Whether it’s keeping track of the family schedule, taking notes in Psych 101 or editing the company’s budget, Samsung Galaxy Note let’s you do it all with ease. With the 5.3-inch HD Super AMOLED display and integrated S Pen, this proficient multitasker has all the benefits of a tablet with the functionality of a smartphone. The Note’s unique S Pen makes it easy to capture ideas. It is a free flowing input experience deeply integrated with native applications. Use the S Pen for a fast and easy way to write emails and texts in free-form handwriting. You can copy and paste images as well as crop and write messages on pictures and video messages.
There once was a time, commonly referred to as the pre-iPad era, when people questioned if there really was a gap between laptops and smartphones for tablets to fill. The two established device categories seemed to have too many overlaps in functionality to permit a separate product type to exist between them. Today, that question has been answered emphatically by the wildly popular tablet market, but the challenge of trailblazing new form factors remains and has been taken up by Samsung with the 5.3-inch Galaxy Note. Too small to be considered a tablet and too large to be deemed a phone, this new Android device seeks to demonstrate the value of its unconventional size as well as its own credentials.
Samsung has built the Note atop its extremely successful Galaxy S II platform, though much as it did with the Galaxy Nexus, the company has added some significant upgrades. The Galaxy Note has a higher-resolution display, a much larger battery, and a new S Pen stylus, making it more potent and versatile than a simple oversized GSII handset. So it’s bigger, badder, and carries a small stick — does that make it Samsung’s next great mobile device?
Galaxy Note Overview
Physically, the Note holds no surprises. A rigid frame, finished in chrome, keeps it together, while a single glass pane covers almost the entire front. This all-glass approach for the front of the handset is growing increasingly popular among smartphone makers, and you can easily see why: it’s attractive and makes the device look more cohesive. There are no dedicated areas for buttons, display, and sensors, they all meld into one. On the unlocked version of the Galaxy Note, two capacitive Android keys frame the home button, which along with the earpiece grille is the only disturbance to the glass facade. There’s a nice bit of travel to the home key and it can be recognized by touch, so it’s a bit of a downer that AT&T enforced the usual four Android keys — all of them capacitive and under the glass pane — on the Galaxy Note LTE. (Of course, there may have been legal reasons for the change, as well.)
Aesthetically, those capacitive buttons are the only difference between the Galaxy Note's unlocked GSM model and the AT&T variant, along with an AT&T logo above the display that forces the Samsung logo down to the bottom. It lends the phone a slightly more crowded feel, and AT&T users are certainly missing out on the better of the button layouts.
5.3-inch High Definition Touchscreen
The 5.3-inch HD Super AMOLED Screen immerses you in the action like no device can. The high-definition screen has 1280 X 800 resolution to bring you breathtaking color and razor sharp detail for every type of entertainment. HD movies and TV Shows are available in a snap from Samsung's exclusive Media Hub HD. The videos you shoot in 1080p play back in 1080p on an HDTV with the optional HDTV Smart Adapter.
The Samsung Galaxy Note comes with the amazing S Pen to give you new ways to capture, create and share. Feel like drawing a doodle or writing a personal note in your own handwriting? Now you can. It's pressure sensitive, so it responds with various line thickness just like a real pen.
Samsung Approved for Enterprise
It’s a big deal to be Samsung Approved for Enterprise (SAFE). A device has to support the four pillars of SAFE, including Mobile Device Management (MDM), on-device encryption (ODE), Exchange ActiveSync for corporate email/calendar/contacts (EAS) and Virtual Private Networks (VPN).
With full support for Exchange ActiveSync v.14, you'll be able to sync and manage work email, contacts and calendars, and IT departments can employ EAS policies to help protect company data. VPN support allows users to connect with corporate resources when they’re out of the office. Polaris Office, a productivity suite that’s not available in Android Market, is pre-loaded on the Galaxy Note, so you can open, view and edit Microsoft Office and Google documents on the go.
Vital Statistics
The Samsung Galaxy Note weighs 6.28 ounces and measures 5.78 x 3.27 x 0.38 inches. Its 2500 mAh lithium-ion battery is rated at up to 10 hours of talk time, and up to 250 hours (10.4 days) of standby time. It runs on AT&T's 4G LTE and HSPA+ networks (850/1900 MHz; HSPA+/HSDPA/UMTS) plus international 2100 MHz 3G networks. It's also a quad-band GSM phone (850/900/1800/1900 MHz
Optional AT&T Services
AT&T Navigator: This premium GPS navigation application includes audible turn-by-turn directions, real-time traffic updates and re-routing options, and 3D moving maps (additional charges applicable). AT&T Navigator offers several other features to make your commute more enjoyable and reliable, including mobile access to Yellowpages.com. You'll be able to find the closes ATM, restaurant, gas station, Wi-Fi hotspot and more with over 10 million business listings.
AT&T FamilyMap: Locate any phone indoors or outdoors on the AT&T Network. FamilyMap provides peace of mind by being able to conveniently locate a family member from your wireless phone or PC and know that your family's information is secure and private. Want to verify that your child arrives home from school each day? Set up a Schedule Check to automatically get location information sent to you via text message or e-mail.
