Samsung managed to surprise everyone by releasing another variant of the Galaxy Note series, which it calls the Galaxy Note Edge. Judging by it name, this Note phablet shows innovation through its curved screen around the right edge of the smartphone. It is said to have three main purposes. First, you can save battery life by just looking at your missed notification on the edge of the display without turning on the entire screen. Second, you can easily see app updates and notifications. Lastly, the new buttons on the edge are contextual as they change depending on the application that is used.
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The Galaxy Note Edge has a slightly smaller screen than the Galaxy Note 4, which is about 5.6 inches. Like the Galaxy Note 4, the Super AMOLED display is of Quad HD resolution and has additional 160 pixels for the edge. This results in a pixel density of 525ppi. In terms of design, the Galaxy Note Edge is basically a copy of the Galaxy Note 4, which features a rectangular body with rounded corners, along with a very similar metal frame that hugs the body from all sides as in the Galaxy Alpha. At the back is same faux-leather texture found in the Galaxy Note 3 sans the stitching.
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The Galaxy Note Edge is also powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 805 quad-core chipset clocked at up to 2.7GHz. Adreno 420 serves as its GPU. There is also 3GB RAM and 32GB/64GB of built-in memory, which is expandable to 128GB via a microSD card. With this new Qualcomm chipset, the Galaxy Note Edge is able to handle UHD videos effortlessly. The phablet runs on Android 4.4 KitKat topped with Samsung's TouchWiz UI. There's also a smorgasbord of sensors present on the Galaxy Note Edge like the UV sensor and SpO2 for blood oxygenation levels, in addition to the usual heart rate monitor and fingerprint sensor. And like the typical Galaxy Note phablet, it will have an S-Pen, which has a lot of tricks up its sleeve.
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At the back of the Galaxy Note Edge is a 16-MP camera with optical image stabilization (OIS). This is not the ISOCELL camera that can be found on the Galaxy S5 but a sensor that came from Sony. Like the Galaxy Note 3, Galaxy Note 4, and Galaxy S5, it is also able to shoot 4K UHD videos. On front is a selfie camera of 3.7-MP resolution with wide f/1.9 aperture that can also do panorama selfies. As for the battery life, the Galaxy Note Edge packs a 3,000 mAh battery and can be charged to 50% in just 30 minutes through Quick Charge 2.0. It is expected to launch in October this year.
The Galaxy Note 4 debuted with all the bells and whistles it needed at this year's IFA. It is in fact one of the most highly anticipated devices of the year. It sports a metal frame that debuted with the Galaxy Alpha but with faux-leather back (like the Galaxy Note 3) sans the fake stitching. It retains the 5.7-inch Super AMOLED display of its predecessor but now comes with a Quad HD pixel resolution resulting in a whopping pixel density of 515 ppi.
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The Galaxy Note 4 is also one of the first few devices to sport a Qualcomm Snapdragon 805 chipset, which has a quad-core chip clocked at 2.7GHz and an Adreno 420 GPU. This new silicon is designed to handle such high resolution devices. There will be another version of the Galaxy Note 4, which will be powered by Samsung's own Exynos 5433 octa-core chip. There is still 3GB RAM and 32GB/64GB of internal memory, expandable to 128GB via a microSD card.
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In the camera department, the Galaxy Note 4 packs a 16-MP sensor with optical image stabilization (OIS). In front is a 3.7-MP camera for selfies. In fact, one can even take selfie panoramas through the phablet's front-facing camera. The Galaxy Note 4 is also equipped with all the usual sensors that smartphones of today have. In addition, it will have the fingerprint sensor and the heart rate monitor that debuted on the Galaxy S5 and the new UV sensor and SpO2 sensor that measures blood oxygen saturation. It is equipped with a 3,220 mAh battery, which will give the new Note a longer battery life than its predecessor. It will also charge faster despite dropping the microUSB 3.0 port, thanks to Quick Charge 2.0, which promises to charge the phablet to 50% of battery capacity in just 30 minutes. Unfortunately, it did not have any form of water or dust resistance. It will be available in four colors: charcoal black, frost white, bronze gold, and blossom pink.
