Samsung Galaxy Note first impressions

After a disappointing experience with an Android tablet recently, it was timely that Samsung offered to loan me their latest Android device, the Galaxy Note. This is a bit of a strange device though…it’s a 5.3″ tablet that is also a phone…commonly referred to as a ‘phablet’.

I got the chance to briefly use one at SXSW earlier this year but a few minutes with a device is rarely enough to tell if it’s a winner or not (I didn’t have high hopes at the time). It seemed too big to be practical and it comes with a stylus! I thought decent touch screen technology had finally killed off the stylus…although my first true smartphone (a Treo 650 and all the Palm PDA devices I had before that) used one.

But now it’s been just over a week with the device and I have to say, I’m really surprised at how much I enjoy using it. It’s not without some issues which I’ll describe in a bit but it’s been a nice fresh take on the mobile experience.

It is HUGE and does look kind of ridiculous as a phone. There, I stated the obvious. But when I considered how infrequently I actually use my iPhone as a phone (by holding it up to my ear), it became less of an issue. Fact is, I don’t make/receive a lot of phone calls…and if I do, it’s usually in my car while I’m driving and I have hands-free Bluetooth built into my car’s stereo.

Things I liked:

• huge, beautiful & vibrant Super OMOLED 5.3″ screen with a great viewing angle at 1280×800 resolution
• speedy with a 1.5 GHz Dual Core Processor inside and crazy fast 4G LTE internet speeds (I’ve been testing on the Telus network in Canada and it’s been faster than many home internet speeds)
• one of the better Android cameras I’ve used so far (8 megapixel with autofocus on the back) that can shoot up to 1080p HD video
• despite the giant screen, battery life was on par with my iPhone 4S…each lasts me a day with a little juice left over
• nice finish on the back cover…not slippery and feels solid despite the back battery cover being wafer thin
• surprisingly great form factor for a tablet…fits nicely in your hand (slightly bigger than my Canadian Passport)
• it comes with a stylus, but isn’t required to use the Note – artists can really use the stylus to create some great art and regular people like me can quickly scribble notes – bonus: you can easily take screenshots using the stylus by pressing & holding the button as you tap the screen

Things I didn’t like:

• looks silly as a phone when held to your face
• no easy way (by default) to type (two handed) on the device unless you lay it flat and/or prop it up on something – a smart/flip cover or stand would be useful (which are available separately from third parties)
• difficult to use one handed due to size of the screen – you can’t easily navigate with 1-2 fingers/thumb like a smaller device
• uses a normal/full size SIM card
• still running Gingerbread 2.3.6 version of Android OS (likely due to Telus update schedule)
• somewhat slow autofocus on the back camera and the shutter is a little laggy, the moment you hit the button, the image is captured, despite the image processing delay, you still get the shot you intended
• the stylus centric handwriting recognition works but is a little clunky to use

The screen really is something to behold…it has a fantastic viewing angle and is the correct aspect ratio for HD movies:

The screen is also particularly good at showing photos. My previous Android phone, the Nexus S was too saturated so colors looked over done. The Note’s screen seems just right.

If you think you’re good at Draw Something with your finger, you should be amazing at it with the Note’s stylus…sadly, it hasn’t helped my artistic ability.

One of the first things I like to test on a new device is how well it runs M.A.M.E. and the Note excels at it.

Everything runs smoothly, and looks fantastic. You can rotate the screen and it rotates immediately, moving the onscreen controls as well. Despite it’s large screen, it’s quite comfortable to hold in landscape mode to play.

As I mentioned above, it has one of the better Android cameras I’ve used.

With similar 8 megapixel specs as the iPhone 4S, I was able to take some great shots on the go in many different lighting situations.

It’s definitely going to be difficult to send this back to Samsung as it’s one of the best Android experiences I’ve had…and will only get better when Android 4.0 is released for it. I was certainly a doubter at first but after using it for an extended period, I have to say I’m quite impressed with the Galaxy Note.