Note what Samsung galaxy gt n7000. Intermediate inches: Samsung Galaxy Note review

The first universal Samsung Galaxy Note

Modern gadgets never cease to amaze us: they seem to be capable of absolutely any task. From now on, in order to work, have fun, relax and always stay in touch, just one device is enough!

Dream display

Powerful processor

Productive dual core processor with a frequency of 1.4 GHz makes working with the new product as convenient as possible. High speed network connection HSPA+ guarantees you fast work on the Internet, as well as the ability to watch streaming videos and participate in online games.

Applications for every taste

It will help you to appreciate all the advantages of a large screen pre-installed application S Planner: It easily creates a single interface for solving daily tasks. And the multimedia application S Memo is indispensable for creating and storing all types of content: drawings, drawings, voice recordings and messages. Each one is very easy to edit and send to friends using Samsung's new ChatON service.

Information about the make, model, and alternative names of the specific device, if available.

Design

Information about the dimensions and weight of the device, presented in different units of measurement. Materials used, colors offered, certificates.

SIM card

The SIM card is used in mobile devices to store data that certifies the authenticity of mobile service subscribers.

Mobile networks

A mobile network is a radio system that allows multiple mobile devices to communicate with each other.

Mobile communication technologies and data transfer speeds

Communication between devices on mobile networks is carried out using technologies that provide different data transfer rates.

Operating system

An operating system is a system software that manages and coordinates the operation of hardware components in a device.

SoC (System on Chip)

A system on a chip (SoC) includes all the most important hardware components of a mobile device on a single chip.

Built-in memory

Each mobile device has built-in (non-removable) memory with a fixed capacity.

Memory cards

Memory cards are used in mobile devices to increase the storage capacity for storing data.

Screen

The screen of a mobile device is characterized by its technology, resolution, pixel density, diagonal length, color depth, etc.

Sensors

Different sensors perform different quantitative measurements and convert physical indicators into signals that a mobile device can recognize.

Main camera

The main camera of a mobile device is usually located on the back of the body and is used for taking photos and videos.

Additional camera

Additional cameras are usually mounted above the device screen and are used mainly for video conversations, gesture recognition, etc.

Audio

Information about the type of speakers and audio technologies supported by the device.

Radio

The radio of the mobile device is a built-in FM receiver.

Location determination

Information about the navigation and location technologies supported by your device.

WiFi

Wi-Fi is a technology that provides wireless communication for transmitting data over close distances between various devices.

Bluetooth

Bluetooth is a standard for secure wireless data transfer between various devices of different types over short distances.

USB

USB (Universal Serial Bus) is an industry standard that allows different electronic devices to exchange data.

HDMI

HDMI (High-Definition Multimedia Interface) is a digital audio/video interface that replaces older analog audio/video standards.

Headphone jack

This is an audio connector, also called an audio jack. The most widely used standard in mobile devices is the 3.5mm headphone jack.

Connecting devices

Information about other important connection technologies supported by your device.

Browser

A web browser is a software application for accessing and viewing information on the Internet.

Video file formats/codecs

Mobile devices support different video file formats and codecs, which respectively store and encode/decode digital video data.

Battery

Mobile device batteries differ from each other in their capacity and technology. They provide the electrical charge necessary for their functioning.

Specific Absorption Rate (SAR)

The SAR level refers to the amount of electromagnetic radiation absorbed by the human body while using a mobile device.

What I didn't like

Everything is made of plastic back cover thin as Samsung Galaxy S2. What's the point of a 5-layer sour cream lid? And it's not cheap.
Everything is made of plastic, absolutely everything. And the stylus :), this little stylus that sticks out of the Note, reminds me of the old days of PDAs on Windows Mobile.

What I liked

Only as a universal tablet, a tablet from which you can make calls.

