Samsung Galaxy Note Review
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Review: November 2011 |
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Phone rating: 
In a nutshell: With a 5.3 inch
HD screen and a stylus, the Samsung Galaxy Note is a cross between
a PDA-style phone and a tablet. Powered by a dual-core 1.4GHz
processor & 64GB of memory, it also has an 8 megapixel camera
with 1080p HD video recording for all-round media prowess. Great
for games, media and all kinds of apps.
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It's rare to describe a phone as unique, but we can safely say that
the Samsung Galaxy Note is one of a kind. A hybrid between a smartphone
and a tablet, this is the largest mobile phone we've ever reviewed!
The first thing you notice when you see the Galaxy Note is its size.
It's big. It's heavy. But get over it, because that's how the Note is.
It may be too big to hold to your ear and use as a phone - in which
case, you need to use it handsfree or get a Bluetooth headset. It's
surprisingly thin, which means you can hold it in one hand (unlike an
iPad 2), but you'll need your other hand
to operate it properly. As for carrying it, it's not really the kind
of phone you'd stick casually in your jeans pocket and forget about.
You'll probably want a bag of some kind to keep it in. We're talking
about a handbag or briefcase, not a dedicated rucksack, you understand.
Anyway, there's a reason why it's so huge. It's got the biggest screen
on any mobile, at a massive 5.3 inches. That puts it closer in square
centimetres to a Samsung Galaxy Tab
than an iPhone 4S. So it really is
no exaggeration to describe the Note as a hybrid. The screen is really
what the Note is all about. Not only is it huge, it's a Super AMOLED
display, as used on the Galaxy Nexus,
so it's very bright and produces up to 80% less reflected light, so
outdoors it's much easier to see than an ordinary TFT display. Not only
that but it has the highest resolution of any current mobile phone.
It's a genuine HD display, capable of displaying 720p images & videos.
But it's actually larger than 720p, being extra-wide with a total resolution
of 1280 x 800 pixels. The extra width changes the aspect ratio of the
display, making it squarer than most phones, so it feels even more like
a tablet/PDA.
The Note runs Android 2.3 (Gingerbread) rather than the latest Ice-Cream
Sandwich, version 4.0. We'd have loved to see ICS on the Note, as it
includes more tablet-focussed features, but Samsung have done a good
job of integrating Android with their TouchWiz interface, so it's hard
to stay disappointed for long. TouchWiz keeps getting better. We love
the widgets and the way that facebook and twitter are closely integrated
into the whole contacts & messaging system. It's a very polished
user interface, and reaches new heights in the Galaxy Note. In any case,
hopefully an update to ICS will be available before long.
You'll see from the photo above that there's another element to the
user interface - a stylus. Strictly speaking, this is an advanced form
of stylus called an S-Pen, which incorporates pressure sensitivity,
so that it knows how hard you're pressing. You can use the S-Pen to
annotate photos and make notes and the device even supports handwriting
recognition. The S-Pen tucks away into a slot when not in use, which
is just as well, because we can't help feeling that most people won't
use it. After all, the capacitive screen responds perfectly well to
the touch of a finger, and most people will find typing on a Swype-enabled
virtual QWERTY keyboard to be faster and more accurate than old-fashioned
joined-up writing. Still, the S-Pen is there for those who want it,
and there are a smattering of art-type apps designed specially for the
Galaxy Note that let you make use of it.
 The
Note is clearly intended to excel in PDA-style functions, so it's great
to see that Samsung have developed an app specially for the Note called
S Planner. S Planner is an advanced diary app that lets you manage your
electronic diary much as you would an old-fashioned paper one. But being
electronic, you can sync it with Google Calendar, Microsoft Exchange,
etc. We think it's a great app, and one that really makes the most of
the Note's unique features.
As a flagship phone, Samsung have sought to equip the Galaxy Note with
the best of everything, and that includes the camera. The 8 megapixel
camera has all the features you'd expect on a high-end mobile phone,
including LED flash, autofocus and digicam gadgets like smile shot and
panorama shot. It can compete with the best in daylight and doesn't
do at all badly in low light either. There are some great photo editing
tools on board, and of course you can use the S-Pen to draw moustaches
on your friends faces too. The main video camera is outstanding as well,
recording at full HD 1080p and up to 30 frames per second. A front-facing
2 megapixel camera supports video calls.
The Note is fully equipped for music and video. Video playback on the
huge HD screen is of course fabulous, and audio quality is excellent
too, with support for 3D sound via headphones. All the popular file
formats are supported and there's an FM radio with RDS as well.
