WiFi, GPS

The Galaxy Note 8.0 will be available in both cellular and WiFi only versions, the latter being what we get in the US for now and what I’m reviewing. Broadcom’s ever popular BCM4334 handles all WiFi duties. The Note 8.0 supports 2.4GHz 802.11b/g and 2.4GHz/5GHz 802.11n.

iPerf WiFi Performance - 2.4GHz 802.11n

iPerf WiFi Performance - 5GHz 802.11n

WiFi performance was on par with similar tablets.

I had no issues with acquiring GPS lock outdoors or in cars. Indoor performance was understandably worse.

Camera Battery Life and Charging
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  • boomhowler - Friday, April 19, 2013 - link

    I really like that you included a NAND-test. Those memory chips can be a real performance killer if they are bad. A request: it would be interesting to see if the NAND performance is about the same when the storage has been filled to ~90%. I have several colleagues who experience large performance degradations on their androids when the storage starts to fill up. And if you can, also add comparisons to Win8/iOS models as well.
  • awehring - Saturday, April 20, 2013 - link

    Anand,
    you are missing an universal remote to control a home cinema. Me too!
    But I found TouchSquid Remote at the Android Play Store, which claims to be just that. Have you ever tried it?
  • arifmahmud - Saturday, April 20, 2013 - link

    This review is a compact review of Samsung Galaxy Note 8.0 & help any readers at glance about the awesome device.
  • Commodus - Sunday, April 21, 2013 - link

    Like it or not, Samsung is going to be burned by that $399 price.

    Is it fair for what you get? Sure -- but most people don't need a pen and Wacom digitizer. You could safely argue that most customers at this size are buying for cost, not features; otherwise, they'd get a 10-inch tablet or a low-end laptop. While the iPad mini isn't the best value-for-money deal in its current state, it also costs $70 less, carries more tablet-native apps and first launched several months ago.

    Personally, I'd be more curious to see what Apple does for the second-gen iPad mini than the Note 8.0. Put in a Retina-ish display and an A6 at $329 and the tiny iPad could be a killer combo.
  • herts_joatmon - Monday, April 22, 2013 - link

    I be suprised if Samsung designed this as an "iPad killer". Unlike Apple and some other manufacturers, Samsung dont have a one size fits all policy. Rather, they have segregated the market into smaller segments. This tablet is aimed at creative types, where as most tablets are designed for consumption (reading, gaming, browsing etc).
    Like the original Note phone. They wont have expected it to sell in abundance, but if other market segments take it up, it will be a bonus to them.
    For me, the closest rival is the Surface Pro. Thats the only other tablet that you can actually draw on with pressure sensitivity support and good accuracy (that im aware off) and that is over twice the price. So is $399 a fair price? Compared to $999, its a bargain.
    What I want is a mobile sketch book. Any other functionality is a bonus in my opinion.
  • nerd1 - Wednesday, April 24, 2013 - link

    $500 Ativ smart PC has the same wacom support.
  • ZoeAnderson24 - Monday, April 22, 2013 - link

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  • A_Smith - Thursday, April 25, 2013 - link

    Is that a painting colored by fabric colors at the back of photos in the review?
  • fteoath64 - Friday, April 26, 2013 - link

    Only 1 comment that is most important is the aspect ratio of the screen!. The iPad Mini's 4:3 ratio is just perfect for web and reading and it is nor less good for movie watching either!. The 16:9 ratio of Note makes it look long and web reading is constrained by either too narrow a width on portrait mode or too shallow if put on landscape mode. I suggest a 1600 X 1200 screen be used with minimal bezel on the sides. All other things are perfect as they are ...
  • Pessimism - Wednesday, May 8, 2013 - link

    Plastic housing and no cellular telephone capability = no care.

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