Samsung Galaxy Note II N7100

Overview

Powerful Smartphone Tablet

Pitched as one of the most powerful tablet smartphones to enter the market, the Samsung Galaxy Note II N7100 is the sibling of the Note N7000.

Design and Build Quality of Galaxy Note II N7100

Taking its cues from the Samsung Galaxy S3 – “inspired by nature” - the N7100 is a sophisticated yet slightly bulky looking handset that bears a striking resemblance to a certain Apple smartphone. The new phone is available in either Marble White or Titanium Grey, with the grey the more pleasing option. Wider and shorter than the original Galaxy Note, the Note 2 weighs a hefty 180 grams, making it one of the heaviest phones we’ve seen yet from Samsung. However, the shape of the phone makes it considerably easier to use single-handed than the original Note, demonstrating that the Samsung design team has taken on board the user feedback received about the predecessor. The phone features a Super AMOLED capacitive touchscreen display with a resolution of 1280x720 and 267ppi, and it’s a gigantic 5.5 inches, meaning that the phone’s visuals are absolutely top-notch.

User Interface and Comfort to Use Galaxy Note II N7100

Samsung Galaxy Note II comes equipped with a 1.6 GHz quad-core processor, a considerable step up from the original Galaxy Note, although it features an identical Mali-400MP GPU, which means that graphical rendering is much the same as the older device. With double the RAM of the original Note, the Note 2 is noticeably more capable and responsive, which is handy for running the brand-new Android 4.1.1. Jelly Bean operating system. Notably, it offers the revised Jelly Bean notifications system, which is a significant improvement on previous Android offerings. Missed calls are tagged with a “Call” response, SMS messages have a “Reply” response, and app notifications can be easily switched on and off to avoid irritation.

Telephony and Phonebook

Samsung Galaxy Note II’s Phonebook app steers the user toward the Google app suite, and integrates well with apps such as Google Talk, but is disappointing when it comes to social media integration beyond Google+. The lack of Facebook and Twitter will certainly annoy many users, as installing these apps is very time-consuming, while most phones offer this functionality out of the box. Nevertheless, the Android interface is smart and clean, with easily customizable menus and widgets, and a decent favourite function that makes calling your nearest and dearest very quick. Call quality on the Note 2 is excellent, in no small part thanks to its active noise cancelation. The dedicated mic performs particularly well, rendering voices cleanly and clearly even with high atmospheric noise.

Messaging and Emails

Samsung Galaxy Note II offers support for threaded SMS, MMS, IM, RSS, Push Mail and Email. A particularly welcome feature is the smart-gesture function, Swype, which greatly simplifies and speeds up entering text and controlling the phone’s functions. Configuring email and message accounts is very straightforward. The phone’s on-screen QWERTY keyboard is easy to use with generously sized keys that can be used by large fingers without difficulty, and supported by a decent predictive text system.

Gallery, Photo Viewer and Video Player

Media junkies will appreciate the 50GB of DropBox storage available for free to users, but it’s hardly necessary, given that the phone comes with an in-built 16, 32 or 64GB of storage. Images and video look fantastic on the phone’s high-resolution display, via the typical Jelly Bean Gallery apps that smartphone users are familiar with. There are plenty of editing options, although the reduced social media integration is again irritating.

Music Player and FM Radio of Galaxy Note II N7100

Supporting a wide range of audio formats, the Music player that comes as part of Jelly Bean runs well on the Samsung Galaxy Note II and is pleasing to look at: album artwork looks particularly great on its generous, colourful screen. The Music Hub is fantastic for adding new artists and playlists to your collection, and the connection to the Google Play store adds even more options. The FM radio is present too, and offers quick detection of local stations. Overall, audio quality is very good, and the equalizer settings help you to customize your listening experience as needed.

Samsung Galaxy Note II N7100 Still Camera and Image Quality

Samsung Galaxy Note II’s still camera is very similar to that of the original Note handset: a 8-megapixel rear camera. However, the whole camera function has been revamped and the app repackaged to enable faster still captures and more options, including an excellent panorama mode that produces some truly great shots.

Samsung Galaxy Note II N7100 Video Camera and Video Quality

Samsung Galaxy Note II’s video camera is on the same level as that of the original Note, capable of recording 1080p videos at a frame-rate of 30fps. Video captures are good-looking, with excellent dynamic range and responsivity to light, although there is some blurring with objects in motion.

Connectivity Options in Galaxy Note II N7100

Samsung Galaxy Note II offers similar connectivity options to the original Note handset, namely USB 2.0, Bluetooth 4.0 (compared to 3.0), Wi-Fi 802.11a/b/g/n, Wi-Fi Direct, DLNA and dual-band, but also offers the brand new NFC technology that has smartphone users so excited, and international 4G support, which many users will appreciate.

Organiser and Other Utility Tools

Samsung Galaxy Note II is well equipped with organizational tools and utilities, optimized for use with the S Pen. It also includes great document support, with an in-built document editor for PDF, Excel, Word and PowerPoint.

Web Browser and Applications

Samsung Galaxy Note II comes equipped with the Premium Suite – Samsung’s special app pack designed specifically for use with the S Pen. The apps are well built and easy to use, allowing users to annotate apps and photos, make quick notes, and use handwriting recognition. Integrated with Wolfram Alpha, it can also provide quick answers to basic problems and factual questions. There’s also the suite of Google apps – Search, Gmail, YouTube, Google Talk and Picasa.

Google Maps and GPS

Google Maps is the maps application of choice, and a pleasure to use on the large screen. Maps are detailed and well-defined, and populated with plenty of useful information. After quick location detection, the phone provides clear instructions, and can be controlled by voice or pen as needed.

Value for money

While the Samsung Galaxy Note II is almost certainly the most powerful smartphone available on the market, its eye-watering price tag will deter more than a few power users, and only very serious buyers will consider it.

Verdict of Galaxy Note II N7100

Supremely powerful and highly impressive, the Samsung Galaxy Note II is a capable smartphone tablet (Phablet) with excellent functionality and plenty of great features – but unless you’re a particularly demanding user, you’re better off with the Galaxy S3.