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.
