Related
To the owners, Is Note 10.1 worth buying?
Coming from SONY TABLET S !!!
Really didnt enjoyed good android experience on any of the tablets, do would u rate Note 10.1?
Why m hesitant is:
1. Nexus 7 price point
2. Love for Sony, Xperia Tablet coming
3. M'soft Surface, if priced well hell yeahh...
sent from seXperia S
xperiax10.awesome said:
To the owners, Is Note 10.1 worth buying?
Coming from SONY TABLET S !!!
Really didnt enjoyed good android experience on any of the tablets, do would u rate Note 10.1?
sent from seXperia S
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Since we bought it I would say we thought it was worth buying. I think the real question is do you think it is worth buying? That depends on what you plan to use it for.
Hell yes its worth buying to me. I would rate it a solid 8.75-9.0
I'm on a flight from Portland to Dallas writing this. I have the Note in portrait mode in multview connected to GoGo Wi-Fi. In the lower panel I have XDA open in a browser window and am watching a movie in the upper panel. No lag, no hiccups, pretty amazing.Try doing that on any other tablet. The guy sitting next to me (who's an ass) has an iPad and I can see him looking out of the corner of his eye in amazement. The more I use the Note the more impressed I am.
I am coming from TFP and it worth every penny.
Sony to Samsung
I was in the exact same boat as the OP. I had (still have) the Sony tablet and upgraded to the Samsung. Final verdict - Mixed bag.
The samsung is immediately and obviously faster than the Sony. The screen is of course slightly larger as is the tablet in general. The one thing you will be blown away by coming from the sony is the audio on the Note. The speakers are loud and placed directly on the front of the unit. I don't know if you are one of the people effected by the low audio problems with the Sony, but if you were you will be smiling from ear to ear.
As for all other aspects, the wifi signal strength is much improved, but the screen will be a mixed bag as well. While it is brighter, it will at first appear less crisp since it is essentially the same resolution of the Sony, but the Sony had those pixels squeezed into a smaller screen, so they were higher density. Does this cause any problems? Not in the least. The screen is still bright, crisp and easily viewed from a wide angle. I have read that Samsung "tweaked" the screen somehow so that it was not the same as every other screen out there in this resolution, and if so...it shows. Text is not as sharp as on the higher definition screens or the iPad, but it is sharper than it was on the Sony.
Web browsing is LEAGUES better than it was on the sony, and the apps that support the sPen are generally pretty decent. If you are using this for a multimedia device or games...look no further. The benchmarks for this tablet in those area are awesome. If you are a graphics artist or dabble in those things, the included photoshop is good, and I imagine will only get better with the first Samsung and Adobe updates.
Now the downsides...first, for the price, the screen really should have been better...but as I said, it's nowhere near being bad. The back of the unit is shiny plastic, so it's a fingerprint magnet...but it's upside is that since it's plastic, it has stronger wifi reception and gps. The pen that is included does NOT have the eraser you may have seen in some videos, but it does tuck away into the unit nicely and comes with several spare tips and a few varieties of them.
The biggest downside...and honestly for me it's 50/50. I started using my sony as a universal remote for every device in my home. The Samsung has such a remote, and in theory it should be FAR FAR better than the one on the sony....BUT...it only worked for the fist 30 minutes I set it up and never again. I searched online and only read more horror stories about that software (not the hardware...the note itself has no issues with its IR transmitter...only the included program). I updated the software and tried a thousand ways to fix this...but no joy. The built in software is supposed to not only control devices, but provide a visual guide of all the shows on TV, information about them, and learn your preferences much like a TIVO, but once it starts developing issues, they never seem to go away. But as with everything, YMMV, so take that with a grain of salt. I use ATT Uverse as my provider, so it may just be issues with them (although that would not seem to be the case online).
To sum it all up, I am happy with the purchase. At the moment, Amazon has a deal going on the 32GB version that is only $528 I believe, as opposed to the $549. The company providing it charges no taxes and only $8 shipping, so that's a HUGE savings. Would I purchase the unit again? Without hesitation. I picked mine up on the first day it was available, and only the 16gb version was available. I am planning on returning the 16gb and picking up the 32gb. So not only would I buy it again, but...I really am buying it again! LOL.
Hope that helped a little. If you have any questions, fire away
Totally
I had the tf300 and its not even close. The s pen is so useful and the software is much better than my last one. Highly recommended. I have not tried the tf700, but if outed like the tf300 this is the tab to beat.
As you already have a Sony tablet, I wouldn't buy the Note right now. Sony has their second attempt, Xperia Tablet, expected next month.
Wait and see how that plays out.
Hmmm, even the reviews are not very impressive considering the price tag..
sent from seXperia S
*Omnipresent* said:
Hell yes its worth buying to me. I would rate it a solid 8.75-9.0
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I really like my Note. IMO, If you're buying it for some reason other than the active digitzer + stylus combo, you've probably bought it for the wrong reason. If you buy this tablet, you're buying it for productivity.
I took mine with me to class today, was able to write some very solid looking notes quickly and easily, while simultaneously recording audio. It has a few cons, like the cameras occasionally being terrible, and the back being made of what feels like a cheap plastic, but as far as I'm concerned the pros (digitizer + stylus, side-by-side app viewing, quad-core Exynos beast + 2GB RAM for multitasking) outweigh the cons by far.
Hell, the only reason I ever bought either the iPad or iPad2 was that I had this hope that I could somehow find a good, accurate stylus that would let me take notes in class and ditch my paper-and-pen notebook. With the Note 10.1, I've found that tablet. I already love it more than I ever loved my iPad(s).
Did I mention it's great for note taking?! :silly:
Many of us bought this for the pen. In this aspect it's peerless. Combined with this, it's also very good in most other ways.
People are complaining that it should have a higher resolution screen, I disagree. Reason: My eyesight isn't all that great, and to me the difference is minimal, and I would rather have the quad horsepower dedicated to the pen, and other functions rather than screen real estate.
In a year or so, the higher resolution tablets will be standard, but until then i'd rather have it this way.
Whatever. :laugh: The point is: this tablet is fairly perfect for what I wanted: A pen interface, in the iPad/Galaxy format.
xperiax10.awesome said:
Hmmm, even the reviews are not very impressive considering the price tag..
sent from seXperia S
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think it's really interesting how the "professional" reviews don't match up at all with the real world hands-on experiences of the people on the forums. The way I see it, I don't even bother with reading reviews anymore when you can get much more thorough and unbiased reviews from the good folks here on XDA.
Sent from my GT-N7000 using Tapatalk 2
NessLookAlike said:
I really like my Note. IMO, If you're buying it for some reason other than the active digitzer + stylus combo, you've probably bought it for the wrong reason. If you buy this tablet, you're buying it for productivity.
I took mine with me to class today, was able to write some very solid looking notes quickly and easily, while simultaneously recording audio. It has a few cons, like the cameras occasionally being terrible, and the back being made of what feels like a cheap plastic, but as far as I'm concerned the pros (digitizer + stylus, side-by-side app viewing, quad-core Exynos beast + 2GB RAM for multitasking) outweigh the cons by far.
