Samsung Galaxy Note 2 Hands-On Review
Design
The first noticeable change in the Galaxy Note 2 compared to its predecessor was the change is design, which has been made to look a lot similar to the Galaxy S3. The materials which have been used in both the devices are same, which the rounded-edges or better know as the “pebble design”. The plablet beats many in terms of design and build, and weighs a mere 180g measuring only 9.4mm thick. The Note 2 feels great in the hand and fits well, making it more comfortable to use. Although the plastic body is said to improve reception, it feels a bit cheap under the sun.
The bottom of the Note 2 houses an S-stylus pen which can be used for a variety of tasks. The same when pulled out by the user launches an S-note document which is ready for writing notes and jotting important points. The bundled features including the S-Pen are a great plus point for the device, and work amazingly with touchscreen response being immediate.
Screen and Performance
The best thing about the device is undoubtedly the HD AMOLED Display measuring 5.5inches, which is .25inches more compared to its predecessor. The picture quality is truly amazing. The screen is bright and clear, which the best contract ratio we’ve even seen on a phone. Watching videos in HD 1080p resolution on the 16:9 ratio display was a treat to our eyes, being so many things bundled in the Note 2.
The screen captures much less fingerprints than what we had expected. The phone’s quad-core 1.6GHz processor and 2GB of RAM make things even better, and tasks can be carried our smoothly. Playing videos, adding them to the home screen and resizing them at the same time could be a bit heavy for many smartphone, but the Note 2 failed to disappoint us without not even a bit of lag.
Operating System
The Note 2 runs on the recently launched Android 4.1 Jelly Bean, loaded with the latest version which is out. Perhaps its Google embedded Project Butter, which was announced to be included in an update, which allows the phone to handle a lot of tasks at the same time, ensuring a smoother experience for users.
Battery and Camera
The camera was same as that on the Galaxy S3, other than the ability to take pictures, record videos and scroll through galleries on a larger screen, making the experience very pleasurable. It has a rear-facing 8MP camera and a front-facing 1.9MP camera which proved to be great in the presence of adequate sunlight. The pictures came out clear without blur. The Note 2 also allows recording of videos in HD 1080p.
As far as the battery is concerned, the Note 2 has a 3100mAh battery which will easily last for at least a day, without the need of spare batteries to be kept for emergency.
The Note 2 will ship globally in October, and will be available in white and dark-grey color options.
