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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
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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
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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
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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:
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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:
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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.
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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.
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.
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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
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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
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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?
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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?
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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
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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.
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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.
The Note II is probably one of best all round phones around in terms of ability, battery life, camera, but try as I might (for 6 months) I've finally found that the size irritates me. It's too big as a phone for my usage, but not really big enough as a tablet.
Hence, I'm moving on.
The question is, if you were me, what would you move on to (I'm looking for inspiration) ?
In February you had a Nexus 4 (at least according to your posting history). (Ah, I see you own both a Nexus and a N2.)
There's a comparison thread if you want to compare devices. However I've always been boggled by the XDA threads where people post IN an enthusiast area that they don't like that phone.
It's like walking in a Ford dealership and saying "Hey, what Toyota should I buy?"
apallohadas said:
It's like walking in a Ford dealership and saying "Hey, what Toyota should I buy?"
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You said it all....
Send from my GNote 2 what else...
Oh do forgive me for assuming there might be some normal human beings on xda, rather than a bunch of teenage "fanboys".
Some people find them too big, get over it.
The point is, ask them.
tameracingdriver said:
Oh do forgive me for assuming there might be some normal human beings on xda, rather than a bunch of teenage "fanboys".
Some people find them too big, get over it.
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'Normal' is relative.
His point is, people who browse this forum probably own the Note 2, and probably like it for the reasons that you don't.
So asking our opinions on what you want is kind of pointless. I personally won't even look at a phone unless the screen is at least 5".
First thing I'd recommend is figuring out exactly what size of a phone suits you based on what you want to do,
and how/when you want to do it.
There are lots of phones with better specs. I think most of the Note II users like me love it for the screen plus the battery life along with the feature loaded beast that it is. S Pen is just an icing, obviously.
HTC One seems nice - some users do manage to get like ~7 hrs on screen time with battery saving tweaks etc (although I wouldn't expect it to be anywhere near that on moderate-heavy usage). Or obviously the S4. Do some research and pick what suits you the best, as ultimately it all boils down to personal preference
Personally, can't think of switching to anything <5.5'', but hey, to each his/her own.
tameracingdriver said:
Oh do forgive me for assuming there might be some normal human beings on xda, rather than a bunch of teenage "fanboys".
Some people find them too big, get over it.
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I don't like your attitude to a (quite normal) response to your question/OP. Anyway, maybe the new HTC One is something you should consider? I'm looking for a phone for my girl who think my phone is too big and she likes the size of the One.
Sent from my GT-N7100 using xda app-developers app
If you like the note but want something smaller get the s4
Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk HD
Moving to a smaller phone is easier said than done & may be against the law : D
as someone who use tab 7.7 as a phone... i said note 2 is not that big... hahahaa...
anyway... just go for 4" phone its kind of normal fit in palm... got several that fit into that category and its kind of nice hardware too... and if you are at XDA... then i dont think you will use stock firmware... go CM for good battery life...
S4 seems obvious. With a 2600mah battery plus the reduced power consumption of the new oled screen technology and octal cpu, then battery life should still be excellent.
Sent from the mighty Note II.
Pat. said:
Moving to a smaller phone is easier said than done & may be against the law : D
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My wife says bigger is better. (I hope she talks about the phone)
it does seem strange that you have a Note2 and yet are complaining about the things which to other people make it great. I make maybe one voice call every other day.
a Note mini would suit many people at 5" or smaller. some people are eager for the Note 8".
the best thing to do is to go to a phone shop and play with the device before buying, a review will only tell you so much.
personally, I find the Note2 at the limit of useable size for my hands, but I have slightly smaller hands than average for a european 6 foot male. I still wouldn't swap it for anything else, unless there was a keyboarded slider device of at least 5" display with 720p or better.
If the rumours are correct Samsung will release 5,8 and 6,3 inch devices soon (Grand). For me 5,5 to 5.8 inch is the limit atm.
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Kremata said:
My wife says bigger is better. (I hope she talks about the phone)
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Hope so for you, getting a bigger phone is easier than a bigger ........
tameracingdriver said:
Oh do forgive me for assuming there might be some normal human beings on xda, rather than a bunch of teenage "fanboys".
Some people find them too big, get over it.
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You don't say what would be a good size for you, you don't say why you chose the Note II and what you like and/or not like about it (dimensions aside) so your post seemed more of a trolling than a genuine question...
Anyway, if the only problem you have with the Note II is its size but you more or less like everything else the answer should be pretty obvious: get an S IV.
Too big? Get an S III.
Still too big? You are looking for a toy then, not for a smartphone.
BTW, I have the opposite problem: I find the Note II too small and am eagerly waiting for a bigger Note III.
I have owned an OG Note for 15 months and had been arguing that the Note II was a step in the wrong direction with its 16:9 aspect ratio and a NARROWER screen (80 pixel less are also noticeable). The Note II is way better than the Note in just about EVERYTHING (display quality included) BUT the screen dimensions!! 16:10 5.3" is superior, IMO, to 5.5" 16:9.
