Samsung failed last year with the Galaxy Note 7, hopefully Galaxy Note 8 customers won’t have to keep a fire extinguisher next to a power outlet. On this “jokes for 300” I end, I turn to the narrative part.

Vanya Luchkov was the first of our team to hold the Galaxy Note 8 in his hands when he was presenting the smartphone. By a lucky chance, I also got the chance to touch the latest developments of Samsung – so for a couple of hours I became the owner of a glossy black handsome man.

We will write a full review later, when I or one of my colleagues looks like a phone, but for now I will write about my first impressions.

A small lyrical digression. There was a time when I bought a Samsung Note series every year – the last was Note 5. Everyone was good, but he ate the battery like crazy, I fought with him for several months, I was tired of solving software problems, after which I successfully sold and vowed to buy top Samsung. I liked the features but didn’t like the glitches, it’s been a long time since then. Has life gotten better?

The stuffing of Note 8 is just horse-fire: the top-end Exynos 8895 (or Qualcomm Snapdragon 835), 6 GB of RAM, 64 GB of internal memory, a card slot is the perfect alignment. A brand new smartphone works quickly, I didn’t drive benchmarks, I don’t like this business. The main indicator of the quality of the device is how quickly and smoothly the system works after a few months, and this can only be found out by thoroughly walking around with the phone. The iPhone 7 Plus, for example, lags at times, it is curious how the top-end Samsung will behave in the same mode of use.

Other interesting bells and whistles include support for Bluetooth 5.0, the new version allows you to simultaneously connect two pairs of headphones to your smartphone, which is very convenient during flights, a healthy screen is ideal for watching videos. The main thing is to get a stand to fix the phone on a folding table and while away the flight, plunging into an interesting series. “American Gods”, for example, is a great option for connoisseurs of philosophical reflection. By the way, a 3.5 mm jack has not been cut out of a thin Samsung smartphone, so you can still listen to music by connecting the good old wired headphones.

Let me remind you that Samsung bought the audio giant Harman, Harman, in turn, owns the AKG brand. Therefore, bundled with Note 8 will be high-quality headphones of this brand. We will talk about the sound in more detail in the review of the smartphone.

In general, the delivery set is good by modern standards: fast charging, USB Type-C cable, adapters from USB to Type-C and from microUSB to Type-C, additional tips for the stylus. A cover would still be here just in case, but this is already for a surcharge.

And, of course, I will mention the stylus. Samsung fans are offended by the word “stylus”, demanding that the accessory be called the brand word “S Pen”, well, so be it.

Pulled the pen out of the case – you can immediately make a note on the locked screen. I played a little with the pen, but for me this thing is nothing more than a fun element, I don’t like to write or draw on the screen, preferring to type text on the keyboard. There was not enough time to study the capabilities of the pen in more detail – we will also postpone it until a full review.

The screen is a song! It is huge, 6.3 inches with narrow bezels, curved edges and a high resolution of 1440×2560 pixels, beauty. If you don’t like the bright picture set by default, you change color profiles, Samsung smartphones have been able to do this for a long time. The convenient Always On mode also works here, when in the standby mode you can see data on time, notifications and the like.

I held the Galaxy S8 and S8 + in my hands, but I didn’t really like them in terms of ergonomics, but the Note 8 turned out to be surprisingly different. It has flat sides, it’s grippy!

At first, its elongated shape, reminiscent of a TV remote control, is embarrassing, but then you get used to it and already start looking at the same iPhone with bewilderment. So if you were confused by not the most successful Galaxy S8 + in terms of ergonomics, pay attention to Note 8, it is more convenient.

Although another drawback of the top Samsung remained in place – I’m talking about the fingerprint scanner. According to rumors, Samsung could have built an in-screen fingerprint scanner, but did not, it is located on the back, as in the S8 / S8 +. Therefore, when trying to press it with your finger, you involuntarily find yourself in the place where the cameras are located, the lenses have to be regularly wiped before shooting. Which is forgivable for an inexpensive Chinese smartphone, but a fail for a top-end device.

The cameras are built in so that nothing sticks out of the case, this is a design victory over the iPhone, no matter how you look at it, Samsung looks very beautiful. By the way, the main camera is now even cooler: 2 modules of 12 megapixels each. One wide-angle, the other telephoto, both cameras with optical stabilization. To quickly start shooting while the phone is locked, you need to double-click the power button on the right side – the camera turns on quickly and you can take pictures.

The main difference from the Galaxy S8 is a 2x optical zoom, portrait mode with spectacular bokeh. Moreover, after the shot has already been taken, you can change the blur strength – you won’t find such a chip on an iPhone, it’s convenient. Another thing is the quality of the recording. I didn’t like how Note 8 does portraits, it handles hair and skin rough, artifacts appear, iPhone 7 Plus does the same operation better. More examples of shooting on the Galaxy Note 8 in our othermaterial .

As for the time of work, I will not say, you need to test it with everyday use. I think that there will not be much difference against the background of S8 +, the battery capacity in Note 8 is slightly less (3300 mAh versus 3500 mAh), but this is unlikely to be noticeable in practice. Note 8 supports both fast, and wireless, and fast wireless charging – all the delights of modern life.

In Russia, Samsung Galaxy Note 8 costs 69,990 rubles, you can pre-order on the Samsung website and make a full prepayment – then you will receive a gift, a DeX smart station, along with your smartphone.

Should I buy the Note 8 instead of… well, like the iPhone 7 Plus? Given that there is nothing left before the announcement of the iPhone 8, I advise you to wait, and then make your choice. The price of 7 Plus will definitely go down, Apple repeats the same trick every year, spurring sales.

Against the backdrop of the Galaxy S8, the Note 8 has enough differences: an improved camera, more RAM, fits well in the hand – a comfortable giant. Finally, the infamous S Pen is a historically important feature of the Note series. Is it worth the additional payment of 10 thousand, because the Galaxy S8 + is sold for 59,990 rubles?

I think that buying a Note 8 is more a matter of emotions when you want the most fancy Android device.

PS I wish Samsung would make exactly the same smartphone, but smaller and without a stylus. But that will probably be the Galaxy S9 next year.