Samsung galaxy note 2 specifications. Appearance and usability

Recently, our laboratory tested the flagship smartphone Samsung Galaxy S3. Not much time passed, and another flagship of the company, which is already the second in a row, fell into our hands - this is a stylish, self-confident Samsung Galaxy Note 2. This device received almost the same functions as the S3, but it has some differences . In its lineup, Samsung Galaxy Note 2 is undoubtedly the best and can compete with any new product. So, let's move on to a closer look at the incredible Samsung Galaxy Note 2 gadget.

Samsung Galaxy Note 2 price

So, let's start with the simplest - the price. Samsung Galaxy Note 2 will cost its customers about 24,000 rubles. What do we get for this tidy sum? This is a stylish flagship device that opens up a huge number of possibilities and is just a great option for a mobile device that allows you to quickly and efficiently perform almost any job.

Samsung Galaxy Note 2 Package Contents

The device comes with:

The Samsung Galaxy Note 2 device itself
Charger
Headphones with additional cushions (I would like to note that this type of headphones does not quite suit me, the feeling that they are designed to pump wax out of the ears)
Quick Guide
Warranty card
Several pamphlets

In other words - a standard set of options.

Specifications Samsung Galaxy Note 2

SoC Exynos 4412, 1.6 GHz, four cores
GPU Mali-400MP
Operating system Android 4.1.1 Jelly Bean
Touch display Super AMOLED HD, 5.55″, 720×1280, capacitive, multi-touch
Random access memory (RAM) 2 GB, internal memory 16/32/64 GB
Micro SD card slot up to 64 GB
HSPA+ 21 Mbps
Bluetooth 4.0
WiFi 802.11a/b/g/n
GPS/Glonass
NFC, WiFi Direct, MHL
Cameras 8 MP 1.9 MP, LED flash
Working with the S Pen
Li-ion battery 3100 mAh
Dimensions 80.5×151.1×9.4 mm
Weight 180 g

Appearance Samsung Galaxy Note 2

Let's look at how the elements of the device are located:

The sound quality of the Samsung Galaxy Note 2

Screen Samsung Galaxy Note 2

Incredible viewing angles
High brightness and more.

Dimensions - 69×118 mm
Diagonal - 5.55 inches
Resolution - 1280×720 pixels
Pixel density - 265 dpi (this is less than on the S3)

Inside the Samsung Galaxy Note 2

You should also spend some time working with the pen. We launch the S Note program and work wonders, even the most inexperienced artist can make his fantasies come true. The application also allows you to take notes, keep certain notes. Very convenient to handle. It seems to me that S Note will be useful not only for business people, but also for ordinary users.

Samsung Galaxy Note 2 battery life

Camera Samsung Galaxy Note 2

Frontal (1.9 MP) - this module is rarely given a lot of time, the quality is depressing.

Here are some examples:

Click to enlarge

With a smaller display size, which is good for them and turned out to be Samsung Galaxy Note 2 N7100 at least in appearance, so we decided to make another brief review of the Samsung Galaxy Note 2 in which to find, as they say, differences not only in size, if you do not have time to read the entire article, I advise you to watch this video.

Video short review of Samsung Galaxy Note 2 in Russian

Well, let's proceed to the review of the miracle device. The first thing that catches your eye is, of course, the size of the display, it is surprisingly not 7 inches, but only 5.5 inches, as the company positions for greater ease of use, and what particularly pleased me was that the Super AMOLED display technology with a 16:9 aspect ratio and HD resolution, and all this is processed by a quad-core processor with a faster frequency than even the Galaxy Note N8000 which is 1600 Mhz. Unfortunately, such a breakthrough with applications did not appear, this was to be expected, because very little time has passed since the release of the older brother. Well, something has appeared and now we will consider how useful these things are.

The Air View function makes it easy to view photos without additionally opening photo folders, which saves our time and makes it easier to use Galaxy Note II.

Pop-up notes

Also a useful function that works when you double-click on the screen of your smartphone and all this during a conversation, which helps to make a small note (write down an address, an important assignment or a phone number)

This function helps to cut a specific object in the browser with simple movements and immediately save it to the buffer. You just need to click after circle and save in a notepad or send by e-mail.

Well, perhaps all the innovations, of course, have updated and improved the notebook, organizer, notes for writing with the S Pan digital pen, which cannot but please fans of digital pens, now the smartphone understands many hand movements converting them immediately into digital text. Now let's take a closer look at the characteristics of the Samsung Galaxy Note 2.