Hell, the only reason I ever bought either the iPad or iPad2 was that I had this hope that I could somehow find a good, accurate stylus that would let me take notes in class and ditch my paper-and-pen notebook. With the Note 10.1, I've found that tablet. I already love it more than I ever loved my iPad(s).
Did I mention it's great for note taking?! :silly:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm considering the upgrade of my tab10.1 to the note to use it taking notes in my classes as well. How the palm rejection works when you touch the screen with the hand who is writing? And, maybe it is the response at the first question as well, can i disable all the touch input excepting the active digitalizer of the s-pen? It would be perfect to me in that case :cyclops:
aNard said:
I'm considering the upgrade of my tab10.1 to the note to use it taking notes in my classes as well. How the palm rejection works when you touch the screen with the hand who is writing? And, maybe it is the response at the first question as well, can i disable all the touch input excepting the active digitalizer of the s-pen? It would be perfect to me in that case :cyclops:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Palm rejection is perfect, at least in the S Memo app that comes stock with the Note. Until other market apps are updated to support the Note, S Memi will probably be the one or two apps you'll want to use to take notes.. but it really is perfect. The app itself has a few quirks, but I'm sure they'll be ironed out over time. This morning when I was taking notes, it felt weird to leave my hand resting on the screen, and I was concerned my palm would get lots of grease on the screen -- but nope, everything was fine! It takes maybe 5 minutes to get used to. And yes, you can disable all touch input except the digitizer. There's a button for it in the note-taking app.
It really is that good for taking notes.
Thank you, I think you've settled the final word over my tablet upgrade with that post and your reassurances
Inviato dal mio Galaxy Nexus con Tapatalk 2
I didn't buy this for the pen.. I bought it cause it has the most powerful processor you can get in a tablet.
And that should last me quite awhile.
What is striking me as wierd is the mixture of reviews for the Note 10.1.
Gizmodo absolutely ripped into it and recommended against purchasing it while others seem to love it.
i the verge and gizmodo married they would make a new website called
ibiased.com
period.
It really comes down to what you want it for. I feel pretty sure they went with a less dense screen to improve speed, especially with the pen.
Browsing on this is as fast as with my laptop on Ethernet.
Sent from my GT-N8013 using Tapatalk 2
habs101 said:
i the verge and gizmodo married they would make a new website called
ibiased.com
period.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Agreed, cant they put their apple fanboy status aside.
Walt Mossberg I felt gave the note a very fair review. Given that he is an apple fanboy my opinion of him is even greater because the review was very objective.
Hello everyone,
As a student in college, I've been increasingly looking for productivity tools for note taking, solving problems, and general studying. While nothing can quite beat a paper and a pencil in absorbing information, I've found it incredibly expensive (and time consuming) to print out pages and pages of assignments and readings. On top of that, pages I printed in the past would get lost and I would also never look back on any of my written notes because everything was so disorganized.
So, as you may see, I'm looking for a paperless and organized solution and I figured some form of digitized tech would do the job. With the announcement of the Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 and its S Pen, I felt maybe this might be that tech for me. But even after reading through all the positive comments people have been posting about this tablet, I can't seem to be fully convinced to buy it.
To make this easier, I'm just going to number off some of my concerns and questions:
1. I'm afraid this might simply be a fad for such a great tech. I love tech and just judging from all the specs and reviews, it's an absolute powerhouse of a tablet which further benefits from its stylus, but is it really as useful as it seems or is this just something I'm going to use everyday for a week and forget about it?
2. Will this tablet be outdated and forgotten? Without a doubt, this is an obvious trend strongly prominent in tablets and smartphones. I accept the fact that whether I wait or not, this tablet is going to get outdated quickly in terms of raw specs, but there always seems to be that one device that continues to do well even around daunting competition. A good example in my opinion would be the Galaxy Nexus whose raw specs doesn't compare with the GS3 or any recent smartphones, but still has a very strong community support.
3. How do you utilize this tablet in your daily lives in terms of productivity? Any specific stories regarding note taking, studying, and problem solving? I know a good number of you use this for business meetings but I have yet to experience that kind of environment. I'm just a college student studying in a dorm or library.
4. How similar is the S Pen to a normal pencil or pen in terms of feel? I generally use either a normal wooden pencil, a heavy mechanical pencil, or one of those cheap stick pens. How does the S Pen feel compared to them?
5. It'd be greatly appreciated if there's anything else that would convince me to buy this tablet.
Anyway, I know this is a long post that could be answered by simply testing the tablet myself, but there are just some factors right now preventing me from actually going out to a local best buy to play with one.
A big thank you to those who answer! I just don't want to waste my money on stuff I end up not using!
This is a great bit of tech and will serve you well as a student taking notes. The pen writes very quickly with zero lag. There are numerous apps such as Lecture Notes to choose from.
As far being obsolete soon, well you can pretty much count on it. Yesterdays beast is today's slowpoke when.it comes to tech. That being said this is Samsungs flagship product. They are encouraging devs to create for the s pen. Even if something faster comes down the pike this will still work ands that's what counts.
Just buy it. You'll piss away $500 on beer this semester. Spend it on something useful instead.
Sent from my awesome Note 10.1
404 ERROR said:
1. I'm afraid this might simply be a fad for such a great tech. I love tech and just judging from all the specs and reviews, it's an absolute powerhouse of a tablet which further benefits from its stylus, but is it really as useful as it seems or is this just something I'm going to use everyday for a week and forget about it?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Exynos Quad/Mali make this the most powerful Android tablet on the market (for now). So even without using the pen it delivers better performance and usability then all the tablets that preceded it. If its a fad, what are they? Its Achilles Heal is that it doesn't offer a 1080P display. Tablets with S4 Pro are coming as is a Samsung 11.6" tablet with a Exynos 5250 chip and retina display (per the trial). If you need a tablet now your choices are quality and performance (Note) or a 1080P display (TF700). Either choice is just as likely to become obsolete.
2. Will this tablet be outdated and forgotten? Without a doubt, this is an obvious trend strongly prominent in tablets and smartphones. I accept the fact that whether I wait or not, this tablet is going to get outdated quickly in terms of raw specs, but there always seems to be that one device that continues to do well even around daunting competition. A good example in my opinion would be the Galaxy Nexus whose raw specs doesn't compare with the GS3 or any recent smartphones, but still has a very strong community support.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
See above.
3. How do you utilize this tablet in your daily lives in terms of productivity? Any specific stories regarding note taking, studying, and problem solving? I know a good number of you use this for business meetings but I have yet to experience that kind of environment. I'm just a college student studying in a dorm or library.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The pen is amazing. But this isn't a tablet for those with ADD. The learning curve is steep and long. You'll get out of it what you put in to it and there's a lot to get out of it.