I held off upgrading for several months for this very reason but the 2 GB RAM finally did it for me and in the end I am happy to have upgraded but still disappointed by the display dimensions...
My ideal smartphone display dimensions are 6.3"/6.5", any bigger and I couldn't carry it where I usually carry my smartphones (jeans back pocket, fanny pack, jacket pocket). That's what separates smartphones from tablets, to me (like a label would matter anyway...).
I'd suggest the HTC One. Absolutely stunning looking phone.
Either the s4 or the HTC one. I was thinking about the HTC one but the battery size and screen size put me off. But I can easily deal with a 5 inch phone, but no smaller. That's for my taste though. Maybe the blackberry z10 If you're into trying new devices.
Sent from my GT-N7100 using Tapatalk 2
dr.m0x said:
S4 seems obvious. With a 2600mah battery plus the reduced power consumption of the new oled screen technology and octal cpu, then battery life should still be excellent.
Sent from the mighty Note II.
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Rumours says the S4 will get LCD instead of Amoled.
I would move to HTC One or S4 .. But moving to smaller devices after the N2 is hard for me
Could we bundle up reviews of this tablet in here?
Engadget - Samsung Galaxy Note Pro 12.2 review
Verge - Samsung Galaxy Note Pro review
Both are biased garbage in my mind.. Love how one praises the battery life, the other trashes it. I've been frequenting both sites for years and their Apple bias is overwhelming.
Engadget user reviews
Trusted Reviews - Samsung Galaxy Note Pro 12.2 review
i noticed this yesterday when i read engadgets review followed by another one on a nother site, and there are so many inconsistencies across the board, now i know our own opinions are subjective based on our view point, but when tech news companies get the basics wrong there is definitely something up. I did see a few people make this point on the engadget blog.
Lets not kid ourselves this device is not perfect but then rarely ever is a device perfect, but to diss the screen for having a tft panel andbad battery life and multitasking is laggy is just a blatant POS by engadget
I have read the Engadget review last night and I hate it when reviewers don't be fair BC its not an apple device . I have read many articles and watched many YouTube reviews about it and I could tell that 80% of them like the tablet. So its pretty trashy when a reviewer tries to go low about it.
Sent from my SGH-I777 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
I love Lisas reviews.. She has done a nice job again with Notepro. Check her review from youtube. (Lisa - mobiletech)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G1ROA9Svrkw
Sent from my Galaxy Note 10.1 (N8000).
Me too she is one of the best tech reviewers also Joshua from android authority is doing a great job
Sent from my SGH-I777 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
Really didn't understand engadget review; the battery life seemed like it was near the top of all tablets; but they call it pathetic ? They said they had no need for the pen but then why would they buy the device ? The other comments were valid I guess to a degree cept what they fail to mention is that if you want a screen larger than a 10 inch tablet why would you buy a 10 inch tablet ? The real competitor I think are the 13 inch ultra books and then it comes down to usage/need/weight/battery lfe/price. The better 13inch ultra books are around 1300 to 1700; they are slightly heavier and have similar battery life (8 to 11 hours) and much faster (the yoga 2 is less expensive but has significantly shorter battery life).
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I mention windows ultra book and not the mac airbook/mac pro mostly because they have touch screens (if you want a touch device).
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I'm giving this tablet a try because for my specific application/usage it is fast enough (but just barely); 1lb lighter (20 to 30% which sounds more impressive) has the magical 9+ hours of battery life and is $500-$700 less expensive. My second choice was between the macpro 13inch (kind of heavy); samsung ultra boox and asus 301 (they have like a dozen different ultra book I can't keep the models straight).
I'm torn between this and...well...I guess the opposite end of the spectrum, a Tegra Note 7. I do want a huge screen, but I don't care about resolution, I don't care about weight at all, and I love drawing. I don't need the multi-window stuff, don't need to multitask, necessarily. I've used Android in an office situation for about three years now so I know everything I want to do can be done with Android, but now I want to add in handwriting and drawing.
But all these reviews from all the "main" sites are putting me off of the Pro from lag and stutter. Watching videos I see the lag.
The reason this bothers me is because I got the Acer A700 after pre-ordering and it is nothing but lag..constantly..And I hate it for it. Wish I had waited for reviews on it, and all the reviews tell about how laggy the A700 was. Now I'm seeing a LOT of reviews talking about lag on the Note 12.2, and I'm concerned.
On the A700, lag is just inherent as it is an underpowered system. Even switching launchers, there is still lag.
I've not heard of anyone switching to NOVA or Apex launchers on the 12.2. Would that be the solution to the lag people are experiencing...Is the lag just with TouchWiz, or is it a system flaw?
I am using nova launcher, and the only place lag bothers me is with Chrome. Seems pretty jerky there at times. Any lag i see seems app specific and not system. I would be willing to take some video footage for you if you tell me what you would like to see.