Characteristics

Display

display type Super AMOLED HD (1280 x 720)
diagonal 5.55 inches

CPU

Quad-core processor with a clock speed of 1600 MHz

When the first Galaxy Note was born, everyone unanimously predicted a failure for him - they say, keep This it is impossible in the hands, only complete geeks need such a device, of which there are not so many in the world. Unexpectedly for everyone, perhaps even for Samsung itself, the Galaxy Note has sold millions of copies. It was taken not only by geeks, whose account really does not go to millions - for example, in the Taiwanese subway at every step you can meet young beauties typing a message on a Galaxy Note to a girlfriend in a pink case.

In general, on the wave of success, it was decided to continue. The new Galaxy Note number 2 was presented to the world at the IFA in Berlin, like its predecessor the year before. Presented with pomp - the Koreans invited Wim Wenders, the director of the cult art-house film Sky Over Berlin, who calls himself the first messenger of Galaxy Note, to the presentation. Why Wim Wenders? While Samsung positions Note as a device for those who are eager to create. Let's see what the Koreans themselves have done.

⇡ Appearance

You can’t confuse the Samsung Galaxy Note 2 with almost anything - except perhaps with the only ancestor, the original Galaxy Note. The two devices are really very similar - primarily in size: no one really produces more of these "megalopaths". The new Note has become a few millimeters longer, literally a couple of narrower and quite a bit thinner, but against the background of the overall large size, such changes are almost imperceptible. The mass has increased, but also quite a bit, by a few grams. But many argue that the device has become more grippy, that now it lies better in the hand. The characteristic Samsung design has not gone anywhere either. Unless the new Note has something from the Galaxy S III - there are a little more roundness in the forms, and in general the smartphone looks more modern.

Otherwise, everything is the same: a huge screen in the entire front panel, which now takes up even more space - the frame is very thin, the combination of buttons standard for Samsung - two touch and one mechanical, “chrome-plated” edging on the sides, a thin back cover made of polycarbonate. Backlit touch buttons when they are inactive, Samsung still does not consider it necessary, the chrome speaker grill looks like it will peel off again, as it did on all previous models.

All buttons are in their usual places - to make it easier to switch from Samsung to Samsung. Even the speaker remains where it was, and the S Pen is still sticking out in the lower right corner, and it’s still the same (an old habit from the days of Windows Mobile) by mistake, sometimes you want to shove it into the headphone jack on the right, respectively, top corner.

The changes are in the details: Note 2 has a slightly more elongated mechanical button, a multi-colored LED indicator has appeared - again from SGS III. In general, if the Galaxy Note seemed stretched Galaxy S II, then Note 2 seems to be about the same grown Galaxy S III. The device will be produced in two colors: white and dark blue, with the same glossy back cover. A convenient corrugated cover, like the first Note, is not provided for the novelty. But the main thing in Note 2, of course, is not restyling.

⇡ Screen

The display, however, is also not the most important change, but the important thing is that it has become even larger - 5.55 inches versus 5.3 in the original - with the dimensions of the device practically unchanged. This was achieved by changing its proportions: before the aspect ratio of the screen was 16:10 - 1280x800 pixels, but now - 16:9, 1280x720 pixels. That is, the display has become a little more elongated.

Really long, right?

Here one could hint at the lowered resolution, but the technology for manufacturing the display has also been changed: it used to be PenTile AMOLED, and now it's a full-fledged RGB AMOLED. In Samsung's marketing language, both are called HD Super AMOLED, according to official specifications, the difference is generally impossible to discern. However, the fact is that the real screen resolution has even increased - a pixel does not consist of two subpixels, but of three. The dot density is 264 PPI, that is, this is not the notorious "retina", but the grain can be seen only if you bring the device close to your eyes.

Our measurements showed that the luminosity of the white field of the screen, which is traditionally low for AMOLED displays, is 161.1 cd/m IPS matrix. The contrast, of course, is huge - black practically does not glow.

The white luminosity for AMOLED is not the sum of the luminances of the color components, as in LCD displays, but about two times lower. For example, only green shines even brighter than white - to form white, the green subpixel obviously has to be muted.

But in terms of color gamut, AMOLED displays have no equal. The Galaxy Note 2, Galaxy Note, and Galaxy S III have roughly the same color gamut and... it's wider than the Adobe RGB color space, not to mention sRGB. However, it is not necessary to rejoice at this - modern graphics are usually "sharpened" for the sRGB space, so on a display with such a wide gamut, colors look oversaturated, especially green.

