The Samsung Galaxy Note is coming. Are you ready for its massive 5.5-inch screen? Well, if Internet talk is to be believed, Samsung will reveal the tabletphone on August 29th at a Berlin event.
Samsung just posted this teaser video and it shows the Note 2 with a film director, cleverly pulling at aspiring artists. You see, just like with the first Note, Samsung is aiming the Note 2 at makers. The Note 2′s stylus and included art apps are perfect for sketching while on the go, says Sammy. Forget the Moleskine notebook and jump into the world of digital creation.
So far, not much is known about the successor to the original Note. An image claiming to be the Note II hit the web last week, which shows a device with the same styling cues found on the new Galaxy S III. Samsung’s quad-core Exynos SoC will likely power the device and its large 5.5-inch screen.
If reports are correct, then we should see the Samsung Galaxy Note II make an appearance at Samsung’s pre-IFA event on August 29th in Berlin. The company has posted a new video to its YouTube channel giving us a taste of what to expect on the fast-approaching date, and while there isn’t a clear shot of any new device in the teaser, there are a few out-of-focus glimpses of what you can look forward to.
The message of the video seems to be on target with the company’s general mantra, highlighting creativity and art while teasing a few shots of the S-Pen for the successor to the Galaxy Note. Samsung has even roped in filmmaker Wim Wenders to look pensively into the sky, spread his arms, and declare how so much can be achieved using a “small and light thing” in “the blink of an eye.”
The very brief tease of the device itself doesn’t yield any shocking revelations. There will be a slot for the S-Pen on the device, just like the current Note, and it looks like Samsung is once again planning to offer the device primarily in white, just like the Galaxy S III and Galaxy Note 10.1. The silver trim around the edge of the device looks to have made a return, and the chassis might even be a tad curvier, but it’s not entirely clear from the video.
Reports have suggested that the Galaxy Note II will feature a quad-core Exynos processor clocked at 1.6Ghz to go along with the 5.5-inch Super AMOLED HD screen. Leaked benchmarks have suggested that the device will have a 1280×720 resolution, marking a shift to 16:9 and away from the 16:10 used on the current Note. The Note II is also expected to have 2GB of RAM, an eight megapixel camera, and a refined design that will fall in line with the Galaxy S III.
It’s nearly time for the next Samsung Unpacked event at IFA 2012 in Berlin, and another image has been leaked showing what they plan on revealing: the Galaxy Note 2. Rather legitimate looking images of the device have been shown today by Daniel UY, a self-proclaimed Samsung addict and rather talented mock-up artist. While it does appear that a real photo of the device has been “leaked” (per our post earlier today), we’ve now got confirmation from the original artist himself that his own talents have been spread without his consent.
That said, the device is not whipped up out of thin air. Chances are that Samsung will indeed be making a device that’s not far from the styling you’re seeing above and below. With Samsung bringing on a collection of like-minded devices in the Samsung Galaxy S III and the Galaxy Note 10.1 (see our full review here), there’s almost no way on earth that a new Galaxy Note 2 wouldn’t have a lovely silver border and white as one color option.
What you’re seeing here is a Samsung Galaxy Note 2, a device which takes on the fabulousness of the first Note device revealed one year ago at the same event we’ll be attending this year in Germany. IFA 2012 will be host to a device, we expect, called the Galaxy Note 2 with a 5.5-inch display, S-Pen technology, and connections to the rest of the new Samsung Galaxy lineup.
The only difference between this and the real final device we expect might be integrated is a front-facing speaker or two like we saw on the Galaxy Player 4.2 – a nice media player in its own right. Samsung! Bring on the forward-facing fury and let the differentiation continue!
Just the other day we saw a front panel leak for the Samsung Galaxy Note II, backing up reports of a shift to a 16:9 ratio and an increase in screen size to 5.5-inches. KnowYourMobile has been sent a picture by a tipster that might just be the Galaxy Note II, bearing striking similarities to the leaked front panel. The screen does indeed look to have seen a size increase, and the bezel of the phone has been substantially reduced too.
The image largely matches up with the front panel that we saw a few days ago, with the physical home button bearing the same shape and size. The bezel, however, looks to be thinner on the assembled device – maybe a little too thin when compared to the leaked front panel. The sensors are also located in different places: in the front panel picture, they’re positioned slightly above the earpiece, whereas in this finalized product they’re placed further down down and to the right of the grill.
