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After the launch of Galaxy On5 and Galaxy On7, Samsung has come up with the launch of Galaxy On8. Midrange smartphones are what Samsung aims about and is the real need of the hour. Though the South Korean smartphone giant is succeeded it leaving a mark in the mid-range market, the recent launches disappoint a bit. Now the Samsung Galaxy On8 is out with a price tag of Rs. 15,900.

With almost same looks of its earlier Galaxy J7, this device gained a bit more in terms of specs. The fact is that Samsung is working on to present the best alternative to the Chinese smartphones flooding in the Indian market. When launching a successor in the series, users do expect a better model than the previous offering. Check out the facts in the detailed Samsung Galaxy On8 review and find out did the latest Samsung served the purpose?

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Design:

Samsung will provide the best of it’s in higher end smartphones, while the mid-range phones hardly get applause for design. Galaxy On8 sports almost same looks of Samsung Galaxy J7 released back in May. The handset measures dimensions of 76 x 151.7 with 7.8mm thickness and weighs around 169 grams which is slightly different from its predecessor.

With the screen size of 5.5-inch, the smartphone fits perfectly in hand and ensures a perfect grip. Samsung replaced the leather back cover with a polycarbonate material which gives a better in-hand experience. The matte finish on the rear panel gives looks of a premium smartphone.

Front panel comprises of 5MP selfie camera with LED flash on the north and proximity sensor, ambient sensor next to ear piece. On the south, a home button with capacitive buttons on either side of it. The volume rockers are placed on the left edge, and the power button is positioned on the right.

Bottom edge houses a USB port, 3.5mm audio jack, and primary microphones along with a slightly visible antenna bands. A 13 MP camera sensor with single LED flash and a speaker grill are adjusted on the back.

Samsung Galaxy On8 design has got an improvement over its earlier model. The device is available in Black, Gold and White colors.

Display:

Galaxy On8 features a 5.5-inch Super AMOLED Full HD display with 1920 x 1080 pixels resolution at 401ppi density. The smartphone gained a bit with the next level Super AMOLED display. The display contributes an excellent colour reproduction and sharp images. Viewing angles are also good, and the ambient light sensor provides good readability even in the sunlight.

Galaxy On8 display allows you to choose one among the four screen modes — AMOLED Cinema, AMOLED photo, Adaptive display, and Basic.

AMOLED Cinema Mode is prepared for watching movies with the best possible colour gamut, While AMOLED Photo Mode is customized for the content from top-end digital cameras, as most of these use the Adobe RGB color gamut.

The ‘Adaptive display’ option automatically optimizes the color range, saturation, and sharpness according to the environment. Basic mode makes use of the standard color gamut currently used for producing consumer content like films, TV, apps, games and much more.

You may observe few fingerprints left on your Samsung Galaxy On8 due to lack of protection glass on top. But the device impresses considering the Super AMOLED display with less power consumption.

Specs review:

Coming to hardware department, Samsung Galaxy On8 is powered by an Octa-Core Exynos 7580 processor clocked at 1.6GHz. The phone is really fast in regular usage and is efficient in performing multitasking applications. No lag issues were found even in heavy usage.

The smartphone also offers dual SIM slots which became a tradition in the present day midrange phones. Other connectivity options include Wi-Fi 802.11n, 4G LTE, Bluetooth 4.1, GPS and NFC. The Dual SIM device supports dual 4G and dual standby mode which allows you to take calls from another SIM even when you are on call from the first SIM. Samsung Galaxy On8 offers USB OTG support which allows you to connect OTG drives easily.

Storage department comprises of 16GB internal memory which you will get an efficient usage around 13.1GB. It also provides you an option of expanding up to a maximum of 128GB by adding a microSD card. Coming to audio output, speakers are not so good at their range, but you can get a decent experience if you plug in your earphones. You may also miss a call due to poor sound of call audio alert, and vibration mode is the only option to rely on.

Samsung Galaxy On8 scored 8175 in 3DMark Ice Storm Unlimited and scored around 42571 in Antutu Benchmark 6.

Software:

Galaxy On8 is shipped with Android 6.0 Marshmallow with company’s own UI on top. The lock screen displays the times and you can launch dialer and camera too. The drop down notification bar has a brightness slider, several toggle options along with an option to change the SIM card.

It doesn’t have any additional themes by default, but you can get it through Theme store. It also has Smart Manager app which manages device battery life, RAM usage, storage, and security all in one place. Samsung Galaxy On8 packs 3GB RAM which you’ll get 1.3GB free in case of all the default apps are running in the background.

The ultra design saving mode stands as the highlight feature in the Galaxy On8. It compresses the cellular data across all contents such as photos, videos, media, almost all apps and websites. S Bike mode observed in the new Samsung mobiles also took place in the Galaxy On8. The feature automatically sends a voice message to the caller saying you are riding the bike.

The device packs some pre-installed Google apps along with Microsoft Office apps, and few other native utility apps. Samsung Galaxy On8 also doesn’t have any game and a dedicated music player for it. Users may opt to pick Google Play for listening to music.

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Camera:

The Samsung Galaxy On8 flaunts a 13MP rear camera with f/1.9 aperture, and single tone LED flash on the back. Another 5MP front facing the camera with single LED flash is provided on the front panel for selfies and video calling. You can launch the camera app by just pressing the home button for twice, and you can use the volume rockers as a camera shutter.

The camera app launches quickly, and the user Interface is simple without any complications. Camera options include Auto, Pro, Panorama, Continuous shot HDR modes and Beauty face, Night, sports and sound shots (effects negative, gray-scale, sepia), timer, picture size and settings.

The daylight shots are very impressive, and macro shots come with fine amount of sharpness. The 5MP front facing shooter also does a good job under perfect daylight conditions. Noises may occur in low light, but you can avail the pic without any loss in details and without flash light overpowering it.

Battery:

A 3300 mAh battery backs the Samsung Galaxy On8 without any fast charging option. The smartphone’s battery lasts up to one full day on average usage including calls, video calls, browsing Wi-Fi.

The device comes with Ultra power saver mode, and it saves the battery by applying a greyscale theme to the home screen and by limiting the number of apps. Galaxy On8 comes with the replaceable battery which many of present day devices don’t come with.

Galaxy On8 battery achieved 13 hours and 44 minutes in one charge, which is better than Galaxy On7 which scored 12 hours and 42 minutes.

Pros:

  • Great display
  • 1.6 GHz Octa-Core Exynos 7580 processor
  • Dual SIM slots with 4G LTE support
  • Decent Battery backup
  • Camera

Cons:

  • No fingerprint sensor
  • loudspeaker output is low
  • lacks fast charging support

Verdict:

Samsung Galaxy On8 is definitely an improved model to its predecessor On7. But the point is, it doesn’t offer anything above or beyond the Galaxy On7. Though it lacks creative ingredients, Galaxy On8 still stands in the race of the mid-range smartphone segment.

The design good at its range and the display will surely get thumbs up. The front facing LED flash is another noticeable feature which surely impresses you if you compare it with its other rivals. Overall, Samsung Galaxy On8 is a great package at Rs. 15,990 if you are looking for a mid-range smartphone with proper specs and decent price.

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