Samsung Galaxy Note 8.0 Review
by Anand Lal Shimpi on April 17, 2013 11:29 PM EST- Posted in
- Tablets
- Samsung
- Android
- Mobile
- Galaxy Note 8.0
TouchWiz Customizations & UI Performance
The Galaxy Note 8.0 ships with Android 4.1.2 by default, but layered with Samsung’s usual array of visual and functional customizations on top of it.
At its Galaxy S 4 launch event last month in NYC, Samsung announced a litany of new platform features for its new flagship phone. Using the Galaxy Note 8.0 after that announcement feels a lot like I’m getting a “lite” treatment unfortunately. That’s a major downside to launching overlapping products, unless there’s a unified feature front you’re bound to disappoint someone. I should add that it’s not that I feel like I’m missing any of those features announced for the SGS4, but it feels wrong not to have everything on a platform that just came out.
 |
 |
All is not lost on the Note 8.0 however. Smart Stay, Samsung’s feature that keeps the display on if it detects you looking at it, is alive and well on the tablet. Air View gestures exist, but they are triggered by the stylus and not by hovering your finger over the display.
Samsung cooked up a few odd but potentially useful palm gestures to interact with the OS. These aren’t new to the platform, but they bear repeating for users new to Samsung’s Android customizations. Using your palm to touch the screen will pause video you’re playing. Using the side of your hand to swipe across the screen will grab a screenshot. I should add that both of these gestures are meant to be carried out softly; you’re not meant to abuse the Galaxy Note 8.0 to bend to your will.
Gestures and unique features aside, Samsung’s Android customizations are also paired with a very distinct visual and audible style. Large icons and text, bold colors and bubbly friendliness are everywhere. I get what Samsung is trying to do here, it’s all supposed to be very accessible and not intimidating. Both Apple and Samsung are using the current mobile revolution to repeat the evolution of the PC industry, but without the mistakes.
Unlike Samsung’s earlier attempts to skin Android on its tablets, the experience on the Note 8.0 is usually very smooth. This is in part due to Android 4.1.2 and partly because Exynos 4 Quad is a lot faster than Tegra 2 was back in the days of the first Galaxy Tabs. Some actions aren’t as responsive as I’d like (e.g. bringing up the task switcher has some initial hesitation), and you’ll occasionally see dropped frames when switching back to the home screen but overall the experience is pretty good.
Facebook
Twitter
RSS
95 Comments
View All Comments
teiglin - Thursday, April 18, 2013 - link
I'm not sure there's a reasonable compromise there, though, without increasing size pretty substantially. Even APQ8064 at 1.5GHz is going to blow through the <20Whr of battery one can fit in a chassis designed for a 7" screen very quickly, not to mention the higher draw of a denser display. Unfortunately, the reality of the OS situation means that Google lacks the luxury Apple has of running a lower-clocked CPU, so when it comes to gaming, the only way to save battery is to run games that look worse or wait for better silicon (or better battery technology, though I don't have the impression that's improving very fast).I'm curious what your target battery life is for this sort of thing. I mean, four hours is a long time to be gaming away from a power source; it's within spitting distance of long enough for a cross-country flight (sorry, US-centric here), and when travelling, I tend to have a USB battery on hand anyway.
MonkeyPaw - Thursday, April 18, 2013 - link
I suppose my thoughts are based on my first tablet, the Iconia A500. Battery life was crazy long on everything. I think I plugged it in once or twice a week, when it seems like my Nexus 7 gets plugged in almost everyday. Most days, I don't even game that long.More directly to your question, I don't have a major complaint about the Nexus 7's battery life, but I would rather see batter life improve next release as opposed to getting worse. I don't feel that the general performance of the device is bad in any way, so it seems like a more efficient SOC that performs slightly better is all that is required. Provided they don't increase DPI, of course.
Hung_Low - Thursday, April 18, 2013 - link
What is the GPS app used for the review? Seems to be very popular amongst the tech communitythebigfudge - Thursday, April 18, 2013 - link
I found it: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com....mayankleoboy1 - Thursday, April 18, 2013 - link
The only problem i see is the last generation hardware.mayankleoboy1 - Thursday, April 18, 2013 - link
Just to add, why would anyone not buy the Nexus 10 ?StormyParis - Thursday, April 18, 2013 - link
Size. Pen. SD.lmcd - Thursday, April 18, 2013 - link
Exynos 4 Quad is definitely in the good enough range.Spunjji - Friday, April 19, 2013 - link
It's probably a bit above that, being entirely honest. Tends to sit near the top end of benchmarks. Quad Krait / A6 is definitely better, but not a lot else.Spunjji - Friday, April 19, 2013 - link
Oh no, so slow./sarcasm