That matches up with previous Samsung products, however. Compare the sensor placement to what’s found on the Galaxy S III, and you’ll see the similarities. The front panel could possibly be an early part for the Note II, with Samsung having shifting sensors around and slimming down the bezel in the meantime. The overall design mimics the Galaxy S III as well, adding some subtle curves along with a white and silver trim. This could be what we officially see at the end of the month, or a very well done fake.
Previous reports have indicated that the Note II will feature a 5.5-inch Super AMOLED 1280×720 display, marking a shift away from the 16:10 ratio and 1280×800 resolution used on the original Note. Specs for the handset are said to include a quad-core Exynos processor clocked at 1.6Ghz along with 2GB of RAM, plus an eight megapixel camera. The phone will reportedly run Ice Cream Sandwich out of the box, but rumors have suggested that that Samsung has been testing Jelly Bean on the device for a possible retail launch. Samsung is expected to announce the Note II on August 29th at a pre-IFA event in Berlin.
There are those out there who love the Galaxy Note and those who hate it, but Samsung has managed to shift an impressive number of Notes despite the air of confusion surrounding the device. The large smartphone – or small tablet, depending on how you look at it – had been snapped up five million times in March, with Samsung reaching seven million sales in June. At yesterday’s Galaxy Note 10.1 event, the company revealed that it had sold a total of 10 million units over the course of nine months.
Samsung took somewhat of a gamble when it launched the 5.5-inch behemoth, with reviewers not taking kindly to it, complaining that the device was too big to be used practically as a smartphone yet too small to be used effectively as a tablet. Still, it looks like there’s a big market out there for such a device if Samsung has managed to sell 10 million units in nine months. The device seems to be particularly popular in Europe and Asia.
The South Korean company isn’t the only OEM trying their hand at larger than average smartphones either. LG debuted its Optimus Vu back in March, a 5-inch device with a 4:3 form factor aimed at the same market as the Note. LG hasn’t done quite so well, however, recently revealing that the company has sold 500,000 units in South Korea since launch. The Vu is set to be released on Verizon’s network by the end of the third quarter.
Rumors suggest that HTC is working on its own 5-inch device with a 1080p screen, with the display possibly manufactured by LG. Little is known at this point about the device, but it may feature one of Qualcomm’s Snapdragon S4 Pro processors. Samsung isn’t standing still either, with the company expected to announce the Galaxy Note II at an event just before IFA 2012 on August 29th. Current reports suggest the device will feature a slightly larger screen at 5.5-inches, with a shift in aspect ratio to 16:9 and slight drop in resolution to 1280×720. The handset will also reportedly include a quad-core Exynos processor and eight megapixel camera.
Hidden among the higher-profile items at Samsung’s Galaxy Note 10.1launch today was a device that at first seemed familiar, but turned out to be far more than your everyday S Pen. That’s right, Samsung’s already capable stylus just got a major boost — meet the BT S Pen. The device, which received no formal introduction during its host device’s launch event, first appeared in the “press kit” bag that attendees received on the way out the door. It’s similar in size and shape to the company’s Galaxy S Pen Holder Kit, which serves as a sleeve for the standard-issue Note S Pen, but Bluetooth functionality, along with a microphone and tiny speaker, enable the lightweight plastic contraption to double as a wireless headset — sure to come in handy with the SIM slot-equipped international Note 10.1 flavor.
We caught our first hint of the pen’s functionality upon discovering a bundled AC adapter — that seemed mighty odd. The box also included an unusually beefy user manual and no fewer than five replacement “nibs” (read: stylus tips). Pairing took but a few seconds, and then we were on our way answering calls with a single tap of the talk button. There’s also a built-in vibration mechanism, which serves to alert you to incoming calls. Sound quality was solid, but speaking into a pen admittedly felt a bit odd — you may not draw as many stares as you would if speaking directly into a 10.1, but the seemingly unusual action may still turn a few heads. Otherwise, the S pen functioned as expected.
The packaging is all we have to go off of at this point — Samsung reps we spoke to didn’t know to expect the device today, so there’s no pricing or availability info to share. We do know that it’s rated for three hours of talk time and 130 hours of standby, it weighs 21 grams, offers Bluetooth 3.0 compatibility and will work with Galaxy Note devices — you could use it as a headset with other gadgets, though there wouldn’t be much appeal. It also includes a micro-USB charging cable, with the port accessible just above the shirt clip. That’s all she wrote for now — apparently this accessory was available exclusively at today’s event, and may not make its way to the US, if it’s released at all. You can see it in action now though, in our hands-on video after the break.
