And it’s finally here! The Samsung Galaxy Note II seems to push the very boundaries when it comes to screen size, sporting a very wide 5.5 inch screen.
The Galaxy Note II will be available in two colors, namely Titanium Gray and Marble White, on its US debut. The form factor and design bears a certain resemblance to the S III, which looks pretty simple. The buttons on the phone, namely a sleep button on the right, volume rocker on the left, headphone jack on the top, and USB charging on the bottom, are placed tactically on the phone’s body, and respond well.
The device sports an 8 Megapixel camera, beefed up with 1080p video recording at 30 fps on its rear and a 1.9 Megapixel front-facing camera. It comes in 16, 32 and 64 GB models with a microSD slot for expandable memory. The 3100 mAh battery looks strong enough to power your phone for a day. For people who were concerned about the size of the first Note, it may come as a relief that the new Note II is slightly thinner than its predecessor, and weighs the same despite the heavier battery.
However, one thing that stands out is the brilliant screen, which boasts of a Super AMOLED 16:9 True HD display. The colors look brilliant and vivid, and media content looks fantastic. The new Note also comes with new features and playback styles that make it a joy to edit various types of media on the phone.
The Note II runs on Android 4.1 Jellybean, and the Android experience is pretty fantastic. The devices packs in a 1.6 Ghz Exynos 4412 quad-core CPU with 2 GB of RAM, which boosts the entire user experience which a generous dose of speed. Samsung promises that the phone will come “LTE Optimized” for a very good internet browsing experience.
Samsung has also enhanced the S-pen, and taking the S-Pen out takes the phone to a special screen. The stylus is now thicker and longer and fits well in your hand. The tip has also been specially designed to make the user feel like he’s writing on paper, instead of plastic on glass. The Note II also incorporates Air View technology which makes the phone recognize the S-pen when it hovers over the screen, and this allows you to preview emails, calendars, photos, videos and even scroll up and down.
On the whole, the new Note is a fantastic device with great fresh improvements and a very functional S-pen. With the minor exception of the very large screen, this phone is one to look out for.