The lack of screen brightness is compensated by its size - the total light output of the Galaxy Note 2 is quite impressive. So the display can be called very, very decent: in fact, it got rid of the only drawback of the screen of the first Note - PenTile, while retaining all its advantages.

⇡ Iron

Every new Samsung phone should outperform its predecessor in terms of core count and speed, even if its screen resolution has gone down. Therefore, it is not surprising that the place of the dual-core Exynos 4210 from the previous generation of Note was taken by the quad-core Exynos 4412 with a frequency of 1.6 GHz. While fans of counting cores and hertz are rejoicing, let's remind more skeptical readers that the technological process has become thinner along the way: Exynos 4210 from the first Note were produced using a 45 nm process technology, and Exynos 4412 is 32 nm. But the graphics adapter is the same, Mali 400 MP4.

The subject of special delight for lovers of numbers in specifications is 2 GB of RAM. Almost no one else has this. Additional RAM, of course, eats up extra watt * hours of battery, but not a single application on the Galaxy Note 2 even thinks to slow down at least somewhere. The amount of permanent memory varies depending on the model: from 16 to 64 GB plus MicroSD.

Wireless capabilities are also not left without updates. We won’t talk much about GSM, HSPA, Bluetooth and Wi-Fi - everything is clear, but the Galaxy Note 2 has NFC and (theoretically) LTE. This is where a few clarifications come in handy.

If you look closely, you can find two pairs of contacts next to the battery. One is designed to connect a special cover with the possibility of wireless induction charging. Samsung doesn't advertise this much, for the simple reason that the chargers, like the covers, are only available as a third-party accessory for now. Samsung itself does not make them, citing the fact that modern wireless chargers shorten battery life. The second pair of contacts on the cover corresponds to a certain “blotch” - this is just the same NFC antenna. So all the tricks that allows you to create NFC, can also be implemented using the Galaxy Note 2.

With LTE, everything is more fun and easier. Some markets, say South Korea, have the Galaxy Note 2 with LTE. Well, or will eat. And the smartphone that we visited, and which, in fact, is planned to be sold in Russia, does without LTE - this is an ordinary GSM device with a maximum data transfer rate of 21 Mbps with a spherical connection to HSPA + in a vacuum. Judging by the existing data, even the 4G version of the Samsung Galaxy Note II will not work in the bands allocated for LTE networks in Russia.

⇡ Performance

A powerful processor paired with two gigabytes of RAM and an old, but quite serious graphics should show very decent numbers in the tests. Comparing the "plafond" makes sense primarily with its predecessor. In some benchmarks, he can race with the iPhone 5 that has not yet descended from the lips of the masses.

The piece of iron lives up to expectations: the giant device has really become noticeably faster than its predecessor, and, funny, mainly in terms of graphics. In online (and therefore cross-platform) disciplines, the iPhone is ahead, but not that far - the gap is less than 10%.

One of the Galaxy Note 2's strong points is its 3,100mAh (11.78Wh, 3.8V) battery. It's no joke - a quarter of the battery of an average laptop! Of course, a powerful processor and a huge screen consume a lot of energy, but this does not prevent the “plafond” from living without recharging at an average load of about two days. In the Antutu Tester benchmark, the device scores 659 points and is in third place in the rating of this test.

⇡ Camera

Judging by the Apple iPhone 5 and the latest Samsung models, there are no more than eight megapixels in the sensor, and it is not necessary. There are companies that think differently, but the same iPhone does not shoot worse from this. The Galaxy Note 2 also has an 8-megapixel camera with LED flash.

True, if you do not change the settings, it shoots mediocre - worse than the camera in the first Note. If the settings are set correctly, then the frames are quite decent. For example, under fluorescent lights, the Galaxy Note 2 is frankly blue, but with the appropriate white balance preset, it gives more or less realistic colors. And in the dark, if you do not set the night mode, the device turns any light sources into large light spots that cover part of the picture. The first Note did not suffer from such problems.

Video is written, of course, in Full HD resolution, with quality it has exactly the same problems as photos - you need to constantly tweak the settings. There is a 2-megapixel front camera, but, as usual, it is better to use it exclusively for video calls.

In general, not everything is good with the camera on the Galaxy Note 2. It's great that it takes good pictures with the right settings, but one percent of the shooters will get to the settings when shooting on the phone, the rest of the photos will not be of the highest quality.