We knew it was coming, but this afternoon Samsung has formally unveiled their second generation Note device, the Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 tablet. This will be their new flagship tablet, and takes a few hints from the extremely popular Galaxy S III and original 5.3-inch Galaxy Note and blend them into one neat product. Start your journey by checking out our Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 full review or by having a peek at some pointed specs right here in the post you’re already in!
Earlier this month Samsung reintroduced their Note 10.1 tablet after a few delays and hardware improvements. We got our first look during Mobile World Congress of the tablet, but Samsung later opted to hold off while they beefed it up with their own Exynos quad-core processor running at 1.4 GHz, 2GB of RAM, and offering it in 16GB-64GB storage options.
We’ve seen countless leaks, and Samsung’s already released a few commercials showing the true business, creativity, and multitasking functions of this tablet — so this is all nothing new. Today however during their live event showing off the new slate, they’ve announced the Galaxy Note 10.1 will be available in 16, 32, and 64GB flavors, as well as have micro-SD support for added storage. All variants will be WiFi, with 4G LTE options coming later this year.
One of the biggest parts of the tablet isn’t the quad-core processor or Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich, instead it’s the software pre-installed. Samsung’s added what they are calling live panels for true multi-tasking. You can have multiple windows or apps open and on screen at any given time. Browse emails while watching videos, or jot down notes while reading an email. That along with their exceptional WACOM digitizer and S-Pen stylus for ultimate precision you can draw, take notes, play games and more. Everything we loved about the Galaxy Note [see our review] is here, only bigger, better, and faster.
This device will be available starting tomorrow (the 16th of August) for $499 USD in its 16GB internal storage iteration or $549 for 32GB.
Consider it the fallout from a decade-plus of reality TV, but our made-by-the-masses approach has expanded into new territory: technology R&D. Or so Samsung’s very public handling of the Galaxy Note 10.1 would have us believe. Thrust into an AmericanIdol-like spotlight at Mobile World Congress earlier this year, the still-unfinished slate, a follow-up to the pen-enabled Galaxy Note phone, was forced to perform for hordes of skeptical insiders. Sure, there was raw talent on display and we could see the promise of this 10-inch contender (we said as much in our exhaustive preview), but it was also clear the company was testing consumer waters, fishing for a vote of confidence before continuing down the development track.
Does this make Samsung’s latest flagship the Kelly Clarkson of the tablet category? It’s an apt analogy, if you think about it: Kelly wants to be country, the Note 10.1 wants to be a pro-designer tool, but neither are allowed. Why? Well, simply put, products sell better when they’re made more palatable for a wider range of tastes. Which is why the company used MWC to gauge popular opinion before molding its untested product into something wth a broader appeal. Ultimately, that meant a drastic makeover: since MWC, the Note 10.1 has received a slot for that S-Pen, streamlined software, a quad-core Exynos 4 chip and two storage configurations: 16GB / 32GB, priced at $499 and $549, respectively.
So it now has more horsepower under the hood, that much is assured, but is that chip enough to boost the Note 10.1’s mass appeal? Will savvy shoppers be able to forgive that relatively low-res 1,280 x 800 display? Will its Wacom digitizer elevate this slate past its more generic Android and iOS rivals? Or will that feature hamper its widespread appeal, attracting mainly creative professionals? Meet us after the break to see if the Note 10.1 can succeed as the multitasking everyman’s go-to tablet.
The Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 has reached the states with a collection of features and applicability for it’s built-in S-Pen that the smaller Galaxy Note will be proud of. For those of you working with the Samsung Galaxy S III, this device continues the next-level connections the manufacturer has set up with AllShare. For those of you looking to upgrade from the original Galaxy Tab 10.1 with more power and better entertainment abilities, your prayers have been answered.
Hardware
This device comes with a 10.1-inch WXGA 1280 x 800 TFT LCD display that’s rather bright and has viewing angles all the way down to the 90 on all sides – it’s quite nice to look at and work with, that’s for certain. You’ve got a Samsung Exynos quad-core processor here clocked at 1.4Ghz, and the benchmarks we’ve run here tell us we’ve very possible got a new king in town. The battle rages on for hardcore mobile processor supremacy in the Android universe.
You’ve got two front-facing speakers that are willing and able to work with “surround sound” – you’ll see what I mean in the hands-on with entertainment video below. It gets so loud that you’ll have a hard time finding a place that you’ll want it to actually be up at the top of the knob – you’ll have to turn it down a bit or it’ll blow your ears off. Also they’re front-facing, just like they always should have been.
