Samsung unwraps Galaxy Note 8.0 to take on Apple's iPad mini
Apple's chief competitor Samsung used this week's Mobile World Congress in Barcelona to unveil its competitor to the highly successful iPad mini -- a stylus-enabled Galaxy Note 8.0 that the South Korean conglomerate hopes will finally make inroads in the mini tablet sector that it arguably pioneered years ago.
The Note 8.0 ? news of which leaked late last month ? packs a screen larger than Apple's iPad mini by just a tenth of an inch. That eight-inch screen also comes in a higher resolution than does Apple's successful mid-size tablet, with the Note outputting at 1280x800 with 189ppi versus the mini's 1024x768 at 163ppi. Its camera options just about match the mini's, with both devices sporting 5MP rear cameras and the Note's 1.3MP front-facing camera just edging out the mini's 1.2MP unit.
Like most of the company's other consumer electronics offerings, the Note 8.0 avoids the metal build that typifies Apple's products, instead opting for a plastic body ringed with metal. Samsung has also built cellular capabilities into the device, packing in HSPA+ connectivity. The company's announcement was unclear whether the cellular model will be the only option, but Samsung usually rolls out devices with a Wi-Fi only model.
At 338g (11.9 ounces), the Note is slightly heavier than the iPad mini. The left edge of the device has slots for microSD card expansion and micro-SIM cards. Inside, it has a 4,600mAh battery, though Samsung has not given details on expected battery life.
The Note 8.0's distinguishing feature is its S Pen stylus. The pressure-sensitive stylus natively enables a range of input options largely unavailable on competing devices, including handwriting recognition and a number of gesture-based shortcuts. Samsung has also tweaked Google's Android operating system so as to let the S Pen show previews of videos, emails, photos, and appointments just by hovering the pen over the screen.
The Note 8.0 continues a mixed tradition for Samsung. The company's full-size tablet, the Galaxy Note 10.1, debuted to mixed reviews and lukewarm sales. The smartphone Note models, though, have seen much wider success, with the first Galaxy Note selling in excess of 10 million units despite early mocking of the device's size. Its successor, the Note II, moved three million units in the thirty days following its release, and has gone on to solid sales since.
With the Note 8.0, Samsung hopes to finally establish a measure of success for in the tablet sector, a segment the company has struggled in since introducing its first offerings. Sales of the company's Galaxy Tab line essentially amount to a rounding error when compared to Apple's iPad and iPad mini.
The Note 8.0, though, marks Samsung's reentry into the mid-sized tablet market, a segment the company pioneered three years ago. Samsung was the first major manufacturer to release a seven-inch tablet with its Galaxy Tab 7.0 and its successor, the Galaxy Tab 7.0 2. Those devices, like Samsung's other tablet attempts, met with middling sales at best. In the years since, though, the company has achieved considerable mindshare in the smartphone sector, and Samsung hopes it can parlay its improved brand awareness into tablet sales.
Samsung has yet to provide information on pricing and availability for the Galaxy Note 8.0.
The Note 8.0 ? news of which leaked late last month ? packs a screen larger than Apple's iPad mini by just a tenth of an inch. That eight-inch screen also comes in a higher resolution than does Apple's successful mid-size tablet, with the Note outputting at 1280x800 with 189ppi versus the mini's 1024x768 at 163ppi. Its camera options just about match the mini's, with both devices sporting 5MP rear cameras and the Note's 1.3MP front-facing camera just edging out the mini's 1.2MP unit.
Like most of the company's other consumer electronics offerings, the Note 8.0 avoids the metal build that typifies Apple's products, instead opting for a plastic body ringed with metal. Samsung has also built cellular capabilities into the device, packing in HSPA+ connectivity. The company's announcement was unclear whether the cellular model will be the only option, but Samsung usually rolls out devices with a Wi-Fi only model.
At 338g (11.9 ounces), the Note is slightly heavier than the iPad mini. The left edge of the device has slots for microSD card expansion and micro-SIM cards. Inside, it has a 4,600mAh battery, though Samsung has not given details on expected battery life.
