Review: Samsung's Galaxy Note 8 Is a Superb Smartphone That Feels Too Familiar

The good: Beautiful screen, long battery life, helpful iris scanner for unlocking the phone, better multitasking The bad: Live Focus camera isn't as good as Apple's Portrait Mode, facial recognition is unreliable, not significantly different than Galaxy S8 and S8 though more expensive Who should buy: Android fans that really care about having a stylus and two cameras should opt for the Note 8, but the Galaxy S8 offers similar features at a lower price. Each year near summer's close Samsung releases a new top-of-the-line Android-powered Galaxy Note phone. It's typically a showcase for the best the industry has to offer, like bold new screens, longer battery life, a superb camera and apps designed to tout these touch-ups. Then, like clockwork, Apple follows with a new iPhone that matches or surpasses Samsung's Note in key areas. With its massive edge-to-edge screen, facial recognition system and dual camera, Samsung's $929 Galaxy Note 8 -- out September 15 and the first new Note since last year's ill-fated Note 7 -- is a shot across Apple's bow as anticipation soars for Cupertino's 10th anniversary iPhone.