4. How similar is the S Pen to a normal pencil or pen in terms of feel? I generally use either a normal wooden pencil, a heavy mechanical pencil, or one of those cheap stick pens. How does the S Pen feel compared to them?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It isnt natural if that's what you're asking. I can't imagine writing on a glass surface ever will be. But it's an acquired taste and behaves very consistently so you get the hang of it. Learning to trust palm rejection has been the most difficult for me.
5. It'd be greatly appreciated if there's anything else that would convince me to buy this tablet.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You need to convince yourself.
mitchellvii said:
Just buy it. You'll piss away $500 on beer this semester. Spend it on something useful instead.
Sent from my awesome Note 10.1
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Went to Vegas for 21st.... this happened.. now have to wait till September 10th to buy it :/
Good info here, I had similar questions since I'm leaving looking to pick one up for school as well.
Sent from my EVO using Tapatalk 2
As a student the biggest surprise for me when using this tablet is that the palm rejection actually works and is one of the biggest features of this tablet for me when using the s-pen.
Other things such as performance is great and wht i found very helpful is the extra ram which coming from the OG galaxy tab which has 1gb ram (which is by no means a little on a tablet) is very helpful.
Sure u will need to learn new things about the usage of this tablet to take advantage of its feature but the return should be worth it.
As with the tommorow's tech question, with all tech there will always be something bigger and better around the corner. If you keep looking foreward to see what is coming u wont have time to enjoy what is available now. My advice dont wait too long if ur going to buy thos tablet, get it while its new to not be tempted by the differences between it and what might come a few months from now.
Good luck
Sent from my GT-N8000 using xda app-developers app
I wonder what the next step could be and if further development could significantly increase usabilty and/or productivity.
Well: screen res could be increased but maybe for the sake of batt life ?
Batteries are the bottle neck and for this the SGN10.1 is more than brilliant (10 hrs. + )
For me the SGN10.1 can hardly be topped although I´m an early adopter and crazy for new tech.
mitchellvii said:
Just buy it. You'll piss away $500 on beer this semester. Spend it on something useful instead.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't drink! But thanks for your advice
BarryH_GEG said:
You need to convince yourself.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's very true. ;D I think I might wait a bit longer though. I have a hunch something is in the horizon.
kuwari316 said:
As a student the biggest surprise for me when using this tablet is that the palm rejection actually works and is one of the biggest features of this tablet for me when using the s-pen.
Other things such as performance is great and wht i found very helpful is the extra ram which coming from the OG galaxy tab which has 1gb ram (which is by no means a little on a tablet) is very helpful.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Palm Rejection is indeed a very important aspect of the tablet. I feel as if this reviewers aren't pointing out the importance of this enough.
troed said:
I wonder what the next step could be and if further development could significantly increase usabilty and/or productivity.
Well: screen res could be increased but maybe for the sake of batt life ?
Batteries are the bottle neck and for this the SGN10.1 is more than brilliant (10 hrs. + )
For me the SGN10.1 can hardly be topped although I´m an early adopter and crazy for new tech.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Screen resolution is definitely going to increased to compete with the future iPad. The rumored Samsung 11.6 inch tablet is said to have a resolution very close to the iPad's.
They can also put an Super AMOLED screen on there once they can make it more cost efficient.
S Pen input will probably be further improved.
The rest is whatever new comes up. I think the Galaxy Note 10.1 has almost everything a Tablet can have as of now.
Anyway, thanks for all your input. Well, I made my decision actually to not buy it yet. I am going to wait for further announcements as I have a hunch that something might appear soon. Of course, if that thing doesn't come, I'll be hurting myself, but I'll take the chance. It worked well for me with the GNex.
I doubt an 11.6 inch pad with retina display will sell for $500. Also that thing will be MASSIVE. With a case it would be close to 12.5 inches across.
People are so spoiled by cheap tech now. Everyone forgets the fiirst most basic Razor phone was $500 on contract.
Sent from my awesome Note 10.1
mitchellvii said:
I doubt an 11.6 inch pad with retina display will sell for $500. Also that thing will be MASSIVE. With a case it would be close to 12.5 inches across.
People are so spoiled by cheap tech now. Everyone forgets the fiirst most basic Razor phone was $500 on contract.
Sent from my awesome Note 10.1
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think you misunderstood my post. Those are just possible upgrades that can happen in the future. I'm not saying all those additions will be in the next iteration of the Note nor do I think such a massive price increase would appeal to the general consumer.
I am very aware of cost increases as a result of adding features. I am not refusing to buy this tablet due to its low resolution. In fact, I have never seen the new iPad in my life so I wouldn't know what a high PPI tablet would look like. Furthermore, I have always prioritized a quality screen over a quantity screen. I've done this with my iRiver Clix2 which had an AMOLED screen and my Cowon S9 which also had an AMOLED screen.
There isn't anything wrong with the Note as far as I can see. It's actually perfect for me, but I just like to wait a bit and see how things go. It doesn't hurt to wait, and even if I do wait too long, a new Note will come and I can be sure of it then.
Addendum:
I forgot:
The next step will be the "Google Glasses Project" after an introduction- and maturing-period of 1-2 years (or longer).
Once Google Glasses will be fitted with gesture-recognition and res 720p maybe You can write notes with Your finger in the air and record conversations/lectures in StT (Speech to Text).................. :highfive:
This will definitely come, the question only is: WHEN ?
I was very impressed at the review posted on Android Police.
It's like they are reviewing a different tablet from the one I have.
It's a shame as people might be discouraged from buying a great product.
I personally wouldn't have bought it base on the article posted.
http://www.androidpolice.com/2012/0...iew-an-embarrassing-lazy-arrogant-money-grab/
My response (added to the comments on Android Police)
I do agree with some of the observations made by the reviewr.
However, I do like the tablet a lot, I really wasn't looking to buy a tablet when I drove to Bestbuy, but since my HTC flyer is not performing as it used to, and I love the pen, I decided to go with this one after testing it for a while.
And I have to say I like it, it's plenty fast, I do agree that the multi tasking is more a gimmick, but it's really not the reason why I bought it.
Something I do have to note, mine is not flexible at all, I was really amazed at your video. Mine will not flex or make any sounds. I does looks very plastic, but other than that I have nothing bad to say in regards to the built quality. I do miss the aluminum on my HTC flyer, but the overall construction of this device is really good.
I don't have misaligned issues or parts or corners that look out of place, it feels completely solid.
I guess that different people have different opinions and everyone has different needs or expectations for devices.
I do respect the point of view presented in this article, but also disagree with some of the observations.
I would recommend interested people to actually go and try it out yourself.
Also, something I did notice when I started playing with it, is that mine felt much more heavy compared to the one the Samsung representative had at Bestbuy.
The Samsung lady had a black one what felt surprisingly light, could it bee there is kind of a demo version?
Anyway, the only point I completely agree with reviewer is that the multitasking is only gimmick... other than that my experiences been completely different and I really love the tablet, its my first 10 inch, and my first Samsung tablet, before I had Dell, HTC, and I also own a Nexus 7.
I find the built of the Samsung to be vastly superior of that of the N7.
