AT&T Samsung Galaxy Note Review

Samsung's Galaxy Note is interesting for three reasons: it has a HUGE screen, it has an advanced stylus, called the S-Pen, and it sits in a category of devices that has not seen much mainstream success. The Galaxy Note is designed to be the single device for everyone. As the AT&T marketing says, "Phone? Tablet? Both."


While it may seem like a niche product, there’s a lot to like about the Galaxy Note as your daily phone, and it all starts with that big, beautiful display.

First of all, it's absolutely gigantic! The Galaxy S 2 Skyrocket, which I thought was a big phone, is tiny by comparison to the Galaxy Note. It’s by far the biggest smartphone I’ve ever used. But it’s not so much the size of the device itself that gets me excited — it’s the size of the screen. The Galaxy Note's screen is a giant 5.3-inch HD Super AMOLED Plus touchscreen with a resolution of 1280×800 pixels at 285 pixels per inch.

Technically, it’s a PenTile display, and I’m not really a fan of this sub-pixel arrangement, but the resolution and pixel density is high enough that my eyes can’t tell the difference. Tiny text renders clearly, images are super bright and well saturated, and there’s not a hint of dimness in the display. Samsung’s included a setting in the Galaxy Note to change the saturation level (dynamic, standard and movie), but the default colors are magnificent.

The larger screen means you can see more on the screen in one go, which in turn means less scrolling, and reading long documents of text becomes easier on the eyes, thanks to being able to use larger fonts, without having to scroll as much as on a smaller screen.

The capacitive touchscreen is also protected by Corning Gorilla Glass, which is not to be overlooked on a phone that’s too big for the jeans pocket and likely to end up in the handbag with the keys.

Unsurprisingly, the Galaxy Note has a plastic body that provides the kind of durability that will ensure its survival through minor bumps, unlike another certain phone.

The Galaxy Note’s slate form factor weighs in at 6.45 oz, which feels heavy in your pocket but light in your hand. In terms of hardware buttons, the power button is up on the right-hand side, and the volume buttons are positioned high up on the left-hand side. There’s a headphone jack on top, a microUSB port on the bottom for charging, and the S-Pen fits neatly into the underside of the phone, out of the way, minding its own business. It’s integrated so well, you’ll miss it if you’re not looking for it.

The Galaxy Note is a premium product, and it's priced that way, at $299 on a 2 year contract or $649 with no commitment. But, when you consider this product as both a tablet and a phone, then $299 for both, is not that bad. I have been using this as my daily driver for just over a month now, and it has not gotten old, yet.

One of the major upsides to any Samsung Android phone, is the massive amounts of development and custom ROMs available, and the Galaxy Note is no different. Since Samsung leaves the bootloaders unlocked, it is extremely easy to get root access, and install custom ROMs. For more info about rooting and ROMing, check out www.xda-developers.com, which has amazingly easy walkthroughs, as well as tips and tricks for getting the most out of your device. I will be writing a post about some of the custom ROMs that I have used.

Why should you buy your next mobile device at your carrier's corporate store?

This one seems self explanatory, but that doesn't make for a good blog post, now does it?

As most of you know, I am a Sales Consultant in an AT&T Corporate store. So, that does make me a little biased. However, it also makes me knowledgeable about this subject.

About 50% of what I do in the store, is customer service. Things like analyzing rate plans, changing features, and fixing mistakes on the account. More than 75% of the mistakes, are made either by retailers (Wal-Mart, Best Buy, Radio Shack, etc.), Authorized Dealers (Local non- Corporate AT&T store), or online orders. Yes, I know that you can get "better" deals, on some phones, through these outlets. However, is a $20 -$50 savings worth the hassle of having to call customer service, or come into an AT&T Corporate retail store, and spend an hour, or more, of your day, trying to get the problem fixed.

Basically, just ask yourself this question, "Do you want a minimum wage Best Buy employee working on your phone account, or do you want a well trained AT&T Retail Sales Consultant, who actually knows and understands how AT&T plans and services work?"

In addition to that, any purchases made in a Corporate store, are directly linked to your account, so you can go to any Corporate store in the country and do warranty exchanges on accessories, or return a phone inside the 30 day return window. All accessories purchased in a Corporate store have a 1 year warranty from the original date of purchase, and a "no hassle" warranty exchange policy. If we have the item in stock, you get the same item to walk out the door with. If we don't have the same item, then you are given the opportunity to receive a like item, and walk out the door that day.

Warranty exchanges at retailers, generally make you send it in to the manufacturer, and/or wait for a store giftcard in the amount of the purchase price. If you purchased the item on sale, and it goes back up in price, too bad. If you purchased the item at an Authorized Dealer store, you have to return it to that store.

Basically, the best way to ensure a satisfactory experience with AT&T, is to deal directly with an AT&T Corporate store. If you're not sure if the store you are in is a corporate store, just check the display phones. If they are all live devices, then you are in a Corporate store. If they're "dummy phones", then you're not.

Welcome to Mobility Geek!

As you can probably tell from the title, I am a self proclaimed mobile device geek! I love cell phones (especially smart phones), tablets, and anything ultraportable.

This blog is dedicated to all of those things, as well as, rumors and news from around the mobile world. I will talk about the devices that I have, and give reviews on devices that I have the opportunity to use. I am currently using Android devices, and have, in the past, used Apple, Palm, and Windows Mobile.

I will also review my favorite apps, tips and tricks, and development for Android phones. If you have any ideas, or devices you would like reviewed, please feel free to comment, or send me an email, or a google plus message.

Hopefully this will be a fun and entertaining blog for everyone involved.