Samsung Galaxy Note 8 long-term review: The big phone to buy

Of all the phones released in 2017, none had quite the expectation of the Note 8. After the Note 7 debacle, there were plenty of eyes on how Samsung would respond.
Thankfully, it did so with an excellent handset. The Samsung Galaxy Note 8 is a true phablet, and it remains an excellent choice that likely won’t be superceded until the end of the year.
The biggest downside remains the absence of Android 8.0 Oreo, which still doesn’t have a concrete release date on the Note 8. Add Oreo into the mix and you’d have a device that could easily challenge the Pixel 2 XL for Android domination.
Battery life is pretty much as it was on release, which is to say it’s good but not excellent, and the camera remains among the best. Although it isn’t quite as good as the Pixel 2 XL or iPhone X for stills, I’d argue that its video capture is better as a result of the improved mics. The camera app is also a lot deeper, with heaps more options.
The extra 2GB of RAM over the S8 and S8 Plus ensures the Note 8 doesn’t suffer from the annoying software lag common to Samsung phones after a few months’ use. Whether this lasts remains to be seen. I’ll provide an update in the coming months.