The Note 8.0's distinguishing feature is its S Pen stylus. The pressure-sensitive stylus natively enables a range of input options largely unavailable on competing devices, including handwriting recognition and a number of gesture-based shortcuts. Samsung has also tweaked Google's Android operating system so as to let the S Pen show previews of videos, emails, photos, and appointments just by hovering the pen over the screen.
The Note 8.0 continues a mixed tradition for Samsung. The company's full-size tablet, the Galaxy Note 10.1, debuted to mixed reviews and lukewarm sales. The smartphone Note models, though, have seen much wider success, with the first Galaxy Note selling in excess of 10 million units despite early mocking of the device's size. Its successor, the Note II, moved three million units in the thirty days following its release, and has gone on to solid sales since.
With the Note 8.0, Samsung hopes to finally establish a measure of success for in the tablet sector, a segment the company has struggled in since introducing its first offerings. Sales of the company's Galaxy Tab line essentially amount to a rounding error when compared to Apple's iPad and iPad mini.
The Note 8.0, though, marks Samsung's reentry into the mid-sized tablet market, a segment the company pioneered three years ago. Samsung was the first major manufacturer to release a seven-inch tablet with its Galaxy Tab 7.0 and its successor, the Galaxy Tab 7.0 2. Those devices, like Samsung's other tablet attempts, met with middling sales at best. In the years since, though, the company has achieved considerable mindshare in the smartphone sector, and Samsung hopes it can parlay its improved brand awareness into tablet sales.
Samsung has yet to provide information on pricing and availability for the Galaxy Note 8.0.
Comments
This looks like a nice trick. Do like the stylus. If the eco system was there this would be competitive.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Buzzz
Is Samsung incapable of ever coming up with an original idea?!
They had a ~7" tablet a long time before Apple did. Granted it was an incredibly crappy tablet, but they had one. For once, this isn't a case of Samsung copying Apple.
The 5.3" Galaxy Note II (GT-N7100) has the same resolution display as this 8" model and it's MRSP is $999 with a price on Amazon coming directly from Samsung for $679. Even removing what Apple charges for cellular in their products doesn't bring it within the iPad mini (or 10" iPad) range.
Since the resolution is the same the cost per square inch of the display would be more expensive than this 8" model but its a larger display so I think it's likely to cost a little more overall. One interesting thing to note is that the 7.85" iPad mini has a little more display area over this 8" Note because of the differences in aspect ratio.
The older HW and look of the design tells me that Samsung had solidified this design before the IPad mini was ever announced. Perhaps they shelved the plans and only decided to put in production so they can have something more comparable in this space.
Digitizers have historically been expensive and using the Wacom brand in your product can't be cheap. Even though it's the first real competitor to the iPad mini in this category I have to think Samsung's "me-too" product is really geared as a "me-first" product against other Android-based tablets, not against Apple.
Originally Posted by Freshmaker
They had a ~7" tablet a long time before Apple did. Granted it was an incredibly crappy tablet, but they had one. For once, this isn't a case of Samsung copying Apple.
Microsoft creates crap.
No one buys crap.
Apple creates real tablet.
People buy real tablet.
Samsung creates small crap.
No one buys small crap.
Apple creates small tablet.
People buy small tablet.
Samsung creates…
Quote:
Originally Posted by Freshmaker
They had a ~7" tablet a long time before Apple did. Granted it was an incredibly crappy tablet, but they had one. For once, this isn't a case of Samsung copying Apple.
And Samsung wouldn't be making any tablets in any size, if it weren't for the iPad. Making something smaller isn't exactly innovative.
As for this Note tablet, it seems pretty crappy. It's heavier than the iPad Mini, the bezels look too fat and it has that luxurious plastic enclosure. And does it only come in girly white? The stylus also looks like a pretty easy thing to lose or misplace.
And let's not forget the fact that this is running Android, which further adds to it's complete crapiness and cements it's position as something not worth owning. I am going to have to give it two big fat thumbs down.
I like how they don't even have a mention of this thing on their website.
Not only that, their site search is "dumb" so a search for "Galaxy Note 8" yields pages and pages of irrelevant crap just because some document has the word "galaxy" or "note" in it, and none of the titles of their "Galaxy Note" products includes the size so you have to click on three or four different "Galaxy Note" results before you realise it isn't there.