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The Samsung Galaxy Note 4 is headed for an October release with a $299 price tag with a 2-year contract. It can cost as much as $750 dollars if bought without a contract.
Samsung has kept mum on the specifications of its upcoming Galaxy Note 4 phablet, which will be launched at the Unpacked event this September 3, 2014. Simultaneously debuting in 3 cities next month, Samsung has already uploaded a teaser video of its upcoming phablet. As usual, Samsung gives emphasis on its revolutionary S-Pen features, this time to remind us the importance of handwriting. Check it out:
Samsung has released a holiday ad for its flagship phablet, the Galaxy Note 3. The advertisement is entitled “Galaxy Note 3 – Holiday Reflections". Quite uncommon for an ad, it does not promote any of the phablet's features but focuses instead on holiday images in 3D.
What do you think of this advertisement? I find it very unique.
Samsung has recently posted an infographic on its social media assets such as Facebook, Twitter, and Google+ about the milestones it has achieved this year. And yes, it cannot be denied that 2013 is Samsung's year. Check out the infographic below:
Ever wondered how the Apple iPhone 5S will fare against the Samsung Galaxy Note 3 in a drop test? Here's a really cool video below. It shows both flagship devices fall on their back, sides, and front. Which between the two flagships will survive? Which one gets more cracks, dents, and damage?
You may have probably guessed the outcome. The one clad in faux leather and plastic would have endured more damage than the aluminum/glass clad device. But just to be sure, be more careful with
these expensive gadgets when you use them.
When Samsung launched the third iteration of its highly popular and successful Galaxy Note phablet, everyone knew that it would come in at least 2 variants - an LTE-enabled Snapdragon 800-powered one and 3G Exynos 5 Octa version. Both devices look the same on the outside but there are some differences when it comes to performance (aside from LTE support of N9005 version). Check out this comparison video below:
Samsung's phablet royalty, the Galaxy Note II, will soon get its successor, the Galaxy Note III. According to recent leaks, it will be packing an Exynos Octa core
processor (Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 in different regions) with 2GB RAM. There will also be a 5.7-inch Super AMOLED display with a 1080p FullHD resolution. The phablet will be
running Android Jelly Bean.
Image by SIM Only Radar
However, in a sketch of what is supposed to be the next Galaxy Note, the phablet will include
a Xenon flash, which is a rare thing to see on smartphones and phablets these days, save for the Nokia Lumia 1020 PureView. A Xenon flash is a lot better than conventional LED flash in the
sense that a Xenon flash allows for much better low-light images. As for the phablet's camera, it will be sporting the 13-MP sensor that can be found in Samsung's current flagship smartphone, the Galaxy S4.
The ASUS Fonepad is back and now super-sized. Fresh from Computex 2013 is the ASUS Fonepad Note, a
6″ phablet set to compete with Samsung's range of phablets, the Galaxy Note and Galaxy Note 2. Like the Fonepad, the FonePad Note is an Intel-powered Android device but with high-end specifications.
Image by GSMArena.com
To begin, it packs a 6″ Super IPS+ screen, which has a 1080p Full HD resolution and a pixel density of 367 ppi.
The screen is rated at 450nits of brightness and works with an S
Pen-like stylus and dedicated ASUS apps. It is powered by an Intel Atom Z2560
(Clover Trail+), which has two Atom Saltwell cores clocked at 1.6GHz with
HyperThreading and 2GB of RAM, plus a PowerVR SGX544 MP2 GPU clocked at
400MHz.
Image by GSMArena.com
The ASUS Fonepad Note packs an 8-MP main camera and 1.2-MP front-facing
camera. There are front-facing stereo-speakers, similar to those of the HTC One. The speakers use ASUS’s proprietary SonicMaster tech for
high-quality sound. On the connectivity side, there’s full 3G voice and data with fast DC-HSPA for up to 42Mbps downlink speeds.
