.0 3G has a quad-core processor, the Samsung Exynos 4412 running at 1.6GHz, accompanied by 2GB of RAM. It’s the same basic arrangement used in Galaxy Note II, which gives similar performance devices. 16 GB of internal memory about 9.7 GB available to the user.
Telephony
As indicated by the name, the Galaxy Note 8.0 3G has integrated 3G modem for internet access, and can also make and receive calls and send and receive SMS messages, as if it were a common smartphone. The microSIM operator is inserted into a slot on the left side of the device. Besides the speaker, who want something more “discreet” to talk on the phone can use the headphones with microphone included in the package or if you prefer, a Bluetooth headset purchased separately.
8.0 3G Galaxy Note can be used as a phone
is worth noting that although it is a quad-band GSM phone (850/900/1900/2100 MHz) 3G Galaxy Note 8.0 is not compatible with 4G networks that are coming into operation in the country. There are also market a variant of Galaxy Note 8.0 without 3G, which is a bit cheaper. Outside the absence of telephony features, it is identical to the version analyzed.
Software
OS 8.0 is the Galaxy Note Android 4.1.2 with TouchWiz interface has traditionally present in other handsets from Samsung. Samsung pre-installs some software themselves as the personal assistant S Voice (who does not speak Portuguese), Notepad S Note, Paper Artist design software, apps like Dropbox (online storage) and Flipboard (news) and demo versions of five games from Gameloft.
S Note App lets you make drawings and freehand annotations
Virtually all software features Note II are present in Note 8.0, including the ability to split the screen and run two apps at once (Multi View), the ability to use the pen to interact with the screen without touching it (Air View), Notepad S Note that lets you draw and write freehand and has features such as handwriting recognition, the ability to “cut” images on the screen of any application and use them in notes in S Note and Quick Command, which lets you use the pen to perform quick commands (such as internet searches, write an email or make a call) from anywhere in the system.
A noteworthy point is that when it detects the pen close to the screen Note 8.0 automatically ignores any touch hands. This is very important as writing with a pen is to support the common side of the hand on the screen, as we do with the role. Without this feature the touch of the hand would be interpreted as a valid, damaging handwriting recognition and even inadvertently activating other functions of the software. Speaking of handwriting recognition he did very well in my tests, whereas now write naturally “print clearly.” The results may be different if you use cursive writing.
Multi-Window: run two applications at the same time
Camera
The 5 MP camera of the Galaxy Note 8.0 “gives pro spent”, as expected from the camera of a tablet. Makes good photos in daylight, but the lack of flash means you can say goodbye to the night shots or dimly lit environments. Compared with the Galaxy Note II less resources in software: there is no option of photos in sequence (Burst) or HDR, although there is a panoramic photo mode and 12 scene modes preset.
I noticed that the Galaxy Note 8 has a tendency to produce photos “blurred” in portrait mode. This is not a malfunction of the camera: that is how it is thin, light and long, it’s hard not move it even slightly in time to hit the button on the screen to make the picture. In landscape mode one hand is close to the lens, and is easier to keep it stable. The image quality is good, and even indoors the colors are vivid and the images have very little noise.
Sample image taken with the Galaxy Note 8.0 3G. Click to enlarge
You can record video in HD (1280 x 720 pixels) and use the zoom while shooting. But forget fancy features found on other handsets from Samsung, as fast or slow motion: they do not exist in Note 8.0.
Performance and battery life
In our pattern performance with AnTuTu Galaxy Note 8.0 has reached the mark of 15,681 points, ahead of Google’s Nexus 7, our reference in the current generation of Android smartphones, which got 11,386 points. This translates into excellent performance in day-to-day, whether browsing the web, playing HD video or running sophisticated games like Asphalt 7 or Need for Speed: Most Wanted.
already in our battery tests, we got about 8 hours and 20 minutes of video playback test, done with the device in airplane mode. Browsing the web, either via Wi-Fi or 3G, got about 5 hours. Already playing (Need for Speed: Most Wanted) autonomy was much smaller, 2 hours and 51 minutes. All tests are done with the screen brightness to 50%
Verdict
By itself the Galaxy Note 8.0 3G is an excellent tablet, and like his brother “minor” and the pen-related features make it very attractive to anyone who always carries a pad and pen on the bag, it is a student, illustrator and journalist. In fact, the larger screen size makes the use as “notebook” even more enjoyable.
Unfortunatelyis the size that affect when it comes to telephony. It works like a smartphone, but obviously does not have the same ergonomics. Do not wait to replace two devices (tablet and smartphone) for one, unless you are willing to use a Bluetooth headset throughout the day.
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