As soon as I heard that Samsung is coming out with a smartphone with a 5.3” screen and a stylus, I became interested. The Galaxy Note runs Android 2.3 on a dual core 1.5GHz Snapdragon processor at a resolution of 1,280x800-pixel. The camera is 8MP. All great specs.
I’ve had my HD2 for almost two years now. It has been both reliable and flexible. In March of 2010, I wanted a device that would be able to hold me up for at least two years. I wanted the latest and greatest that March of 2010 could offer me. The HD2 had a 4.3” screen (the biggest at the time) and a 1GHz processor running Windows 6.5. That’s good enough for me.
I didn’t mind Windows 6.5 because my previous two phones were also Windows phones. I figured the guys at xda-developers.com would be able to hack Android to run on it if I decide to switch. The 1GHz processor should be fast enough to last me a couple years.
I ended up switching to Android as soon as a stable version was available. I’m currently running Android 2.3.4. Everything is nice and speedy.
I don’t really need to switch, but because I’ve been using Windows phones before Android, I’m curious about the stylus for the Galaxy Note. Each of my first two Windows phones had a stylus. I used to doodle on those phones. Since switching to the non-stylus HD2, I haven’t doodled at all.
I use my phone to update both Wopular and Movies With Butter quite often, so a bigger screen that I can still hold on to with one hand would be nice. I would also like to see how responsive the stylus is and whether or not it’s a good drawing tool. I wonder how battery life is for a phone with such a huge screen.
So far, from reading a couple reviews, the phone seems a bit too big to easily fit into a pocket and the stylus has a delayed response. No mention of the battery life, but users said it last about a day with heavy usage. A mixed reaction so far.
I guess I’ll just have to stop by AT&T and play with it.
When I first bought the HD2, I thought it was a good tweener - bigger than most smartphones, but smaller than a tablet. The Galaxy Note seems to be the ultimate tweener. Gadget bloggers are calling it a "phablet."
UPDATE #1:
A detailed review from Techcrunch confirms and answers some more questions. The battery life is pretty good, lasting a day with heavy usage. The phone is too big to handle with one hand. The stylus is fun, but unnecessary. The screen is great. The phone, overall, is snappy. Most importantly, the reviewer thinks the Galaxy Note, with its 5.3" screen, crosses the line of "how big is too big."
Engadget gave it a glowing review. They say despite the size, you'll get used to it. One interesting thing they mentioned is that some apps can't handle resolution, so buttons would appear super small. They also prefer the international version which has better speed and battery life.
UPDATE #2:
I went to an AT&T store and played around with it for a little bit. Overall, I left with a mixed feeling. The screen is very nice. Holding it on one hand isn't too bad. I was able to type one-handed with Swype. It fits in my pocket, but I'm not sure how it would do if I were to sit down. I couldn't get used to the lag with the stylus. It limits how fast you can write with it. As a doodling tool, it's ok, but you'll have to doodle slowly. I had wanted it to be my next device, but I'm not so sure now.
