Review: Samsung GALAXY Note 2

Thanks to Nuffnang, I got the chance to review the newly launched Samsung GALAXY Note 2 for two weeks! :D

Key Features:-

5.5" HD Super AMOLED screen

1.6GHz quad-core processor

3100mAh battery

Android™ v4.1.1 Jelly Bean

Primary Camera (back) 8.0 MP

1080p HD video-recording (30fps)

Secondary Camera (front) 1.9 MP

VGA-quality recording

Additional Features Single LED flash

Auto-focus & touch focus

Face and smile detection

Image stabilisation

Geo-tagging

BSI sensor (for better low-light captures)

So let's jump right in to the review :)

The review set that I got was the titanium grey one (they have another colour, which is white), and the colour looks really solid. le bb got the white one previously to review, and comparing both, I would say that I prefer the grey one hands down. Too bad they didn't have any in blue. Blue looks good too :)

What I like about the Note II is the Pull Put Menu (it's that little curved thing on the left side). It gives me an easy one-touch access to my favourite applications, without having to go out to the home page all the time. I can just slide out the menu, and click whichever application I choose.

In terms of processing speed, the Note 2 is F-A-S-T. Compared to my S3, that is. The NoteII has a 2Gb RAM, and it performs way faster than my S3 (which has only 1Gb RAM). The downloads are faster, and the applications open faster. I could definitely feel the difference between these two devices.

Another thing to note is the S Pen. The Note II can detect when the S Pen is detached, and the whole phone will auto correct itself to make it S Pen enabled, and there are a whole lot more functions you can use with the S Pen. For one, there's a crop button on the S Pen to crop out any image whether its from the gallery or website. The hover function is also a plus point, because I can just hover over any file, and I can have a quick glance to what pictures are in the folder itself.

I would like to congratulate Samsung for thinking of the SBeam feature :) Because of this feature, I can easily beam pictures from my S3 to the Note II, and vice versa. Previously, when le bb was using his Note II, I could also easily steal pics and music from his Note II without the waiting time. But the only downside is that this feature is Samsung exclusive, so only later generations of Samsung smartphones have this feature, meaning I can only beam to devices released by Samsung after the S3.

Lastly, the one-handed operation. Because the Note 2 has 5.5" screen, it's quite hard to people like me (with small hands) to use it while driving, cos I'll need to use both hands (not that I always drive and text). But with the one-handed operation, I could easily respond to urgent texts and emails while on the road (or anywhere where I am only able to use one hand). And I don't even have to worry about which hand I use, cos I can easily switch the operation to use either the right, or left hand, so I can switch sides on which hand needs to type

All in all, if I were given the chance (and if I don't already have the S3), I would definitely get the Note 2, mostly due to its fast processor, and ease of connectivity. The quick shortcuts also enable me to get to any application quickly and efficiently, and the size of the Note is not too big that makes me uncomfortable with it.

For more info about Samsung mobile devices, go to http://www.samsung.com/my/consumer/mobile-devices/smartphone/