What I didn't like

The touchpad is not impressive and does not always recognize touches correctly, especially in games.
For such a device and the gluttonous Android 4.0.4 the processor is rather weak. Everything slows down, but not critically. Android 4.1 has not yet been released. Samsung has a big disadvantage in this regard. The battery, although large, lasts for a day with average activity. If you play or do anything else constantly, then there won’t be enough for a day.
I didn't like the back cover. In my opinion, on SGS3 it is much nicer.

What I liked

price, screen, camera

What I didn't like

periodically loses the network, applications sometimes freeze, the camera lasts for 16-18 hours, with active calls it lasted for 6 hours, I still haven’t gotten used to its size (I always want to take a smaller and more comfortable phone, although I myself am not small and have a big paw ), sound quality is poor (3), vibration is not felt in your pants pocket.

What I liked

Large and high-quality screen, convenient to use a pen, navigation, bluetooth, convenient to surf the Internet with such a screen, wi-fi not a single failure, excellent workmanship

What I didn't like

Next we will be more concerned with listing the shortcomings associated with the firmware released for this phone. The fact is that this firmware essentially negates all the advantages listed above.
- the phone began to shake, sometimes it would not appear obvious mistake followed by closing applications, not often annoying, but memorable;
- the camera began to load very slowly, or rather its interface, in order to take a direct picture;
- the memory is gone, I just can’t install applications larger than 15 MB anymore, buying 32 GB of memory didn’t help. I even specifically went into the phone’s memory in the folder manager to clear it necessary files(although to me these actions themselves already seem like some kind of disrespect for Android developers) - it also didn’t help matters, the phone has gigabytes, but I can’t install anything;
- the notepad for leaving notes and drawings with a pen has stopped saving drawings, I repeat once again, it refuses to save them!
- the battery when using WiFi began to last for 2.5-3 hours;
- if you simply leave the “mobile data” function turned on, the phone may not survive until the evening;
- what kind of radiation comes from the screen, if in the morning you sit for another hour with your head buried in reading or playing games, your head becomes wobbly the whole next day;

What I liked

Large screen with HD resolution (it seems to me that more is not needed for such a diagonal); - good quality received camera images: - the ability to install a huge number of applications and support for most demanding games from the Android market; - the ability of Android to work with files directly from the Internet or other source without connecting to a computer; - HD video support; - a stylus with the ability to draw stunning pictures in a proprietary program; - preinstalled office; - quite fast in the interface; - rare random touch buttons under the screen

What I didn't like

For me it’s the size. My hand gets used to it, but pockets, clutches, dresses, light outerwear... I started constantly walking around with my phone in my hand, like a fool with a handbag :) Android 4 - endless glitchy jumps, a very viral market, I have a battery with active use (navigation, Internet, audio player) it lasts from the morning until about 16-00, provided that I keep it on charge in the car (the phone is in “energy saving mode”. The button is not conveniently located screen lock, i When blocking, I constantly reduce the ringer volume. Weak wifi receiver(where other home devices show a full scale, Note gives two divisions), without a bumper and a cover.

What I liked

Excellent screen, good camera, wireless connection to PC, swype.

What I didn't like

Battery, screen scratches, freezes

What I liked

Good screen

What I didn't like

1. Few accessories.
2. After a year and a half of use, it initially refused USB connector(more precisely, there was some kind of scarf inside that was responsible for it, but it was nowhere to be found and it was not possible to replace it, it was charging from a frog), and then it completely died (at repair they said at first that there was something with the firmware, but with obscenities motherboard or whatever it’s called, repairs from 7000 rubles)
3. The camera is not very good, or rather its zoom, the quality noticeably deteriorates when you get closer 4. An eternal problem with memory, I downloaded too much of everything, but it was very difficult to clean it, at first the memory card saved me, but then there was still no memory left t.t.
5. The player had an alphabetical index on the side and it was in Latin letters, but after the software update it became Cyrillic and I don’t know how to change it, it was very inconvenient to search for music, and then T9 disappeared somewhere (although I personally don’t it seemed like he was even comfortable)
6. The button on the stylus quickly fell off (although this didn’t really bother me)
7. The battery could have been more powerful, but one day it managed to run out while standing on charge
8. It gets very hot at the back.

