10 Features On Samsung's New Galaxy Note8 That Target Enterprise Customers
New Galaxy Note8 With Enterprise-Friendly Features
Samsung Wednesday launched its newest phone, the Galaxy Note8, as the company looks to continue building up its business in the lucrative enterprise space.
Kevin Gilroy, executive vice president and general manager of the commercial division at Samsung, said that enterprise features like multitasking, security and durability were built into the phone as the company continues to target customers beyond the consumer market. "Our ecosystem is broad and growing quickly -- channel partners should get on board with us," said Gilroy.
Following are 10 features of Samsung's new Galaxy Note8 that help channel partners pitch the phone as a solution for enterprise customers.
Display With A Bigger Screen
Samsung has designed a bigger screen on its 6.3-inch smartphone – so big that the display almost reaches the entire phone. The company said it hopes this will give enterprise customers more space to take notes, organize their calendar and send emails.
In addition to a Super AMOLED Infinity display, the phone has an Always On display that goes into note mode as soon as users take out their S Pen. The phone itself has rounded corners, making it easier for customers on the manufacturing floor or health-care vertical to hold it.
Safe Battery
The Samsung Galaxy Note7 models, released in August 2016, were infamous for catching fire due to a manufacturing glitch in the phones' batteries – an issue that ultimately led Samsung to issue a recall of the phone models in September 2016.
For the Galaxy Note8, Samsung sought to reassure customers it has taken extra steps to check its batteries. emphasizing that its Note8's 3,300 MaH battery has undergone an eight-point battery safety check process, as well as additional testing from a third-party expert, Underwriters Laboratories.
"We have been closely working with Samsung to make meaningful advancements in the science of smartphone quality and safety evaluation. As a result, the Note8 has successfully completed a rigorous series of device and battery safety compatibility test protocols. We look forward to maintaining our strategic relationship with Samsung to help ensure device safety for all consumers,’ said Sajeev Jesudas, senior vice president and president at Underwriters Laboratories, in a statement.
Upgraded Specs
The Galaxy Note8 features enhanced specs, including a 10-nanometer, 64-bit processor. On the memory side, the phone contains 6 GB of RAM, as well as 6 4GB of storage with expandable memory of up to 256 GB.
Security For Enterprise Users
Samsung has built security features into its Galaxy Note8 for enterprise users. The company said it has included biometric authentication options like iris and fingerprint scanning, which helps professionals in health care or construction who need to unlock their phones without touching the screens. Samsung has also built features of its Knox platform into the software and hardware layers.
Samsung said Knox will enable a secure folder that keeps users' personal and professional data separate.
Features For Vertical Markets
Partners applauded Samsung's specific features built into its phone that help customers in vertical markets – including water and dust resistance for manufacturing users, as well as the biometric authentication.
"Durability of devices is critical for those customers utilizing consumer-based mobile technology in field service and more rugged environments that accommodate drops and spills," said Jay Gordon, vice president of sales at Enterprise Mobile, a Plano, Texas-based Samsung partner.
S-Pen
The S-Pen has been one unique feature of the Galaxy Note lineup that differentiates the phone from its competition. This pen, which fits into the smartphone and can easily be taken out, helps customers take notes and scroll through their email.
The new Note's S-Pen includes a finer tip and improved pressure sensitivity, as well as an improved translating feature that lets customers quickly translate text on their phones into 71 languages.
Camera
The Galaxy Note8 has improved camera features – on the rear, the phone features two 12-megapixel cameras with Optical Image Stabilization on both the wide-angle and telephoto lenses – so that users can take pictures that control the depth of the field and take a close-up and wide-angle picture simultaneously. On the front the phone is an 8-megapixel camera with smart autofocus.
Compatibility With DeX
Gilroy said that Samsung has taken innovative mobile experiences into its newest phone – including Samsung DeX, the company's station accessory that helps transform the smartphone into an Android-powered desktop computer.
The Galaxy Note8 will also be compatible with Samsung's Gear VR with controller and will feature the company's Bixby voice assistant tool.
Multitasking Features
Samsung has focused on new ways that end users can multitask with its Galaxy Note8, with a new App Pair feature.
App Pair lets users create a custom pairing of most apps on the phone's edge panel, enabling them to simultaneously launch two apps in a multi-window mode. This means users can dial into a conference call with the number and the agenda in front of them on their phone.
Release Date And Promotion Deals
Samsung said that pre-orders for the Galaxy Note8 will begin on Aug. 24 and the phone will be released on Sept. 15. The company will offer the phone in black and gray colors with both carrier and Unlocked by Samsung versions.
Samsung said consumers who purchase a Samsung Galaxy Note8 before Sept. 24 get their choice of a free Samsung Gear 360 camera or a free Galaxy Foundation kit with Samsung 128-GB EVO+ memory card and Fast Wireless Charging Convertible.