⇡ S Pen

One of the main features of the first Galaxy Note in Samsung was called the S Pen (the Koreans insist: “It's not a stylus, it's an S Pen!”) And, accordingly, the Wacom screen that can work with this pen. The fact that many people never took the pen out of its seat during the use of the “plafond” did not bother the Koreans - the Galaxy Note 2 also has an S Pen, supplemented and improved.

It's worth starting with the fact that the pen itself has become thicker - now as much as 8 mm in diameter (let's call it diameter, although the pen is not round in cross section), so that it is almost comfortable to hold in your hands. At the press conference, they said something about a rubber pad for extra convenience - but for some reason it was not on the S Pen that we got. 1024 pressure levels are recognized, while the original Note had only 16. However, it is difficult to determine the number of these gradations by eye.

Moreover, now the "plafond" feels the presence of the pen, even if you do not touch the display, but only bring the S Pen to the screen at a distance of about half a centimeter. This feature was called Air View and acquired some software support: so, say, if you bring the pen to a thumbnail image in the gallery, it will increase slightly.

In general, hardware changes are a trifle compared to the number of software bells and whistles that were not in the first Note and which appeared in the second. If you list everything, you can accidentally write a second full-fledged article, so let's go through the main ones.

1.Easy clip- the ability to circle an arbitrary image on the screen, after which it is copied to the clipboard. From there, you can attach it to, say, a letter. True, it will not work to insert into Gmail - it only works with Samsung's proprietary mail client. So an excellent, in general, chip is not yet applicable everywhere, which is sad.

2. Gestures. The S Pen has a whole one button - and it's there for a reason. If you hold it down, the “plafond” begins to perceive a certain number of gestures. For example, going back - if you draw a squiggle of one shape, calling the menu - a squiggle of another shape. Actually, Easy Clip also refers to this kind of gestures. In addition to the above, you can take a screenshot by simply holding the button, poking the pen at the screen and holding it for a while. Well, one more possibility - by swiping the pen with the button held down from the bottom up, you can call up the so-called quick command menu.

3. Quick commands. In fact, about the "fast" - this is someone joking. You must first draw a pen across the entire screen, in the window that appears, draw a symbol to which this or that command is attached, for another second it will be recognized - and only after that the action that you wanted to perform will finally be performed. Provided, of course, that the gesture was recognized correctly. That is, in general, it takes not so little time.

It is convenient that you can call up the quick command menu from anywhere, moreover, you can create commands yourself. Let's say you can draw a note symbol and put a music player call on it. True, it is faster to call it by clicking on the corresponding icon, but Cool same. Some kind of macros are also supported - you can not only call the message set window, but also set who will need to send this message when entering the appropriate command.

4.S note. The S Note application existed in the past generation of "plafonds", but in the current one it has acquired unprecedented functionality. Previously, it allowed, in fact, only to combine recognized handwritten text and pictures in one note. Now, with its help, you can, say, recognize mathematical formulas. This can greatly simplify the lives of all those who encounter them. Mathematicians will not let you lie: even in a specialized computer program, it takes several minutes to write down some double integral of nonweak length. Here everything is done in a matter of seconds.

5. Paper artist. This application allows you to apply all kinds of filters to photos, changing them beyond recognition and bringing more hipster pictures to the world. There are a lot of filters, they are all funny, while using the S Pen you can tint parts of the image, which adds another cute effect to one pretty effect. You can also add a comment to the picture using the S Pen. Someone can quickly get bored with this, and someone will not be able to break away, filling up the entire Internet with similar pictures.

There are many other features, both useful and not so much. For example, it is worth removing the pen from the device - and the corresponding menu for working with "pen" applications will appear on its screen. You can also set the “plafond” so that when you remove the S Pen, a small window opens with an S Note. These are useful features in their own way. Of the controversial features, there is, for example, this one: if you bring the pen up, the smartphone stops perceiving keystrokes and screen touches. Or this: when you pick up the S Pen, by inertia you poke it into everything, and the touch buttons of the device are not friendly with the pen - you have to put it down and press it with your fingers.

Nevertheless, in general, the functionality of the S Pen has grown by an order of magnitude: now its presence in a smartphone is justified and even somewhat convenient.

