Ryan’s Samsung Galaxy Note Hands-on Review [video]
So I teased you a little while ago with my initial impressions of the device. But, here’s my full review
Stats:
- 5.3″ HD AMOLED display (1280×800)
- S-Pen
- 8MP Camera / 2MP front facing [some comparison shots at the bottom of the article]
- Snapdragon processor 1.5GHz dual core processor
- 1GB RAM
- 16GB Storage (11 usable)
- OS: 2.3.6
- NFC
Likes |
Dislikes |
SIZE (seriously, no potty jokes please)I’ve mentioned previously how you are shocked at first how big it is, but in minutes you get used to it and feel gipped over how small other phones will feel. It fits that nice ‘in between’ range people want.* Still have some issue with using it one handed (watch the video) STYLUSAs a Palm user, love that it has this incorporated! Pretty fluid for drawing; however, you do have to press a fair bit. Some cool features, but definitely more NOVELTY rather than UTILITY. SOFTWAREPolaris is FREE, and you get the Angry Birds Space level… and a slew of some new apps when they release ICS. DATA SPEEDNow, caveat here, they sent me a BELL device, and they’re rumoured to have some fancy new towers in the area, which aren’t being really used by any local folk here yet… and I’m comparing it to Tbaytel. So it’s not apples:apples. But it blew away my Nexus. [see photos below] |
TOUCHWIZeven though I know it will get ICS (very soon), it has that feel that it’s not really the true experience. The device is snappy, especially in apps, but the UI feels sluggish. STYLUSWhy can’t I touch the buttons with it? SD CARD…is BLOCKED BY THE BATTERY. Makes for a pain if I ever would want to switch it out. GINGERBREADIf you’ve ever used ICS, you’ll understand. TEXTING SCREENSHOTSAs I say in the video, the Note has a problem texting a PNG file, which the screenshot app saves them as. That’s supposed to be it’s big primary function, and it fails. Hopefully the new firmware will fix this.
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*New Study Suggests Consumers Want a Larger Display on Their Mobile Devices
Other neat things?
- Battery Life …neither a like nor dislike. I don’t have a complaint, which is a major plus for any phone out there these days.
- It has a neat double touch feature throughout like double touch and tilt for zooming on the browser. Again, not ‘needed’, but definitely a neat novelty.
- NFC – I can’t really put this in either the LIKE/DISLIKE category, as I’m just trying to understand it myself. It wasn’t until during the hangout that I held before writing this that I accidentally stumbled on how it kinda works. It’s pretty finicky as I have to ensure phones are ‘just right’ (whether that a ‘nexus’ issue or a ‘note’ issue I couldn’t figure out). But I was able to send over a contact and share apps from my Nexus to the Note (couldn’t do the reverse, unless I set up a tag for a contact on the Note then the Nexus would read it).
Final Verdict
I’m sticking with my Nexus. True ICS has spoiled me so that anything but is a let down.
Now, if you’re upgrading your current non-Nexus phone… I’d suggest this in a heart beat. Pretty neat. And it will give you a LOT of geek cred. Much like the early netbooks did with the public.
But, I find it’s a lot of novelty, little utility. (plenty of sizzle, not an equivalent amount of steak). Still fantastic phone tho’, and I can’t wait to really see what the developers do with device for S-PEN options. I’ll also scrape my pennies together for the Note 2!!
Speedtest.net Results
Note on Bell
Nexus on Tbaytel