Samsung's galaxy is getting bigger and bigger. The Korean company has just announced 2 new Android phablets. The Galaxy Mega 6.3 and Galaxy Mega 5.8. Of course, the numbers indicate the size of the screen. Both phablets borrow the design of the Galaxy S 4 flagship but offer a much larger screen with mid-range specifications. They are actually a more affordable alternative to the Galaxy Note 2 phablet.
The Samsung Galaxy Mega 6.3 sports a 6.3" LCD of 720p HD resolution and is powered by a an Exynos 5250 chipset with a dual-core Cortex-A15 CPU clocked at 1.7GHz and 1.5GB of RAM. It runs Android Jelly Bean 4.2 with Samsung’s TouchWiz modifications like Multi-window (split-screen multitasking) and Air View (detecting your finger an inch from the screen). Unlike the Galaxy Note and Note 2, it has no S Pen input.
Image by GSMArena
The Galaxy Mega 6.3 packs an 8-MP rear camera and a 1.9-MP front-facing
camera. For connectivity, it has built-in LTE,
Wi-Fi a/b/g/n/ac, NFC receivers and packs an IR emitter so it can work as a
remote control. It can also connect to Galaxy S 4's and Grand's with Group
Play. The phablet measures 167.6 x 88 x 8.0 mm and weighs 199g. The battery has
3,200mAh capacity. Internal storage is 8GB/16GB and there’s a microSD
card slot if you need space.
On the other hand, the Samsung Galaxy Mega 5.8 has a smaller screen and a more modest specs sheet. The display resolution is just qHD and the CPU clock
speed has been reduced to 1.4GHz. The high-speed connectivity (LTE,
Wi-Fi 802.11ac) is also gone as well as the NFC and the IR emitter. It measures 162.6 x 82.4 x 9.0 mm and weighs 182g and is equipped with a
2,600 mAh battery.
Image by GSMArena
The Samsung Galaxy Mega phablets will be available worldwide and will roll out starting May 2013.
Do you think Samsung has gone too far with the size of its phablets? I do.
So the marketing people from Samsung are really keen on pitting their Samsung Galaxy Note 8.0 tablet against Apple's iPad mini. Fair enough, the dimensions, screen size, and specifications of the two tablets are similar yet still different from each other.
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While we know that Samsung is known for blatantly comparing its products to those of the competition, particularly Apple, the Korean company went further by publishing images of its new tablet opposite Apple's iPad mini.
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Samsung stated at least 10 reasons on why the Galaxy Note 8.0 is better than the iPad mini. These include the S-Pen, Multi-Window for multi-tasking, quad-core processor, 2GB RAM, micro-SD card slot, IR Smart Remote, Reading Mode, and several other minor advantages.
Image by GSMArena.com
While I agree with Samsung on some of the Galaxy Note 8.0's advantages over the iPad mini, some were just blown out of proportion like the 200 mAh battery difference, 0.1-MP front camera difference, and the 26 ppi display density difference. These are all negligible considering Android smartphones and tablets are power-hungry both in processing power and battery.
Image by GSMArena.com
While the Samsung Galaxy Note 8.0 still enjoys some advantages over iPad mini, the latter has tricks up its sleeve as well. The Apple App Store has more tablet-optimized applications than Google Play. The iPad mini has longer battery life despite the relatively smaller battery pack. And as with most Apple products, the interface is very fluid.
Image by GSMArena.com
In the end, it's not just about the specifications but it's about one's preference. Are you after the Note 8.0's S-Pen for all those drawing and sketches or are you after the iPad mini's larger collection of tablet-optimized apps? It all boils down to what you need and not which between the two is better specs-wise. It's like comparing apples and oranges (no pun intended).