⇡ Soft

Actually, we have already listed most of all the software charms of the Samsung Galaxy Note 2 above. So let's not spread a mouse on the tree. The updated "plafond" works immediately under Android 4.1 Jelly Bean. This is a big plus, since many devices have been promising for years to upgrade to the next version of the good green robot, while not all of them are updated. I don’t even want to talk about when these updates reach Russia and are localized.

Naturally, TouchWiz is pulled on Android, which, as we have already said, no longer slows down and therefore does not cause any irritation. The device is detected by the computer without any problems when connected, does not hang, does not bug, and generally behaves stably and correctly - I would like to tell you about some epic failures, but everything is so efficient that there is nothing to even talk about. Boredom.

Of course, a number of pre-installed programs are found in the firmware, including demo versions of some toys. Of these, the most memorable is a wonderful game about fighting robots. One of the arenas for multiplayer shootouts in it is Moscow, and it is unlikely that you will see it anywhere else like it. If you suddenly didn’t know, then there is nothing in the Kremlin except the Tsar Bell and four red stars in the corners, the Mausoleum was moved away from the Kremlin wall for greater safety, and Moscow University can be found about fifty meters from the Spasskaya Tower. Don't miss it - a few minutes of healthy laughter are guaranteed.

⇡ Conclusion

The Samsung Galaxy Note 2 goes on sale October 18 at a price of 29,990 rubles, and at the time of publication of this article, pre-order of the device should open. If it seems that it costs sky-high, let's recall the price of the first Note at the start of sales - 34,990. The situation with competitors is simple - the 5-inch LG Optimus Vue did not really reach Russia, so Note 2 will only compete with its predecessor, now still pretty cheap.

The new “plafond” is better than the old one in almost all respects: it lies more comfortably in the hand, it has an even larger screen, which is now rid of the hated by many PenTile, the S Pen has finally become meaningful and functional, the hardware is faster, the battery is even more capacious. The pre-installed Android 4.1, which is likely to appear on the first Note, but not in the very near future, cannot but rejoice. The disadvantages include perhaps the camera, which suddenly became worse, and the not quite intuitive interface for working with the S Pen. Samsung has already learned how to make hardware and bug-free interfaces, but the Koreans have yet to master the complex science of ergonomics.

Samsung Galaxy Note 2 vs. Samsung Galaxy S III

If the concept of a huge phone is close to you, then today Note 2 is the best of the devices with a very large screen diagonal. If for you there is no difference between a giant screen and just a large one, then perhaps it is better to pay attention to the Samsung Galaxy S III - it will save almost 10 thousand, which, you see, is noticeable.

The size of the Samsung Galaxy Note 2 is much larger than other smartphones, this is due to the large screen diagonal of 5.5 inches. Compared to the first Galaxy Note, the second has become a little narrower and taller. Galaxy Note II is not suitable for use with one hand, it is better to hold it in one hand while controlling it with the other. The back cover is made of glossy plastic, it is easily soiled and quickly covered with scratches.

Screen - 4.0

The Samsung Galaxy Note 2 uses a high-quality screen with a diagonal of 5.5 inches. Matrix type - Super AMOLED HD, screen resolution - 1280 × 720 pixels, PPI value - 267, protective coating - Gorilla Glass. The advantages of the display are a large diagonal and high resolution, excellent brightness and contrast. The screen will appeal to lovers of bright colors. Cons - Super AMOLED technology, due to which the image is overly contrasting, and the colors on the screen are not natural. Not everyone will like it. The Samsung Galaxy Note 2 screen has another nasty feature called "Colortile". This is a barely noticeable red-green rim on the letters. Most users do not see it, however, for some people, eyes get tired from this effect. An indirect advantage of using Super AMOLED is that the screen is energy-intensive, which is why the Samsung Galaxy Note 2 runs on a single charge longer than many competitors. Compared to the first Galaxy Note, the resolution has decreased (1280×800 versus 1280×720) and the diagonal has increased, the screen has become a little narrower and taller.

Camera

The smartphone has an 8 MP camera with LED flash. The maximum resolution for video recording is 1920 × 1080 pixels, the recording speed is 30 frames per second, the sound is recorded in stereo mode.

Working with text - 5.0

The standard keyboard on the Samsung Galaxy Note 2 is comfortable, with Swype typing and a separate row of numbers so you don't have to switch to additional characters when dialing. In addition, there is an adaptation of the keyboard for one-handed input: the keyboard shrinks and fits to the right or left edge of the screen, thanks to this, despite the size of the screen, you can enter text with one hand (although the letters become too small when this option is enabled). Disadvantages - an inconvenient language switching system: you need to hold your finger on the space bar and swipe left or right. To enter most additional characters, including the comma sign, you need to call an additional menu.

