Entertainment
Samsung Galaxy Note 8: Big, bold and beautiful (First Impression)
New Delhi, Sep 12 (IANS) Tech aficionados in India were in for a treat on Tuesday when Samsung launched its latest flagship Galaxy Note 8 device. The premium smartphone, at Rs 67,900, looks set to satisfy technology junkies who are on-the-go.
Industry analysts quickly gave the device a thumbs-up.
“Note 8 looks a great device with Samsung getting the software and AI piece right over there. With the likely announcement of Apple’s premium phone, flagship competition is likely to push the overall average selling price (ASP) of premium segment after the introduction of Note 8 at newer price points,” Tarun Pathak, Associate Director, Mobile Devices and Ecosystems, Counterpoint Research, told IANS.
The device (we experienced Maple Gold one) comes with 6GB RAM and 64GB internal memory (expandable up to 256GB).
Upfront is the patented 6.3-inch “Infinity Display” with curved edges. On the left bumper, there is a volume rocker and a dedicated button for Samsung’s artificial intelligence (AI) assistant “Bixby”. On the right bumper, you can find the power button.
Galaxy Note 8 is fitted with a 12MP dual-camera system at the rear, along side a flash and fingerprint sensor.
The rear camera comes with two 12MP lenses — wide angle and telephoto. Both are equipped with Optical Image Stabilisation (OIS) for sharper photos and videos.
The photos came out very well in both day and night light conditions.
Users can change the area and amount of blur by using “Live Focus” feature. We also tried “Pro” mode and “Food”, and the results were promising.
The SIM tray is at the top and below are the charging port, a 3.5mm jack, speaker grill and an enhanced “S-Pen”.
Samsung has given more power to the S-Pen which has a latency of less than 50 milliseconds. Pulling out of S-Pen opens a host of options, including ones that would let you scribble on screen, magnify and even translate languages for you.
The South Korean giant included a couple of test videos in the device that played flawlessly with high-quality output.
The phone has an aspect ratio of 18.5:9 and fits quite well in the hand.
The device is also equipped with an industry-leading 8MP “Smart Auto Focus” selfie camera.
Other security options such as “Face Lock” and “Iris scanner” are easy to set up. In our review, the features worked fine.
A peek into the hardware information showed that 3.3GB of 6GB RAM was free. The device runs an Android 7.1.1 Nougat. Almost 53GB of the total 64GB of the memory was available for users.
Housing a 3,300mAh battery, Galaxy Note8 supports the most advanced wireless charging capabilities (WPC and PMA) and is fast-charging compatible with QC 2.0.
The device appears set to give Apple real tough competition in the premium segment.
“With no strong player in the Android ecosystem in the super-premium segment, it’s all clear space for Samsung where Note 8 fits in. So while iPhone 8 (X) has it’s space, with Note 8, the premium segment gets split between the two,” Faisal Kawoosa, Principal Analyst, Telecom and ESDM, CMR, told IANS.
“With Samsung the only brand to reckon with in this top layer of the market segment, a lot of Android’s competition with iPhone banks on Samsung. So Google would be needing more of Samsung than vice versa,” he added.
According to Pathak, “We expect Apple and Samsung loyalists would still aspire to adopt these devices and it will remain to be seen if the high price would be somehow neutralised with clever marketing in terms of bundled offers.”
You will need to wait for few more days before you grab a Note 8. The device will be available in India in Midnight Black and Maple Gold colours, starting September 21.
–IANS
sku/na/vm/sac
International online casino Casino Days has published a report sharing their internal data on what types and brands of devices are used to play on the platform by users from the South Asian region.
Such aggregate data analyses allow the operator to optimise their website for the brands and models of devices people are actually using.
The insights gained through the research also help Casino Days tailor their services based on the better understanding of their clients and their needs.
Desktops and Tablets Lose the Battle vs Mobile
The primary data samples analysed by Casino Days reveal that mobile connections dominate the market in South Asia and are responsible for a whopping 96.6% of gaming sessions, while computers and tablets have negligible shares of 2.9% and 0.5% respectively.
The authors of the study point out that historically, playing online casino was exclusively done on computers, and attribute thе major shift to mobile that has unfolded over time to the wide spread of cheaper smartphones and mobile data plans in South Asia.
“Some of the reasons behind this massive difference in device type are affordability, technical advantages, as well as cheaper and more obtainable internet plans for mobiles than those for computers,” the researchers comment.
Xiaomi and Vivo Outperform Samsung, Apple Way Down in Rankings
Chinese brands Xiaomi and Vivo were used by 21.9% and 20.79% of Casino Days players from South Asia respectively, and together with the positioned in third place with a 18.1% share South Korean brand Samsung dominate the market among real money gamers in the region.
Cupertino, California-based Apple is way down in seventh with a user share of just 2.29%, overshadowed by Chinese brands Realme (11.43%), OPPO (11.23%), and OnePlus (4.07%).
Huawei is at the very bottom of the chart with a tiny share just below the single percent mark, trailing behind mobile devices by Motorola, Google, and Infinix.
The data on actual phone usage provided by Casino Days, even though limited to the gaming parts of the population of South Asia, paints a different picture from global statistics on smartphone shipments by vendors.
Apple and Samsung have been sharing the worldwide lead for over a decade, while current regional leader Xiaomi secured their third position globally just a couple of years ago.
Striking Android Dominance among South Asian Real Money Gaming Communities
The shifted market share patterns of the world’s top smartphone brands in South Asia observed by the Casino Days research paper reveal a striking dominance of Android devices at the expense of iOS-powered phones.
On the global level, Android enjoys a comfortable lead with a sizable 68.79% share which grows to nearly 79% when we look at the whole continent of Asia. The data on South Asian real money gaming communities suggests that Android’s dominance grows even higher and is north of the 90% mark.
Among the major factors behind these figures, the authors of the study point to the relative affordability of and greater availability of Android devices in the region, especially when manufactured locally in countries like India and Vietnam.
“And, with influencers and tech reviews putting emphasis on Android devices, the choice of mobile phone brand and OS becomes easy; Android has a much wider range of products and caters to the Asian online casino market in ways that Apple can’t due to technical limitations,” the researchers add.
The far better integration achieved by Google Pay compared to its counterpart Apple Pay has also played a crucial role in shaping the existing smartphone market trends.
Content provided by Adverloom
Foodman Vishal Singh Honored for Hunger Free World Mission in Bangkok
Dr. Abhishek Verma Dedicates a Shelter in Memory of His Mother, Veena Verma, at KGMU; Inaugurated by Daughter Nicolle Verma
Cheers and Cheers: Barzilla’s Joyful Ode to Inclusivity and Celebration
Casino Days Reveal Internal Data on Most Popular Smartphones
Meghalaya Reserves Legalized Gambling and Sports Betting for Tourists
IPL 20202 UPDATE: KXIP vs MI IPL Dream11 Team Prediction for Today Match, Update Point Table of all Team.
In a Live debate AAP leader Syed Asad Abbas hurls abuses to BJP spokesperson Nupur Sharma.
‘India’s Most Wanted’ trailer out Arjun Kapoor on hunt of Osama-Bin-Laden
Time to move on: Sonakshi on Shatrughan’s joining Congress
