Galaxy Note 8 gets officially teased in a 'big' way
Rumors of the phone also point to a dual-SIM option in Europe.
Samsung 's grand reveal of the Galaxy Note 8 -- scheduled for next week -- will put the big questions about its rumored specs to rest. Now, Samsung is teasing us with a video that is unmistakably Note 8 (see below).
The teaser video shows off plenty of vague buzzwords, but it also centers around the S-Pen stylus, the Galaxy Note series' defining feature. A blue animation of the S Pen, flies in from the left to cross out concepts like "big" and point to a more ambitious concept, like "bigger." So, "step" becomes "leap" and "think" becomes "do." At the end, Samsung calls out the August 23 Unpacked event in New York and supplies a hashtag: #DoWhatYouCant.
There's no doubt that the Note 8 is an important phone. Not only is it Samsung's most premium phone for power users, but it could also help determine the fate of the Note line. Last year's Galaxy Note 7 was recalled twice after faulty batteries caused the phone to catch on fire. Now Samsung has to use the Note 8 to prove that its phones are safe and that it can make top-tier phones are ready to face the of Apple's forthcoming iPhone 8 and LG's premium V30. Google is also expected to unveil the Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL.
The Note 8 is rumored to get premium features like dual-rear cameras, a 6.4 (or 6.3)-inch display, and now dual-SIM compatibility. One Samsung-watching blog reported a dual-SIM Note 8 in Samsung Austria's support page. The report claims that the Note may house a SIM/microSD tray that can hold a SIM card and microSD or two SIM cards, giving you the option of expandable storage or an extra SIM.
The rumor also suggests that the Note 8 will get a European launch, which would be a welcome change after the Note 5 never made it to Europe, and the Note 7's European release was cut short by the recall.
With everything rumored to come to the Galaxy Note 8, we'll be waiting to see if it can truly #DoWhatYouCant. Stay tuned to CNET as we cover the unveiling live on August 23.
Samsung did not respond to a request for comment.