Samsung Galaxy Note 8 owners who have the international unlocked version of the device have been waiting for a software update for a good while, and it looks like a new software package has now arrived. Samsung has reportedly started rolling out the update over the air and bring the latest Android security patch for the month of November to the flagship, as well as a number of other changes and improvements. It weighs a little more than 840MB, which is unexpectedly large for a package that doesn’t include a major upgrade such as a new Android version. Considering that it took more than two months to deliver it, however, Samsung had plenty of things to pack into this OTA release.
The update brings the international Galaxy Note 8 models to the firmware version N950FXXU1BQK6 and fixes one Samsung DeX error that some users have been experiencing, adds a secure Wi-Fi function, and improves the performance in a number of apps such as Gallery, Calendar, Reminder, and Voice Recorder. The update with the latest Android security patch started rolling out in China and reached the AT&T and T-Mobile versions of the Galaxy Note 8 earlier this month. The package is currently making its way to Galaxy Note 8 units in Taiwan and should soon start rolling out in other regions as well, albeit no precise time frame for its global availability has been provided by the world’s largest phone maker.
The Samsung Galaxy Note 8 made its debut back in August and is currently among the most powerful Android devices available on the market, boasting a sleek design coupled with advanced specs and features. As a reminder, the device features a 6.3-inch Super AMOLED display with a QHD+ resolution, a Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 or Samsung Exynos 8895 processor (depending on region), 6GB of RAM, and 64GB of storage at a minimum. Unlike the Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8 Plus, the Galaxy Note 8 also comes with two 12-megapixel rear cameras and the S Pen stylus that’s a hallmark of the Galaxy Note line. The device ships with Android 7.1.1 Nougat on board, with Samsung’s custom UI on top. The new software update should further improve the device’s security and overall user experience, and it’s recommended to install it as soon as it’s available. If the OTA notification hasn’t yet hit one’s device, the user can also check for its availability by accessing the smartphone’s Settings app and trying to manually download the software package from the “About device” menu.