Google Maps works very well indeed on the Note, finding locations rapidly
and downloading maps quickly too. And it hardly needs saying that the
huge screen is fantastic for viewing maps.
It's worth mentioning that the Galaxy Note does everything without
missing a beat, thanks to its dual-core 1.4GHz processor, which is fast
enough to handle even the most demanding apps. The Galaxy Note is well
equipped with memory too, coming with either 16GB or 32GB of onboard
memory, plus a microSD card slot so you can add an additional 32GB of
storage.
When it comes to connectivity, you'll find quadband GSM compatibility
plus HSPA giving download speeds up to 21Mbps. Of course there's Wi-Fi
too, plus Bluetooth 3.0, USB 2.0 and an audio jack.
You're probably wondering about the battery life of such a powerful
device, but you needn't be concerned. The Galaxy Note comes with an
extra-large 2500mAh battery. By comparison, the Galaxy
S2 has just a 1650mAh battery, so the Note is more than capable
of facing up to its responsibilities. If you manage power sensibly you
might get a couple of days use between charges, but it depends on how
much you use features like Wi-Fi, GPS, and so on.
Summing up, the Galaxy Note is a very interesting device, full of potential.
It's clearly not going to be a mainstream device like the Galaxy
S2. The size, weight and price will exclude many people. But for
those attracted by its capabilities, the Note is a phone like no other.
Underlying everything is that enormous screen, which is literally a
blank canvas making all kinds of apps, productivity tools and games
possible. The S-Pen adds further to the potential. Even if you just
use it as a mainstream smartphone that works brilliantly for texting,
email, facebook, etc, you'll get a lot out of it. You can even make
phonecalls if you don't mind looking like a dork or a cyberman. Finally,
as a business phone/PDA it's perhaps without peer.
So we've decided to give the Galaxy Note 4 stars. Whilst it's without
equal in many respects, we can't ignore the high cost and the size/weight
issue. But if these downsides don't bother you, you'll probably consider
the Note to be worth 5 stars easily.
Features of the Samsung Galaxy Note GT-N7000 include:
- Android 2.3 (Gingerbread)
- Dual 1.4GHz processor
- 8 megapixel camera with LED flash, autofocus, smile shot, panorama
shot and 4x digital zoom
- Full HD video recording (Up to 1080p, 30 frames/sec), 2 megapixel
front-facing camera for video calling
- Display: Super AMOLED, 16 million colours, 1280 x 800 pixels (5.3
inches) capacitive touchscreen with auto-rotate
- Music Player: AAC / AAC+ / AMR / AMR-NB / eAAC+ / MP3 / MPEG4
- FM radio RDS
- 3D sound
- MP3 ringtones
- Integrated handsfree speaker
- AGPS with geo-tagging and Google Maps
- Messaging: SMS, MMS, email, Google Talk
- Advanced personal organiser functions
- Memory: 16GB/32GB plus microSD card slot (up to 32GB)
- Connectivity: Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 3.0, USB 2.0, 3.5mm audio jack
- Internet: HTML5 web browser, GPRS, EDGE, 3G, HSPA (21 Mbps download)
- Quadband GSM (850/900/1800/1900), multi band 3G
- Size: 147 x 83 x 9.65 mm
- Weight: 178g
- Battery: 2500mAh battery
- Talktime: 810 minutes (3G) - 1570 minutes (2G)
- Standby: 820 - 960 hours
Samsung Galaxy Note GT-N7000 User Reviews
Love your mobile? Hate it? Please share your experiences to help other
people choose the phone that's best for them. Please do not review this
phone if you have not used it. This is a review site, not a forum, so
please don't just ask questions. Please do not use swear words or offensive
language, and please, no advertising!
Average rating from 52 reviews: 
Reviewed by David from UK on 31st Dec 2012
BEST....mobile out there..very fast and found battery great as it gets
plenty of use. Jelly Bean update soon will only add to whats already
the best phone on the market.
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Reviewed by derek from scotland on 13th Nov 2012
had this phone for 2 months now and its the best phone i;ve ever had.Installed
ics and its even faster now.Cant fault it.
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Reviewed by Laneyx from Herts . UK on 6th Sep
2012
Have had the NOTE since March and can say it is fantastic, can now use
it with one hand ! First thing you notice is it's size, awesome screen
and the S pen makes browsing the internet and using apps easy. The only
problem now is that any other phone looks tiny, a bit like having a
50" tele and the watching a 20" tele. HD video superb and social networking
a breeze. Wouldn't have anything else. Unless of course a bigger phone
is launched. Shame the Galaxy Note 10.1 isn't a phone.