What I liked

Good bright display, light, good design, fell several times and the screen was never scratched (and this is without film!). The headset, it’s awesome, the only headset that worked for me for six months, it’s a pity I couldn’t find it separately.

What I didn't like

after updating to android 4.0 it became a terrible brake, namely when the shell itself is running, it does not slow down in programs, although many programs periodically freeze completely.
The camera seems to be the same as on the galaxy s2, but it seems to take worse photos than on the s2.

What I liked

Large bright screen and rich colors s memo program and stylus, thanks to which it can be used as a notebook, the charge lasts a long time for the Internet, android is quite convenient, which is more suitable for a smartphone in functionality than the Apple axis

What I didn't like

The battery runs out quickly when using the Internet, after three hours only 15% remains, you always have to carry a spare battery with you, I took a battery with an increased capacity of 2700 amh, enough for using the Internet for 3.5 hours. In general, only the battery is annoying. In offline mode, it’s enough to watch 3 an hour of video. When there is too much installed applications It starts to slow down slightly, but this can be corrected by limiting background processes through the settings. I’ve owned this device for three years now, I’m waiting until batteries appear on the market that will hold a charge at full load for at least 2 days, a QHD display with a powerful processor of at least 2500.

What I liked

Picture quality, excellent photos and videos are obtained only during the day, design.

What I liked

light, nimble, powerful

What I didn't like

Sometimes, for some reason, it’s not loaded with anything, but I’ve tried it with and without antivirus running, and it crashes: it freezes or doesn’t want to start without charging (even though 50% of the charge is available)

What I liked

I- Screen (really good: clear, bright, responsive) Camera (two good cameras with flash and excellent quality, average quality in the dark (but if you shot horizontally, then it will look bad, very bad) Speed ​​(almost no lag) Software (possibility of updating to 4.0.4, standard 2.3 is a minus) Navigation

As you know, there are only two real mobile operating systems in the world (and only one of them is for real men), and everything else is incomprehensible small fry, dangling under your feet and senselessly smoking the sky (end of provocative stuff). We recently delighted the apple half of humanity (and beat it) new iPhone 4S, now it's time to show something impressive to supporters of close contacts with robots.

There should be a lot of good things! - This is the opinion not only of lovers of large ladies, but also of Samsung designers, whose GT-N7000 Galaxy Note amazes with its 5.3-inch diagonal screen. Yes, the same Note, because of which our editor Alexander Perekalin is so in Berlin. Yes, and there was a reason - few people like the current fashion for simultaneous ownership of a phone and a tablet, at least from a financial point of view. Well, let's see if Note saves us from this.

⇡ About APPEARANCE

With the exception of the actual size, the Note is a typical Galaxy of the older series with a recognizable design. Samsung is gradually finding its intonation, and jokes about “there are two people in the design department” are gradually dying out. The author of this review likes the appearance of the Note - strictly, laconically, “expensively”. Well, as usual, the back cover provides tactile pleasure - thin and flexible, supposedly made of break-resistant material. It’s still scary to check the last statement.

And if we return to the dimensions, practical operating experience suggests the following conclusions: The Note fits perfectly into the pocket of the most ordinary jeans, but it looks somewhat comical there. Moreover, if you forget to take the N7000 out of your pocket before sitting down, it will definitely “remind you” of itself, not to mention the fact that you should not put it in your back pocket under any circumstances. Where should you put your Galaxy Note? We don’t know for sure, but our instinct tells us that it’s best to ask Anatoly Wasserman about this.

⇡ About SCREEN

When the author first heard about a smartphone with a 5.3-inch screen diagonal, the first reaction was malicious curiosity - what kind of grain is there, the size of a pea? But Samsung outwitted everyone and cut a matrix for the Note with a champion resolution of 1280x800 - remember, until recently this was considered quite acceptable for a 15-inch laptop. As a result, we get not a champion, but quite acceptable 285 dpi. If you strain your eyes, you can see some grain, but overall the image looks smooth for such a large screen.