Internet - 3.0

The browser in the Samsung Galaxy Note 2 is great for browsing the web: it has the ability to zoom the page multiple times with text fitting to the screen width and a reading mode that adapts the text on the page for easier reading (when you turn on the reading mode, you are left with text and pictures from the article) This mode is convenient to use when reading a large amount of text on the Internet. In Samsung Galaxy Note 2, you can use the browser in a pop-up window or place it only on half of the screen (multi-view mode).

Interfaces

The smartphone supports all common wireless interfaces: dual-band Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, GPS and NFC. The device has the S Beam function, with which you can quickly transfer files, such as photos, music or videos, from one Note II to another using Wi-FI or NFC, attaching them to each other “backs”. An important feature of Note II is the included S-Pen stylus, which allows you to take notes, drawings and various drawings. To accommodate the S-Pen in the smartphone there is a special hole. To work with the stylus, special software is provided. There is no support for Russian LTE frequencies.

Multimedia - 4.6

Samsung Galaxy Note 2 plays almost any video without prior conversion - the device supports rare audio formats and video containers. In the player, you can select audio tracks, as well as subtitles, both built-in and external. The audio player plays most common as well as rare formats, including uncompressed FLAC audio. Thanks to the large screen diagonal, Samsung Galaxy Note 2 is the best option among smartphones for watching videos in terms of size / compactness.

Battery - 3.7

Samsung Galaxy Note 2 is one of the leaders in terms of battery life: the device is capable of playing HD-video at maximum brightness for up to 10 and a half hours, while listening to music, the smartphone works for about 50 hours.

Performance - 1.7

On the device, you can play any games available on Google Play and watch videos in high quality, up to 1080p. The device uses the Samsung Exynos 4412 platform with a 1.6 GHz quad-core processor, a Mali-400 graphics subsystem and 2 GB of RAM. The smartphone showed excellent results in synthetic tests, however, during everyday use, slowdowns are observed, especially when it comes to interacting with desktops.

Memory - 4.0

The smartphone has 16 GB of internal memory, there is support for microSD memory cards up to 64 GB, and hot-swappable cards are also supported.

Peculiarities

The device has a separate settings item that optimizes the device for one-handed operation. So the on-screen keyboard, dialer and calculator can be “pinned” to the right or left edge of the screen to make them easier to use. An important feature of the Samsung Galaxy Note 2 is the built-in stylus, which significantly expands the capabilities of the device. The smartphone recognizes handwriting made with a stylus, and it also has several programs designed specifically for its use. The device is running a proprietary shell from Samsung - TouchWiz. In this shell, the manufacturer added its own browser, dialer, SMS client, music and video players, its own weather application and many other programs. The built-in video player supports most third-party video codecs and video formats, making it convenient to watch even unconverted video from your phone. The audio player allows you to listen to music not only by artist, but also by folder. S Memo is an excellent note-taking program with handwriting support.

Before writing this review, I thought about how hard it is to make something really popular and expected, and I realized - very hard. Now take any geek by the hand and ask: “What are you most looking forward to in 2013 from gadgets other than Apple?” I think 80-90 percent will call the new Galaxy S and Galaxy Note. So far, no other company producing Android smartphones has been able to gather an annual buzz around some of its lines. Galaxy Note 2- this is the product that everyone was waiting for, even those who needed it only in order to neigh from the size. Most importantly, few are indifferent. And, unlike SGS3, everything is more interesting with the Galaxy Note line, because a year ago it was a pure experiment that was not promised anything good, but today it is a full-fledged flagship, and also massive.

I will not hide, a year ago I was wildly delighted with the new Galaxy Note. All my nature rejoiced: it is not like everyone else, everything is in it to the maximum, including an unprecedented battery capacity. I had no reason not to want it, but I understood why the smartphone could remain purely geeky and not receive updates. So, in fact, at one time there was a communicator from Nokia - N900, but either Android changed people's thinking, or the need to consume mobile content became different, or Samsung presented it all correctly - the ceiling flew!

Everyone was already ready for a successor, many simply needed it to replace the one-year-old Note. And, in my opinion, Samsung this time managed to make a wonderful model that even slightly exceeds expectations. For example, I expected more from the iPhone, and I got more from the Galaxy Note 2. This is cool, and in many ways it is these two factors and their difference in one direction or another that form the final opinion of the consumer regarding the purchase. Galaxy Note 2 surprised almost everyone. The only thing that many did not like was the body.