Up top you’ve got a power/sleep/lock button, a volume up/down button, and a microSD card slot. You’ve also got an IR-Blaster just like the Galaxy Tab 2 has so you can use your Peel app to change the channel on your television – and get a guide for channel browsing if your cable provider is able to be found by Samsung.
The tablet is relatively light, essentially as thin as it counterparts in the Galaxy Note and the Galaxy S III lineups, and feels really nice to hold. The glass up front sits a bit lower than the silver rim around the entire device, and the uniqueness of the tablet is clear – this is no iPad. We wont be comparing this device to the most popular tablet on the planet right here and now though, check the SlashGear main news feed for more device war action in the near future.
The back and sides are made of some high-quality plastic and there’s a pleasant feel to the whole device. Samsung has put some time into the tactile nature of the device for certain, and here they’ve got a unique device that’s set to carve it’s own path in the tablet universe. As for how well the device does in the standard benchmarks we generally run, it’s a beast and a half. For Antutu we’re seeing 12200+ on average. In CF-Bench we’ve got 24386 for Native, 6906 for Java, and 13898 for overall score. That’s off the charts. Quadrant Standard benchmark has this tablet ringing in at 13041 for CPU, 4469 memory, 5158 I/O, 1000 2D, and 2459 3D.
Software
This device takes Samsung’s idea of a tablet-centric Android with Ice Cream Sandwich and TouchWiz and takes it all to a new level. While a lot of what you’re seeing here will look rather familiar if you’ve used one of the three following devices, you’ll find that here you’ve got an experience that’s wholly unique: Galaxy S III, Galaxy Note, Galaxy Tab 10.1 – the original.
Begin your journey with your connection to the already released Samsung Galaxy S III line with AllShare. Here you’ve got a set of abilities that allow you to connect both with the cloud via SugarSync and via a wi-fi network. With both devices connected to one wi-fi network, you can set up a GroupCast just like you’re able to between two Galaxy S III units, as shown here:
You wont be able to transfer media in exactly the same way you’re able between Galaxy S III units, but there’s always SugarSync. Save all of your photos from all of your Samsung devices to SugarSync for one big gallery of greatness. As far as multi-tasking goes, you’ve got three unique features that will make you a master of doing more than one thing at once. The first two should be familiar, both of them appearing on previously released devices.
You’ve got the Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich ability to see recent apps (this was originally introduced, sort of, in Android 3.0 Honeycomb, but it’s much more versatile here). You’ve also got a lovely little dock of “Mini Apps” as provided by Samsung. These apps each have a small set of abilities, each of them able to pop up in a window that hovers above whatever else you’re doing on-screen.
Then there’s a new Muliscreen function – also appearing in the hands-on video above – that works in the following apps: your built-in Internet browser, Polaris Office, Video Player, Email, Gallery, and S-Note. When you’ve got one of these apps open, all you’ve got to do is tap the “Multiscreen” button up near the right-hand corner of the app at hand. From here you’ll be greeted the first time with a set of abilities.
You can select an application (you’ve just done this), you can close an application with the X inside a rectangle, you can switch windows (left to right, right to left), and you can capture, drag, and drop. With this last set of abilities what you’re actually doing is taking a screenshot of a piece of one part of your screen, then pasting it into the other. Simple as that – and so magical!
Other than that you’ve got a rather powerful tablet, to be sure. And what makes it all unique is not just that you’ve got Samsung connections, and not just that you’ve got front-facing speakers (FINALLY), but that you’ve got the built-in S-Pen.
S-Pen
With your S-Pen you’ve got all the abilities of the Samsung Galaxy Note – the original – in a tablet-sized package. This S-Pen device works essentially the same as the first iteration of this Samsung line, but here it’s built just a bit differently. The pen itself is a bit fatter, the same size as a standard Number 2 pencil if what Samsung told us back at MWC 2012 holds true, and the whole note-taking experience feels rather nice.
You’ve got several S-Pen-specific apps on the device right out of the box including S-Note and Photoshop Touch. Of course the apps you’ll see in the hands-on video above also work, somewhat, without the pen tool, but that’d be just silly. With the S-Pen you’ve got a note-taker that never runs out of ink or needs to be sharpened, but just incase, Samsung has included several replacement tips.
Entertainment
The Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 is made not only be be a machine that can collect ideas with your S-Pen and media with your back and front-facing cameras, but an entertainment monster as well. Samsung’s got several applications such as Samsung Music Hub and the Samsung Media Hub – full of movies and TV Shows you can purchase for download on any number of your own Samsung devices.