The screen protected by Gorilla Glass belongs to the HD Super AMOLED family, because its resolution is even higher than that of the Galaxy Nexus (1280x720 pixels), but not to Super AMOLED Plus - the subpixels here are organized according to the PenTile scheme (which gives us a third less subpixels due to alternating red and blue), and there are quite sharp-eyed people who can see the difference well. Well, for those who are not confused by such trifles, there is another clear sign - not particularly good viewing angles. The white background of the search page begins to turn deathly blue already at an angle of 40-50 degrees - well, to hell with it, a smartphone is a personal device.

⇡ About offal

The dual-core Galaxy Note processor with a clock frequency of 1.4 GHz is a mystery no worse than an unknown hero from Marshak’s poems. The only “GTO sign” that various applications for identifying giblets give us in this case is that the cores belong to the Cortex-A9 generation. As is known, at Samsung the divisions producing end devices, have the right to freely select components by tender - and the contract may well go to the left. Probably, this time the tender was won by “our own people” and the processor was manufactured by Samsung.

This Jason Bourne mobile CPU is accompanied by the Mali-400MP graphics chip developed by the same ARM Holdings, which Samsung has already used as part of the Exynos 4210 build (with two A9 cores) in Galaxy smartphone SII. Its performance in graphics tests does not reach the level of PowerVR SGX 543MP2, but it whistles ahead of nVidia Tegra 2 - it turns out that to successfully design mobile graphics you don’t have to be a well-deserved desktop veteran.

As for the third component of success, Samsung decided not to skimp - it installed an honest gigabyte of RAM and 16 GB of permanent memory in the Note. Of these, the user who guessed where the “mount as USB drive” button is located gets 11. It’s gratifying that the microSD slot was not removed, although in general the brain of Android smartphone manufacturers is gradually being affected by the disease of refusing “extra” connectors.

⇡ About POWER

We'll start this section with a small dose of reassuring (but very impressive) numbers for phallometric benchmarkers. Here it is:

As for my own impressions of performance, it is absolutely adequate for this screen size. The author is not God knows what kind of gamer, but the smooth playback of HD movies inspires respect. Torrents can be downloaded directly to the connected device.

⇡ About the BATTERY

The second thing in the Galaxy Note that sends other smartphones to a break is the battery. The 3.7-volt “bulge” is actually only five millimeters wider, a couple of millimeters longer, and the same amount thicker than the HTC Mozart battery that came to hand for comparison. However, the capacity is almost twice as large - 9.25 Wh. As a result, the Galaxy Note takes significantly longer to charge than conventional smartphones, but it still manages to do it after midnight.

As you know, everyone's operating conditions are very different, but those whose standard smartphones barely survive the end of the day can count on a day and a half of pretty tough use.

⇡ About the CAMERA

The problem with almost all tablets is their weak cameras. Samsung decided to rectify the situation by designing the first version of the Tab 10.1 with an 8-megapixel module, but quickly came to their senses, and the thin version was released with a soapy 3-megapixel module.

In Note, the Koreans are retreating from the edge of the abyss, and this is understandable - from a device intended to be the only one and replace everything, the quality of the pictures is expected to be appropriate. According to our impressions, Samsung can still be given credit - for most people this camera will be quite suitable as their main one. Separately, we note the ability to shoot video with a resolution of 1080p - obviously, with such a screen and such a processor, it would be a shame to exchange for something less.

If we ignore the actual quality of pictures and videos, then we can praise Note (like all other Samsung Android based) I would like for a simple and clear interface and the presence of all required settings, and scold for the lack of a hardware shutter button.

⇡ About SOFT

Despite its unusual size, the Galaxy Note runs the most ordinary Gingerbread (version 2.3.5) with the usual TouchWiz 4.0 “blip” - the cure for this problem is not yet listed on the CyanogenMod.com website, but it is unlikely to take long. However, the original firmware is not bad at all.

