Samsung Galaxy Note 2, where the pen is mightier than a touch

Magical moments come alive. The Samsung Galaxy Note 2 is one of the most anticipated products that Samsung has to offer for the IFA. No matter how much they tried to keep a tight lip about it, nothing can stop the flow of rumors and excitement for the new Jelly Bean product. That is certainly a good thing, that is, if the wait becomes worth it.

Was it really worth all that finger crossing and leak checking you did every day? Let’s find out.

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Samsung began their presentation with a story, a story of artists that recreated Berlin through the use of the Samsung Galaxy Note 2. They highlight the main purpose of the new Note: creativity, art and availability to take that inspiration from your head to your pen.

The Display

There are two main things you will get the new Samsung Galaxy Note 2 for. The mind blowing 5.55 inch Super AMOLED HD display, and the reincarnation of the stylus, Samsung’s S-Pen. The display pushes out a 1,280 x 720 resolution. While the size of the screen was indeed a huge plus, the lowered resolution might become a drawback for those used to a sharper display. There could have been more improvements here, Samsung.

The Operating System

One thing you should know is that the Samsung Galaxy Note 2 will arrive with Jelly Bean on board. Which means the speed, fluidity, new Google features like Google Now, and richer notification system will be available right out of the box. The Jelly Bean operating system is currently the latest and greatest of the Androids so far, and has been known to finally beat Apple’s own operating system in terms of fluidity thanks to project butter. Touchwiz is back, but it brings with it all new “magical” powers fueled by the wand-like S-Pen.

The Muscle

Further bumping up the power of Jelly Bean is the impressive 1.6 GHz Quad core Exynos processor that is built into the device. The very generous 2 GB of RAM will give it plenty of breathing space while allowing you to multitask without a hitch. The way it was presented, it will no longer be just for selected markets. This bump in RAM is for the international version.

The Juice

The Samsung Galaxy S3 had 2,100 mAh of juice powering up its inner workings. With a much larger screen, and a much more powerful processor, The Galaxy Note had to step up the power, and no, it’s not a measly 50 mAh bump like a certain fruit company, the power is bumped for a total of 3,100 mAh.

The Camera

As you would have expected, everything the Samsung Galaxy S3 had is built into the Galaxy Note 2, giving it the overall look and feel of an enlarged Samsung Galaxy S3. This certainly applies to the camera, which only added one notable feature, which was a spinoff of the “best photo” – the “best group pose”.

Every feature and hardware spec so far has been just a reasonable upgrade of that the Samsung Galaxy S3 already is. What makes the Note an entirely new product line is really the S-Pen, and all the features built around it.

The tablet in a phablet

Samsung began moving towards adding more multitasking features to their product ever since the addition of the Pop-up play in the Samsung Galaxy S3. It was taken a step further in the Galaxy Note 2 by popping up more than just video.

If you are familiar with Samsung Galaxy Tabs, you would know about a Touchwiz overlay which shows a customizable dock of mini apps that, when selected, pops up on the screen. You can directly interact with these apps from that popup, making a note, a text, a call, or a quick view of your calendar.

Samsung brings these features in the Note in the form of the Pop-up note. The popup note is available even during a call. Simply sliding out the Galaxy Note 2’s S-Pen brings out a notepad to write important details during a call.

The quick command pop-up becomes your quick gateway to text and email, as well as other potential features, recognizing specific character based gestures, like the “@” symbol.

The S-Pen

Even though the Samsung Galaxy S3 has its own C-Pen accessory, the Galaxy Note 2 still has the advantage in full integration of the S-Pen to the operating system. Simply taking out the S-Pen from its holster brings out an intuitive menu of things you can do with the S-Pen.

The S-Pen is a major improvement over last year’s model. It is thicker, and easier to handle. It feels more like a pen now than a stylus. With the enhanced handwriting recognition and assistance, not to mention its enhanced pressure sensitivity to 1,024 levels, you can be sure that writing and drawing with the Galaxy Note 2 is definitely in your full control.

Of course, every feature available to the previous Galaxy Note is also ported over to the new device, including easy clipping, and easy highlighting. It also features quick commands linked to the button found on the S-Pen itself.

It also feels like a wand when viewing photos, as the display detects the proximity of your S-Pen, it displays an “Air View” or a pop-up preview of the photos in your gallery before you even tap the screen. You can be sure this pen proximity sensor will be in further us in the upcoming “premium suite”.

To upgrade or not to upgrade?

That truly is the question here. Do note that the original device is already a beast on its own. In fact, once it gets Jelly Bean, it might even mirror the Galaxy Note 2, with only a few features missing in between. The real question is if you are really aching to upgrade your specs, and if the accuracy of the limited 256 pressure levels is too weak for you.

Also take note for the Samsung Galaxy S3 owners, if the pen is not your thing, upgrading to the Samsung Galaxy Note 2 is not much of an upgrade. The only difference between the two is the larger screen and the note specific features.

The Galaxy Note 2, despite being a blockbuster device, may not be for everyone. It really fills a certain niche, and upgrading to it still feels more like a choice. You don’t really feel compelled to do so, unless you are coming from a Galaxy S2 or lower.

One thing to note as well is that this device is truly marvelous at multitasking, and convenient easy access features, which will be aimed towards one that is on the go.

The features have been laid out, and the choice is ready by October this year. Are you going to upgrade to the Galaxy Note 2?

Image sources: samsung.com, igalaxytabs.com, engadget.com

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