There are only two real reasons to buy the Galaxy Note 8 right now, since screen size isn’t what really matters anymore. The Galaxy Note 8 is just marginally bigger than the Galaxy S8+, after all, and it sports the exact same specs. But the phone does come with a built-in S Pen stylus and the associated software suite, and it also packs a dual-lens rear camera the likes of which Samsung fans have never seen before on a Galaxy phone.
But if the Galaxy Note 8 seems boring to you and you’re not too thrilled about getting a bigger device just for the camera experience, you should know Samsung is already hard at work on even better phones.
According to well-sourced insider Ming-Chi Kuo, who’s always dishing out details on unreleased Apple and Samsung gear, Samsung is already working on next year’s Galaxy S9 and Galaxy Note 9 handsets. The Galaxy S9 is rumored to feature the same dual lens camera as the Galaxy Note 8, Kuo explained in note seen by 9to5Google. That’s hardly surprising, considering Samsung wanted a dual camera on the Galaxy S8, but couldn’t pull things together in time.
What stopped Samsung from equipping the Galaxy S8 with a dual lens camera, according to reports, was the fingerprint sensor. Placing it under the screen in time for the Galaxy S8’s launch was not possible, and Samsung hasn’t perfected the technology in time for the Note 8’s launch either. That’s why it had to move the sensor to the back of the Galaxy S8 and scrap the prototypes that featured a dual camera to make room for the sensor.
The Galaxy S9 will still retain the rear-facing fingerprint sensor, as Samsung will debut under-display fingerprint sensing tech only later next year, according to Kuo’s report. The Galaxy Note 9 will introduce the feature, and Kuo says that Samsung is developing the in-screen fingerprint scanner with the help of Himax and Egis.