Despite the non-standard screen resolution for 2.x, applications run perfectly. Moreover, users receive as a gift an increased capacity of the main screen - 5x5 icons instead of the usual 4x4, even more space for useless but beautiful widgets.

Samsung did not limit itself to its own shell, but added several applications to the firmware. First of all, this is the Social Hub, which unites Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn under one roof, but not VKontakte. Besides social group This includes Utalk, an IM application with support for ICQ, Google Talk, Facebook and VKontakte chats (yeah!), MSN and more.

The remaining “add-ons” belong to other categories - the standard calendar is replaced by S Planner, which provides synchronization with Google, Facebook and Exchange calendars. For creative individuals, we added image and video editors with basic capabilities, but not a very user-friendly interface. The young physicists received the Crayon Physics game as a gift, apparently with the aim of giving importance to the stylus.

In order to re-educate at least some part of the population, Samsung cleverly hid the inclusion of USB storage mode (Settings → Wireless and network (why?!) → USB utilities), crammed vile Kies everywhere, but at the same time added two sources of content - Books & Press and Music Portal. The second one can be immediately discarded - payments there are made through the operator’s account, and therefore prices reach an insane 60-odd rubles per track. In the first one, the user will be immediately pleased with a week-long “trial” and a good selection of Russian and foreign periodicals (for example, Vedomosti and Kommersant), which, however, are often just scanned strips that are not very convenient to read even on such large and high-quality screen. The books are presented in specially prepared editions from Russian partners. Prices are approximately half the cost of a paper copy, payment via premium SMS.

I would also like to say something about the functions voice control, which with standard settings are called double click central button. In fact, it's a Vlingo-based system available for any Android, and it works pretty well. In noisy places it has the same shortcomings as Apple's Siri, but in ideal conditions the system pleases with decent functionality - dialing numbers, sending messages, launching applications, searching (including by type of objects on the map) and even status updates social networks. The system’s ability to work via a Bluetooth headset adds to the positive impressions - important for such a large device.

Unlike Siri, Vlingo does not give in to scary snow-covered Russia (in which they help google maps), but in the same way does not speak Russian at all (only English, Italian, French, Spanish and German) and will not understand your contacts if they are written in Cyrillic. In this regard, we do not undertake to evaluate the usefulness of the system for the majority of our users. In addition to this, the system has another small but very annoying drawback - the user, accustomed to the normal pace of conversation, when asked “What would you like to do?” begins to respond immediately, whereas in the world of robots you need to wait for a characteristic beep, which signals the start of receiving a command. This results in the first part of the command being “missing” and being sent to Google searches incorrectly.

⇡ About S-PEN

It's time to remember why this particular Galaxy is called Note, and take out from its secluded cavity a rather conveniently shaped stylus, designed to work with a capacitive screen and called the S-Pen. Experienced mobile device users can start jumping on the spot, because it works across the entire system and completely replaces the finger - the stylus can be used to press any icons and easily type text on the keyboard. However, you will still have to take off your gloves in the cold - firstly, the stylus sits quite firmly in the slot and you can most often remove it from there only with the help of your nails, and secondly, touch buttons are beyond his control.

But the stylus is not intended for this at all, but for the S Memo application, which permanently occupies a central position in the dock and is an editor of handwritten notes with the ability to insert pictures and text, as well as a fairly wide selection of tools (brushes, pencils, etc.) . Despite this, S Memo lags behind its counterpart in the HTC Flyer tablet in terms of quality due to the lack of synchronization with Evernote. Against the backdrop of real user experience, Samsung's promotional video makes you bang your head against the wall - how can you, ahem, promote a function designed as strange as possible??

It turns out that on the S-Pen, closer to the tip, there is a very invisible, inconveniently located and not highlighted button with a very tight movement. If you hold it down and double-click on the screen, the S Memo Lite widget will open, in which you can write down an urgent thought that comes to mind. If you press and hold it and simultaneously point the stylus at the screen, the system will take a screenshot, which can be immediately edited and provided with graphic notes.

