You can't say Samsung's Galaxy Note brand isn't resilient: even explosions and costly recalls couldn't dampen enthusiasm for the new Note 8. Phablet fans are dedicated, though, especially those who demand stylus support too, which means the Note 8 arrives with an audience of eager buyers waiting to...

Huge; beautiful display; Genuinely useful stylus; Excellent camera; Solid battery life

Prodigious price; Fingerprint scanner is awkwardly-placed; Bixby button is annoying

From the dual camera and S Pen, to the gorgeous Infinity Display, the Galaxy Note 8 is an all-around fantastic phone.

Good dual cameras; Daylong battery life; Speedy performance; Handy S Pen features; Waterproof

Expensive; Live Focus needs some work; Poor fingerprint sensor placement

Thankfully the small battery doesn't mean the battery life hit we thought it would. And, with the dual optical image stablisation the camera is pretty darn hot, too. There's so much to like about the Note 8 and while it's probably the best phone in Samsung's line up, you need to be sure you actually...

It's expensive; Fingerprint reader

It's expensive; Fingerprint reader

Forgive me for passing up the chance to beat the exploding battery joke into the ground. Let's get straight to the point: Samsung's once dominant flagship phablet is back after a two year hiatus.

I've said it many times: Samsung's Galaxy Note 7 remains one of my favourite smartphones of all time. The device embodied the perfect balance of price, style and substance, offering fans of large phones and styluses the pinnacle of what an Android device could be, both in terms of design and...

Stunning and beautiful looking; Powerful and technically impressive; Dual-camera system is great

Expensive; especially in Canada; Jump from Note 7 to Note 8 isn't significant; Fingerprint sensor is awkwardly positioned

The Galaxy Note 8 is an excellent handset that dominates today's large screen (6.3"+) smartphone landscape. If you are a digital pen lover, this is the best you can get. If you only care about the screen and battery size, the Xiaomi Mi Mix might be of interest, but keep an eye on the ergonomics and...

Excellent 6.3 inch Super-AMOLED display; World-class digital pen phone experience; Thin and comfortable but powerful design

Smaller battery than the Galaxy S8

Just weeks later, Samsung was forced to recall the smartphone after it was revealed, somewhat dramatically, that a dangerous battery flaw saw handsets explode, burn backsides and generally cause chaos on flights.

Eye-catching design, excellent display, performance and camera and, most important of all, it didn't go up in flames; Or, at least, it hasn't yet

Do you really need a device this big, that's awkward to operate one-handed? Bixby is also a work-in-progress and, oh, the price; The eye-watering price

The Samsung Galaxy Note 7 is a truly excellent phone - but unless you really need a stylus, there's little here to elevate over the similarly-superb Galaxy S8.

Excellent performance; Gorgeous screen; Camera quality is superb

Expensive; Troubling battery life

While it's large size means its audience is limited, those after a phablet-sized smartphone won't find a better device than this. The handset's 6.3in AMOLED Infinity display is stunning, its performance is unmatched and Samsung's improved S Pen - along with its nifty software tweaks and security...

Gorgeous design; striking display; incredibly powerful; S-Pen support; great camera(s); didn't explode

Bixby needs work; difficult to operate one-handed; the price

The Samsung Galaxy Note8 had a lot riding on it this year particularly since its predecessor – the Note7 – literally went up in flames a year ago. But the good news for the many fans of the Note brand is the Note8 has truly delivered.