Although Samsung is only shaving a couple of inches off the screen-size of a "traditional" 10-inch tablet, the look and feel of the Note 8.0 is truly unique. The 8-inch WXGA display display, with 800 x 1,280 pixels (at an impressive density of 189 ppi) oozes quality and offers a great viewing experience from all angles (which means that it works splendidly if you want share movies with partners, on a long-haul plane flight, for example).
Next up is the welcome solidity of the single physical home button at the bottom of the screen, with capacitive touch-sensitive menu and back buttons on either side, also offering the user a range of quick-access options.
For example, if you double tap the home button, you immediately access Samsung's S Voice personal digital assistant. If you hold down the back button for a second or more then it opens (or closes) the Multi Window app selection sidebar. And if you keep the home button pressed down it brings up the Note 8.0's Android task switcher. All of which are fast and easy ways of making multi-tasking fluid and quickly intuitive.
Looks like we got ourselves a reader!
The attention paid to the design of the 8-inch WXGA display is equally impressive, with Samsung offering a number of presets such as Dynamic, Standard and Movie modes. Not to mention intelligent options such as Smart Stay, which keeps the screen illuminated as long as the user is looking at it, with a built-in ambient light sensor that adjusts the display brightness depending on your environment.
For fans of e-books, perhaps the most impressive feature is the new Reader mode, which optimises the screen for reading when using apps such as Samsung's Readers Hub or popular third party apps such as Amazon's Kindle, Google Play Books and Kobo reader.
In addition to doubling-up as a superb e-reader, the Note 8.0 also works well as a second screen in the living room, with the pre-loaded Smart Remote app working well with pretty much any modern television and soon becoming an essential TV programme listings guide and infra-red remote control. A very clever move indeed on Samsung's behalf, encouraging the user to want their Note 8.0 with them at all times.
Conclusion: portability meets productivity!
Overall, it really is genuinely difficult to pick any kind of fault with the GALAXY Note 8.0. This is a superb tablet that is stylish, light and deftly designed, not to mention fast, feature-rich, clever, intuitive, easy and, most importantly of all, a true joy to use.
Whether you require a pocket-friendly tab for working, creating, playing the latest Android gaming or simply kicking back on the sofa and enjoying some telly, this is the one.
Bottom-line? You can do loads more on the go with a GALAXY Note 8.0 than with any other tablet currently on the market.
Note to self: buy one immediately!