Unfortunately, this option seems completely unintuitive, and it is completely impossible to understand the principle of operation from advertising videos, as well as to immediately detect the treasured button. As a result, the S-Pen is just a pleasant reminder of the old days for oldfags.

⇡ About OUTPUT

First, a personal opinion - the author really liked Note. Of course, it’s a huge pity that Samsung didn’t buy the excellent webOS from HP and release something similar on it, but the “plafond” was a success with Android 2.3. One can say even more - the 2.x branch is much better suited for this screen size than the “three”, and as for the “four”, one can only hope that the update will not come out.

It is impossible to unequivocally classify Note as “strictly for advanced users,” however, it is often precisely for such subscribers that the number of megabytes downloaded is much greater than the number of minutes spoken. It is web surfing that seems to be the main purpose of the N7000 - and perhaps also navigation and reading books. Using the Note as a phone is not just inconvenient (we repeat, it fits into a standard jeans pocket without any problems), but just a little... strange. It’s not for nothing that all my friends who are looking at this device are going to buy either a Bluetooth headset or a Bluetooth “watch” to accompany this sturdy device.

One sore point is the price. Based on Scandinavian news, we can assume that in our market the price will be “slightly higher than 30 thousand.” The traditional Android audience in Russia is definitely accustomed to a completely different price level. And yet, the combination of almost tablet-like capabilities and almost smartphone-like dimensions will certainly make more than one well-earning IT specialist see the Note as their ideal option - and no 10,000-ruble gap from their closest pursuers will stop them.

The Samsung Galaxy Note is without a doubt one of the hottest gadgets of 2011. Personally, I don’t remember any other smartphone (except perhaps the iPhone 4S) causing so much discussion. Let's try to figure out together what it is, a phone or a tablet, how justified its existence is and what kind of buyer it is designed for.

Specifications of Samsung Galaxy Note

• Ranges: GPRS/GSM/EDGE 850/900/1800/1900, UMTS/HSPA 900/2100.
• Form factor: keyboardless monoblock.
• Operating system: Google Android 2.3.6 with TouchWiz 4 interface.
• Display: 5.3 inches, Super AMOLED HD, 800x1280 pixels, 16 million colors, touchscreen (capacitive matrix, S-Pen stylus support).
• Camera: 8 MP, autofocus, geotagging, video recording (1920x1080/30p), LED backlight.
• CPU: Samsung Exynos 4210, two ARM Cortex A9 cores, clock frequency 1.4 GHz; integrated Mali 400MP video accelerator.
• RAM: 1 GB.
• Flash memory: 16 or 32 GB + microSDHC cards up to 32 GB.
• Multimedia capabilities: MP3 player, FM receiver, video player (supports MPEG-4, Divx, Xvid, H.264), video editor, YouTube integration, Find service Music (analogous to Track ID in Sony phones Ericsson).
• Wireless technologies: Wi-Fi a/b/g/n with support for Wi-Fi Direct and mobile point access, Bluetooth 3.0 HS.
• Interface connector: microUSB, 3.5 mm headphone output.
• GPS: yes, A-GPS support, Google Maps support.
• Dimensions and weight: 147x83x10 mm, 178 grams.

Positioning and competitive environment

Let me make a small confession: I love Samsung precisely because of its willingness to experiment with different market niches in search of an idea that could potentially “shoot.” The Samsung Galaxy Note is clearly the fruit of one such experiment. At the official presentation of the device, an interesting fact was announced: according to a study commissioned by Samsung in South Korea, there is a fairly large segment of users who constantly carry 2-3 devices with them (a laptop, a smartphone and sometimes a tablet). Note was created as an ideal gadget for representatives of this particular target audience. According to the manufacturer, it should replace a phone and a tablet, and in some situations also a laptop. Talk about any competition from other manufacturers on at the moment no, because the Note belongs to a completely new class of devices. The only thing that comes to mind is the dull Dell Streak 5. However, if the Galaxy Note turns out to be successful, new devices in this class will certainly not be long in coming.

