Two of Samsung’s latest mobile products, a smartphone and a tablet, have been praised for their performance by Consumer Reports.

We’re looking at the recently launched Galaxy S4 (our review here) and Galaxy Note 8.0 (our review here), with both receiving plenty of positive remarks from the publication.

Galaxy S4

The Galaxy S4 is Consumer Reports’ new “top-rated” smartphone, displacing the LG Optimus G from the top spot it has occupied in its ratings for several months.

The phone has been picked up as the best handset with three major mobile carriers in the U.S. including AT&T, Sprint and T-Mobile – it’s worth noting that the Verizon Galaxy S4 model is only shipping now to consumers. In addition to the Big Four, we’ll also remind you that the handset is available from various other regional mobile operators in the region.

The Galaxy S4 has received top scores for various categories, including usability, voice calls and messaging. Consumer Reports found that “battery life and voice quality varied slightly between cell carriers,” just like with the former top-rated smartphone, the Optimus G.

The publication reminds us that a special edition Galaxy S4 device running stock Android will soon be launched and that it could run Android 4.3 right out of the box, as some rumors suggest.

Galaxy Note 8.0

The Samsung-made iPad mini rival has also impressed Consumer Reports, with the device receiving 84 points in the company’s survey, outscoring its iOS rival.

Having received top marks in the “7- to 8-inch Wi-Fi tablets” rankings, the tablet “offers stellar performance.” While being $70 more expensive than its most important competitor, the Galaxy Note 8 packs some features the iPad mini doesn’t offer including a stylus, a memory card reader that makes up for the limited 16GB storage and GPS support.

In addition to the Galaxy Note 8.0, the publication also remarks other products such as Coby tablets (in 7-, 8- and 10.1-inch sizes), the Archos GamePad and the Windows 8-based Dell Latitude 10 Essentials.