We all know that Samsung paved the way for Android's success. Almost every high-end Samsung mobile phone became a hit. It's no surprise that of the Top 10 Android devices, 8 of those were from Samsung.
Samsung's outgoing flagship smartphone Galaxy S3 topped the list, closely followed by its predecessor, the Galaxy S2. Rounding out the Top 3 is the midrange smartphone, Galaxy Ace. Other Android devices that made it to the Top 10 are Samsung's very own phablets, the Galaxy Note and its successor, the Galaxy Note 2. Entry-level smartphone Galaxy Y made it to the Top 6. Only two other Android smartphone makers entered the list. One was Amazon's best-selling tablet, the Kindle Fire and Motorola's DROID RAZR. According to the report, Samsung controls a whopping 47% of the total Android market share.
The original Galaxy Note is one of the best mobile devices that money can buy and until now, it remains to be one of the most capable Android devices out there (though it's already showing signs of aging). With the Galaxy Note, Samsung has successfully created a new category of mobile devices, which fits somewhere between smartphones and tablets, which tech geeks fondly call a phablet. Admit it, Dell did not succeed in creating this new category of mobile devices with its Streak phablets. And to give the original Galaxy Note more credit, it also has successfully brought back to life the "stylus," which was supposedly killed by Apple when the first iPhone was launched. And the only way that Samsung could pay homage to its highly successful phablet is by giving it a successor, the Galaxy Note II.
The Galaxy Note II looks very much like the Galaxy S III but on steroids. It's also available in two colors, at least for now: Marble White and Titanium Gray. While its length has increased a bit, it has gotten sexier at only 9.4mm thin. And because it is on steroids, it has become a tad heavier at 183 grams. Like the Galaxy S III, it is made of hyperglazed plastic, which is arguably a cheap material for a high-end phone. But hey, plastic means lightness...and that means portability. On front of the device, you will see the 5.5-inch screen, capacitive touch control buttons, the home button, the earpiece, the HD front-facing camera, and the proximity and ambient light sensors. At the back of it, you'll see the loudspeaker, the 8-MP camera, and the LED flash. On top, you'll find the 3.5mm jack for your headset and a microphone. Below, you'll find the S-Pen, the microUSB port, and another microphone. On the left side are the volume rockers, and on the right side is the power/sleep button. Sadly, like the Galaxy S III, it does not have a dedicated shutter key for the camera.
Let's move on the screen. The Galaxy Note II has a 5.5-inch Super AMOLED HD capacitive touchscreen with good viewing angles and sunlight legibility, which is a tad bigger than that of its predecessor. Like most recent high-end Samsung mobile devices, the multi-touch screen is protected by Corning Gorilla Glass 2, which makes it resistant to scratches. The screen resolution is 720 x 1280 pixels, which results in a pixel density of 267 pixels per inch (which is a bit less than that of its predecessor). Luckily, it does not make use of a PenTile matrix (like the Galaxy S III) and uses a full RGB matrix, which makes the screen look fine, crisp, and vivid.
Now we have the Android 4.1 Jelly Bean OS! The Galaxy Note II is the first Samsung mobile device to ship with Google's latest OS, Jelly Bean (topped by Samsung's own TouchWiz UI of course). While there's not much difference between Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich and Android 4.1 Jelly Bean, you will notice that the Galaxy Note II has one of the smoothest transitions among all Android devices. You will seldom (or not at all) experience lag when flicking through panes, windows, or pages. As for the CPU that powers the Galaxy Note II's software, it is equipped with a 1.6 GHz Cortex-A9 quad-core Exynos 4412 by Samsung. This is basically the same as the one used on the Galaxy S III but it has been overclocked. Like the Galaxy S III, it also uses a Mali-400MP GPU. It is now available in 16GB/32GB/64GB configurations with a whopping 2 GB of RAM. That's a lot of memory, storage, and processing power indeed, making the Galaxy Note II a force to be reckoned with. The phablet is also equipped with a lot of sensors: proximity, gyro, ambient light, accelerometer, compass, barometer. It also has GPS and Stereo FM Radio with RDS.