Scope of delivery

The Galaxy Note package is no different from the Galaxy S II. In addition to the battery, charger and a USB cable, the buyer receives an average quality headset with earbuds and a large amount of various waste paper.

Appearance and design features

ABOUT appearance there’s not much to tell: the same Galaxy S II (a.k.a. “inexpressive black brick with rounded corners”), only proportionally increased in all dimensions except thickness. The case materials are also similar to those used in the SGS II: the front panel is completely covered with tempered Gorilla Glass, the battery cover is made of pleasant corrugated plastic. In general, as in the case of the Galaxy S II, I would like to see at least a little metal in a device of this class (and this price).

It is worth mentioning separately Galaxy sizes Note. In terms of overall dimensions, it is approximately in the middle between 4.3-inch smartphones and 7-inch tablets. Of course, the perception of size is a purely individual thing, but the Note no longer fits in my pockets, and I don’t like carrying the phone in my bag. Although, apparently, it is most convenient to carry the Note in a bag (or an external pocket of a jacket/coat) and talk on it using a Bluetooth headset. Again, it’s difficult for me to draw any global conclusions, but personally, when I bring the Note to my ear, I stubbornly miss the speaker and therefore don’t hear the first few words spoken by the interlocutor. Among other little things that attract attention, I would like to mention the very unfortunate location of the call speaker on the back side of the device - it is very easy to block it with your fingers if you hold the smartphone both vertically and horizontally. In this case, the sound is very muffled. Problems with hearing a call from a pocket or bag also occur.

Screen

Perhaps the most attractive feature of the Samsung Galaxy Note is its screen. The matrix, made using Super AMOLED technology, has a diagonal of 5.3 inches and a resolution of 1280x800 pixels (HD). The only fly in the ointment is the arrangement of subpixels according to the PenTile scheme, but with such a pixel density (285 ppi) this has virtually no effect on the clarity of the text. The Galaxy Note is the first HD phone on the market, and I sincerely hope that next year all top phones will come with similar screens. The difference between the typical 2011 resolution of 800x480 and 1280x800 is colossal: HD movies look simply great when viewed, the Gmail application can fit the headers of ten emails on one screen, and websites, even those not optimized for mobile devices, open in all their glory. In my opinion, we can now say with complete confidence that a full-fledged Internet has finally come to phones. Not even fifteen years have passed. The viewing angles of the screen can be assessed in the following photographs:

Software, interface, functionality

Galaxy Note runs under operating system Android systems 2.3 (at the time of writing this review, the OS was updated to version 2.3.6), on top of which the proprietary TouchWiz shell is installed. The shell itself is practically no different from the similar one in the Galaxy S II - in my opinion, this is one of the best and most convenient shells for Android (along with HTC Sense). Of the little things that deserve attention, I would like to note the very tight integration with social networks(even to the point that the birthdays of your Facebook contacts are automatically added to the calendar), the most convenient phone book, built-in file manager and preinstalled full version office suite Polaris Office. Traditionally for top Samsung phones, the Galaxy Note has an excellent audio player (with a user-friendly interface, sorting by artist/album/genre, quick search and the ability to customize the equalizer “to suit you”) and a video player that understands almost all possible combinations of formats, codecs and resolutions (up to FullHD).

Working with the pen

The Galaxy Note, like the HTC Flyer, is equipped with a stylus. In the case of the Galaxy Note, the pen is a passive device (that is, it does not need a battery to operate). Despite this, it is equipped with a button that allows you to perform various tricks:

• a long press with the pen on the screen while holding the button takes a screenshot and goes into editing mode (i.e., you can immediately write or draw something on the screenshot);
• double-tapping the screen while holding the button opens the S-Memo application - a notepad that allows you to draw, write, and so on;
• A stroke to the left while holding the button is similar to pressing the hardware “back” button;
• An upward stroke while holding the button is similar to pressing the hardware “menu” button.