Apple has a clear, detailed, easy to understand product page about every single product within 20 minutes of it being announced to the world. They also put the latest products at the top of the first page.
Samsung's right hand doesn't even know what it's left is doing it seems.
http://gizmodo.com/5986485/galaxy-note-80-hands-on-the-8+inch-tablet-as-an-8+inch-phone
AI didnt mention that the international version is gonna be a phone too. A Giant 8-inch screen phone.
Time for those oversized-phone lovers to rejoice I guess? /s
Quote:
Originally Posted by Apple ][
Making something smaller isn't exactly innovative.
Couldn't agree more. So tired of pundits saying that Apple lacked in innovating in the "space" of small tablets and large phones.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Apple ][
The stylus also looks like a pretty easy thing to lose or misplace.
The stylus is useful for some. While artists here and there are using the iPad for "fingerpainting", many of them do wish for a pen. But I am not sure this stylus does the trick because artists prefer a pressure-sensitive pen.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Apple ][
As for this Note tablet, it seems pretty crappy. It's heavier than the iPad Mini, the bezels look too fat and it has that luxurious plastic enclosure. And does it only come in girly white?
I don't think that only metallic casing confers quality. Plus, Samsung is striving for a uniform design in the Galaxy "family". But the mini is superior in quality all around. The innovation is its design and manufacturing, which is just completely neglected by the technorati. Shame.
We are here to stay! Apple is the one who exiled us!
" Samsung already has devices in sizes 1.5, 1.8, 1.9, 2, 2.2, 2.3, 2.4, 2.8, 3, 3.1, 3.2, 3.5, 3.7, 4, 4.3, 4.5, 4.7, 4.8, 5.0, 5.3, 5.5, 5.8, 7.0, 7.7, 8.9, and 10.1. Why not add another to the pile. Talk about fragmentation :P "
" It isn't fragmentation, it's consumer choice. "
(Oh my ...)
Quote:
Originally Posted by stelligent
The stylus is useful for some. While artists here and there are using the iPad for "fingerpainting", many of them do wish for a pen.
According to the NEA (https://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&q=cache:8c0lGkmy1YMJ:www.nea.gov/research/artistsinworkforce_execsum.pdf+what+proportion+of+people+are+artists&hl=en&gl=us&pid=bl&srcid=ADGEESjBKnXACAIdHibgLCtcks5hBpPc2PwE9Is_Rg9l7ITIPDYxh9pfsl1bF3PxZVgIroao6g-a8HDTn9xkIedfl_WRgZ15pjDR8ZY0eYZOusD0cI1irtHX9vOYJbaH2FRbY93NuoKE&sig=AHIEtbQlNIG7NDriHoAEtwUVDINiq6vQiw), there are roughly 2 million people who can be classified as 'artists' (including performing artists). Of that, 11% are classified as "fine artists, art directors, and animators." That is, 220,000 people. (Adding 'designers', 39%, or 780,000; but that is perhaps too broad a category).
In other words, somewhere between 0.067% and 0.3% of the population.
That's a very tiny market to pursue.
If it's like the Note 2 there's tech built into the stylus that will sound an alarm if the device gets too far away from the stylus.
So long as they use the same resolution over I would classify that as choice and not fragmentation, at least in relation to the display. There is still other HW changes that will lead to fragmentation that can slow or stop OS updates from carriers and vendors.
Dicks come in all those sizes too, good thing girls still choose us despite our 'fragmentation'.
Ya know, tablet features
Quote:
Originally Posted by Apple ][
And Samsung wouldn't be making any tablets in any size, if it weren't for the iPad.
I don't wish to sound critical but saying that Samsung wouldn't be making any tablets in any size, if it wasn't for the iPad is like saying Audi wouldn't be making cars if it wasn't for Henry Ford. The iPad was not the first tablet. Anyone remember this:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-1381528/Knight-Ridder-tablet-looks-just-like-iPad-17-YEARS-OLD.html
This is my first post in a discussion so forgive me if ive done something wrong.
This won't end well...