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Welcome to the 2013 Samsung Galaxy Note 2 N7000 series review. We liked the original Galaxy Note - so with great anticipation, waited till this second version before deciding our next major mobile phone purchase. The original Note and the replacement Note II when this was review written and was the largest mobile phone you can buy. Some popular commentators called too big to be a useful phone and poured scorn claiming their enlighten senses were more aligned to the mass market and the future! Of course they where completely wrong and the concept continues to prove highly popular.
You see mobile phones and smart phones are now the primary source of computer and telecommunications device for everyone. In countries with developed infrastructure these devices do the work we used to do on PCs eg. internet banking, reading the news and emails a mere 5 years ago. As we age and our eyes fade and our bodies become bigger along with wanting more means we are happy with a large but not too large device to carry around!
In terms of hardware the Samsung Note II is and improvement over the original. The 3D effect on the grey version is quite nice. The build quality is very good despite being largely plastic it does feel sturdy enough for daily use. even without a case. The case also has a slot for the S-pen which works well although it took some time to work out which apps would work with it. The large 5.5 inch Note II screen produces less saturated images than the original and can be read in bright sunlight easily enough. The size is really quite nice allowing for less typing errors and is really comfortable to hold too. Try one your self and see what you think.
In terms of performance and use the Galaxy Note II is quick and very responsive. Unlike the original there are next to no lags on the interface design running various apps and widgets. We can't really say much more since it is literally packed with everything you could desire on a smartphone in 2013. The camera is a bit of a let down though. All it really needs is a infrared to be able to change channels on the TV or stereo. You could complain that there are just too many settings to play with but then the iPhone has just as many!
The Note II has or can have any thing you want including a FTP server - not a mistake!
To conclude, we like the Galaxy Note 2 even more than the original. Definitely worth a look if you're a pretty active person who just wants to do everything on the go and on a big screen rather than stuck to your PC. It's now much easier to actually write a novel on it and watching movies in virtually any format you want along with games and internet browsing this pretty much all you need. Definitely recommended!
Specifications
- Samsung Galaxy Note II
- Network
Quad-band GSM 850/900/1800/1900
Quad-band 3G 850/900/1900/2100
Quad Band LTE 4G 800/900/1800/2600 (dependent on country)
- Design
Touch screen
- L151 x W80.5 x D94 mm
- Weight 183 grams
- Display/s
5.5 inch 1,280 x 720 AMOLED
- Camera
8MP auto-focus
LED Flash
2nd forward facing video call camera 2MP
- Video Camera
1080p high definition 30FPS main video camera
- Connectivity
Wi-Fi
Bluetooth V3
- CPU
1.6 Ghz Quad core
Separate Graphic CPU
- Memory
1Gig RAM
16 Gig for user
Up to 64Gig micro-SD expansion
- Features
A-GPS, Compass, Proximeter,Gyroscope, Accelerometer, Ambient light
FM Radio with RDS
Ring tones: MIDI, MP3, Video, vibration and others
AndroidApp store
Samsung App store
Free Google Navigator (requires data plan)
Dolby Digital
Music and Media player
MS-Word, Excel and Powerpoint, PDF, ZIP compatible
Organiser/Calendar
SMS, MMS, IM, Email
Speaker Phone/Hands free
Li-Po 3100 mAh battery
Up to 21 hours Standby
Up to 35 hours Talk Time
- Price history
Under $700 AUD April 2013 (Outright)