It is worth noting that the Galaxy Note's pen has a very thin tip and allows you to perform actions on the screen with a high degree of accuracy. This is best seen when using drawing programs such as AutoDesk SketchBook Mobile. SGN also has handwritten text recognition, but with the Russian language it can be said that it does not work. A couple of sketches I quickly drew in SketchBook Mobile using the S-Pen:

Samsung is threatening to release an SDK for the stylus this month, so it could be possible in the future. third party applications taking full advantage of its capabilities. Personally, I would like to see support for pressure sensitivity in the aforementioned SketchBook Mobile.

Performance and autonomy

Samsung Galaxy Note is equipped with a dual-core Samsung Exynos processor clocked at 1.4 GHz, and GPU Mali 400MP. In general, the device configuration is similar to the Galaxy S II (except for the clock speed). Performance, as it turned out, also differs slightly from SGS II.

But the Galaxy Note boasts a battery with an unprecedented capacity - 2500 mAh. Overall, this is the first Android device that personally lasts me for a whole day of really intensive use (web surfing, watching movies, etc.). With an average load, the device is quite capable of working for 2-3 days, which is an excellent result.

Camera

The Samsung Galaxy Note uses the same camera module as the Galaxy S II, so I refer you to the latter's review for examples. Overall, the Galaxy Note provides excellent quality for both photos and videos.

Bottom line

To be honest, it’s been a long time since I came across a device that would leave such contradictory impressions after getting to know it. On the one hand, the Galaxy Note's size is clearly not pocket-sized, and it is not very convenient for use as a phone. On the other hand, the smartphone is distinguished, I’m not afraid of this word, by its brutal charisma and leaves no one indifferent, and the huge resolution screen and convenient stylus make it a suitable replacement for Android tablets. Galaxy Note, like Galaxy S II, is a real multimedia monster: it is equipped with an excellent camera, pre-installed music player Samsung is simply the best among all manufacturers, and its proprietary video player easily plays files of any format and resolution, not disdaining external subtitles. At the same time, Note, unlike other Android smartphones, allows you to really use all these functions and not be afraid that by lunchtime you will only have 10% battery charge left. Personally, I don't remember the last time I parted with a test device with such regret. In my opinion, the Galaxy Note is not for everyone, but true gadget connoisseurs should pay close attention to it. Especially if they have big pockets. Taking into account all of the above, we have decided to award the Samsung Galaxy Note with our most valuable award - the Editors' Choice insignia. 5 reasons to buy Samsung Galaxy Note:

• bright screen with a resolution of 1280x800 pixels;
• comfortable stylus with a thin tip;
• high performance;
• fantastic battery life;
• the best implementation of a music and video player among all manufacturers.

1 reason not to buy a Samsung Galaxy Note:

• The size will not suit everyone.

Attention, competition! Win a Samsung Galaxy Note!

One of the brightest Samsung features The Galaxy Note features an S-Pen that is pressure-sensitive and speed-sensitive. With this pen and the S-Memo app, you can create drawings, notes, and collages on the go, instantly capture ideas, and share them with family, friends, and colleagues. Editorial site together with by Samsung Electronics invites you to paint your day and win a Samsung Galaxy Note! What you need to do to take part in the competition:

1. Draw a comic, collage, or sketch that describes your typical day.
2. Take a photo or scan the drawing if it was drawn on paper.
3. Upload your work to the website from December 12 to December 25, 2012 on the competition page and leave your contact information.
4. Wait for the result!

When evaluating entries, creativity and level of execution will be taken into account first. You can use photographs to create collages, but the work must contain drawn elements. The jury reserves the right to reject the work if it considers the degree of drawing to be insufficient. Plagiarism entails disqualification of the participant and removal of the competition work. Only residents of Ukraine who have reached 16 years of age can take part in the competition. The results of the competition will be announced by December 28, 2011. The prize will be sent to the winner by mail. Employees of the companies “Media Holding Magnet” and “Samsung Electronics Ukraine” and persons affiliated with them cannot take part in the competition.