Samsung Galaxy On8

Samsung phones have always been some of the most preferred smartphones in the Indian market for its luxurious appeal and unique features. The Galaxy On8 comes with 6-inch HD+ Super AMOLED Display, 18.5:9 Aspect ratio, 2.5D curved glass screen with 1480 x 720 pixels resolution. It works on a 1.8GHz Octa-Core Snapdragon processor (much like it’s competitors Redmi Note 5 Pro) with 4GB RAM and 64 GB internal storage that can further be expanded up to 256GB. The Android 8.0 Oreo works pretty smooth as the system UI. The 16MP+5MP rear camera comes with LED flash and aperture f/1.7 and f/1.9 respectively, while the selfie camera is of 16MP with LED Flash and f/1.9 aperture. It also provides a lot of connectivity features like the 4G VoLTE, Wi-Fi a/b/g/n (2.4/5GHz), Bluetooth 4.2 LE, ANT+, GPS.

Having a 3,500mAh battery that has an excellent backup capacity and a cute little fingerprint sensor at the back, the On8 comes in Blue, Black colours at the price of INR 11,990/- on Flipkart.

The Galaxy On8 has a tall stature to its design with the dimensions of 159.2 x 75.7 x 8.2mm and weighs 177 grams. The high-grade plastic body gives the entire phone a sleek metallic finish, which is a pleasing sight.  The rear panel in integrated with a dual camera setup (16MP+5MP) with LED Flash and followed by a sneaky little fingerprint sensor. The left edge of the group is adorned with the volume keys, dual sim card slot and a microSD card. The right side of the phone has the power key and a speaker slit, with the micro USB port and the 3.5mm audio jack placed in the bottom. This design is pretty similar to the Samsung predecessors Galaxy A6+, but it has a better finish.

The super large 6-inch 2.5D Curved Glass screen with Super AMOLED finish and having the resolution of 1480 x 720 pixels makes it stand out among the other smartphones thanks to the 18.5:9 aspect ratio. The 274 PPI density and ‘infinity’ (as Samsung calls it) display produce some distinct colours and deep contrasts. However, the low HD resolution can be a spoilsport in the overall experience as should be a given, especially for a phone that released in the 2018s.

When it comes to performance, Samsung phones have always been top-of-the-line, and in case of the On8, Samsung for a change provides the 1.8GHz Octa Core Qualcomm Snapdragon 450 Processor with 4GB RAM and Adreno 506 GPU at 64-bit architecture – to keep it head-on with its competitors like Vivo V9 Youth, Vivo V7 Plus, and Xiaomi Redmi 5 which has the same processor as well. The Android 8 (Oreo) works fine and provide a rich graphics experience at the same time.

Samsung cameras have always had a high place in the excellent optics score, but since the overwhelming camera features by brands like Xiaomi, Vivo and Realme, it looks like Samsung has some upgrades to provide. In the case of On8, Samsung delivers with the first set of dual cameras in the rear end with 16MP+5MP and f/1.7, f/1.9 aperture to it respectively. The selfie camera comes at a 16MP resolution, which takes pretty good photos in the daylight and under good lighting. But in case of low light, the cameras can be a real disappointment in yielding crisp images which aren’t acceptable at such a price range. It also sports a Full HD video recording option at 1080p with several effects and features like Bokeh Effect, Continuous Shooting, Exposure compensation, Face detection, Geo tagging, High Dynamic Range mode (HDR), ISO control, etc.

The 3500mAh non-removable battery can last up to 23 hours of usage in 3G network. This may not be the best battery life smartphone ever but surely does a reasonably good job to go without charging for an entire day! But, with no quick charging feature, it can take up to 2 hours straight to get your phone refilled. Not many fans of this, are there?

Overall, it can be said that the Samsung Galaxy On8 does seem like a reasonable choice for users who’d prefer enhanced viewing experiences to low-light photos and fast operation to not-so-quick charging. Most importantly, though being pricey, the On8 lives up to the standards set by Samsung and can come off as a steam-blower model by this elite brand for the other brands in a head-to-head competition.