Read this one from GSMArena. Their very thorough as you'll see (it's 10 pages). I think a lot of reviewers are just assuming the Note's a standard G-Tab with a pen and not really spending the time to appreciate it how well it does the things tablets are primarily used for.
http://www.gsmarena.com/samsung_galaxy_note_10_1-review-798.php
In all of those reviews I've been noticing that there are issues not present in retail models. I actually watched a 40min russian review on youtube and they found a lot of problems, including creaking, pen sensor not working correctly and so on. Otherwise, the review was very well done and I tend to trust the reviewer. My feeling is, some of these review units are dodgy, maybe preproduction units.
Yep I went on quite a rant in my response to the review on Android Police Google+ page. I really do not get all the negative reviews of this product.
Sent from my GT-N8013 using Tapatalk 2
Thankful
I'm just thankful I bought this tablet before reading reviews.
It's fantastic, im thinking of selling my N7, which I also love.
And yes, I agree the are testing preproduction models.
I just hate that they are missleading people which might have bought it.
I haven't used my computer since I bought this beast, I'm having exactly the same internet experience as my pc.
Without the wait of coming up out if hibernation.
One thing that really annoys me about these reviews is their assumption that HD (Infinity) and QVGA (iPad) are the *norm* now. They aren't - the vast majority of tablets in the 10.1 inch size are still 1280x800.
The reviewer is also a bit confused on some key points.
1. The Note 10.1's battery life is actually not that great. It ranks in around 8.5hrs of continuous use on video loop at 50% brightness. The Prime gets 10.5hrs. It seems what that the Note 10.1 does get right is long standby times which is actually very useful since most of us tend to use tablets in 'bursty' ways - off most of the time, then use for a bit then off for a long time.
2. His complaint about the power cord must come from not realising that Galaxy Tabs (of which the Note is one) can use the same peripherals (mostly) including the synch cable. A little digging and he could find a 6' synch/charge cable.
3. I don't have my Note yet - should be here in a few days - but I've fondled a Tab 2 10.1 and the back felt pretty sturdy. As someone else noted, they may have gotten pre-release units. As for 'everyone using aluminum" not really true. Apple does. Asus does on the Prime and Infinity only - the TF300 doesn't. And aluminum on the Prime is why it sucked... it made the GPS unusable. As for the pen feeling like a hollow rod.. if they'd made it heavier - it would have made the tablet heavier.. and you know what his comment would have been then...
4. NFC. Seriously? The lack of NFC was one of his big buttons? I have NFC on my Galaxy Nexus and it's essentially useless. And not for trying. No one else has NFC, so 'bump' is pointless. I can't use it as a credit card replacement. I can't use it to replace my office ID card. I can't find TecTiles at any store - and no one carries any other kind of NFC tokens. I CAN use it to read my British passport, but that gets kind of dull after a while.
5. Camera. This is one of those 'no way to win' things. Yes, I'd be happier if the Note had a 8MP camera. Yet everyone seems to be happy with the Nexus 7 - which has NO back camera. The back camera for me will be mostly for quicky shots and barcoding. How good is it for that? Wellll.. the reviewer was so wrapped up in not looking bad that he couldn't bring himself to test the camera - which makes him a bad reviewer.
And gee - look - once again a reviewer forgets to test GPS, WiFi and BT.
Having come from the Asus Prime disaster - the fact that almost no one here so far has posted any serious issues with the Note 10 gives me confience that this will be a good tablet.
I couldn't stand reading THST android police article. I had to stop after a while. They don't know what the hell they talking about..lol. they seem very biased. I will admit the grey version doesn't look no where near as good as the white one. I agree with THST they likely received a prproduction unit. My plastic back doesn't flex or is wavy. Plus my device right out the box performed well. They went overboard on bashing this device.
I like ASUS and will say Samsung deserves more credit on this tablet. I'm glad I didn't read the reviews also. I just got it off of reading specs, Watching unboxing videos, and Samsung promo videos on it. Those were enough to catch my interest enough to try it out. A very pleasant experience being my first Samsung tablet I've ever used.
These reviewers are too stuck on ipad3 resolutions now. Now if a tablet doesn't have 1080P or better, they write the display off as subpar. 720P is good enough for me as this display isn't your run of the mill 1280x800 dpslay. They did something with it to make it look better than other tabs with same resolution. Maybe its the color reproduction or whatever but I know this display is one of the better ones I've seen. 720P movies and videos/you tube look great on it.
Going to post my response about this here.
crystalstylez said:
See this type of review makes me really angry. Its ok if a device really sucks but you can cleary tell this guy has a personal vendetta againsr samsung/Touchwiz. I feel if you dont like something then biased opinions should be left out ans they should not review the product. Samsung has been doing touchwiz for a while now ao what made him think that this tablet would come with stock ui. I don't agree with blogs using there popularity to trash a device. Seriously with the picture of the device in the trash. Go back to the laggy xoom.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I747 using xda app-developers app
Hmmm.
None of samsung and apple devices disappointed me.
I want buy this because of bad review.
I want check it all by myself.
I seem to remember the Asus Transformer Prime getting excellent reviews when it first came out, go figure. One of the worst tablets I ever owned. :/
The Note 10.1 is the best performing Android tablet I've owned so far, no lag at all, everything is fluid.
When did 1080p on a tablet for android become normal?
acer and asus are there any more with that resolution? cause that article makes it seem that is the normal size lol what a boring read
jobryan26 said:
Yep I went on quite a rant in my response to the review on Android Police Google+ page. I really do not get all the negative reviews of this product.
Sent from my GT-N8013 using Tapatalk 2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Haha, me too, I think I spent at least 4 hours today rebutting comments on the article, on Google+, and on reddit. Most reviews miss the point of the Note completely.
Honestly, I think we users of the Note should write our own reviews, especially focusing on how we find the S Pen useful. Like really, we should make an effort to write more balanced reviews of the device and post them on Google+, reddit, etc. and try to clear up some of the misconceptions.
Does anyone else's tablet creak, because mine certainly does not. And I have yet to experience any lag while writing whatsoever, it's as close to real time as I can discern. I also noticed that if you run javascript animations in the browser while multitasking with another app open, they continue in the browser, so it's not an illusion of multitasking by any means. I can even write, with no lag, in S Note, while animations run in the browser.
---------- Post added at 11:36 PM ---------- Previous post was at 11:35 PM ----------
habs101 said:
When did 1080p on a tablet for android become normal?
acer and asus are there any more with that resolution? cause that article makes it seem that is the normal size lol
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
To be fair, these are the only recent tablets that have come out for $500. I think the point is that at that price they expect a higher resolution, but it's like they expect the S Pen and digitizer to be free, which is incredibly naive.
I think it is good to have a bad review and a good one for the new buyers to find out whats really going on.
Re MSplit Screen
"It only works with the Browser, Polaris Office, S Note, Video Player, Gallery, Email, and that's it. None of those applications are really any good, and I would much rather use Chrome, Google Docs, YouTube, Google Talk, Twitter, and Gmail."
Its a shame to be honets.....it was the reason I wanted to but this tablet.
