Obviously, Samsung could be playing safe with their battery – after all, the Note 7 hit a ludicrous 22 hours in our original testing, and you know what happened there. The Galaxy Note 8 doubles down on that, delivering everything previous Note phones have – and even upping the ante. You can pin up to 10 features or apps to this menu, giving you quick access to the tools you are most likely to want to use with the stylus. The aluminium and glass body is now IP68 water and dust resistant, which means that the phablet can survive submersion in up to 1. Not only that, but the Note 8 also packs Samsung’s first stab at dual-cameras, with a 12-megapixel f/1.

Our improved S Pen comes with greater pressure sensitivity and a thinner tip for a faster response and enhanced precision, letting you show-off your creativity when that moment of inspiration hits. These features – usually reserved for pro-level tablets or 2-in-1 computers – are even handier on a phone. Crammed with up-to-date internals, including Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 835 processor (or Samsung’s own Exynos 8895 if you aren’t Stateside), complete with 6GB of RAM and 64GB of expandable storage. Whether you're shooting breath-taking scenery or never forget moments with your friends, the Note8's 12MP dual lens camera with a wide-angle and telephoto lens includes live focus which lets you take incredible photos in all conditions.The display of third-party trademarks and trade names on this site does not necessarily indicate any affiliation or the endorsement of PCMag. And while you won’t fool the iris scanner, it won’t recognize you wearing sunglasses, or walking and holding the phone at the improper distance.

With the display settings cranked all the way up, streaming a video over LTE, we managed six hours of usage time. Every phone refurbished can have a second, third or fourth life in the hands of another user before it reaches its true end-of-life.

As well as offering you some flexibility with your shots, the two cameras working in tandem can help produce a bokeh-like effect, the same feature found in last year’s iPhone 7. There's not going to be a feature (other than iOS, which is another story entirely) that will blow the Note 8 away. App Pairs is a helpful addition and an extension of Multi Window, allowing you to display two apps on the screen at the same time, but by tapping a single icon. We were impressed with not only how loud the Note 8’s speaker could go, but also how little it was distorted at maximum volume.

Our partners are electronics experts who test and verify that each product is 100% functional before it leaves the factory.It's really nice to be able to sign and send things without printing them out, something Apple has also been promoting with the Pencil on its iPad Pro. However, based on previous Samsung pricing, we’d expect the RRP to quickly fall in the first few months following the launch, so if you can’t afford it just now then it might be worth waiting a little while. However, battery life is merely acceptable, the screen could be brighter, and the phone is very expensive. Google Assistant is on board too, living alongside Bixby, Samsung's own virtual assistant that's only just launched properly in the UK.