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Reviewed by Abdul from uk, london on 9th Jul 2012
This phone is great for someone like me. Battery was a problem for me
at first because I am a heavy user, however I just purchased a external
battery cover from ebay for £15 and that helps my phone last heavy usage.
Screen size isnt a problem, grabs a lot of attention from everyone ;)
S note is very handy, just upgraded to 4.0.
would have been great if I can watch videos on a small display as this
is avaiable on s3.
Very cheap on contract... im only paying £21 a month.
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Reviewed by Dave Allchurch from UK on 20th Jun
2012
Upgraded to the note from a galaxy S2 which in my opinion was the perfect
phone but the big screen of the note and pen dragged me to it. It pretty
much is an S2 with a big screen and pen to be fair but thats no bad
thing as gingerbread was and still is a great OS for android. its speedy,
smooth and responsive and the pen is a great tool for quick notes and
editing pics/docs. Finally ICS was available and disaster as the battery
life dropped from a daya and a half to half a day :( but after a few
setting changes and a factory data reset i'm now getting nearly 2 days
worth with medium usage (it only drops 1% overnight!!). Now on ICS its
quicker, more responsive and the screen seems sharper also. So dont
believe anyone on here commenting that the battery life only lasts 5
hours as they must have all the settings turned on constantly or cant
put it down until its fully drained. The screen deserves a special mention
as its so bright you can turn it down to about 30% brightness and this
is still bright and will save you a load of battery life as this will
be the biggest drain as it is on all smart phones. it will play loads
of video files and audio files which is more than a certain Apple device
and has micro sd card slot which the iphone 4s cant match either. this
deserves 5 stars without a doubt and it is still pocketable no matter
what other people say.
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Reviewed by Data Security from India on 15th Jun
2012
Samsung galaxy note should be categorized between a tab and a Smartphone,
it’s too small to be a tab but appears to be very large if we
call it a smart phone. Apart from the size the gadget is just amusing,
its a great time-pass when no one’s surround to hangout with.
Its 5.3 inch HD Super AMOLED display is super cool offering excellent
image viewing, hd video playback. Despite of having that monstrous display
the phone is remarkably slim and light. It’s just 9.65 mm thick
and 178 grams in weight. It runs great on android v2.3.5(gingerbread)
and is vastly loaded with features, recently i have installed inDefend
Mobile Backup from dataresolve.com it’s a great application that
helps to take backup essential data from your Smartphone and store it
on an online and encrypted cloud. More over the backup data is on their
online secure servers and can be restored to the phone at any moment.
Rating:
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Reviewed by Chels from UK on 10th Jun 2012
I saw the phone on the tv advert and instantly had to have it, my phone
contract had just come to an end so took the risk and purchased a contract
without doing much research. The phone is brilliant, perfect screen
quality so i can watch movies on the go, the s pen is useful when i
am in need of having to write quick notes to myself and the apps are
excellent. The battery life can go quite quickly but is simply solved
by turning it onto powersave mode, which makes a big difference without
effecting much of the quality, one charge on a day should last it throughout
the next day. I noticed that on reviews people are claiming it is a
slow phone, i have not found it slow at all and the memory seems neverending.
It is a big phone to carry round with you but all of the overall qualities
definately make up for it, anybody considering buying the phone i 100%
recommend it.
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Reviewed by rajdhar from india on 9th Jun 2012
Very nice phone /tab batery is poor.
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Reviewed by James from UK on 8th Jun 2012
I have just purchased the Note and have been using it for a couple of
days. Yes it is big but with the size comes a beautiful screen and great
graphics. I have only received 1 phone call and it did seem strange
to hold such a large device to your ear. However my main form of communication
is either by e-mail or social media sites and therefore this phone is
ideal. Upon opening the box I was immediately asked to update the firmware
which immediately updated the phone to ICS. On all my previous phones
I have never used 1 handed operation for texting (remind me to laugh
more often when people walk into lamp posts or slip of curb stones whilst
texting) however by just stoping what you are doing and send your text
either by touchscreen or by using the S Pen does not take long. I have
had no concerns with battery life as it does match the S2 and my previous
Galaxy ACE.
Overall an amazing phone and it does exactly what it says on the tin.