Do you think guys that custom Roms make it possible for Gmail, Chrome etc?
Same for this one from PC World Australia : (I cannot post direct links yet...)
pcworld.idg.com.au/article/434234/samsung_galaxy_note_10_1_android_tablet/
It seems that the guy who made this review didn't get ANY thing about this tab
qwerty1q said:
I think it is good to have a bad review and a good one for the new buyers to find out whats really going on.
Re MSplit Screen
"It only works with the Browser, Polaris Office, S Note, Video Player, Gallery, Email, and that's it. None of those applications are really any good, and I would much rather use Chrome, Google Docs, YouTube, Google Talk, Twitter, and Gmail."
Its a shame to be honets.....it was the reason I wanted to but this tablet.
Do you think guys that custom Roms make it possible for Gmail, Chrome etc?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think the point is that the review is bad in that it's incomplete and/or misguided and/or biased, not that it's a negative review. As in, the assessment is not accurate and thus should not be used as a recommendation for or against the device. That's how I feel, anyway.
It's currently not possible for other apps, and I doubt any implementation based on the Touchwiz implementation will happen (that's a crapton of smali hacking) but I have a feeling CM10 will actually incorporate some sort of multitasking, as Cyanogen himself stated that he wanted to incorporate Onskreen Cornerstone, or at least similar functionality, into CM9 way back in February.
qwerty1q said:
Do you think guys that custom Roms make it possible for Gmail, Chrome etc?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Regarding split screen... just step back and think for a short moment... and you will understand that the custom rom developers would need to heavily modify Android itself.
The display of information on the screen is a core os function. Having more than one app simultanously using the screen requires changes in the Android core. Otherweise this featute will be limited to special versions of Android (like TouchWiz) and special app using it. These special version will delay Android updates as they need to be adapted to major Android releases until they work again.
Android was designed for small screens of smartphones controlled with fingers. Starting with HC on tablets, Google should have implemented this, but it obviously did not happen.
And the feature is rarely useable on a normal smartphone...
You mean the same guys who justified the 8GB in a Nexus7 WITHOUT micro-SD card slot:
http://www.androidpolice.com/2012/0...-expandable-storage-and-why-its-for-the-best/
Those guys are pure attention-grabbers. Just check the number of comments in that review and compare it against other reviews. They were also *****ing a lot about GS3 menu choice. This is like a bimbo threatening to run naked to grab your attention and get advertisement-clicks in his article.
As I recall the reviewers HATED the Note and it went on to record sales.
You have to undertstand that tech reviewers have a couple disadvantages. Quite often they are reviewing buggy pre-release hardware. Next they tend to be spec nerds. They focus more on pure specs than does the damn thing actually work for people.
Honestly who cares what they say? If I wanted an iPad I would have bought one. Face it, by this time next year everything that is awesome now will suck by comparison.
Sent from my awesome Note 10.1
The most shocking thing in those reviews is "oh, and it has an S Pen, you can take notes with it" like it was less important than for example number of megapixels in the rear camera. Even the positive reviews mostly ignore S Pen.
Actually, when reading the review - I didn't finish it though, too annoying - the picture of one of these little dogs that tend to bark at anybody and everything kept appearing in front of my inner eye ... this Amadeo guy must be one of these short people.
I couldn't care less for NFC. And resolution, oh my. Everything about this was already stated here. I care for the pen. And that works good enough
I had been in the market for a tablet for a few weeks, having not owned one before, I felt it was time to take the plunge. The main purpose was for evening internet browsing, maybe accompanied by a pint of beer. I'd previously purchased a galaxy Note phone for this very purpose, but I found even that was too much of a compromise screen wise, 5" just wasn't doing it for me, I had to go large. And if I had a tablet I could downgrade to a smaller size phone in future.
After extensive research on the net I narrowed the choice down. A 7” tab would be too small a leap in screen real estate for my needs, so the Nexus was ruled out, which left the front runner been the Transformer TF300, I though a keyboard would be nice for my very basic needs of Word and Excel, and of course it had the Tegra 3, which I had convinced myself I needed. I was aware the 300 could have a few ‘issues’ after reading the xda forums.
I resisted the urge to purchase as the Berlin IFA was about to commence, and Samsung and others would be releasing their latest tech there. Along comes the Note 10.1. And with that comes more frantic Googling for the latest internet reviews ( I ain’t gonna let go of £400 without knowing exactly what I’m buying!).
After reading the review at Android Police the Note seemed a pile of crap. A turd in the bath. A stink in a cesspool. However, my research goes further than that and I started reading user reviews and of course the review from Lisa Gade on youtube. All these seemed to counter what android Police had stated. With my head spinning I had to put some rational thought to my purchasing decision, and my thoughts were…
Do I need a keyboard – would be nice, but given my very limited use of work related stuff, and a large onscreen keyboard on tablets anyway, it would be possible to manage without, I shouldn’t compromise other factors just to have a keyboard.
Front facing stereo speakers – basic design principles tell me this is the way it should be done.
S pen – never really used it on my phone, but I was intrigued by the ‘hover’ function when viewing the web.
Charging cord – Another bummer mentioned at Android Police, its only 3 feet long, no way I could use the Note when its charging. Solution, charge it overnight.
Build quality – now that review at AP had a lot to say about flexing, squeaking and poor fitting. I saw the videos on that site and I agree with what the reviewer was showing us there. But I can only conclude that the unit he had must have been either pre production or had been subjected to some fairly vigorous tear downs.
I have my Note here and I must say it has very high build quality, absolutely no squeaking, all panels are flush fitting, and the only flex is right in the middle of the back panel, which incidentally is where I never hold it anyway. Also I’ve never had an issue with lightweight back panels, right from my first Samsung Galaxy phone. The technology is there to make things like that these days, it just makes sense, lightweight and no signal interference.
Tegra 3 – The reason I was after a Tegra device was so that I could ‘enter the tegra gaming zone’. It seems a nice place. But then again I don’t spend much of my life playing games and I can easily get my fix from whats available on Google Play.
Now that I have a Note I’m very happy in the knowledge that I have an even better processor, preloaded with masses of codec support and developed hand in hand with the Note to give a great browsing performance.
Cameras – I have no need for cameras on a tablet, waste of time. Oh hang on though, what have Samsung got here, this thing watches my eyes and doesn’t dim the screen unless I fall asleep, clever b******s.
GPS – I’ll only want this if I use Google Sky maps, I usually know where I am if I’m in my own house.
But it’s good to know that Glonass is included on the Note, another thumbs up in the high quality components list.
Audio quality. - Note has a Wolfson DAC. Nothing more to add here.
A note about resolution. One tablet I considered was the transformer Tf700 for its high res screen. Much talked about and much coveted. I wouldn’t turn it down. But when people are buying a tablet they need to consider what device they will be replacing. For me it will be primarily replacing my laptop, which has a 17” screen with a resolution of 1600 x 900. So just by downgrading to a 10” size screen with 1280 x 800 I’m getting higher res anyway, and given that it’s a PLS screen its higher quality to boot. So I’ve already gone ‘high res’ just by getting the note.
