Users can easily be forgiven for looking at Samsung's Galaxy Note smartphones and thinking it's a tablet. In fact, the Android 2.3.6 Gingerbread handset is being categorized as a "phablet," owing to its 5.3-inch display and accompanying digital pen (stylus) for note taking. At eWEEK, we’re not particularly enamored of the phablet concept, especially after the tarnish the Dell Streak left on the category name. However, we will absolutely attest that the Galaxy Note is the best of them yet. While we came across several phablets from various vendors at the 2012 Consumer Electronics Show, the Galaxy Note gets the prize. This high-end smartphone pairs a speedy 1.5GHz dual-core processor with AT&T's 4G LTE (Long-Term Evolution) network. To give folks who may not have the opportunity to go into an AT&T retail store and heft one of these Notes, we show the handset alongside Samsung’s Galaxy Nexus handset, which boasts of a 4.65-inch high-definition Super AMOLED (active-matrix organic LED) screen, and also stretches the phone form factor to the outer limits of comfort for some people. Here, we pick apart the Note, which goes on sale Feb. 19 for $299.99 with a contract from AT&T.
of
Note
At left, the Note lays next to the smaller, but not small, Samsung Galaxy Nexus, the first Android 4.0, or Ice Cream Sandwich, handset.
Camera
The camera is a rich, lag-less 8-megapixel delight, paired with a 2-megapixel front shutter for video chats. The black back is soft, yet textured for a better grip. That's a big deal for a bigger-than-usual phone. The Note weighs 6.3 ounces, which is light for a tablet but bulky for a phone at a time when most handsets weigh around 5 ounces or less.
Side
At 0.38 inches through the middle, the Note was pleasantly thin. It's also 5.8-inches long and more than 3.2-inches wide, which means only large hands will fit around the phone.
Powering Up
The display, as you can see here, is a gorgeous HD Super AMOLED screen with a 1,280 by 800 pixel resolution. We show the phone again next to the Galaxy Nexus, also of HD Super AMOLED quality, for perspective on display size. It's less than an inch bigger, but it looks and feels bigger than that, we believe.
Keyboard
A nice, roomy keyboard enables easy typing. This allows for fewer mistakes than one usually encounters with smaller phones.
Facebook
Facebook for Android looks and works great on the Note, too.
Navigation, Anyone?
One of the Note's 7 customizable home screens is dedicate to location, including Google Maps and Maps Navigation and Google Latitude.
Qik Lite
Samsung included Qik Lite to enable easy, fast video calls with the Note and its 2-megapixel front camera.
Apps
Between the 4G LTE power and the 1.5GHz dual-core chip, apps downloaded and installed at a rapid clip—in 4 to 8 seconds flat.
S Pen
The Note's S Pen looks and feels more like a real pen than anything HTC or Motorola has built to date.
Memo
The phone has an S Memo app that lets users "capture" pictures, voice recordings, typed text, handwritten notes and convert it all into a memo for sharing on Facebook and other social sites. You can also use this pen to launch apps.
Note Taking
What's also cool is you needn't tap the S Memo app icon to start taking notes. Just double tap on any home screen and hold down the S Pen button to bring up a mini version of the S Memo. Scribble, draw or write away!
Settings
You can also adjust the writing implement type from pen to pencil or marker or brush, and dictate thickness of the digital ink.
Crayon
A drawing game app called Crayon Physics Deluxe lets users have fun with the S Pen on the Note.
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Users can easily be forgiven for looking at Samsung's Galaxy Note smartphones and thinking it's a tablet. In fact, the Android 2.3.6 Gingerbread handset is being categorized as a "phablet," owing to its 5.3-inch display and accompanying digital pen (stylus) for note taking. At eWEEK, we’re not particularly enamored of the phablet concept, especially after the tarnish the Dell Streak left on the category name. However, we will absolutely attest that the Galaxy Note is the best of them yet. While we came across several phablets from various vendors at the 2012 Consumer Electronics Show, the Galaxy Note gets the prize. This high-end smartphone pairs a speedy 1.5GHz dual-core processor with AT&T's 4G LTE (Long-Term Evolution) network. To give folks who may not have the opportunity to go into an AT&T retail store and heft one of these Notes, we show the handset alongside Samsung’s Galaxy Nexus handset, which boasts of a 4.65-inch high-definition Super AMOLED (active-matrix organic LED) screen, and also stretches the phone form factor to the outer limits of comfort for some people. Here, we pick apart the Note, which goes on sale Feb. 19 for $299.99 with a contract from AT&T.