Samsung Galaxy Note 8

Huge, beautiful display ; Excellent, water-resistant build ; Great dual camera ; S Pen is now more useful and fun

Very expensive ; Bixby can be flaky ; Not a huge improvement over the S8 Plus ; US version gets less storage than other regions

Chris is Engadget's senior mobile editor and moonlights as a professional moment ruiner. His early years were spent taking apart Sega consoles and writing awful fan fiction. That passion for electronics and words would eventually lead him to covering...

Good dual cameras ; Daylong battery life ; Speedy performance ; Handy S Pen features ; Waterproof

Expensive ; Live Focus needs some work ; Poor fingerprint sensor placement

The Galaxy Note 8 is a great phone all-around phone, with a great dual-camera setup, speedy performance, useful software features and S Pen, and IP68 waterproofing. But there are no distinguishing features that get us excited about it.

Excellent performanceEnormous, high-res Super AMOLED displayS Pen is a clever, no-compromise addition

May be too large for someAwkward to use for voice callsS Pen button rather small

Not yet. The Note 8 ships with the Samsung Experience based on Android Nougat 7.1.1. However, Google has said it is working with Samsung to get some of its handsets updated to Oreo before the end of the year.

Bright, brilliant 6.3-inch screen is a stunner in any light. ; Dual camera is a big step up from the S8 and Live Focus is a winner. ; The S Pen is better than ever and truly complements the Note's screen. ; Battery life in excellent despite a decrease...

Bixby button and fingerprint sensor are a nuisance. ; It might be a bit too big and heavy for some users.

The very existence of a stylus on the Note 8 is enough to set it apart from nearly every other smartphone, but the S Pen isn’t just for comfort and precision. It gives the Note a level of productivity that just isn’t available on other handsets. Aside...

High-quality, waterproof build. Improved S Pen stylus. Dual cameras. Modem supports emerging networks.

Expensive. Too big to work with current Gear VR headset.

The Note 8 is the pinnacle of smartphone technology right now. There is no better processor, no better screen, no better sound quality, no better reception, and no better camera. It costs a lot of money, but you're getting what you pay for.

Lovely display ; Fast performance ; Reliable battery life ; Excellent standard camera

It’s enormous ; It’s expensive ; Secondary camera is far inferior to main camera ; Terrible fingerprint scanner placement

The Note used to be the best and only truly great big phone. Now it has company.

The Note 8 has every feature a great smartphone should, and then some. This is the biggest, bestest screen. The two cameras take fantastic pictures.

That big screen massacres your battery. Live Focus can be screwy. Samsung still loves overwrought software tweaks.