How Good Is The Samsung Galaxy Note 2?

Samsung has come up with a successor to its popular Samsung Galaxy Note phablet. The newer version will have a larger display, faster processor and will run Android Jelly Bean straight out of the box. In this review, we'll find out if the Galaxy Note 2 can manage to impress users with its package of features and specs.

Design:

In terms of design and build, the Galaxy Note 2 isn't much different from the flagship Galaxy S3. It has the same rounded corners, glossy finish and plastic build, the only difference being that its larger and accommodates a stylus slot. The phone looks nice and attractive, but can be difficult to handle due to its large size. However, it's relatively slim and sleek which makes it easy to slide it into your pockets or bags.

On the front, you'll find the display along with the front-facing camera, notification led and the proximity sensor on top of it. Below the display is the physical home key flanked by the touch-sensitive Back and Menu keys on either side.

The power/lock button is located on the right edge, the micro-USB port for charging and data transfers is on the bottom edge and the volume rocker occupies the space on the left edge. On the top edge, there is a 3.5 mm audio jack where you can plug in any standard headphones.

On the back side, you get the primary camera lens along with the LED flash. Removing the back cover will unveil the battery, and the microSD and microSim card slots. Right at the bottom on the rear side, you'll find the stylus slot where you can place the S Pen. All in all, the smartphone looks stunning and will surely attract attention from people.

Display:

Samsung Galaxy Note 2 comes with a 5.5-inch Super AMOLED display which is slightly bigger than the 5.3-inch display on its predecessor. The screen has an HD resolution of 1280 X 720 pixels that adds up into a pixel density of 267 ppi and aspect ratio of 16:9. The display has infinite contrast, rich colors and deep blacks which results in a great viewing experience.

It is less sharper than the flagship Galaxy S3 but you'll unlikely to notice the difference unless you hold the phones together, side-by-side. It also has wide viewing angles, good sunlight legibility and excellent touch sensitivity.

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Camera:

The Galaxy Note 2 features a 8 megapixel camera with a single LED flash and software image stabilization. You can use the snapper to capture still images of a maximum resolution of 3264x2448 pixels and HD videos of 1080p @ 30 fps. Samsung has added a lot of features and settings into the camera interface for a high-performance.

Some of the key features include Burst Mode, Best Photo mode, Best Faces, Buddy Photo Share and much more. In addition to the back camera, there is a front-facing 1.9 megapixel camera for self-shots and video calling. The quality of the images and videos captured with the rear-camera are excellent with amazing colors, brightness and contrast levels.

However, some of the indoor shots appear a bit grainy and noisy when the room doesn't have adequate light.

Performance:

Samsung Galaxy Note 2 ships with Android 4.1 Jelly Bean and Samsung's TouchWiz user interface on top. You'll get seven home screens that be customized as per your needs. Users also get the option of changing the lock screen shortcuts, wallpapers, motion controls and much more.

Then, there is a multiview mode which splits the screen into half, allowing you to view two different apps at the same time. Some of the key apps inbuilt into the phone's memory include S Note, AllShare, S Beam, Google Maps, S Planner and much more.

On the hardware front, there is a Exynos 4412 Quad chipset featuring a Cortex A9 processor with four cores clocked at 1.6 GHZ, Mali-400MP GPU and 2 GB of RAM. The phone is available in various models with internal storage of 16, 32 or 64 GB.

However, all of them get a microSD card slot capable of supporting memory cards of up to 64 GB. As far as the battery is concerned, you get a 3100 mAh unit which provides up to 10-12 hours of talk time and up to 890 hours of stand-by time.

Verdict:

Samsung Galaxy Note 2 is a one of the best premium smartphones in the market. It has a top-notch hardware, superb display and amazing features will provide a high-quality smartphone experience.

Samsung has also added a lot of exclusive apps for the Note 2 which helps it differentiate itself from the company's flagship Galaxy S3. If you are comfortable carrying a large sized phone in your pocket, then there is hardly any reason for you for overlook the Note 2.

Faizan Ahmad

About the Author:

This article is posted by Faizan who is the Author and Founder of TechSenser. He is a Professional Blogger from India and a passionate writer about Technology, Gadgets, How-to-Guides, etc. You can connect him on Google+.