Sent from my Galaxy Note Pro 12 using Tapatalk
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Can you go to a store and try it?
Sent from my Galaxy Note Pro 12 using Tapatalk
Yeah...I could go to the store and try one out, but I don't have cash at the ready. If I go in without having money I may do something stupid like put it on a credit card and accrue interest and have impulse buyer's remorse, etc. (It's all in my head). I'm buying a tablet with our tax return so I won't have fundage for another couple weeks.
A few things I'm wanting to see more of are reading apps like Mantano Reader, Comic Rack, ezPDF. I would also really like to see what the bundled office suite looks like. It's always talked about but never really seen. For me, this is basically a text consumption, document creation, and note taking app for work. Art programs, gaming, and streaming videos at home.
I came across a link to a video review in the note 10 forums for Hanscom: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bejig7vQPeE&feature=youtube_gdata_player
it's in Russian but supposedly gives you a good look at it at least
note taking capabilities seem wonderful. handwriting apps like papyrus or lecture notes. Apps like Ever note for typing. Replacement Keyboards like my script stylus beta that instantaneously convert handwriting to typed text . I absolutely adore this keyboard.
I don't use the other apps you mentioned, but could install them and look. probably not until later tonight after kid goes to bed. There is another thread here somewhere about comics on the note pro, Everyone seems to think they look great.
I don't do any heavy gaming - just stuff like mahjong, sudoku, word games. etc I haven't had any trouble with that. My husband however, who just got a note pro too, plays a lot more games. He has been very impressed so far. Games and emulators that our Nexus 10s had trouble with work much better on this tablet.
Here is a YouTube review of gaming on the Note Pro btw. This guy is not the best reviewer in the world, but it might help!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ri6NEL-FOs
I've yet to use any tablet that is 100% lag free. If you're sensitive to this or are simply looking for it, you'll see it somewhere. I just need it to be minor enough so it doesn't impact my usage of the device. Some of the first 1080p tablets were horrible about that.
But I'm finding this latest tablet from Samsung to be pretty darn good. Touch wiz has always had a history of lag. Not here, not with the magazine ux launcher. You can switch it if you want for personal preference, but it won't be due to lag.
Any lag you might see are maybe with the pull down menu or perhaps in certain apps. None of which are effected by the launcher. Sure, I wish everything was 100% smooth everywhere. But I've yet to find such a tablet. For now, this works just fine for my needs and wants. Even without root or modification.
Sent from my SM-P900 using Tapatalk
Thanks! The full written (err, really long) review that goes along with that video review is here: http://www.mobiletechreview.com/tablets/Samsung-Galaxy-Note-Pro-12-2.htm
I enjoy the Note product line and "get" the utility of the pen. That helps make for a better review. Sometimes sites use the wrong writer for a review... I'll be politic and saying nothing more.
cheers,
Lisa
enigma_x said:
I love Lisas reviews.. She has done a nice job again with Notepro. Check her review from youtube. (Lisa - mobiletech)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G1ROA9Svrkw
Sent from my Galaxy Note 10.1 (N8000).
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omegafiler said:
I've yet to use any tablet that is 100% lag free. If you're sensitive to this or are simply looking for it, you'll see it somewhere.
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So far, I've noticed most users aren't complaining of it, but most of the review sites do. This gives me hope that reviewers are being dramatic.
PRO
here is another great review from Lisa comparing the pro 12.2 to the 10.1 2014 edition
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pB4v9TdpDq8
One more, just to keep these all in one thread.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RyOgbNJb1qY
pdagal said:
Thanks! The full written (err, really long) review that goes along with that video review is here: http://www.mobiletechreview.com/tablets/Samsung-Galaxy-Note-Pro-12-2.htm
I enjoy the Note product line and "get" the utility of the pen. That helps make for a better review. Sometimes sites use the wrong writer for a review... I'll be politic and saying nothing more.
cheers,
Lisa
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Your review is one of the best I have seen for a device and will definitely be watching for new ones on other products. Im thinking about starting a review site geared towards the more technologically inclined. Unlike most reviewers I won't suck every apple device's collective nads.
Sent from my SCH-I605 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
Thanks Lisa
[QUOTE
I enjoy the Note product line and "get" the utility of the pen. That helps make for a better review. Sometimes sites use the wrong writer for a review... I'll be politic and saying nothing more.
cheers,
Lisa[/QUOTE]
Lisa thanks for your review of this tablet (well actually for all of your reviews). Your review convinced me to buy it. You and MKBHD are fair, thorough and unbiased. I always check out your reviews (if available) before buying new devices.
http://www.animationinsider.com/2014/03/review-samsung-galaxy-note-pro-12-2-by-harry-mclaughlin/
Here's a review of sorts that I did for the site animationinsider.com. It's geared specifically to animation artists, with a focus on apps that are good for professional quality artwork on the Note 12.2. The site shrank my images a little too much, and also messed up the formatting some. (I'm kind of a stickler about those things).