Tuesday, October 10, 2017

SMARTPHONE SPECIAL.... Is the S Pen mightier?

Is the S Pen mightier?


There are few Android handsets that inspire the same hype and hoopla that surround the launch of Samsung's top-end devices.

But the existence of two "flagship" smartphones, the Galaxy S8 and the Galaxy Note 8, is also what puzzles most users who can't decide if they should invest in the Note 8 ­ with its built-in stylus support ­ or opt for the slightly lesser-priced S8.


Ashutosh Desai compares both premium handsets to help you decide which one is for you...


BUILD & DESIGN
The Samsung Galaxy S8 and Note 8 are almost the same size. The devices sport metal frames, with Gorilla Glass 5 on the front as well as the back to protect against scratches. The back of both devices boast of a glossy finish, and you will need to keep a kerchief handy because it tends to accumulate fingerprints over time.


That said, the S8 has curvier corners and is marginally slimmer than the Note 8 but this is probably to create some space to house the S Pen stylus in the latter. Look wise, we prefer S8 because it just feels more polished and sleeker. Both handsets feel sturdy , and look premium. The phones carry an IP68 rating, which means they are resistant to dust as well as water (up to 1.5m for up to 30 minutes). Even the S Pen, which is housed in the Note 8, is IP68 compliant. So you don't have to worry when using the Note 8 and S8 in the rain or in a dust-prone environment.


You get an almost edge-to-edge display that gently curves on either side of the device. Instead of a physical homescreen button, you get a virtual one, which is embedded under the lower edge of the display and gets activated when the area is pressed lightly . Notably, you get an extra button on the left edge, which activates Bixby ­ Samsung's smart assistant ­ that works with voice commands (more on this later).


A fingerprint sensor on the back panel is placed alongside the rear camera. This seems inconvenient as some folk will need to `stretch' their digits to unlock the screen. Also, most times, reaching for the sensor, could lead to smudging of the camera lens as they both are placed fairly close together.


DISPLAYSCREEN


A gain, both devices share similar touchscreens that are clearly visible even under bright sunlight and very responsive to taps and swipes. Text and images are rendered sharply , while colours appear punchy . There is a slight blue tinge, which is more visible in the whites, but this can be reduced with the help of the colour profiles in “Screen Mode“ within the display settings. From here, you can also activate the “Blue light filter“ mode to cut screen glare, and you also get the option to reduce screen resolution to conserve battery .


When watching movies or playing games, the curved “Infinity“ displays on both the Galaxy S8 and Note 8 creates the illusion of watching a movie on a much larger display . Compared to other smart phones, there is less of a `letterbox' effect (the black strips above and below the video) and you even get an option ­ in compatible apps ­ to watch the movie in full screen mode.


PROCESSOR, RAM, STORAGE & BATTERY


The S8 and Note 8 are equipped with top-of-the-line hardware.


The former comes with 4GB while the latter packs in 6GB RAM. Both devices run Samsung's octa-core `Exynos 9' 8895 chip, and a Mali G71 graphics core.


In benchmark tests, both handsets posted very similar high scores. This is all the more interesting when you consider that the S8 comes with 4GB RAM while the Note 8 has six. It is therefore safe to deduce that in most real-world scenarios, the Note 8's extra RAM is not going to help it get work done faster.However, this extra headroom could allow the device to deliver the same fluid performance when dealing with heavier processes that occupy a larger memory footprint.


For most part, both ­ the S8 and Note 8 ­ are smooth performers, and you can expect quick load times, as well as jitter-free handling of 4K videos, heavy-duty 3D games and AR applications. Both devices come with 64GB internal storage with the option to add a microSD card ­ but at the cost of a second SIM in case you need more space.


You can expect a day's worth of mixed use ­ listening to music, playing games, web browsing, office productivity ­ from the Galaxy S8. The Note 8, which packs in a slightly higher battery capacity , lasts for little over a day. This can be further extended with its battery management profiles and adjusting the display's resolution settings.


USER INTERFACE BIXBY:


Both devices have Samsung's voice-controlled assistant, which can be summoned with a “Hi Bixby“ or a press of a button.This feature works flawlessly and we were able to get Bixby to launch apps, increase screen brightness, disable mobile data, and even look for “JPG“ files with voice commands in English.


Bixby also comprises Home and Vision. The former consists of vertically stacked cards--weather updates, calendar, reminders, nearby places, etc--and is accessible with a right swipe. Vision, which is more interesting of the two, identifies text, objects, and places that you capture with your camera to give you accurate translations, web searches, and location details. Object recognition works really well, though searches are not localised enough to display relevant results. Vision's AR component lets you use the camera and GPS to find places of interest. But this is powered by Foursquare and the data doesn't seem up to date.