Unboxing and first impressions

Design, arrangement of elements and their description

I liked the design of the smartphone, more than in the original Note. A year ago, I was surprised by the size, the screen, the battery, the camera, but not the design. As for me, it was not there at all, but here they already tried. For example, I still have the strong impression that the camera in the first generation Galaxy Note was added at the very last moment, along with a flash, and in SGN2 it looks pretty. Like everything that is on it, it is located with intelligence and design thought.

Case material - plastic, it is glossy. After SGS3, I was completely ready for this and did not take a steam bath at all. I repeat once again, this is not a monoblock with which you can walk until old age. The lid is worn - change it. This is a much less significant problem than if the smartphone is very hot, constantly slowing down or sitting down on the way to work. The only thing to complain about is the chrome rim. It seems to be exactly the same as on the first Galaxy Note, which means it is prone to scratches and chips.

On the front side of the Galaxy Note 2 is a 5.55″ screen with a resolution of 1280 x 720 pixels, made using Super AMOLED HD technology. There is no “Plus” prefix, so everyone who does not know what Pen Tile looks like concluded that it is present there. I can sometimes look around the corner of the house, so it’s not a problem for me to distinguish the presence of a pentile - I said at IFA 2012 that it doesn’t exist. As it turned out, the structure of the pixel is still not standard, but the required number of subpixels. Because of this, the display looks much better than a year ago. In addition, the picture became less grainy, although, based on the resolution reduced by 80 pixels in width and the diagonal increased by 0.55 ″, one could draw the opposite conclusion. By the way, speaking about the pixel density, in the new product it is less than in the Galaxy Note - 265 ppi versus 285, but the situation was the same with the update of the Galaxy S to the second version, the diagonal increased, the number of pixels remained the same, but the absence of Pen Tile did their good deed. The screen pleased me perhaps most of all in the novelty.

Below it are three buttons - two touch and one hardware, which is much more convenient than that of the Galaxy S 3.

Above the display is a 1.9 MP front camera that can shoot HD video, sensors, a speaker and an LED for alerts. It can be customized.

The power button and display lock is traditionally placed on the right. And not very high, just under the thumb, if you hold the smartphone in your right hand. Adjusting the volume is a little more difficult - the key is higher and you need to reach for it. It is located on the left.

Behind - a speaker and an 8 MP camera, with flash and the ability to record video in fHD. The photos are of good quality, but, subjectively, they are slightly inferior to the SGS3 and the original Galaxy Note. However, now it is possible to take pictures while shooting a video (if stabilization is disabled), take a series of pictures, and so on. I liked the stabilization in the video - it works better than in the iPhone. The sound is recorded in stereo.

Photo examples

Sample video (those mesmerizing sounds in the video are not mine :)

Another pride of the smartphone is hidden under the battery cover - a 3100 mAh battery. With such a capacity, the smartphone easily survives until the evening with active use, many will last for two days. There are also slots for a memory card and a Micro-SIM card. On the battery cover, you can also observe some kind of technological build-up - this is an NFC antenna.

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This is the pride of the smartphone. Here is the latest version of Android - 4.1.1 (not counting the recent update to 4.1.2), and TouchWiz, which is now a pleasure to use, and, most importantly, a large number of chips implemented specifically for the Galaxy Note. They pleased even at the first meeting, and now I have discovered a few more cool things.

In a few days of use, two updates from Samsung arrived on my copy, each of them brought some kind of functionality. I think there will be more updates soon, since not all the functionality that I saw in Berlin is present in smartphones on sale today. For example, the function of recording what is happening on the screen (screencast) that I liked so much is missing.

I, like many others, had questions about how S Voice now gets along with Google's voice assistant, which was added to Android 4.1 Jeely Bean. It turned out that they are trying to make friends, but we know that two aunts, who are also competitors, will not be able to get along as neighbors. To call Google Search, you need to hold the leftmost menu key, to call S Voice, double-click on the central “Home” button. It seems to me that this is a kind of confusion and looks a little absurd. But Samsung only this year showed their voice assistant, it is unlikely that they would have taken it and abandoned it so immediately.