AT&T 4G LTE Network
AT&T's 4G LTE network allows for quicker access, smoother media streaming, and faster web experiences. LTE technology is capable of delivering mobile broadband speeds up to 10 times faster than 3G. Additionally, LTE technology offers a faster response time due to lower latency--the processing time it takes to move data through a network--vastly speeding download times for web pages as well as improving services such as mobile gaming and two-way video calling.
Camera features: auto focus, HD camcorder, HD playback, and TV-Out
And when combined with 4G HSPA+ technology, AT&T is capable of delivering a quicker, more consistent mobile broadband experience than ever before. AT&T has deployed HSPA+ to virtually 100 percent of its mobile broadband network, which enables 4G speeds when combined with enhanced backhaul (via Ethernet or fiber). Backhaul is one of the major pieces of a telecommunications network. Think of it as the limbs connecting AT&T's cell towers with AT&T's backbone network that provides access to the Internet.
Tech Talk
LTE = Long Term Evolution
Advanced wireless technology capable of increasing AT&T's already-fast network speeds. Now in select markets with deployment ongoing.
HSPA+ = High Speed Packet Access
Paired with enhanced backhaul--the accelerated pipeline between our network backbone and cell towers across the country--this technology boosts network performance.
Connectivity
Ultra-fast 4G connectivity via AT&T's LTE and HSPA+ networks. Where 4G isn't available, your phone will connect with AT&T's 3G network.
Wireless-N Wi-Fi networking (802.11b/g/n) for accessing home and corporate networks as well as hotspots while on the go.
AT&T Mobile Hotspot capable enabling you to connect multiple devices--from tablets to gaming devices--to the phone's 3G/4G cellular connection via Wi-Fi.
Next-generation Bluetooth 3.0 connectivity backward compatible with older Bluetooth-enabled peripherals and includes stereo audio streaming.
Onboard GPS for navigation (using pre-loaded Google Maps or optional AT&T Navigator) and location services.
Google Integration
Android 2.3.6 OS (Gingerbread)
Android Market for browsing and downloading thousands of free and paid apps.
Pre-loaded Android apps: Browser, Calculator, Calendar (Google or Corporate), Camera, Clock, Contacts, Email, Gallery, Messaging, Music, News & Weather, Phone, Settings, Video Player, Voice Dialer, Voice Search, YouTube.
Google applications: Gmail, Google Search, Google Voice Search, Google Latitude, Google Maps, Google Places, Google Talk.
Google Maps Navigation with spoken turn-by-turn directions showing real-time traffic and 360° views of the destination.
Communications & Internet
Full messaging capabilities including SMS text, MMS picture/video and IM instant messaging
Full HTML browser (Webkit 5) with Flash 10.1 Support
Personal and corporate e-mail access with support for Exchange ActiveSync as well as personal e-mail accounts (Google push, Yahoo!, POP3, IMAP).
Hardware
1.5 GHz dual-core processor speeds up everything--from playing games to watching shows to opening files from work.
5.3-inch HD Super AMOLED WXVGA multi-touch display (1280 X 800) pixels
HDMI port for video output to your HDTV or monitor (cable not included).
MicroUSB port
Sensors: accelerometer, 6-axis gyroscope.
Memory
16 GB internal memory
Memory expansion via microSD card slot with support for optional cards up to 32 GB.
1 GB of RAM
Camera
Rear-facing 8-megapixel auto-focus camera with LED flash, digital optical 4x zoom.
Full HD 1080p video capture
2-megapixel forward-facing camera for video chats and self portraits.
Multimedia
Music player compatible with MP3, WMA, AAC, and WAV
Video player compatible with MP4, M4V, AVI, WMV, and 3GP.
Samsung AllShare DLNA capabilities allow you to stream movies, music, and photos from your smartphone to a compatible HDTV.
More Features
3.5mm headphone jack
Hands-free speakerphone, voice recognition, voicemail, speech-to-text, text-to-speech, hearing aid compatible (HAC), airline mode.
Google Integration
Android Market for browsing and downloading thousands of free and paid apps
Pre-loaded Android apps: Browser, Calculator, Calendar (Google or Corporate), Camera, Clock, Contacts, Email, Gallery, Messaging, Music, News & Weather, Phone, Settings, Video Player, Voice Dialer, Voice Search, YouTube
Google applications: Gmail, Google Search, Google Voice Search, Google Latitude, Google Maps, Google Places, Google Talk
Google Maps Navigation with spoken turn-by-turn directions showing real-time traffic and 360° views of the destination
Android Gingerbread Operating System
The Android 2.3 operating system (dubbed Gingerbread) features a clean, more refined interface with new icons, improved top notification bar, and more intuitive navigation.
Multitasking in Gingerbread allows you the ability to run more than one app at a time. If you're playing a game, you can easily switch to an incoming e-mail and then switch back to the game without losing your place. And like the previous version of Android ("Froyo"), Gingerbread provides support for Adobe Flash Player 10.1 for access to the full Web.
