Samsung is back with the sequel to the original Galaxy Note which landed here in the US earlier this year. Once an exclusive device only to AT&T, it is now on every carrier’s roster for its subscribers to enjoy. I already reviewed the original and have returned with the Galaxy Note II for your viewing pleasure. The Note II is now even bigger, faster, & better with even more features embedded within its arsenal. After handling it at the Note II launch event, I spent more time with it as a daily driver of devices.
The Android behemoth is armed to the teeth with everything except the kitchen sink. Starting with the 5.5inch HD Super AMOLED display w/ 1280 x 720 resolution + 276 ppi and no Pentile arrangement. And bigger screen means a bigger onscreen keyboard for more accurate typing. At first glance, I was concerned as images on the homescreen didn’t appear as sharp as expected. But when watching YouTube videos & movies on Netflix, I let out a sigh of relief as everything looked crisp & clear. The display is superb for everyday usage & viewing pleasures. Samsung rarely disappoints in this department.
Samsung’s custom-built, Exynos 1.6GHz quad-core processor keeps the Note II in the passing lane on the highway of tasks/processes. With 2GB of RAM sitting in the passenger-side makes the Note II the most effective Android I have tested thus far. The Note sequel makes use of AT&T’s LTE network with speedy results. No hiccups/stuttering within my time of testing. With the Note II, you have a piece of Android excellence provided by Samsung. What more can you ask for?
Underneath the Note II’s back cover lies a massive 3100 mAh battery. Though bigger than the previous model, it didn’t give me a massive amount of juice. Average usage of heavy Twitter activity, email, heavy YouTube streaming, and Google Music gave me around 8 hours. Average usage got me a little over 13 hours of juice. After using Motorola’s RAZR HD, it doesn’t last as long as I hoped but the battery will easily last you throughout the day unless you are a data monger who keeps the display lit.
Samsung used the same cameras within the Galaxy S III for the Note II which isn’t a bad thing at all. You got a 1.9MP shooter on the front that’s capable of recording video in 720p HD and a 8MP w/ backside-illuminated sensor that can record video in 1080p HD video. Samsung gives its users access to control the white balance, ISOs, and exposure along with software features like panorama, share shot, scene modes, etc. The Note II’s rear-camera produces clear & crisp images with accurate color reproduction. The shooters work great in low-light that is on par with the iPhone 4S and besting the optics on the new RAZRs.
 |
| Great shooter as it uses the same optics as the GSIII |
Samsung made sure to beef up the S-Pen to do even more than the previous iteration. Still powered by Wacom, the new S-Pen is now a little thicker and offering up to 1,024 levels of pressure points for more of an accurate stylus use. In other words, you can write thinner lines when applying light pressure & thicker lines when adding more pressure. This makes it easier to draw, do screen shots, crop web images, and even compose handwritten text messages.
Samsung accompanied the S-Pen with some great new software features for everyday consumers to use. You have a new feature called AirView, where you can use the stylus to preview content by hovering it over it. You can preview lengthy emails, preview thumbnails on a video, and calendar appointments to name a few. Next up we have Quick Command, where you can create custom macro commands to open apps by drawing a gesture. You activate it by clicking the button on the S-Pen and swiping like Google Now on stock Android 4.1, for example I have it set to open Google Search when I draw a G. And viola! Its open. Although there is still a lack of S-Pen apps within the Play Store, software enhancements on the native side makes this device more usable to the average user.
The Note II is also the first (non-Nexus) Android smartphone to ship Android 4.1 Jelly Bean along with the latest TouchWiz UX. So Pop-Up Play is still there as you now have Pop-Up Browser to do even more multitasking. Consumers can now enjoy expandable notifications, improved overall OS performance courtesy of Project Butter, and of course Google Now. Google Now using cellular radios worked great as I got automatic alerts of a high wind advisory based on my location for Hurricane Sandy. I think everyone will become a fan of Google Now and all that Jelly Bean has to offer.
Samsung easily improved on the original Galaxy Note which we loved. The only reason it didn’t earn a perfect score is that some consumers may be turned off by its size. Offering a great software, camera, and battery life w/ Android 4.1. They took the hardware/software from the Galaxy S III, the S-Pen enhancements from the Galaxy Note 10.1, and threw in a quad-core chip & Android 4.1 Jelly Bean to produce their greatest Android smartphone to date. Mind you, it is a big phone but a powerful one as well. There’s still the HTC One X+ and the DROID DNA coming before year’s end but at the moment, Samsung has the best. Although I would love to see Samsung beef up the hardware for next year’s devices to have a complete trifecta on their Android handsets.
Priced at $299.99 on contract, the Note II is a stellar device in both software & hardware.
If you were waiting for your contract to end to pick up a GSIII, do yourself a favor and buy this! Consider the extra $$$ spent going to a bigger battery & bigger display. You’ll be glad you did.
