I recently bought Samsung Galaxy Note 8(In India the model number is N5100) and have been using it for about 2 weeks.
Overall experience has been good/great!
(I am not going into the tech specs, those can be found on any website)
Positives:
1) Software experience is great - combination of both Android+ Samsung Touchwiz.
2) Screen quality - is vibrant.
3) Screen size - 8 inch is perfect for me, easy to carry and sufficient to read/plan.
4) Battery life - I have been using it a lot since its new but the battery lasts for more than a day.
5) S-Pen - good to take notes, draw, and play around. Its innovative and lot of applications for leveraging spen are pre installed.
6) Performance - the experience is smooth and even when multiple applications are on, the tablet does not hang or slag.
7) Android Upgrade- after I bought it, I got an upgrade to Android 4.3.(but I believe that there may only be a few upgrades, after which Samsung will stop providing upgrades to Android).
8) IR blaster - allows you to connect your tablet with TV and can use it like a remote.
Cons:
1) Built quality - for the price - INR 29000 - the build quality should have been better.
2) Camera - both front(1.3 MP) and back(5 MP) are pretty average. They suffice for video chat/skype, but for taking pictures and videos, the quality takes a hit.(no flash).
3) Layout of Headphone jack - it is on top, but while using it, the wire keeps on dangling from over the screen, so I have to keep on adjusting it. This is more of a personal peeve, but it should have been at the bottom of the tab.
4) Price - its very expensive for the 8 inch size, but someone buying it already is cognizant of that fact, so should not crib about it.
5) Lack of accessories in market. I had to search many places to find a good cover. I finally found one, but other tablets have a better accessory availability.(probably due to the price of the table, its not as popular as the other tablets, that may reflect in the low availability of the cases, etc.)
Summary:
I love this tablet. I am an Android fan as it allows you to do more, much more than iOS.
The S-Pen capabilities are excellent, like air view, multi pressure point drawing, etc.
My colleagues from office are impressed and my wife loves it.
I have purchased a Capdase book case for it and that gives the note required protection and makes it appear more sophisticated.
On the whole, I’d recommend this tablet.