Samsung Galaxy Note
Smartphone and tablet market is still evolving. Apple has decided on the two form factors - a 3.5-inch smartphone and a 9.5-Inch tablet - but other players are not too sure. Nowhere is it more pronounced than the Android camp where the flexibility of the OS has allowed device makers to come with gadgets with screen size ranging from as small as 3 inches to hulking 10 inches.
Samsung, which already offers a number ofAndroid devices with different screen sizes, believes there is space for one more -- the 5.3-inch Galaxy Note that can double up as a small tablet as well as a large phone. Dell too had similar ideas when it introduced Streak last year. But the 5-inch device did not get any traction in the market, mostly because Android was stuck at version 1.6 and large screen devices were yet to get the wide-acceptance. Samsung believes that Note is not likely to face any such issues.
To sweeten the deal and drive home the point that Note is different from any other smart device that has come to the market so far, the Korean company has equipped it with a Memo app and a fancy stylus - named S Pen. This, the company says, will allow people to use Note not only as a phone or tablet but also as a diary.
Given its feature set, Samsung believes Note can be the digital swish army knife for the globe-trotting young executives. Quite a lofty aim, we must say. Let's see if the device meets the high expectations.
Big (no, make that huge)
Whether you see the Note, which measures at 146.9 x 83 x 9.7mm and weighs 178 grams, as huge or just the right size depends on how you look at the device. For us, it seemed more like a huge phone -1 inch bigger than already quite large Galaxy S2 - instead of a tablet smaller by 2 inches.
The size, however, means that Note packs a lot more in its body than even the most advanced phones out in the market.
To begin with, it has a resolution of 1280 X 800, something that used to be the domain of full-sized laptops until few years ago. Inside its all-plastic - but svelte and sturdy - body hums a 1.4 Ghz dual-core Exynos processor. There is 1GB RAM and 16GB storage, out of which 2GB is ROM for installing applications and 11GB can be accessed by users.
Though benchmarks are of little relevance in determining how a device will function in real life, just to see what the hardware in Note is theoretically capable of, we ran Antutu benchmark that tests CPU, disk and graphics performance. It scored 6349 points. Given its high resolution it's an impressive score, putting it ahead of dual-core phones like Galaxy S2 and HTC Sensation.
Note comes with two cameras - 8MP rear camera and 2MP on the front. Performance of the primary camera is very good. Pictures are detailed and sharp with accurate colours. It shoots full HD (1080P) resolution videos at 30FPS. Quality of videos is also good.
Note is powered by Gingerbread aka Android 2.3, which Samsung has customized with Touchwiz 4. Given the hardware, there are no surprises in the performance. There is no lag anywhere in the device. Touch response is best in class.
Two-in-one
Samsung is claiming that if you are tired of carrying two devices - smartphone and a tablet - Note is for you.
During our use, however, we found Note to be too big to be used as a phone. Call quality was excellent and large virtual keys due to big screen size means that we could type SMSes very well on Note. But five inches of glass feels strange and awkward against the cheek.
Note as a smart device is a different story. Even though tablets are quite portable, using one while travelling, walking or in a meeting may look a little out of place. The screen size and the high resolution of Note are perfect for web browsing and watching videos on the go. As it has been the case with SuperAMOLED screens, the display on Note has punchy and vibrant colours.
Exynos processor currently has industry-leading multimedia playback performance and Note had no problem in handling even high-profile 1080P mkv videos. The vibrant screen and a fast hardware, combined with the excellent suite of Google apps like Gmail, Navigation, and Places, makes Note a fantastic device to carry on the go.
As far as Memo app is concerned, we did not find much use for it. But for those who require this sort of stuff - imagine a sales manager trying to jot down his thoughts on the latest sales charts released by his company - Memo can be a valuable tool. Samsung has also released an SDK for the S Pen and hoping that more developers will write applications that make innovative use of the stylus. Note packs a battery rated at 2500 mAh. In everyday use, it gave us nearly 15 hours of battery life on 3G with the device used mostly for web browsing, emails, gaming (Angry Birds) and several minutes of navigation using the in-built GPS.
Worth it?
Finally, our all-important question! Galaxy Note has an MRP of Rs 34,990. In the actual market it is already selling for Rs 32,000.
With Note, Samsung's aim is to offer a device that can replace the two-device setup of phone and tablet that most people use. In our opinion, it falls short on phone functions because of its size. We found making calls and sending SMSes with Note a little uneasy due to the size. Of course, if you have large hands, you may have a different opinion. Similarly, if you always make calls through hands-free kit, the size of Note doesn't matter.
That said, Note is a fantastic device to watch videos and browse web on the go due to its fantastic screen. With a versatile stylus, it is also a very good digital device to take notes. Its camera performance is definitely above average. Its battery performance shows that for most people the device will easily hold up for one whole day even with heavy use.