The onscreen keyboard makes it easier to type thanks to additional spacing between the keys and larger font sizes. And the more you use the keyboard, the easier typing will be as the enhanced suggest feature records previous input history to make better suggestions.
The Samsung Galaxy Note also brings one-touch access to the popular Google mobile services you use every day. It also provides easy access to both personal and corporate e-mail, calendars, and contacts supported by Exchange Server and Gmail. And through Android Market, you'll get access to thousands of useful applications, widgets, and fun games to download and install on your phone, with many more apps being added every day.
Customer Reviews
By Vince Arter Jr. (St. Louis, MO, USA) - (REAL NAME)Samsung Galaxy Note 4G Android Phone Reviews
This review is from: Samsung Galaxy Note 4G Android Phone, Carbon Blue (AT&T) (Wireless Phone)
Mine came in Saturday the 18th so only one day later than promised. I'm OK with that. Spent the day playing around with it. I lead an enterprise mobility team and lab for a Fortune 500 company and have access to a lot of the bleeding edge technology coming from vendors these days (except Apple who doesn't share much).
I have to say this thing is excellent. It is big. It fits in one hand for me but being a musician I'm used to stretching my fingers and such so it was no biggie for me. I could see how someone with smaller hands might have trouble using it one handed. Even with my finger stretch I was worried about holding it just in one hand.
I live in an area where AT&T is just now rolling LTE and it isn't anywhere near me but I was getting close to 8Mb down and 1.5 Mb up yesterday in a few areas. The notification bar showed 4G but not 4GLTE so I'm assuming it is HSPA+. (???)
GPS is fantastic. Works like a charm. No problems with Wi-Fi at all and getting great speeds on it.
I really like the S Pen. So many have said "the stylus is dead". Well I have to say after using an iPad and iPad 2 with a capacitive pen and loving Penultimate to the point of no longer taking paper notes (until my work iPad bit the dust) I like taking notes electronically. I have tried every mainstream Android tablet out there in my lab or in stores with good pens and none are that great. Just not good. Until I tried the Lenovo ThinkPad Tablet. It has a "stylus" type pen (digitizer) and an app (Notes Mobile ... man I wish they would release for all Android devices not just Lenovo and iOS) that is just out of this world. it got me back to thinking that a stylus is the way to go for accurate note taking and ultimately got me thinking about the Samsung Note.
All that to be said I am fairly impressed. The S Pen is very accurate in its capture of my writing and drawing. It is fast and smooth with not "catches" or "snags" in the writing. Very well done hardware wise. Software wise I am NOT impressed. The handwriting recognition is so Palm. :-) It is only about 50% accurate with my handwriting when trying my best. The Notes Mobile with Lenovo was probably 90% accurate with my WORST handwriting and it converted LIVE on the page as I was writing. It was FANTASTIC. Bottom line on the S Pen ... great hardware ... not so great software.
The screen. Oooohhhhh the screen. I am in love. Yes ... the screen is simply AMAZING. The color is great, the viewing angles are good. I have a Kindle Touch for reading as I've never found another device as light, comfortable, yet big enough to read (as I am a prolific reader). I would have to say the Samsung Note is pushing the envelope. If battery life is good enough to get me through a six hour flight (in airplane mode) or several days of average use then I'm sold and might not need the Kindle. The text with the Kindle app (and in general) is sharp and very easy to read. Video is just astounding.
Performance wise the device is very good. I know there were concerns that the performance of the AT&T (US) Snapdragon 1.5 GHz CPU wouldn't hold up to the 1.4 GHz Exynos that was in the non-US devices. I can't compare the two but the benchmarks I've seen online do show that difference. All I can say is that this is my third Android (had iPhones and WinMobile before that) and it outperforms anything else and has handled all of the 3D games and such I throw at it so unless you are going to be doing massive 3D rendering on this thing (HA) I wouldn't worry about it.
Sound is good. Being a musician I like to take a lot of music with me and the sound has been more than sufficient so far. I haven't tried recording on it yet with my audio interface for Android but let's hope it is quiet. I do like the music app that is included better than others I've used on both Android and iOS. I have am not a fan of bloatware but so far the apps have been useful. I wasn't a fan of TouchWiz when I first saw it on other devices but as other reviewers have state with the extra screen real-estate I think this implementation is nice. I'm VERY much looking forward to ICS on this device if AT&T doesn't take a year to get it to us. I think the "phablet", "phoblet" or "phone tablet" (whatever you want to call it) implementation is nice and ICS would probably work well on this form factor.
Overall build quality is good. Even the plastic back feels OK compared say to the Infuse. I've ordered an oleophobic screen protector that has good reviews with the S Pen and a "case" that goes over the back to protect it but that's it for now until I get used to it. Just want to protect it at this point. The buttons for volume and power / sleep feel nice and solid and comparable to other devices I've had and tested in my lab.
So overall it seems to be a fantastic device. This will be my main device now so we'll see how she holds up under heavy use and handling. Very pleased with this purchase so far. S Pen software could have been better implemented and in a more modern way but it will suffice for now. Also hoping Notes Mobile might make it on the device ... grin. Nice job Samsung.