Rating:
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Reviewed by Jamie from UK on 6th Jun 2012
If your looking for an honest, simple review on this phone-- then read
this :)
...Good tablet, BAD phone!!
It's good to have at home and to search the web and watch videos and
stuff but its not good to bring out at all in public, answering calls
and texting and even ending calls can be a right pain!!.. and unlocking
the phone is ridiculous!
Plus you'll feel abit silly having it out with you... because of the
size.. its wayyy too big! its more of a tablet then anything.
Top 5 good things:
1/ The camera is pretty good.
2/ it's not bulky, nice and slim.
3/ The pens takes screenshots
4/ Looks sleak and attractive (nice shiny look to it)
5/ Good Speaker.
Top 5 Bad things:
1/ Slowness
2/ Battery power (literally will last you 4-5hours)
3/ Unlocking phone will annoy you after abit
4/ Very unresponsive
5/ Samsung layout is abit weird and annoying
So yep.. it can be really slow, i had the phone 2 weeks and then canceled
the contract because i had enough of it!
The battery went after a few hours regardless of going on apps or the
camera... unlocking the phone was pure ridiculous!! especially when
your out and you need to make a quick call or text... i had to stop
and put all my shopping down just to make a text.
Answering and ending calls is also one of the worst things... ending
calls was VERY bad! i had to rely on the other person ending the call
because the screen just goes black and there was no "end call" button?
The layout of samsung has changed... for the worst. It's just confusing
now and is quite awkward to get use to.
it's not as simple as it was in the old pay as you go phones :(
Overall i'd say its alright to own as a tablet and to keep it INDOORS
but this review is about the phone side so i have to give it 1 out of
5 stars because it's a terrible phone.
Rating:  Reply
Reviewed by the biggest lover of hazem salah abo ismail from
egypt on 4th Jun 2012
i think it is the best mobile & tablet in the world,thanks samsung.
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Reviewed by Mr H from UK on 29th May 2012
Having read the reviews I took the plunge and attempted the Galaxy note
having upgraded after owning a galaxy s2 for a year. I had tried the
iPhone 4s (due to hype) first of all but quickly moved back to android,
the flash player and restrictions quickly reminded me of apples lack
of flexibility!
Anyway back to the note.. It's a cross between the tablet and a phone
but it works for me. You soon become used to the size, amazing display
and smooth transition For Internet browsing and apps the note is highly
recomended. Battery life not bad at all, lasts the day at reasonable
use. Bbc I player, YouTube etc are all really watchable and good quality,
as is the camera and high resolution screen for photo video playback.
It's not as heavy as one would think and fits into the jeans pocket
easily. Not really used the pen to be honest, this may suit some but
I prefer the thumb and finger method and this has not caused any issue
- its responsive and suffers little lag. The only minor thing I would
suggest is the speaker is okay (I'm been ultra picky) but I would prefer
one on each side of the phone! Note 2 perhaps?! And being tongue in
cheek the keypad is large for a mobile when using with one hand, however
Samsung thought of that and have a setting for a 'normal or smaller
iPhone type size' keypad. Brilliant.
I own an ipad2 and this galaxy note but since owning the note the iPad
has sat redundant! Before the gs2 sat redundant when in reach of an
ipad. How things change?! Therefore i can only Recommend this super
piece of tech.
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Reviewed by inder from uk on 29th May 2012
Don't listen to any bad reviews you might see on the internet or YouTube.
This phone is brilliant I'm so in love with it. People make out that
its massive its really not that big. Also the best smartphone out at
the moment... People who bad mouth this product are the people who can't
afford it. It's amazing runs brilliantly its a mobile and tablet in
one.
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Reviewed by richard waring from uk on 13th May
2012
what can i say i will tell you the bad points first none at all. now
i will tell you the good points every thing get this phone fantastic
.the screen is great battery life great you cant expect days and days
of battery life on a phone this big it has the largest battery for a
phone get power tools of android market and turn gps network and anything
eles you are not using it will save alot of battery life try it.
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Reviewed by diane from wales on 12th May 2012
I have had my note for a few months now and I just love it to bits,
its brilliant I can't find nothing bad to say about it. I have had no
problems with ringing people if you set up speed dial its even easier
but the usual way takes seconds in any case. I use swype for messages
its so fast and easy to use or if you have problems with swype then
just rotate the phone and use the keyboard. Its super fast on the internet
and videos and music is just fab on this monster of a phone. The call
clarity if great no problems with making yourself heard or hearing someone
on the other end. Ringtones are loud so I've had no problems hearing
them when my phones in my bag. Hanging up is easy just push the big
red button. I was looking at the samsung 3 but to be honest I cannot
find a single reason to get rid of my baby
it goes with me everywhere. And games well just awesome
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Reviewed by MediationNotWar from England on 12th
May 2012
Let me begin by saying that I have had absolutely no problem with the
size of this phone. To me it's the ideal phone size. It fit's into my
trouser, jacket and shirt pockets without difficulty. Despite what others
may have found, placing it your head to use as a phone does not make
it look outsized.