If you carry a dumb or a smaller phone and are looking for a smart companion device that is more portable - and in cases like video playback more functional due to better hardware - than a tablet, give Note a serious look.
Samsung, which already offers a number ofAndroid devices with different screen sizes, believes there is space for one more -- the 5.3-inch Galaxy Note that can double up as a small tablet as well as a large phone. Dell too had similar ideas when it introduced Streak last year. But the 5-inch device did not get any traction in the market, mostly because Android was stuck at version 1.6 and large screen devices were yet to get the wide-acceptance. Samsung believes that Note is not likely to face any such issues.
To sweeten the deal and drive home the point that Note is different from any other smart device that has come to the market so far, the Korean company has equipped it with a Memo app and a fancy stylus - named S Pen. This, the company says, will allow people to use Note not only as a phone or tablet but also as a diary.
Given its feature set, Samsung believes Note can be the digital swish army knife for the globe-trotting young executives. Quite a lofty aim, we must say. Let's see if the device meets the high expectations.
Big (no, make that huge)
Whether you see the Note, which measures at 146.9 x 83 x 9.7mm and weighs 178 grams, as huge or just the right size depends on how you look at the device. For us, it seemed more like a huge phone -1 inch bigger than already quite large Galaxy S2 - instead of a tablet smaller by 2 inches.
The size, however, means that Note packs a lot more in its body than even the most advanced phones out in the market.
To begin with, it has a resolution of 1280 X 800, something that used to be the domain of full-sized laptops until few years ago. Inside its all-plastic - but svelte and sturdy - body hums a 1.4 Ghz dual-core Exynos processor. There is 1GB RAM and 16GB storage, out of which 2GB is ROM for installing applications and 11GB can be accessed by users.
Though benchmarks are of little relevance in determining how a device will function in real life, just to see what the hardware in Note is theoretically capable of, we ran Antutu benchmark that tests CPU, disk and graphics performance. It scored 6349 points. Given its high resolution it's an impressive score, putting it ahead of dual-core phones like Galaxy S2 and HTC Sensation.
Note comes with two cameras - 8MP rear camera and 2MP on the front. Performance of the primary camera is very good. Pictures are detailed and sharp with accurate colours. It shoots full HD (1080P) resolution videos at 30FPS. Quality of videos is also good.
Note is powered by Gingerbread aka Android 2.3, which Samsung has customized with Touchwiz 4. Given the hardware, there are no surprises in the performance. There is no lag anywhere in the device. Touch response is best in class.
Two-in-one
Samsung is claiming that if you are tired of carrying two devices - smartphone and a tablet - Note is for you.
During our use, however, we found Note to be too big to be used as a phone. Call quality was excellent and large virtual keys due to big screen size means that we could type SMSes very well on Note. But five inches of glass feels strange and awkward against the cheek.
Note as a smart device is a different story. Even though tablets are quite portable, using one while travelling, walking or in a meeting may look a little out of place. The screen size and the high resolution of Note are perfect for web browsing and watching videos on the go. As it has been the case with SuperAMOLED screens, the display on Note has punchy and vibrant colours.
Exynos processor currently has industry-leading multimedia playback performance and Note had no problem in handling even high-profile 1080P mkv videos. The vibrant screen and a fast hardware, combined with the excellent suite of Google apps like Gmail, Navigation, and Places, makes Note a fantastic device to carry on the go.
As far as Memo app is concerned, we did not find much use for it. But for those who require this sort of stuff - imagine a sales manager trying to jot down his thoughts on the latest sales charts released by his company - Memo can be a valuable tool. Samsung has also released an SDK for the S Pen and hoping that more developers will write applications that make innovative use of the stylus. Note packs a battery rated at 2500 mAh. In everyday use, it gave us nearly 15 hours of battery life on 3G with the device used mostly for web browsing, emails, gaming (Angry Birds) and several minutes of navigation using the in-built GPS.
Worth it?
Finally, our all-important question! Galaxy Note has an MRP of Rs 34,990. In the actual market it is already selling for Rs 32,000.
With Note, Samsung's aim is to offer a device that can replace the two-device setup of phone and tablet that most people use. In our opinion, it falls short on phone functions because of its size. We found making calls and sending SMSes with Note a little uneasy due to the size. Of course, if you have large hands, you may have a different opinion. Similarly, if you always make calls through hands-free kit, the size of Note doesn't matter.
That said, Note is a fantastic device to watch videos and browse web on the go due to its fantastic screen. With a versatile stylus, it is also a very good digital device to take notes. Its camera performance is definitely above average. Its battery performance shows that for most people the device will easily hold up for one whole day even with heavy use.
If you carry a dumb or a smaller phone and are looking for a smart companion device that is more portable - and in cases like video playback more functional due to better hardware - than a tablet, give Note a serious look.
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