Who needs to wait around until Aug. 23 for Samsung to unveil the Galaxy Note 8?
All the choice details about Samsung's next phone will have likely leaked out long before then. And from the latest leaks, it sounds like there will be very little separating the Note 8 from the Galaxy S8.
That's the word from Evan Blass, whose @EvLeaks Twitter feed has been working overtime lately. After tweeting out what looks like the final design for the Note 8 earlier this week, Blass returned with a post at VentureBeat that outlines the final specs for Samsung's next big phone.
Galaxy Note 8 Specs*
| Screen Size | 6.3 inches |
| Resolution | 2960 x 1440 |
| Processor | Snapdragon 835 |
| RAM | 6GB |
| Storage | 64GB |
| Rear Cameras | Dual 12-MP with 2X optical zoom |
| Front Camera | 8-MP |
| Battery | 3,300 mAh |
| Colors | Midnight Black, Maple Gold, Deep Sea Blue, Orchid Grey |
* Based on leak
The specs are sourced to a person who was briefed on the Note 8's final configuration and they paint a picture of a phone that sounds an awful lot like the Galaxy S8 with a marquee feature that will essentially match what the iPhone 7 Plus offers.
That feature would be dual-rear cameras. According to Blass's report, the Note 8 will have a pair of 12-megapixel lenses. The wide-angle lens will feature an f/1.7 aperture along with the dual-pixel autofocus that's made the Galaxy S8 our top choice for camera phones. The telephoto lens on the Note 8 will reportedly have an f/2.4 aperture capable of a 2X optical zoom.
MORE: Galaxy Note 8 vs Galaxy S8: Here's How They'll Be Different
If those reported specs are accurate, that would match the optical zoom the iPhone 7 Plus's twin rear cameras offer. And that's a bit of a bummer, since earlier rumors suggested the Note 8 might feature a 3X optical zoom.
Both Note 8 rear cameras are expected to offer optical image stabilization, which would be an improvement over Apple's current iPhone.
As for the other specs in Blass's latest report, they map pretty closely to early spec leaks that he's posted about the Note 8. The phone is likely to have a 3,300 mAh battery, which would be a downgrade from the Note 7's power pack, though presumably this one will be much safer than the battery that doomed last year's phablet.
The Note 8's rumored specs mirror what you'll find in the Galaxy S8. The new phone is expected to have a 6.3-inch 2960 x 1440 display — the Galaxy S8+ tops out at 6.2 inches, but has the same resolution. The Note 8 will offer IP-68 water resistance just like the S8 lineup, and it will ship with 64GB of storage as those phones do.
Even the processor will apparently be the same — a Snapdragon 835 mobile CPU. Samsung will shake things up by offering more RAM on the Note 8, according to Blass. The new phone is likely to come with 6GB of memory instead of the 4GB found in the S8 and S8+.
An earlier report suggested the Note 8 would come in three colors, but Blass says there's a fourth. In addition to midnight black, orchid grey and deep sea blue, look for a maple gold version of the phone when it ships in September.
There's another rumor from Blass's earlier report that remains unchanged — the high price tag for the Note 8. The phone is still expected to set you back €1,000. Factor in differences in how Samsung prices its U.S. and European phones and you're looking at a starting price of around $900.