Also included in the video above you’ll see us take a stab at working with Netflix and the device’s own Movie Player so we can see and hear the difference in video quality between the three of them (including the Media Hub, that is, for three). You’ll also find that Samsung’s connection to several high-powered game developer groups such as Glu and Gameloft will make your gaming experience rather rich. In the video above you’ll see NOVA 2 played briefly and the Samsung Game Hub explored as well.
With a quad-core Samsung Exynos processor like the one this device has, we’re certainly feeling the power and the swiftness in processing it can bring. With such a processor we’re able to watch video without a hiccup, play the most high-powered games without lag, and do generally anything else – including run Photoshop Touch – without needing to worry about going slowly in any respect.
Accessories
In our review package we had a slip-cover with reinforced sides (to protect from scratches and drops) as well as a simple dock and a Book Cover. The book cover is the most interesting of the three, with a fold-back flap that allows it to stand freely on its own in two positions. For those of you looking to purchase any of the three – there are no magnets involved here, nothing “smart” so to speak, but each of them is high quality enough to be worth the cash they’ll cost.
The slip cover is discreet and nice to hold, the dock allows simple charging and audio output via a standard headphone jack, and the Book Cover is hardcore enough to withstand your everyday drop as well as backpack damage – and it’s relatively cool for those of you using the device to type notes or illustrate on the daily.
Camera
On the front of this device you’ve got a 1.9 megapixel camera perfectly suitable for webcam chat action. On the back you’ve got a 5 megapixel camera that’s surprisingly high quality for its megapixel rating. Have a peek at a few examples of photos and a video shot with this device at top quality here, each of them shot with the back-facing camera.
Battery
If you run this device rather hard, playing games, downloading gigantic files (like the videos and games we’ve looked at here) and using the S-Pen like wild, you’ll find yourself limited to right around 6 hours of battery time. Even 7000mAh of battery can be drained quickly when the situation is right.
If however you’re not the type of person to make everything happen all at once – that is, if you’re not doing a bunch of instructional videos back-to-back – you’ll have a much better time in the battery department. Expect a day’s use out of this tablet at the very least when using it intermittently throughout the day. Low use then will last you a couple of days, no problem.
Wrap-up
This tablet-like device, the Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1, is Samsung’s best effort to date in the 10-inch category of devices. You’ve got a fabulous 10.1-inch HD display as well as some excellent front-facing speakers, making this one of the top entertainment devices in tablet form on the market. With the Samsung Exynos quad-core 1.4GHz processor under the hood, you’ve also got the power to work with beastly apps like Photoshop Touch, to play videos at full HD, and to blast your enemies to oblivion in the most high-end games on the market.
This isn’t the end – we’re going to continue to analyze this rather important launch for Samsung as long as it takes to answer all of your questions about it. Let us know if there’s anything else that you do not see above that you’d like us to discuss or test on the device – and get pumped up for the final release immediately if not soon!
More and more details seem to be emerging of Samsung’s Galaxy Note II as we creep closer to the company’s IFA 2012 event on August 29th. This time it’s a leaked case part, with nowhereelse.fr throwing up an image of what seems to be the front panel for the handset, complete with a ruler in order to judge the screen size. The screen seems to come in at around 14 cm diagonally, which would confirm the 5.5-inch screen size that has been alluded to in previous reports.
The bezel also looks to be relatively thin compared to the current Galaxy Note, and the top and bottom portions of the casing have also been reduced. The earpiece, front-facing camera, and sensors are present and accounted for at the top, and it looks like the device will still feature a large physical button below the screen.
Previous reports indicated that the design of the Galaxy Note II would be tweaked to fall inline with the aesthetics of the Galaxy S III, although this front panel shows a squared off design rather than the rounded corners and curves found on Samsung’s flagship smartphone. Previous information has also suggested that the Galaxy Note II will feature unbreakable plane display technology, allowing Samsung to substitute fragile glass with a toughened plastic substrate while reducing device thickness.
Specs for the device are said to include a quad-core Exynos processor clocked at 1.6Ghz, along with a 5.5-inch 720p Super AMOLED display. The Note II will reportedly eschew the 16:10 aspect ratio used on the current Note in favor of 16:9, allowing for a slightly larger screen without taking up additional physical space. The device is expected to be announced at Samsung’s IFA 2012 event on August 29th, so whatever the company has in store, there’s not long to go until the big reveal.
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