SECURITY: Here, you get a password manager, and the Knox encryption service to create a separate secure environment for personal or work-related data. The S8 and Note 8 also let you unlock the screen with your face, eyes and fingerprint. All work as advertised, but they come with downsides: Face recognition does not work in the dark; the iris scanner works in the dark but not against a bright background or if you wear contact lensspectacles.


SAMSUNG PAY: This app lets you make payments at any existing card swipe machine wirelessly . Just save your debit and credit card details in the app.


To make a payment, choose the card you want to use, authorise with your fingerprint, and bring the phone close to the card machine to complete the process. The transaction is carried out smoothly , and this also means if you have your phone, you don't need to carry the physical cards.


TOUCHWIZ: Samsung's user interface provides a number of customisations. You can access the “Edge“ panel with a swipe for quick access to apps, contacts and utilities; reduce screen size for single-handed use; change system font size; use the multi-window mode to allow two apps to share the screen; send a distress SOS message with a triple-press of the power button; optimise battery life with the help of configurable power-saving modes and more.


Notably , the Note 8 has a Dual Messenger mode that allows you to run two instances of WhatsApp, Snapchat and FB Messenger.


CAMERAS


You get a great set of cameras on both handsets.


The S8's rear camera renders rich colours with details and excellent colour contrast. The snapper is quick to focus and fares well in low light, though there is a slight drop in details due to image softening. Alternatively , you can use its Pro mode to control exposure, ISO, shutter, aperture and white balance to improve output a little.


A “Selective Focus“ mode lets you to choose whether you want to focus on the background or foreground to create a depth-of-field effect. This works well against contrasting backgrounds, as for most part the software optimisation does not do a perfect job along the edges of the in-focus object.


Plus, you get live photo filters, preset scene modes to capture panoramas, GIFs, hyper-lapse and slow motion clips. You even get a live Stickers mode, which lets you add text banners and superimpose comic masks on the faces it detects.


In the Note 8, you get two rear cameras, and this is another area where this handset scores over the S8. Both its rear cameras have image stabilisation to offset vibrations and shaky hands. One camera takes wide-angle shots while the other lets you shoot at 2x optical zoom. A Live Focus mode lets you adjust focus on objects even after the shot has been taken.


Overall picture quality on the Note 8 is similar to the photos taken with the S8. However, the second rear camera (with 2x optical zoom) gives it an edge. For instance, it is able to do a better job of blurring the background to get a DSLR-like depth of field.


Both handsets are equipped with the same type of front camera. They support auto focus and you can expect to capture a fair amount of detail. Low-light captures are also good. Of course, you get beautification modes to smoothen complexion, adjust the size of your eyes and jaw line.


AUDIO


Voice calls are clear on both handsets. In the box, you get a pair of tangle-free AKG earphones that do a great job of handling the mids and the highs, with a warm and clear audio signature.Bass output is discernable, but not very nuanced. That said, the handsets support playback of 32-bit PCM and DSD64128-bit audiophile-grade files. Notably , you get Dual Audio ­ a feature that lets you connect to and play music simultaneously on two devices.This works quite well, and we could connect and listen to music on two Bluetooth devices simultaneously.


VERDICT


Both handsets are equipped with top-of-the-line hardware. For most users, the S8 ticks all the right boxes: It can be used for 4K content, double up as a gaming device and also take quality photos ­ at a lower price. On the other hand, the Galaxy Note 8 makes a case for its higher pricing due to its S Pen stylus support, related software features, and the additional camera capability .


Simply , if you don't see yourself using a stylus for work and productivity , buy the S8. Otherwise, there's always the Note 8 ­ arguably the best handset that supports a digital pen.


S Pen:


The digital stylus is the primary feature that differentiates the Note 8 from the S8. Remove the stylus from the Note 8 while the screen is locked and a blank note is activated. You can scribble a message and save it to the Samsung Notes app. When the screen is unlocked, you can activate the Air Command dial with the press of a button on the stylus or tap on the floating pen icon. This dial gives you access to functions that let you extract text from images, make notes, annotate screenshots, magnify text, translate foreign languages, share animated messages and more.


Samsung says its S Pen can detect up to 4096 levels of pressure. In real-world scenarios this translates to a difference in the way inkpaint spreads on the canvas whenever you apply pressure. Using the stylus is almost like writing with a pen. It makes text selection easier and strokes appear with minimal lag. Even if your fingers or the palm of the hand rests on the phone while writing, the Note 8 will only register the S Pen's input.


The stylus lends itself well for design apps ­ like Inkredible and ArtFlow ­ which can be installed from Google Play. Of course, the S Pen is also optimised to work with the preinstalled MS Office Mobile suite.
Sep 30 2017 : The Times of India (Mumbai)


No comments: