Samsung is launching Galaxy Note in November and describes it to be the optimum halfway between a tablet and Smartphone. At IFA 2011, Korean manufacturer shown off the Galaxy Note, a 5.3-inch HD super AMOLED phone that comes with a stylus called S pen. Jumbo display and included S pen stylus helps you jotting notes on the move, signing documents electronically and marking up screen shots. Let us see the detailed features of the perfect replacement of notepads.
What is it?
Galaxy note is for those who wish to have a mobile device with a large screen. This is not the end; the 5.3-inch gorgeous display has a resolution of 1280×800 pixels, once available only with full sized notebooks or Galaxy tab now goes comfortably into your back pocket. Then comes the S Pen that allows you make hand written and hand drawn content, working on note based and apps and gives you the freedom to use your native art.
Key features
First, let us talk about the main attraction of the phone, the display. Apart from being a Super AMOLED capacitive touch screen, it supports 16 million colors, has TouchWiz UI v4.0, gyroscope sensor, proximity sensor for auto turn-off, Multi-touch input method and accelerometer sensor for UI auto-rotate. Finally, Gorilla glass display completes the screen. The super display offers good power efficiency and delivers richer colors and brighter visuals then regular LCD displays. It has a high pixel density that clocks in at 285 pixels-per-inch (PPI) that makes everything on the screen clear like a crystal.
It features Android OS, v2.3 (Gingerbread), 1 GB RAM and Dual-core 1.4GHz ARM Cortex-A9 processor. Micro SD card of the phone slot comes with a 2GB card and supports up to 32 GB. It comes in two internal storage variant, 16 GB and 32 GB. The phone boasts an 8 MP rear camera with LED flash and 2 MP front camera. Both the cameras are fast as well as responsive and capture full 1080p HD stills and videos, with support of MPEG-4, H.263 and H.264 codecs. There are also 802.11a/b/g/n Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 3.0+ HS support.
There are some custom overlays to the Android OS of the phone or you can simply say unique additions that make a great deal of sense. One of them is the built-in “Memo” feature, use S pen to double tap on the screen and you will Memo, write anything on it and save it to phone’s storage. It is a great feature to note down anything very quickly from presentations and web pages. If you open a note over any app, you have to press outside of the note with S pen and it will go back to the program you are running. You can also open multiple tabs of Memos.
If you have used Samsung Galaxy S II, you will be familiar with the dimensions because the design is similar but larger, measuring 146.9 x 83 x 9.7 mm and weighing 178g. When you hold it, it feels like a slab but the phone is very slim with a thickness of 9.65 mm. After seeing the dimensions of the massive handset, I would recommend you to use Bluetooth headset to make calls instead of built-in earpiece or mic. Holding something large can be unpleasant for you or may be unsightly. Well, that was my suggestion, the choice is yours.
The top of the phone has a 3.5mm jack while the bottom has a charging port and hole for the stylus/S Pen.
What’s innovative?
The phone has one of the biggest screens with highest PPI (285), when compared with Samsung Galaxy S II (218) and Galaxy S (233).
Price and availability
Right now, Samsung has not announced the pricing or US availability. It will go on sale in Germany from 31st October and UK on 3rd November.
The up side
The responsive big screen is the first advantage; others are fast camera, high PPI, added apps and competent stylus. Dual core CPU gives you the freedom of speed without taking any breath.
The down side
Many apps of the phone are snappy and there is a bit of lag in web browser. Some of us will be uncomfortable to carry because of the big size.
Our experience
We think that the large screen, responsive camera and competent styles scores more over reduction in portability. Especially if we talk about the stylus, this perfect one comes only with Galaxy Note. Apart from that, we also liked all features of the phone.
The bottomline
Galaxy note is one of the devices that you will love or hate there is no middle way. Its big size can be the barrier for many users with small hands or small pockets. Overall, this is one of the world’s largest Smartphones with incredible high-resolution display, which is compact enough to fit into your pocket and capable enough to replace both of your portable devices.