No one would have blamed Samsung if the Note 8 were never released. After a global recall halted sales of the Note 7 in their tracks, some execs at Samsung probably floated the idea of retiring the Note brand altogether.

When CRN USA reviewed Samsung's Galaxy S8 Plus in the spring, we described the device as the ultimate smartphone for multitaskers. But Samsung has now one-upped itself with the debut of the Galaxy Note 8 , which ships 15 September.

Samsung's new dual camera system sets the bar very high

It's the best camera phone I've used and it's everything a high-end phone should be. You can feel where the money's gone.

The fingerprint scanner is hard to reach and the face/iris scanning alternatives are unreliable.

It’s hard to think of a smartphone that has had more expectation placed on it than the Samsung Galaxy Note8 . Its disastrous predecessor left a scar in the South Korean electronics giant’s reputation so deep that I don’t know how long it will take before the world stops making “will it explode?

Gorgeous, big screen; Awesome camera; Power to spare;

Awkward to hold one-handed; Facial recognition is hit and miss;

At first glance, it's pretty easy to underestimate the Galaxy Note 8 on account of its familiarity after months of seeing the Galaxy S8+ in the wild. But the big thing to remember is that the Galaxy S8 and S8+ are Samsung's best-ever selling flagships, so sharing a basic platform with those phones...

The Samsung Galaxy Note 8 feels like a greatest hits for the Note series. It has every feature that made previous Notes worth buying and slams them into the new Samsung smartphone design ushered in by the Galaxy S8, but as a consequence doesn't feel particularly new or innovative compared to...

great battery; impressive screen; water resistant; great camera; great stylus; microSD card slot; wireless charging

only Android 7.0; no USB-PD; fingerprint scanner placement awkward; expensive; very big for pockets

The Samsung Galaxy Note 8 has finally arrived, and with it confirmation that Samsung has shaken off the Galaxy Note 7 's disastrous launch last year. The new Note 8 comes out swinging with a big, beautiful screen, meaty internal hardware and a sleek, professional design.

With its exceptional screen, solid performance and an improved S Pen, it's no surprise that Samsung's Galaxy Note 8 is its best big phone ever. It also doesn't hurt that it has one of the best dual camera setups we've ever seen.

Huge; beautiful display; Excellent; water-resistant build; Great dual camera; S Pen is now more useful and fun

Very expensive; Bixby can be flaky; Not a huge improvement over the S8 Plus; US version gets less storage than other regions

The Samsung Galaxy Note 8 is unquestionably one of those devices that is greater than the sum of its parts. It's not just a powerful tool or a capable multimedia machine, it's a joy to use and it can do anything you'd expect any top-tier smartphone to do and so much more.

Outstanding display; Rich S Pen integration; Excellent performance; Impressive camera