SamsungGalaxy Note 8 (SM-N950F) - SIM-Free Smartphone - 64GB - Midnight Black

I currently own a two year old mid range phone which has served me well but for once, I've decided to go from Mid Ranger to Flagship. As I prefer the Android eco system, I was debating between the Galaxy S8+ & Note 8 and settled for the Note 8 as I concluded the extra RAM, dual camera are more future proof. I also preferred the less prominent curvature on the Note 8 screen when compared with the S8+.The overall quality is as you would expect from any phone at this price: Stunning screen, great performance, excellent camera and I won't repeat the what other Amazon reviewers already covered comprehensively. The S pen is truly useful particularly for taking a quick screen shot and sharing with a contact or taking a quite note during a phone call. In terms of the negative points which have been consistently highlighted when I've been reading online reviews, I'd like to provide a quick summary of my experience.Fingerprint sensor placement next to the camera- yes it is awkward first few times and then you get used to it (no big deal), I find it natural position for the index finger. I use a case with it which really helps the locating it very easily. Give it a few days and it'll be second nature. No issues there.Battery Size (3300mAh): It averaged 5 hours screen time and in the first few days, the battery life was not great initially. This is as the phone was new, I was constantly checking and changing things. Now after a few days with normal use (whatsapp, casual browsing, listening to music, taking pictures), I get a full day with it, about 40% left when I get home from the office. After two weeks usage, I found the battery life to be excellent - full day without any issues.Phone Size: I'd recommend having a look at a local store as once I saw it, I realized it was not that much bigger than my current phone, only a bit taller. If anything, feels better in the hand than the S8+.Fast Charging: The Samsung fast charging will power your device from 30% to 100% in about an hour. Granted there are faster ones out there (E.g Qualcomm Quick Charge, OnePlus 5 Dash Charge) but it is good enough for me. This is great as I charge my phone when I wake up and it is fully charged by the time I leave the house for work.Samsung bloatware: Yes I would much prefer a stock android as with Samsung, you will two of everything and have to choose whether to use to use the Samsung or Google (Clock, calendar, samsung pay etc). It is more a Samsung issue than Note 8 but then very few manufacturers opt for a near stock Android.Speaker quality: The mono speaker is good but not great and as it is on the bottom, one can easily block the speakers while holding the phone to watch a video. The sound is okay but it will not match other phones with front facing stereo speaker. This is not an issue for me as I use Bluetooth headset for music and videos but I could be a deal breaker for some users.Personally as I intend to use the phone over the next few years, I accepted the higher price and justified the £150 extra on the Galaxy S8+ and so far I am really enjoying the phone - No regrets and I'm sure you won't be either.One more thing: I would recommend you get a case as it'll improve the grip!

After years of great service from my note 2 i decided it was time to upgrade. I am really happy with the note 8 and would certainly recommend it, especially now the prices have dropped significantly.I won't do a blow by blow review of every feature as for the vast majority of things it does exactly as expected so i will just highlight the aspects which stood out.The good:--The camera and screen quality are amazing. Even at high zoom the picture quality is great. Also viewing pictures and videos is a bit like the transition from DvD to blu-ray.-Overall i now get an extra bar of signal. I am on the same network, using the same sim card but i now have full signal in places i would only get 2 or 3 bars before.-I only need to charge my phone every couple of days...reading reviews they tended to say the battery would last a day but even the first few days when i was using my phone constantly to check out all the features and get all the settings to my liking i would still have over 50% charge at the end of the day.-The screen is large, which is why we prefer the note series, but the phone is extremely light and the phone doesn't seem bulky at all.The bad:--The default theme is a bit poor and if you haven't got perfect eyesight can be a bit wishy-washy. The keyboard is dark grey lettering on an off-white background and the only other default option is high contrast mode which is frankly offensive to the eyes. Lucky there is a plethora of custom themes available, many of them free, which can be installed to suit everybody's needs and taste....Point of note, if you have activated high contrast mode or any of the assistance settings you need to turn them off to activate and use a custom theme.-You have to create a samsung account to disable bixby, samsungs versions of alexa/cortana etc. Although you can create a samsung account, disable bixby and then delete you samsung account.General points of note:--Has standard ear phone socket and comes with earphones.-Uses USB-C which is another(!) USB type, similar to the standard micro USB but slightly different thus defeating the point of and invalidating the name of UNIVERSAL Serial Bus (USB) even more. Therefore you can't just borrow your friends phone charger but you do get the charger included along with a converter for just about every USB connector. On the plus side it does (at the moment) seem slightly more solid that the old micro USB and is unidirectional so no chance of breaking the connector by putting it in the wrong way for example.

Without a shadow of a doubt, THE best galaxy phone ever and most probably, THE best smartphone to date. Far faster than the recently released iPhone X in speed checks, loading of apps, multitasking etc.This phone really excels in the multitasking department. Load several apps in succession and use 2 at same time with multi window. The camera is just outstanding and with the 2x optical zoom, this makes such a difference.With the super amoled screen and 6.3" 18:5 layout, this really shows off photos and apps to their best.Super fast charging means less time plugged in too.Phone is a bit on the large size compared to the far more ergonomically designed Galaxy S8 but then you enjoy the screen size when watching movies and forget about it very quickly.S Pen is such a great attribute, allowing freelance cutting of items on screen. Screen off memo and a whole host of S Pen functions really make this phone truly superb and more than worth the hefty price tag.Definitely get a Samsung Dex Station to complement your purchase. This turns your galaxy S8, S8+ or Note 8 into basically, a desktop computer while charging the phone at the same time, also allows for phone calls, messages and all the usual smartphone functions.I purchased a wireless foldable keyboard with built in track pad.Treat yourself to the latest smartphone and enjoy the benefits that owning a Note 8 will bring.Just remember to purchase a decent protective case to keep your valuable purchase safe.