What about the Galaxy Note II's camera? Yes, it is equipped with basically the same camera module used in the Galaxy S III. The main camera is capable of shooting 8-MP stills and 1080p FullHD videos. The camera is also accompanied by a very powerful (sometimes blinding) LED flash that can be used in low-light conditions. It also has auto-focus, geo-tagging, touch focus, face and smile detection, image stabilization, panorama, burst shot, etc. This camera module used by Samsung is one of the best camera modules by the company to date. Photos are super clear and videos are breath-taking. It is good to note that the Galaxy Note II's built-in video player also supports every major video format out there so there is no need for conversion. Meanwhile, the front-facing camera of the Note II has been downgraded from 2-MP to 1.9-MP but it's nothing to worry about as you'll only use it for video calls and vanity snapshots.
When it comes to its telephony and messaging features. It supports
regular calls, video calls, SMS, EMS, MMS...basically every mode of
communication you can think of. You can also change the font face and
font size for a customized look. For file
transfers, you can do it via Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, NFC (Android Beam), and USB. It also
supports Wi-Fi Hotspot and Tethering. For data connection, it is compatible with almost every data network from GPRS to 3G to LTE. It also has deep Facebook and Twitter
integration as well. Did I mention that it has a lot of accessibility features as well?
As far as applications are concerned, virtually any application made for
Android can be installed in the Galaxy Note II. With its 2 GB RAM and
expandable memory (up to 64GB), it can accommodate all your applications, music files,
videos, documents, and whatnots. The Google Play Store
has a lot of apps for you, with many of them free! Sadly, you cannot
transfer apps from phone memory to SD card without rooting the
smartphone. Oh you can also create and edit MS Office documents right out-of-the-box. When it comes to Internet browsing, the Galaxy Note II has got everything
covered. You can bookmark sites. You can save pages for later use. You
can side-load Flash Player and play Flash videos (which iOS devices cannot do). You can basically do
anything you want when it comes to browsing. The zooming and panning
also work well. You can also play Flash-based games on your browser!
The Galaxy Note II also has a lot of tricks up its sleeve. Let's start with the S Pen, which is a modified and glorified stylus. The S Pen can do what Samsung calls as Air View. It is basically a convenient and quick way to browse your pictures without having to open any
folders. Then we have the Popup Note, which take directions, phone numbers, and other information conveniently while on a call with a double-click of the S Pen. It also features Quick Command, which enables sending an email, calling or sending a text message to your friend,
sharing the meeting location and so many other things easily. Then there is the Easy Clip: click, trace, clip, and send. That’s all it takes to include what you want in email, messenger, S Note, and Scrapbook. Like the Galaxy S III, some of these new features are useful
and others are plain gimmicky. The Galaxy Note II also has the S-Voice, which is a
Siri-like assistant but sadly it's not as useful as one would want it to
be. It also features Popup Play, which enables you to watch videos and
do other tasks at the same time. Other cool
features are the Smart Stay and Direct Call. The former enables your phone
to detect your eyes so that the screen won't turn off while you are
still looking at it. The latter enables you to call directly anyone from
your phone by just putting it on your ears. It also has a lot of motion
and gesture-based tricks.
To wrap up, I believe that the Samsung Galaxy Note II is in a league of its own...and its very few competitors have no match against it. Having an Android 4.1 Jelly Bean at launch basically puts it ahead of the competition, which may include flagship smartphones. The only cons that I
could think of is its bulk. Let's face it. Not everyone wants a smartphone as big as this or a tablet as small as this. But other than
that I think it's a great device. If you can afford it, go ahead and buy
it. You will not regret it. Until the competition comes up with a product that poses a real threat against the Galaxy Note II, the Galaxy Note II will continue to be the best-selling phablet in the whole universe.
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