I’ve only wrote this review because I’m so impressed with my Note. I hope many others buy it and it gets the success it deserves.
Nice review, enjoyed reading it and hopefully teaches people not to be in haste at knocking a device without seeing real world usage user reports.
I think you have made a good choice and am happy that you are enjoying your note as it is out of the box, hopefully with the Jelly Bean update around the corner it will get even better.
Also love Lisa's reviews because her reviews do not seem to be biased unlike a number of other 'professional' reviewers.
same things i considered and bought note on its day of launch in india..
btw u forgot multiscreens and an extensive battery life
Sent from my GT-N8000 using XDA Premium HD app
Here's my bottom line. If I could have bought a 10.1 inch tablet with a 1920 x 1200 screen and a wacom digitizer and pen along with a 1.4 ghz quad core CPU and zero lag for $500 instead of this I would have.
Doesn't exist.
So I bought this.
** The problem I have with reviewers who have slammed this tablet is that they are comparing it either to tablets that do far less or simply do not and cannot exist at this price point. The lowest price for a pen based Windows RT tablet from Samsung will start at $150 more. And that will have worse dpi than this.
Sent from my GT-N8013 using Tapatalk 2
mitchellvii said:
Here's my bottom line. If I could have bought a 10.1 inch tablet with a 1920 x 1200 screen and a wacom digitizer and pen along with a 1.4 ghz quad core CPU and zero lag for $500 instead of this I would have.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hehe, +1.
mitchellvii said:
Doesn't exist.
So I bought this.
** The problem I have with reviewers who have slammed this tablet is that they are comparing it either to tablets that do far less or simply do not and cannot exist at this price point. The lowest price for a pen based Windows RT tablet from Samsung will start at $150 more. And that will have worse dpi than this.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I get a sense that what the OP and I need is more like Galaxy Tab 3 10.1 with GN 10.1 specs less s pen + better screen / premium quality. I don't really care that much for the s pen. I do need everything else you mentioned out of the tab though. So, I feel that some of the low points of this tab, screen resolution and lack of premium build feel, could've been mitigated had Samsung saved the money on S Pen and associated hardware and software expenses.
SM05 said:
Hehe, +1.
I get a sense that what the OP and I need is more like Galaxy Tab 3 10.1 with GN 10.1 specs less s pen + better screen / premium quality. I don't really care that much for the s pen. I do need everything else you mentioned out of the tab though. So, I feel that some of the low points of this tab, screen resolution and lack of premium build feel, could've been mitigated had Samsung saved the money on S Pen and associated hardware and software expenses.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Lol, yeah that crazy Samsung with their crazy s-pen.
It's simple, if you don't need or use pen input, why the hell are you buying this tablet? Buy an iPad or an Infinity that are pure consumption devices. The SGN 10.1 is for people that want to do WORK with their tablet.
mitchellvii said:
It's simple, if you don't need or use pen input, why the hell are you buying this tablet? Buy an iPad or an Infinity that are pure consumption devices. The SGN 10.1 is for people that want to do WORK with their tablet.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If it were that simple I wouldn't be replying on my GN 10.1. I posted this before but yeah, consumption device is what I mostly need. I don't plan on buying any Apple devices, don't wanna say ever but for a long time. That leaves android, which I prefer anyways (GS2 is my current phone). There aren't that many stable, fast and well built android tabs out there. Build quality + specs is why I went with GN. S pen is just an appendix as far ad I'm concerned. Lol
So, if you're listening Samsung, give us galaxy tab 10.1 with the same specs as GN, premium/better finish and improved screen dpi, if possible, and no s pen. All under 500 please. Lol
SM05 said:
If it were that simple I wouldn't be replying on my GN 10.1. I posted this before but yeah, consumption device is what I mostly need. I don't plan on buying any Apple devices, don't wanna say ever but for a long time. That leaves android, which I prefer anyways (GS2 is my current phone). There aren't that many stable, fast and well built android tabs out there. Build quality + specs is why I went with GN. S pen is just an appendix as far ad I'm concerned. Lol
So, if you're listening Samsung, give us galaxy tab 10.1 with the same specs as GN, premium/better finish and improved screen dpi, if possible, and no s pen. All under 500 please. Lol
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, they need 2 models. Consumer - $400, without the pen. Creator / Producer - $500 includes pen . Display on both needs to be the same (highest resolution and quality they can manage without slowing the system down.)
mitchellvii said:
Lol, yeah that crazy Samsung with their crazy s-pen.
It's simple, if you don't need or use pen input, why the hell are you buying this tablet? Buy an iPad or an Infinity that are pure consumption devices. The SGN 10.1 is for people that want to do WORK with their tablet.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I wouldn't say the infinity is a pure consumption device. I like my note a lot more then the prime I owned but with the keyboard dock it really does move it out of a pure consumption device.
nice review. exactly what i went thru lols
I mentioned it elsewhere, but the first review I read was from Lisa. Always unbias and as someone that knows about stylus's and wiacoms, she was very to the point about the device. Most if not all the others, reviewed the device as a competitor to the iPad, Transformer etc, when in reality those devices do not do what the Note does. After reading that stupid review from AndroidPolice, and I say stupid since no journalist/writer would make such a headline or put in stupid comments of the device giving them cancer, I went to the store to test it myself. It was nothing like what the reviews mentioned and right then and there I knew this was the tablet to get. A few days later I got it.
Haven't regretted it since.
is it the perfect device, No. nothing is, no matter what any one says, including Apple. Each and every device has its pro and cons, but this device runs circles around my previous Lenovo and overall, its one awesome device.
TS
As has been noted, I did not buy the Note for its pen, this was low on my list of needs as I had never found much use for it on my Galaxy Note phone (I found it just too cramped a space for my liking). I was instead drawn more by its quality and cutting edge components. However, given that the pen was there I’ve been giving it a go anyway, and I’ve found it a much better experience on this larger screen, infact I’m now beginning to use it all the time, it just seems easier and quicker for most things.
Websites are not designed to be prodded at with fingers, but to be used by a precise pointing device, so navigating using the pen feels quicker and more natural. When playing games (Air Attack HD) its easier to slide the pen around the screen and fingers are not blocking out the action.
Oh, I forgot about another reason that swayed me towards buying the Note, and that was to do my own little bit to support Samsung against the dark forces of crApple and its abuse of the (broken) patent system. Or as someone else on the net succinctly put it – the American patent system is a pile of ****, and Apple is sitting on top of that pile.
I’ve been listening to the sound quality of this thing, I’m going to put up a new post about it so its easier for people to find.
Samsung Galaxy Note Review Thread
As with the original note, i am sure there will be a massive influx of reviews for the upcoming Note 2. We are all keen to take a look at what this great device is going to be like, so i think a centralized place for all reviews is a good idea. Hopefully it should keep the general section clean(er) and give a great resource for future note 2 owners. I will ask all to keep this thread clean of idle chit chat, all we want is quality reviews to give a clear picture of the device.
