Galaxy Note 8 Oreo Update: 7 Reasons to Get Excited & 2 Not To

Missing Features

There's no doubt that the Samsung Galaxy Note 8, a flagship from 2017, will get an extremely robust version of Android 8.0 Oreo. That said, Samsung's already overshadowed the software with software changes to the Galaxy S9. 

Samsung is gearing up for a Galaxy S9 release in mid-March. The devices are already up for pre-order in the United States and countries around the world. 

The company's new flagships come with an assortment of hardware upgrades and there are also some tweaks to Android 8.0 Oreo and its Samsung Experience UI. 

The Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9+ come with AI improvements including faster translation in real time thanks to Bixby Vision.

The devices also come with AR Emoji and Google's Project Treble which could speed up software updates. Project Treble isn't on board the Galaxy S8 Oreo update and it's unclear if it'll make it on board the Galaxy Note 8's upgrade. 

Samsung will almost certainly bring some of the Galaxy S9's software features to the Galaxy Note 8, but that won't happen overnight. The company will likely use some of these "exclusives" to help sell the phone in the coming months. 

Developers will likely port some of the Galaxy S9's best software features over to the Galaxy Note 8 down the road, but that will require some time and effort some of you might not have. 

The Galaxy Note 8 Oreo update looks like it'll mirror the Galaxy S8's. That's great, but what about features unique to the Note 8 and its S Pen stylus?

We haven't heard or seen too much about Android Oreo upgrades for Samsung's S Pen. That doesn't mean the official version won't have them, but it's certainly cause for concern amongst those who utilize the pen on a daily basis. Some upgrades would be nice.

We expect Samsung to include some Galaxy Note-specific upgrades in Android Oreo, but we can't predict how extensive said upgrades might be. Given the lack of information and excitement from those using the leaked version of the update, we aren't expecting a long list of improvements at this point.

If you're a heavy S Pen user, don't be surprised if Android Oreo leaves you feeling a little disappointed.