Not much larger than an iPad Mini, think of the Galaxy Note as a digital pad a little more than half the size of a standard A4-sized piece of paper.
In Australia, everyone has seen A4, the most common size used for printers and photo-copiers, and this is like taking a tablet half that size (sort of) with you.
It’s not as thin as a piece of paper, however.
Technology isn’t at the level where a tablet is encroaching on the world of paper-thin electronics, but at 8mm and weighing 338 grams, it’s also not going to be hard to take with you.
For the design, Samsung has gone with more plastic, something that the company seems to bring with it to every Galaxy-branded product, including the S3, S4, Note, and even its Galaxy cameras.
As such, the design can feel a touch slippery in the hands, but still otherwise comfortable. The weight is balanced well over the 8 inch form, and regardless of which hand you take this in, it won’t feel overly heavy, a problem that nearly every 10 inch tablet suffers from.
Switch it on and you’ll see a bright screen staring back at you, with a more smartphone-esque version of Android ready to use.
Unlike the big tablets, phone apps can run here with a bigger display, making games and other applications easier to read.
We tried some of the familiar games, and while the pixels were larger, you don’t have to hold this device as close to your head as your phone, thereby reducing the need to see them.
Interestingly, while the resolution this screen uses is common and slightly outdated now, Samsung has included a mode that aims to make it better, trying to solve one of the problems commonly associated with reading on tablet devices, and that’s a screen that’s too bright for long-term reading.
To help with this, the Galaxy Note 8 includes “reading mode” which changes the colour temperature so as to be less of a pain on the eyes, making book and magazine reading easier for longer periods.
This mode, which can be made to support nearly any app on the tablet, can be turned on and off easily, and seems to help with eBooks, giving you more reason to put away the Kindle and read from your tablet.
We’re also fans of the included S Pen, which not only can be stored inside the tablet, but also – when unlocked – activates an extra menu that shows you extra things to do with your stylus, such as notes and drawings, similar to what happens on the Galaxy Note II smartphone.
The Galaxy Note 8 also functions as an extra remote for your TV if you choose, with included software for viewing an electronic program guide (EPG) and changing the channels accordingly. This only runs in landscape view, but it provides something extra for those you haven’t yet ponied up the cash to switch to either the Samsung Galaxy S4 or HTC One handsets, Android devices that both sport this feature.
While the idea is good, we do think the software needs to look a bit cleaner on the Galaxy Note 8.
There is one thing we are immensely happy with, though, and that’s the charge port.
Finally, Samsung has seen the light and looks to be moving away from the proprietary port it has been using on tablets up to this point, as the Galaxy Note 8 can be charged from the same microUSB port a Samsung Galaxy phone relies on.
That’s one of the most positive things about the hardware, and means that you don’t have to carry an extra set of cables around on holiday if you want to charge.
Speaking of the battery, we managed about two to three days of infrequent use with this tablet, with periods of one or two hours each day. Recharging the tablet seemed to sit around a couple of hours, which seemed to suit us fine.
Over in the processing area, you might see a spot of delay in games here and there, as the quad-core processor works its magic. It’s not the fastest chip a Samsung device has ever had, mind you, but at least 2GB RAM was provided, making multi-tasking a cinch.
Conclusion
Despite its plastic casing, Samsung’s mid-sized Galaxy Note is one of the better Android tablets we’ve played with, feeling balanced in the hands, and supporting the S Pen with a more notepad-like experience.
It could do with a touch more performance and some of the Near-Field Communication connectivity afforded to its smartphone brothers, but if you’re over carrying a pen and paper booklet and would prefer to try out a digital equivalent, Samsung’s Note 8 provides a solid experience.