Thanks in advance to anybody who contributes
The first review is out
Solid rating from PA:
http://www.phonearena.com/reviews/Samsung-Galaxy-Note-II-Review_id3134
I generally don't give much importance to PA reviews, but no harm in reading it whoever is interested.
Another preview: http://www.gsmarena.com/samsung_galaxy_note_ii-review-811.php
A Korean review (note II got released on South Korea today). Of course I didn't understand a word but I noticed a new feature @1:53, the Note II has the same split screen feature as in the Note 10.1. Pure win. :highfive:
BGR's short pre-review:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=JaZrC98fnOk
Dialaphone review:
www.dialaphone.co.uk/blog/2012/09/27/samsung-galaxy-note-ii-a-display-of-power/
Hell Guardian said:
Thanks guys, great feed back
any news about the camera unit? no change at all? i know they wanted to use Sony's new BSI 13mp units but the production yields were low and LG already pre-ordered them for its Optimus G so Samsung had to stick with 8Mp camera units, so did they actually get better ones or used the same ones that take REALLY REALLY bad low light pictures? :/
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm not sure why you think the Galaxy Note II produces really really bad low light pictures? I have seen a Galaxy Note 1 & 2 picture comparison where it does seem like the Note 1 produces better pictures in wide dynamic range scenes.
http://www.phonearena.com/reviews/Samsung-Galaxy-Note-II-vs-Galaxy-Note_id3136/page/3
But the difference is still minimal. I'm sure there will be a HDR mode like on all Galaxy phones, so when told to, it should be able to produce better images during harsh lighting conditions where there is intense brightness and dark shadows.
From what I hear, the 13 megapixel sensor on the Optimus G isn't all that great. It is providing marginally better resolutions in optimal lighting conditions while doing worse in low light situations than a 8MP sensor. From all the reports I'm reading, I'm seeing that the Note 2 will have a BSI (backlit sensor). Is there an article saying otherwise?
_______________________________________________________________________________________
Check out my huge collection of 64GB Samsung Galaxy Note 2 Videos (Demos, Accessory Reviews)
http://www.androidcentral.com/samsung-galaxy-note-ii-retail-unboxing-and-quick-hands-video
Amazing phone.
It may be of interest to some that the Mains charger that comes with the Note II has a 5 Volt 2 Amp output. With the large battery capacity, some of the existing
chargers you may have around your home (as well as car adaptors) are likely to be of a far lower output - typically 0.5 Amp to 1.0 Amp,
My Note II came from Handtec in the UK but the box clearly shows Samsung France and the default language on set up was French.
Not a review as such but a very recent Samsung promo from Korea showing many of the features including the split/multi screen mode (around 2min 10secs through video)
available only in some of the latest ROM versions.
phones4u review:
(can you really trust reviews from a place that sells phones though?)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cGxTDlVuoIs
Goodm7sn said:
I think he mentioned that bluetooth has to be ON for the phone to alert u when the s-pen isn't in place!??
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No, he said bluetooth has to be on to detect if you walked away from the pen.
Regardless I don't believe this, and it doesn't say this in the manual.
I'll be testing it.
Another review:
http://www.autoomobile.com/news/samsung-galaxy-note-2-review/1004297/
Thread Cleaned
As much as the comments are appreciated, this is a review thread. The idea was to give prospective note 2 owners a good list of reviews to aid there decision. All of the discussion is just going to dilute this. So please i ask you, only post reviews in this thread.
I have now moved the comments thread from the original note forum. Please use that for general comments.
Cnet Review
http://reviews.cnet.com/smartphones/samsung-galaxy-note-2/4505-6452_7-35426722.html
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
DigitalTrends Review
http://www.digitaltrends.com/mobile/samsung-galaxy-note-2-hands-on/
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
First impressions mini review
I was lucky enough to be one of the first to buy the phone on the pre-launch day in London 30th September. I previously owned the Original Note and currently also have a Galaxy S3 so I was keen to compare them.
First thing I noticed was the Note II seemed less bulky but also appears to be heavier in the hand than the original. It's subjective but I also feel it looks more premium and more attractive. Some people aren't fans of the S3 styling but if like me, you are, then you'll love how the Note II is clearly the bigger brother of the S3.
The screen is vibrant and definitely brighter than original. Loss of the pentile matrix isn't that noticeable, there isn't a blue tint but I can't help feel there is a tiny hint of red instead. It's hard to tell.
Placing the S3 and Note II side by side however revealed something that made me a little disappointed. The text just isn't as sharp as the S3 and although I realise this is down to the overall resolution and on a much bigger screen, it just made me feel a little let down. It's still amazing of course and it was always going to be a challenge to beat the S3. Fortunately the Note II has many more goodies to distract you.
The S-Pen is better, being longer and now has a slight texture to the button making it easier to locate. Also shaped slightly different for easy slot loading. These are welcome changes. There's also a few neat tricks that have been introduced in what happens when you remove, insert or leave behind the pen. Some new gesture commands and clever interactions with various apps have been introduced.
I am not going to dwell on these features as they are all demonstrated in any of the online reviews you look at online. This review focuses on what my first impressions.
For the first time in a long time though I actually had to consult the manual to work out and discover the new smart features, because there are many of them! Various gesture and motions to interact, some useful others gimmicky. I found that: with the screen off and phone laying flat, you place your hand near to the screen and it glows and fades in slightly to reveal any missed notifications. This was a handy one for me. Then there's a way the phone knows you are laying on your side to view the screen so it doesn't rotate to landscape mode. It works and it's amazingly useful.
The speed of the device is highly noticeable over the original Note, understandably. It flies through any amount of screen swiping. Even with a custom launcher and hundreds of installed apps I stuck on there, it has no obvious lag at all.
Battery life is outstanding. Bearing in mind I haven't done too many recharge cycles, the battery is easily lasting all day with the screen on so much of the time and all those apps I mentioned! No issues for me there.
The camera is on a par with the S3, haven't had the pleasure of a nice day outside to test it fully. Low light shots are a slight improvement over previous incarnations.
Sound from the speaker is - at last - very very good. It's loud and has more bass and less distortion. Really am pleased this has been improved.
So for me, Samsung have done a great job with this 2nd generation. Build quality, battery life, raw power, feature rich and fully loaded. Difficult to fault and even more difficult to put down!
apprentice said:
I was lucky enough to be one of the first to buy the phone on the pre-launch day in London 30th September. I previously owned the Original Note and currently also have a Galaxy S3 so I was keen to compare them.
First thing I noticed was the Note II seemed less bulky but also appears to be heavier in the hand than the original. It's subjective but I also feel it looks more premium and more attractive. Some people aren't fans of the S3 styling but if like me, you are, then you'll love how the Note II is clearly the bigger brother of the S3.
The screen is vibrant and definitely brighter than original. Loss of the pentile matrix isn't that noticeable, there isn't a blue tint but I can't help feel there is a tiny hint of red instead. It's hard to tell.
