Samsung Galaxy Note 8.0 Launch: 8-Inch Tablet with Calling Feature and Enhanced Reading Mode
Samsung is one of the most successful electronics manufacturers in recent years. Particularly in the mobile sector, they’ve skillfully capitalized on the smartphone boom and established themselves alongside Apple as one of the major winners of recent years. Unlike Apple, however, Samsung doesn’t rely on a select few devices but instead attempts to cover every conceivable niche with their products. This includes the newly introduced Galaxy Note 8.0 Android tablet.
In addition to the Galaxy Tablets 7.0, 7.7, 8.9, and 10.1, Samsung now also offers an 8-inch device. This positions them directly against the Apple iPad Mini with a similar display size (but a different aspect ratio). As for the hardware, there are no major surprises: a 1.6 GHz Exynos 4 processor, 2GB of RAM, 8-inch TFT screen with a resolution of 1280×800 pixels, with optional 16 or 32 GB of internal storage (expandable via MicroSD card), WiFi, and UMTS. The biggest surprise might be that the Galaxy Note 8.0 is apparently only sold as a 3G version, and you can also use the device as a fully functional phone. So, one might be curious to see when we’ll spot the first person with the 8-inch device held to their ear on the street…
Weighing in at 338 grams, the device is relatively light and also encroaches into the eBook reader market. It is 2 grams lighter than the Google Nexus 7 tablet, which only has a 7-inch screen. Further weight reductions are likely to follow with upcoming generations of tablets, so it may not be too long before we break the under-300-gram mark. The dimensions are 210.8 x 135.9 x 7.95mm. The operating system is Android Jelly Bean 4.1.2.
Reading Mode for Better eBook Reader Usage
The most interesting innovation for us, however, is the “Reading Mode.” Samsung withdrew from the eBook reader market some time ago, but they clearly haven’t given up entirely. As of now, no specific details about the “Reading Mode” are known, but this mode is supposed to allow for better brightness and contrast control for selected apps during reading, ultimately ensuring better readability when reading. The press release only states, “Reading Mode transforms the GALAXY Note 8.0 into an e-Book reader, providing optimal reading conditions to ensure you can curl up and enjoy a good book.” Whether this is merely empty marketing or Samsung has something productive for the reading market remains to be seen.
Marketing the tablet as an eBook reader doesn’t come as much of a surprise. It’s no secret that tablets are frequently used for reading eBooks, and with the iPad Mini, Apple is also trying to tap into this reader market more effectively. It was only a matter of time before Samsung followed suit.
As with the latest Samsung releases, the Galaxy Note 8.0 also integrates the S-Pen, which can be stored within the casing. This is a stylus for the capacitive touchscreen designed to make note-taking easier, allowing the tablet to be used in demanding work environments. A range of proprietary apps supports stylus input here.
The only thing Samsung has been tight-lipped about is the price, making it difficult to gauge the potential success of the device.
