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Criteria
Comments
Rating
- Reception and call quality Pretty good call quality overall. The small speaker isn't great for speakerphone. Not terrible, but you're probably not going to hear it across the room
- Display A gorgeous Super AMOLED panel matched with an HD resolution and fantastic viewing angles. Some might complain about pentile, but really it's negligible.
- Battery life So far so good. Can make it a full day with moderate usage including Exchange on push, Gmail, graphic-intensive games, Twitter set to 30 intervals and browsing
- Camera No comments
- Ease of use Moreso to do with Android than just the Note. If you know Android, give it a great, but people coming from Windows Phone or iOS are in for a learning curve.
- Design and form factor The quality of materials leaves a little to be desired but the thinness does compensate for the largeness of the phone.
- Portability (size / weight) It really depends on the user. I've used a Streak and a Flyer so the size wasn't an issue but this is a phone you need to pick-up and hold before you buy.
- Media support Like most Android devices, it'll play just about anything you throw at it and it will look absolutely stunning on that screen. Audio playback is good to average
- Durability It's got gorilla glass. The back cover is flimsy but there are a lot of different back covers you can buy later to extend the life more than other phones
- Ecosystem (apps, accessories, etc.) Android's pretty much got it covered. Pretty nice selection of S Pen capable apps already and they are churning out more. Will be nice to see Polaris open up.
Detailed review
This is a great phone if you're okay with the size. If not, go with a standard SGII or the SkyRocket (actually just wait for the SkyRocket HD). That being said, if you're excited about the prospect of all that you could do with a bigger screen then this is a great device. If you've got a 4-inch phone and a 7-inch tablet, this can replace both conveniently.
The device is a touch plasticky, but the plastic materials do keep the weight down and keep what could have been an unpocketable phone pocketable. In addition, you've got an unparalleled visual experience with this device.
As for the S Pen, it's good if you think you'll use it. The best feature is the S Memo lite actually. From anywhere in the phone, you can just double tap with the pen to bring up a quick memo and jot something down then get right back into what you were doing. It's surprisingly convenient and simple.
The biggest issue for people migrating from the HTC Flyer will be the notes ecosystem. Unfortunately, right now, it just doesn't compare to the amazing functionality with Evernote that HTC built into the Flyer and Sense. You can sync your notes to Evernote from S Memo, but it stops there and you have to it manually. Unlike the Flyer, which would do it automatically and incorporate alerts and reminders with Evernote as well as record and sync audio.
Overall, it's a great device for its audience. It's not going to be the for-everyone device Samsung claims it to be in their Super Bowl commercial, but it will be a great device for some. Whether you're one of those people or not is more up to you to decide. If you're looking to cut your paper usage down, digitize your notes, find a new way to sketch throughout the day or just broaden your phone's capabilities and use (while also realizing you're limiting yourself in terms of portability, then this could just be the device you've been looking for.
The device is a touch plasticky, but the plastic materials do keep the weight down and keep what could have been an unpocketable phone pocketable. In addition, you've got an unparalleled visual experience with this device.
As for the S Pen, it's good if you think you'll use it. The best feature is the S Memo lite actually. From anywhere in the phone, you can just double tap with the pen to bring up a quick memo and jot something down then get right back into what you were doing. It's surprisingly convenient and simple.
The biggest issue for people migrating from the HTC Flyer will be the notes ecosystem. Unfortunately, right now, it just doesn't compare to the amazing functionality with Evernote that HTC built into the Flyer and Sense. You can sync your notes to Evernote from S Memo, but it stops there and you have to it manually. Unlike the Flyer, which would do it automatically and incorporate alerts and reminders with Evernote as well as record and sync audio.
Overall, it's a great device for its audience. It's not going to be the for-everyone device Samsung claims it to be in their Super Bowl commercial, but it will be a great device for some. Whether you're one of those people or not is more up to you to decide. If you're looking to cut your paper usage down, digitize your notes, find a new way to sketch throughout the day or just broaden your phone's capabilities and use (while also realizing you're limiting yourself in terms of portability, then this could just be the device you've been looking for.
good review!
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