Placing the S3 and Note II side by side however revealed something that made me a little disappointed. The text just isn't as sharp as the S3 and although I realise this is down to the overall resolution and on a much bigger screen, it just made me feel a little let down. It's still amazing of course and it was always going to be a challenge to beat the S3. Fortunately the Note II has many more goodies to distract you.
The S-Pen is better, being longer and now has a slight texture to the button making it easier to locate. Also shaped slightly different for easy slot loading. These are welcome changes. There's also a few neat tricks that have been introduced in what happens when you remove, insert or leave behind the pen. Some new gesture commands and clever interactions with various apps have been introduced.
I am not going to dwell on these features as they are all demonstrated in any of the online reviews you look at online. This review focuses on what my first impressions.
For the first time in a long time though I actually had to consult the manual to work out and discover the new smart features, because there are many of them! Various gesture and motions to interact, some useful others gimmicky. I found that: with the screen off and phone laying flat, you place your hand near to the screen and it glows and fades in slightly to reveal any missed notifications. This was a handy one for me. Then there's a way the phone knows you are laying on your side to view the screen so it doesn't rotate to landscape mode. It works and it's amazingly useful.
The speed of the device is highly noticeable over the original Note, understandably. It flies through any amount of screen swiping. Even with a custom launcher and hundreds of installed apps I stuck on there, it has no obvious lag at all.
Battery life is outstanding. Bearing in mind I haven't done too many recharge cycles, the battery is easily lasting all day with the screen on so much of the time and all those apps I mentioned! No issues for me there.
The camera is on a par with the S3, haven't had the pleasure of a nice day outside to test it fully. Low light shots are a slight improvement over previous incarnations.
Sound from the speaker is - at last - very very good. It's loud and has more bass and less distortion. Really am pleased this has been improved.
So for me, Samsung have done a great job with this 2nd generation. Build quality, battery life, raw power, feature rich and fully loaded. Difficult to fault and even more difficult to put down!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Glad to read more confirmations of the loudspeaker volume-quality as Samsung typically has been surprisingly weak there. Is the screen significantly brighter than the S3? How are the whites? I hope the camera burst mode is better than the S3?
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1915487
Many pictures from russian review: http://hi-tech.mail.ru/review/misc/samsung_galaxy_note_2_n7100_obzor.html
An extensive review at Trusted Reviews. Scores higher than Fruitphone 5.
http://www.reghardware.com/2012/10/03/review_samsung_galaxy_note_2_gt_n7100_android_smartphone/
Highest score i've seen, there
GSMARENA Review
Samsung Galaxy Note II review: Writing home
Final Words
The Samsung Galaxy Note II N7100 is one beast of a droid and a major step forward for the class it represents. The second generation of the phablet is a massive upgrade, doubling the processing power of the predecessor, and bringing a bigger, and better, screen and an ampler battery.
The slimmer waistline and narrower body improve handling a great deal, and while the Note II still isn't the easiest smartphone to wield, it's much better than the original Note. There's also the new S Pen, which is not only more comfortable to use now, but also way better integrated into the platform.
Last, but certainly not least important, the Note II has received a host of software upgrades, which take the user experience a level up. From the Android 4.1 Jelly Bean platform and its Project Butter to the Buddy screens - it's obvious that Samsung's developers spared no effort to make the new Note as good as it can possibly get.
So the second-gen phablet comes across as a mature device that's able to deliver straight out of the box and give you a really smooth ride. A 5.5" screen however is certainly not for every taste, so recommending it isn't as easy as it may seem. As usual it all depends on the type of user you are.
The way we see it, there are several groups of users that would do well to consider the Galaxy Note II as their next device of choice.
First and foremost, it's those who want a true all-in-one smartphone. The Note II is able to match everything currently on the market for resolution and processing power and then raise the bid with the S Pen and the extra large screen.
Jelly Bean is still hard to come by on the market too, so the Note II is going to use that to its advantage as well, along with the various home-baked tweaks that Samsung delivered with TouchWiz.
So if you are the type of power user, who values performance over one-handed use and have pockets deep enough (literally and figuratively), the Note II seems like a perfect match. It certainly is more expensive than the Galaxy S III and the One X, but the screen upgrade alone is enough to justify the price difference, with the S Pen coming as a bonus.
The second group Samsung is aiming the Note II at is media buffs. Once again, the huge screen and the ample battery are the key weapons in the phablet's arsenal, but it also has vast codec support (both video and audio), and the expandable memory and mass storage mode to back it up.
If you fall in this group, you'll ideally have a tablet, which seems a bit better suited to the purpose, but it would be next to impossible to carry around in a pocket. We understand that the sheer size of the Galaxy Note II can put some users off, but we find it more than reasonably portable. Also there's the price thing - a capable smartphone and a good tablet will cost more than the Note II.
So if you want to save some cash and/or the effort to carry a bag for your tablet at all times, the Note II seems like a good compromise. In that case though, we'd suggest you check it out in person before forking out the cash.
Next up are people who like sketching things up on their smartphones (designers and the likes) and those who prefer taking notes the old-fashioned way - with a pen or a stylus. Samsung has made the Note II a pretty good device for the purpose and Wacom's input is easily able to make a huge difference between the Samsung phablet and anything else there is in the smartphone market.
And, finally, upgraders - and we'll just say it again: the Samsung Galaxy Note II N7100 is a worthy upgrade of its predecessor. You will notice an improvement in just about every part of the user experience, barring perhaps the camera. However, it's also a pricey upgrade and the original Note is still a pretty solid device. In a bit of a quandary there to be honest - if you love the original Note you'll want the second gen badly. But having money to burn will definitely help.
At the end of the day, the Samsung Galaxy Note II seems to have completed all it's here to do. Samsung have solidified its lead in the phablet market, while offering enough novelties to keep those already in it interested. There's also plenty of exclusive stuff too.
We guess some people will still be less than impressed by a bigger Galaxy S III with a stylus. And we're not saying that a big screen and a stylus is exactly what makes a near perfect smartphone better. But they can certainly do wonders for the right users.
Having come ftom the original Note I have been generally impressed and agree with much that has been said in the previous comments.
My only real disappointment has been to find out that apps cannot be moved to micro SD card. I have discovered that the Note II shares this 'feature' of the S3.
Having a large collection of apps that I have been accustomed to storing on a 64GB card on my original Note, I feel somewhat limited with 16GB of internal memory. I did try to get a 32GB or 64GB variant but their availability has yet to be announced.
Of further concern is that I have read that some leading devs are not supporting some Samsung products so I don't know if there will be a solution to my storsge concerns. Maybe I will have to swap my 16GB model when the 64GB model is released.
Sent from my GT-N7100 using Tapatalk 2
Preliminary battery life review: http://www.digitalversus.com/mobile...te-2-battery-life-test-it-s-beast-n26373.html
Among Samsung handsets alone, the Note 2 pulverises its predecessor by practically doubling battery life! It's the same story compared with the Galaxy S3 too. In fact, the benchmark test showed 15 hrs 10 mins of feasible use time, which basically means the Note 2 can power on for two days of regular, reasonable use. Heavy users can knock about a third off that, however.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse