Samsung Galaxy Note 8: Release date, rumours and everything you need to know

Samsung's Galaxy Note 7 was a fantastic phone, until the battery issues destroyed its reputation and left it with a legacy of being the only phone to be singled out before boarding a flight.

We expected the Note family to die with the Note 7, but there's plenty of talk that it lives on, reborn like the phoenix from the flames of its forebear. Here is everything we know so far about the Note 8.

Samsung Galaxy Note 8: Release date and price
Note 8 pretty much confirmed
Likely to be latter half of 2017
Rumoured to cost €999 (around £870)

Samsung pretty much confirmed the release of the Note 8 after it announced an upgrade scheme in South Korea following the Note 7 debacle. The scheme allowed anyone who bought a Note 7 to get a Galaxy S7 or S7 edge for half price, after which they would be able to upgrade to the Galaxy S8, now available, or Note 8 when it is released.

The device is apparently codenamed "Great", or Samsung Gr3at according Evan Blass, and SamMobile has claimed its model number is SM-N950F so that's worth looking out for in any future leaks.

As to specifically when the Note 8 will be released, traditional patterns would suggest the end of the year, around August or September time.

We originally thought IFA 2017 might be the chosen platform as this was traditionally where Samsung launched this family of device though rumours have now suggested it will be 26 August at an event in New York. Samsung has yet to confirm.

In terms of price, VentureBeat has claimed the Note 8 will cost €999 when it launches, which is around £870, or $1120. Ouch. The site also claimed it would launch in late September, which would be around a month after it is announced if the event rumours are true.

Samsung Galaxy S8 and S8+: What's the story so far?
Samsung Galaxy Note 8: Design
Metal and glass sandwich design probable
Reduced bezels and no home button likely
S Pen and dedicated slot also a safe bet
We're not expecting the Note 8's design to stray too much from what the Note 7 delivered, though with reduced bezels like the Galaxy S8 and S8+.

The Galaxy S8 and S8+, which debuted on 29 March, ditched the physical home button in favour of an almost all-screen front, with the fingerprint sensor repositioning to the rear, next to the camera lens. We'd therefore expect the Note 8 to do similar, sticking with a curved display like the Note 7 and two new Galaxy S devices.

A leak on Slashleaks shows off what it claims to be the Galaxy Note 8, featuring a very similar design to the S8 and S8+ but with a seemingly wider stance, which would be likely given the S Pen would need to slot in somewhere. Another leak on the same site also appears to support the same design, with the Infinity Display and a wider stance, and the site also recently posted some front panels showing the same.

In the original leak, the Note 8 is pictured with the S Pen next to it and Bixby on the screen, as well as the same on-screen controls as the recent S8 and S8+ devices, making a good case for its legitimacy. You can never be sure though, so grab that salt just in case.

There was some talk of Samsung embedding a fingerprint sensor into the display rather than putting it on the rear like the S8 and S8+, something Apple is also rumoured to be doing with the iPhone 8, though it is now thought this won't be the case as apparently there have been some issues with uneven brightness of the screen because of the technology.

ONLEAKS X 91MOBILES
Samsung Galaxy Note 8 Renders image 2
Some renders from @OnLeaks in collaboration with 91Mobiles show the Note 8 supporting the fingerprint sensor on the rear and they also show where the S-Pen might sit. The images show quite a thick device with a raised dual camera and fingerprint sensor on the rear.

Further to these renders, another photo has appeared on Facebook, posted by Tung Ha, which is claimed to show the apparent raised dual-camera array of the Note 8.

TUNG HA
Samsung Galaxy Note 8 Camera image 2
Ha's image leak has raised some speculation that the fingerprint sensor on the rear may also be a press button. Ha also posted a mock-up of the device, which falls in line with similar renders we have seen.

There has also been a leak from Poyoco Tech showing some renders of the Galaxy Note 8. These renders also show a dual camera on the rear but with no fingerprint next to it, along with an almost all-screen front like the S8 and S8+.

A tweet from Ice Universe also shows that all screen front but with slightly adjusted corners, suggesting a few more pixels may be squished in.

In terms of materials, we'd be surprised to see a move away from the metal and glass combo that has served Samsung so well over the last couple of years. We can also assume USB Type-C will be on board, along with the S Pen, both of which can be seen on the Poyoco Tech renders.

Samsung Galaxy S8 preview
Samsung Galaxy Note 8: Display
Big screen is a given, claimed to be 6.3-inches
Dual-edge display is likely again
4K resolution for VR rumoured
The Samsung Galaxy Note series is known for its large display so it's a given that the Note 8 will also have a big screen. Traditionally, this has been 5.7-inches, at least since the Note 3, though the S8+ offers 6.2-inches with only a slight change in its body dimensions so it is likely the Note 8 will do similar.

It has been claimed the Note 8 will offer a 6.3-inch screen with the same 18.5:9 ratio as the S8 and S8+, making it only slightly larger than the S8+. This idea seems to be supported by the front panel leak on Slashleaks, presenting what appears to be the same design as the Infinity Display on the S8 and S8+ but a little wider. The 18.5:9 aspect has also been confirmed by sources talking to Galaxy Club.

Super AMOLED technology and Mobile HDR are also safe bets for the new device, the latter of which launched on the Note 7 and has since been introduced on the Galaxy S8, S8+ and the LG G6.

The Note 7 featured a dual-edge display with a Quad HD resolution, and while the dual-edge is likely the remain, especially given both the S8 and S8+ have it, leaks suggest the Note 8 might increase the resolution to 4K in order to be better equipped for a new Gear VR.

A 4K display is often seen as the holy grail and the Xperia Z5 Premium and the XZ Premium are about the only devices to offer this so far. In daily use it makes little difference, but it is noticeable once you have the magnifying lenses of a VR headset in front of it. At the same time it drives up cost and battery consumption. Currently we can't confirm Samsung's plans either way.

Samsung Galaxy S8+ review
Samsung Galaxy Note 8: Camera
Possibility of dual-rear cameras
Likely to offer same features as S8 and S8+, with advancements
Dummy shows vertical dual rear camera arrangement
When it comes to smartphone cameras, more megapixels doesn't always mean better, as Samsung and Apple have both proved, with both companies' flagships producing great results despite not offering the highest resolution sensors.

The Note 8 is therefore likely to continue this legacy and offer brilliant snappers, though how many megapixels will appear and what other features will be on board remains to be seen for now. We'd expect the same functionality as the Galaxy S8 and S8+, including optical image stabilisation, along with some advancements.

The Galaxy S8 launched with same Duo Pixel rear camera as the S7 and S7 edge but with the addition of multi-frame image processing. There were talks of a dual-camera setup but those rumours never came to light.

That's not to say Samsung might not change things up for the Note 8 though. Dual-cameras are a big trend in smartphone cameras at the moment, with Apple, LG and Huawei all offering their own takes and even though Samsung and Sony have both steered clear for now, analysts Ming-Chi Kuo and Park Kang-ho both believe the Note 8 will take the leap.

According to Kuo, the new camera will be "the most important upgrade" for the Galaxy Note 8 and will feature a 12-megapixel CIS support dual photodiode (2PD), 13-megapixel telephoto CIS, dual 6P lenses, dual optical image stabilisation and three times optical zoom. He also said it would be superior to the dual camera on the iPhone 7 Plus.

A dual-camera on the Note 8 has also been suggested by the same tipster who claimed the 6.3-inch screen size and there has also been an apparent leaked dummy of the Note 8 appear too, as well as the renders fro Poyoco Tech, so rumours are certainly pointing in this direction.

The leaked dummy shows a vertical arrangement with what appears to be the flash module underneath. There doesn't appear to be a fingerprint sensor on the rear though like the S8 and S8+, but bear in mind these dummy pictures could be fake and more recent leaks and renders have suggested the dual-camera arrangement will be horizontal instead.

TUNG HA
Samsung Galaxy Note 8 camera image 1
The most recent comes from Tang Ha's Facebook page, where an image of what is claimed to be the Note 8's camera array has appeared. The image shows a raised module featuring two lenses, a flash and heart rate sensor, as well as a similar fingerprint sensor to the S8 and S8+. It is not yet clear how legitimate this leak is however so grab that salt.

Samsung Galaxy Note 8: Hardware
Qualcomm or/and Exynos chips likely
6GB of RAM plausible expectation
Large battery capacity expected
The Samsung Galaxy Note 8 will come with the latest hardware under its hood, as is typically the case with the Note series. The latest and greatest Exynos or Qualcomm chips will no doubt be running the show, depending on region, and there's a good chance of 6GB of RAM.

The S8 arrived with 4GB of RAM though so it might be the Note 8 offers the same. We'd also expect a minimum of 32GB internal storage and microSD support for further storage expansion. A report from Korea claims there will be a 64GB option and a 128GB option, both of which will offer microSD for expansion up to 256GB.

In terms of battery, the Note 8 will hopefully have one that doesn't blow up. That would definitely be a good start anyway. The Note 7 offered a 3500mAh capacity, which is the same as the S8+, so we would expect a similar capacity from the Note 8.

A report from The Korea Herald suggests Samsung will source batteries from LG Chem, along with its own Samsung SDI battery conglomerate and China ATL.

It is also thought Samsung may tune the Note 8 speakers in association with AKG, following the leaked renders from Poyoco Tech.

The AKG logo is printed on the rear at the bottom of the renders of the device and given the S8 and S8+ launched with AKG headphones and Samsung owns AKG's parent company, it wouldn't be too surprising to see this collaboration more heavily integrated into the device itself.

Samsung Galaxy Note 8: Software
Android Nougat with TouchWiz
Bixby voice assistant
Improved S Pen features rumoured
The Galaxy Note 8 will no doubt arrive on Android Nougat with Samsung's TouchWiz software over the top. TouchWiz was refined for the Note 7, S8 and S8+ offering less duplication and a more streamlined design so we would expect this to be the case for the Note 8 too. We've seen reports that the Note 8 is in testing with Android 7.1.1.

There will no doubt be some new features for the Note 8 specifically, along with the S Pen features of course. Rumour has it the Note 8 will offer improved stylus features over the Note 7, along with the Bixby voice assistant, which debuted on the S8.

What is Bixby? Samsung's smart AI explained
Samsung Galaxy Note 8: Conclusion
Rumours and leaks will no doubt increase over the next few weeks as we get closer to the date proposed for the Note 8's launch. Both the S8 and S8+ leaked heavily before their official launch so we're expecting to see a little more about the Note 8 beforehand too.

The only thing we can be almost certain of for now however is that a new Note will launch and it will hopefully bring all the brilliant elements of the Note 7, S8 and S8+ and more. As always, we will update this feature as more information appears.