In virtually every way, the Samsung Galaxy Note 2 is like the Samsung Galaxy S3. It makes use of precisely the same front face, button and rear styling. So what is diversity? How in regards to the addition of a stylus, some software package… and oh yes, the a lot larger size.
A handset handful
Possessing discovered the 4.8-inch Samsung Galaxy S 3 as well huge. I expected to find the 5.5-inch Samsung Galaxy Note 2 annoyingly massive. But apparently, this is my display fans phone/tablet – it’s just proper.
How could that possibly be? It all comes down to how I use a telephone. See, I am one of those men and women who either have my telephone in my hand, or my trusty messenger bag. In my hand, the Galaxy S3 sits uncomfortably, and I can’t grip it securely, but the Note 2 tucks itself into my palm such that my knuckle creases precisely lock it into my hand. It really is comfy and secure.
Obtaining mentioned that it is a lot more comfortable to carry, however, there is a glaring exception: when thumb-typing one-handed, I had to position factors meticulously to make certain there was no danger of dropping the telephone. But this is excellent as a hold-in-one-hand-type-with-the-other gadget, and utilizing that setup it is as safe as may be.
The likelihood that anybody could hold the Note 2 comfortably in jeans or trouser pockets is slim, but in a man’s trouser pocket, or inside a jacket pocket or handbag, it causes zero difficulty whatsoever though it really is a hefty 183 grams. That weight, although, also means that the Note 2 features a heft and thickness that really feel robust.
Screen gem
1 other aspect I saw even though carrying the Note 2 around was that the screen is brighter than the Galaxy S3 in daylight. Given that this can be one of the S3′s weak factors, I appreciated the added oomph. In addition, it makes it nearly alarmingly bright in case you use it at night.
The screen could be larger, but it’s not any higher resolution: each the S3 as well as the Note 2 use 720 x 1280 pixels. On the S3, this offers an overall pixels per inch around 306, which can be nice and sharp. The 5.5-inch screen drops the pixels per inch on the Note 2 to a less outstanding 267. It really is nevertheless sharp, but noticeably less so once the two handsets are held side-by-side. This really only tends to make a distinction when taking a look at photos, even so. For text, to notice the distinction in sharpness you’ve got to acquire close adequate for the screen that your eyes commence to water. I never recommend that.
The screen does not fingerprint ready, but it does attract a few smudges time.
Keyboard
In day to day usage, the additional screen real estate meant bigger text, larger keyboard and a lot of space between in-app buttons. There’s small opportunity of fat-finger syndrome, and I located typing on the keyboard comfy for two-thumb typing. With one thumb, items were a little of a stretch, but it was far from unusable.
One great touch would be the addition of a row of numbers above the standard keyboard. It really is extremely convenient to have them when typing in e-mail addresses, passwords as well as the like. Additionally, though the Note 2 lacks the neat little set of emoticons that the S3 has, it has a further handwriting option on the keyboard. You’ll be able to use the stylus or your fingers to enter text which will then be recognised as normal characters. The recognition is strong, also, but it is not one thing I would contemplate making use of unless I constantly had the stylus in hand.
Classy Camera
The camera in the Note 2 seems identical to that on the Samsung Galaxy S3. Each has an 8MP sensor and LED flash. A single addition to the camera’s ability set would be the ability to take burst shots by holding down the camera button. The camera takes up to 20 shots, however the resulting photos had been disappointing.
In nevertheless photos, colour was vivid and precise, with sturdy reds and healthy greens. In low light, the final results were a smidge noisier, but outstanding to get a telephone camera. Movies were slightly grainy, but acceptable in good quality with no glitches. The touch-to-focus allowed us to pinpoint spots in the course of shooting, if with distracting blurring although it figured out the new focal spot.
Specifications and functionality
As for the Galaxy S3, the Note 2 uses Samsung’s Exynos quad-core processor. Within the Note, it’s a 1.6GHz models, in comparison with the 1.4GHz found within the S3. The two each use the same graphics engine. There’s 2GB RAM and our critique model had 16GB store, although furthermore, it supports a microSD card as much as 64GB in the event you require additional capacity. The Note 2 comes with Android 4.1.1 Jellybean.
The powerful processor is really an advantage for such a big screen, and also the phone in no way felt sluggish. Transitions amongst home screens were smooth, app loading was quick, and in the AnTuTu benchmark, the Note 2 got an impressive 18,246 score, thanks its further energy along with the plentiful RAM. Playing games were pleasurable and with no lag or hiccups. The telephone got warm, but normally or troublingly so.
You may count on that with such a big display plus a powerful processor, battery life would be terrible, but I discovered the Note 2 to possess exceptional battery life. Samsung says the removable 3100mAh Battery supports up to 16 hours of speaking time on 3G, and I completely think it. I charged it on a Friday afternoon, left the charger at work, and was amazed that it lasted each of the ways via Monday morning, regardless of updating mail, Twitter and Facebook by way of the weekend.
Get in touch with quality was strong, with signal strength superior to that in the S3 – my flat features a variety of dead spots. But no calls dropped even though I was employing the Note 2 – anything I can not say concerning the S3.
The telephone supports fast worldwide web speeds up to 42MBit/s, though that speed will mostly only be useful to those in central Auckland who have access to Vodafone’s more rapidly cells. Wi-Fi was snappy and easy to set up.
Stylus and software
One of many troubles we had with all the original Galaxy Note was the lengthy delay between touching the stylus for the screen and any response from the software. It’s pleasing, then, that the Note 2 has significantly reduced delay. It really is nonetheless noticeable, but it really is certainly not annoying. Most of the time, we drew a circle and had only just taken the stylus of the telephone when the drawing on screen completed.
When you get rid of the stylus from its dock within the telephone, Samsung’s S-Pen software automatically launches, giving you the ability to swiftly pen handwritten notes or jot down a sketch. The software program contains capabilities to get a recipe jotting, meeting note, blank notebook, magazine style web page or a diary entry. If you are already in an app, nevertheless, the pen capability is enabled, rather than the app suite launching, to ensure that it is possible to carry on with what ever you had been performing using a pen rather of fingers. It is seamless and a lot enhanced from its initial execution.
1 factor for which I haven’t but complimented the Galaxy Note 2 is its amazing ease of setup. I currently have a Gmail account and numerous apps, but all I needed to do on the Note 2 was to enter my Gmail address, and every little thing else was imported (inside the case of Apps, after I had Wi-Fi access). For many apps, I was capable to just pick up and go without having any additional fiddling, which was a measurably more pain-free encounter than the switch I produced from iPad two to iPad Retina only the day prior.
This simplicity comes courtesy of Jellybean, a version of Android which can be one of the most simple to use but. I can only hope other phones get the upgrade with serious haste.
Conclusion
It really is undoubtedly too large for many men and women, but if you’re immediately after something which can comfortably take notes in a lecture, at a pinch, or jot down your thoughts it is convenient stylus, the Note 2 is basically outstanding. I would happily switch from my Galaxy S3 just for the comfy grip, Android Jellybean 4.1.1, and brighter screen — even when I in no way utilised the stylus. It really is a niche item, but if five million sales in two months are something to go by, it has a quite large niche.I think Samsung Galaxy Note 2 is the best new Android phone.