I was pleased that a lot of attention was paid to adapting the software for a large display. If last year the Galaxy Note was just a stretched smartphone, then the SGN2 can be called a convenient separate class of devices. Now the software is implemented in such a way that it is convenient to use the device. Much attention has been paid to single-handed operation. Of course, this is unrealistic to do, but, for example, the dialer or regular keyboard can be reduced and placed closer to the right or left side.

The gallery has been optimized for five inches to be more functional. Now when you open an album, all others are grouped on the left. What's more, you can select multiple photos from one album, move to another, select a few more, and all together move them to a third.

There are a lot of useful things in the settings. Here, the intensity of vibration for different actions can be assigned, and you can play with the display, and in the settings for the developer there is generally a dark forest of settings, there are even very scary ones.

I really liked the smart display rotation function. So, if you are reading Twitter or in a browser and lie down on the sofa, the picture does not rotate, but analyzes the tilt of the head. In other smartphones, you have to bathe with this.

Working with a stylus has been taken to a new level of convenience. Just pulling it out, you will be taken to a special screen that contains the main functions.

By holding the key on the stylus when it is on the display, you will get a screenshot. After that, you can crop it, draw on it and send it somewhere.

If you hold down the button on the stylus and start tracing something at any time from your smartphone, the selected fragment will be cut out and you can send it to the application or by mail. This is done conveniently.

Added the ability to work with gestures. While holding the button on the stylus, you can swipe up from the bottom of the display, and a field for entering a gesture will open. Next, draw and thereby call some command, or open the application. It works and cool, but the need for such functionality is doubtful, since there is a voice assistant.

Another feature is the work with two applications on one screen. Again, its usefulness is in question, but it's much more interesting than video on top of other windows.

For more information about these features, see a separate video:

The S-Pen has also become much cooler. The pen is thicker, the key can now be found without looking at the stylus, and now it has not 16, but 1024 gradations of depression, when you really feel the difference.

Specifications

The smartphone runs a 1.6GHz quad-core Exynos 4412 paired with old Mali 400MP graphics. The process technology has also changed when compared with the processor from the first Note - 32 nm versus 45. RAM - 2 GB, built-in - from 16 to 64 GB. With such characteristics, the smartphone bangs everyone, and it's cool!

Dimensions: 151.1 x 80.5 x 9.4 mm.
Weight: 180
Operating system: Android 4.1.1 JB.
CPU: quad-core Exynos 4412, 1.6 GHz.
Graphic arts: Mali 400MP.
Display: Super AMOLED, 5.55″, 1280 x 720.
Memory: 16-64 GB flash, micro SD slot.
RAM: 2 GB.
Camera: 8 MP, video recording in 1080p.
Wireless technologies: WiFi, Bluetooth 3.0.
Interface connectors: 3.5mm headphone jack, Micro USB.
Battery: Li-Pol battery 3100 mAh.

Why can't I buy a Samsung Galaxy Note 2?

I've been praising and admiring the smartphone here, and I'm often asked on twitter if I'll switch to it? I never doubted for a second - no. And here everything is simple. The smartphone is good, and if you are completely satisfied with your Android smartphone? You can rest assured that you will love the Galaxy Note 2 too. If there are no problems with large sizes. But I use an iPhone, and I forgot about slowdowns and twitches a long time ago - this is too much inconvenience in everyday life. The fact that contacts and the journal begin to open longer over time, messages and mail are thinking, interferes. I have not used Android as my main OS for a year now and I was sure that all the problems were in the past. But recently Semyon told me a terrible story about SGS3, which after a couple of months of use began to work much worse than out of the box (in particular, the main functions of the phone). The Galaxy Note 2 is fast when you take it out of the box. But as soon as I logged in with my Google account, the gallery began to twitch when scrolling through albums that were loaded from G +. I do not want it!

The second reason is more important and, most likely, if everything was ok with this, I would seriously consider buying. Android does not have the software I need that I use every day. Most of all, this applies to music applications, which you can read about and. I was offered to buy an iPad and Galaxy Note 2 for the soul, but the fact is that I do not suffer mentally with iOS :)

Conclusion

I liked the Galaxy Note 2 at first sight, I can safely call it the most desirable smartphone of this year in my personal rating, which, unfortunately, I can’t buy myself. But, if you are not a nerd like me and do not use your smartphone for everything, be sure to take a look at this miracle of technology. For an ordinary person, it can simply become useful, because someone will definitely need a device that combines a tablet and a smartphone. And we, who need technology, will like two gigabytes of RAM, good autonomy and excellent software.

Samsung Galaxy Note 2 video review

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