Samsung Galaxy Note 8.0 Review
by Anand Lal Shimpi on April 17, 2013 11:29 PM EST- Posted in
- Tablets
- Samsung
- Android
- Mobile
- Galaxy Note 8.0
NAND Performance
Given one of my obsessions over the past 5 years, focusing on NAND performance in modern smartphones and tablets is an obvious fit. For these tests we turn to Androbench, using a modified version of the default performance settings. By upping the read/write buffer to 100MB we get more repeatable results, which is always nice to have. Just as in our PC SSD reviews, we focus on large block sequential read/write performance as well as small file random access. For Windows 8 tablets, we use Crystal Disk Mark as a rough comparison point. Note that we are looking at peak performance here and not sustained write speeds. I don't even want to know how slow these things will get if exposed to prolonged random writes. I've toyed with worst case performance on modern iOS and Android mobile devices and it's not pretty. For now, just try not to fill these things up.
The Galaxy Note 8.0's peak sequential performance is ok, the Nexus 10 does far better. Random IO performance however is great (for an ARM based tablet). The latter is very important for IO heavy multitasking workloads, which could be why we're seeing a mild focus on it here. Random write performance is still lower than I'd like to see (realistically we need to be about an order of magnitude better than where we are for real IO intensive multitasking), but the Note 8.0 at least ends up near the top of these charts.
If you look at the Note 10.1's performance you'll notice a big difference in random IO performance. It's entirely possible that Samsung is using a better controller/firmware combination in the Note 8.0, or it could be that my review sample happened to source a better eMMC solution. NAND based storage is typically treated like a commodity by most OEMs, so I wouldn't be too surprised to see wide variation in performance depending on how well you do in the eMMC lottery.
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Sleepingforest - Thursday, April 18, 2013 - link
I'm really excited about the multi-window support! I find myself switching between two apps (internet and note-taking) far too often on my phone--it's really annoying, even with multitasking tweaks and whatnot.gnx - Thursday, April 18, 2013 - link
If you're into rooting and installing custom ROMs, AOKP with "last app" in the navigation bar is excellent for that kind of multitasking.But as an 8.9 user, I really wish Samsung or someone would build a under 1lbs, 1080p HD, 8.9 tablet. The form factor of 8.9 makes it like a slim ipad4, while the under 1lbs makes it possible to hold with one hand, and of course, 1080p HD in 8.9 would not only look great, it'd make note taking (with an S pen or any other stylus) much more accurate.
Long ago, supposedly LG's consumer research showed the people felt the 8.9 as the ideal size. LG came out with the first one, and Sammy followed suit with a svelt Galaxy Tab 8.9. That was two years ago. Now, Amazon's 8.9 Kindle erred on being a tad too heavy (1.3 lbs), while this Galaxy Note errs on being too cramped. If Sammy would quite chasing Apple (and making a 8.0), and just go its own way with an upgraded 8.9.
Sleepingforest - Sunday, April 21, 2013 - link
Thanks for the advice, but I'm actually an iPhone user (jailbroken!) It's starting to feel a bit slow though, and I don't know if I'm going to stick with Apple. I am pretty heavily invested in the app ecosystem here, but I'm sure an Android promotion will come up at some point with a Google Play giftcard as incentive.I'll keep your advice in mind though, as I'm looking pretty closely at the HTC One!
enmass90 - Monday, April 22, 2013 - link
If you're a jailbroken iPhone user, download a tweak called "accelerate". It will make iOS feel alot snappier, and you can choose how fast you want it!TaylorSandler - Thursday, April 18, 2013 - link
Love my job, since I've been bringing in $5600… I sit at home, music playing while I work in front of my new iMac that I got now that I'm making it online.(Click Home information)http://goo.gl/dg9Kt
Donniesito - Friday, April 19, 2013 - link
Why don't we have the ability to report posts as spam? Can we please get rid of these absurd comments?nerdstalker - Sunday, April 21, 2013 - link
I kinda like them; they are mostly funny. Especially when they are posted in bold.; easier to spot and read. Ha! :)DanielShaw - Wednesday, May 15, 2013 - link
There is no doubt that Galaxy Note 8 is much more sophisticated and advanced than many other similar devices and Samsung products. It is very intuitive, quick and functional. It is perfect for using it on the go, when you need to take quick notes, write down some ideas, search for information, etc. Since I bought it few days ago, I am not stopping being impressed by this device.See my full feedback and review of Galaxy Note 8:
http://www.squidoo.com/Samsung-Galaxy-Note-8-table...
martie01 - Friday, May 17, 2013 - link
I'd agree. Samsung note 8 is certainly a tremendous device, even despite the rather high price.Gadgetguy52 - Friday, June 21, 2013 - link
I agree. Since I got the Note 8.0, I haven't been annoyed with not being able to open up an additional window.