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Samsung Galaxy Note II review

2012-10-08
whoa hi I'm plywood Virge and this is the Galaxy Note 2 a 5.5 inch smartphone / tablet hybrid that ships with latest version of Android onboard jelly thanks to improvements in Google's operating system and Samsung's excellent Exynos processor the Galaxy Note 2 is one of the quickest and most responsive devices of any kind yes smooth and fluid enough to compete with the standard setting iPhone and consistently snappy Windows Phone interfaces I noticed a clear advantage for the note 2 over the HTC One X one of the leading Android handsets speaking of Android flagships it would have escaped your attention that the Galaxy Note 2 looks an awful lot like Samsung's top-of-the-line smartphone the galaxy s3 similarities between the two and more than skin-deep as a note 2 is built in the exact same components as the S free from quad-core system-on-chip to the 8 megapixel camera on the back the new device adds a couple of upgrades of its own however firstly there's the S Pen Stylus which has been redesigned from the original S Pen to made lighter and longer though it still works with the same high degree of accuracy and reliability it's based on what coms inductive technology so there's no need for batteries and you can use it to navigate all around the TouchWiz interface a new function for it cold air view can now recognize when you're hovering just above the note 2 screen and react accordingly Samsung's harness this technology to give you instant content previews that don't require to click anywhere such as with thumbnails when you hover over movie timeline or by expanding s planner items for more detail look Samsung's biggest upgrade for the s-pen has been in his handwriting recognition the original Galaxy Note struggled with my handwriting whereas the new device is almost never wrong even when I try to intentionally make my writing difficult to decipher this makes handwritten input on the new tablet a legitimate and reasonable option to consider if there's any downside to the s-pen is that the still scarcity of good drawing or editing apps to make full use of its capabilities the second important upgrade from Samsung comes in the form of the 3100 milliamp hour battery set under the note to use glossy shell this gives it superb endurance by smartphone standards anyway as you can go through two days of regular use without recourse to a charge the first galaxy note was good in this department but the note two takes that lead an extra step forward camera performance is as strong as you'd expect from a device power in the galaxy as freeze imaging hardware the note 2 takes beautifully detailed pictures and shoes excellent 1080p video Sam settings only enhancements here have been a few software tweaks like a burst mode and some added editing options overall the Galaxy Note 2 easily out does its Europe predecessor as you might expect but also surpasses the majority of Android smartphones and tablets as well it's lightning quick offers the best stylus solution you can find on any mobile device and last for days on a single charge sure it's far too large we considered a smart phone but if you can accept having to wield it with two hands instead of one the Galaxy Note 2 may just be the best Android device that you can buy right now
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