In fact, in homage to Crocodile Dundee when he gets his huge knife out
in New York when accosted by thugs with their smaller ones, when a colleague
gets their iPhone out (which has a screen area approx 50% of the Note's)
I say "You call that a phone? THIS is a phone" and show my Note.
Screen is great, battery life is better than my Galaxy S2, but most
of all the stylus and note taking software is brilliant. I use it all
the time and have no difficulties at all with it. My job requires me
to keep notes and this allows me to do it in a safe, convenient and
organised way.
One day, all phones will be made this way!
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Reviewed by connie from UK on 11th May 2012
I feel I should share with anyone that is thinking of purchasing the
swanky looking Samsung Galaxy note: I lived with it for two months and
I HATED it. It's difficult to type texts & it's slow to respond to touch
& it's so easy to call people accidentally & VERY hard to hang up after!
The pen is awful and senses the screen when you are not even touching
it making it so hard to use etc etc I could go on and on. I have just
gone back to the iphone 3 in desperation and I AM SO RELIEVED.
Rating: Reply
Reply by Gunnar from Norway on 15th
May 2012
You are joking-or?
Reply by Neil from UK on 25th Aug
2012
Do you work for Apple?
Reviewed by peter norman from UK on 6th May 2012
In a few words, this phone is OUTSTANDING !!!!!
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Reviewed by ScRaPeR from EgYpT on 5th May 2012
@ 1st moment when I bought & saw the Screen's Super AMOLED HD I was
WOWED & gazed as if in a dream world from its superior colouful big
Display, What an "all in one" Device, It has everything that I need,
From Sharp Detailed camera's Image Quality To Full HD 1080p Video recording
"although 720p is better @ low light night" , & what a powerful instant
response from its dual 1.4 Ghz core Processor that cope with pcs' frequencies
! From Best of the options is the intelligent voice talk capability
that is highly responsive & quite interesting, Its considered an excellent
gaming console performing great even in most sophisticated latest 3D
games thanx to its powerful GPU which is way faster than the galaxy
tab 10.1 Not to mention the ICS os that will enhance the performance
& the battery life obviously. Its the Smartest Super-phone "PHABLET"
Ever-made up-to-date till the OMG GALAXY Note 2 is out there YET !!!
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Reviewed by The_Pon from UK on 5th May 2012
Just got the Galaxy Note a week ago; it was provided by work, and wasn't
sure what to expect due to the size. Having had it for a week, the size
isn't a problem at all. It still fits nicely into a pocket, and can
be held to the ear for calls with ease.
Having suffered a blackberry for the previous year, this device is an
absolute joy. The screen is magnificent in both size and quality, and
it has all the features needed for use as a business phone, such as
remote calendar and contact synching with the exchange server. It also
impresses customers for giving presentations, and site visits are made
much slicker with the camera quality and the stylus, so I can annotate
the photos in real time.
I've always been an Apple loyalist in truth, and I have my own 4S, but
annoyingly, I do prefer the Note. It does everything an iPhone does,
but better. Apple have some catching up to do with the iPhone 5. Size
wise it's a different animal, but the features of the note also eclipse
the 4S... To the point that the Note's voice control is actually better
than Siri (UK customers have limited Siri functionality)... Given that
Siri is the flagship feature of the iPhone, that's a poor showing. If
Apple had only gone the whole distance and enabled it properly here,
maybe I wouldn't be saying this, but Samsung have clearly made a massive
effort (and spared no expense - looking at the price!) to make this
phone everything it should be and more. Whilst the HTC One X is more
powerful, my colleague has one, and was truly envious of my Note...
I can't comment on why as I haven't used the HTC.
Overall 5 stars. It's a brilliant phone in every sense. My only slight
caveat with it is that if you're just after a phone for core functions
like calls, text, email etc. you'll get a cheaper, less bulky model
that'll do everything you need with aplomb. For anyone who uses a phone
/ PDA for business or for general 'life management', the Note is the
only choice.
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Reviewed by Waz from Uk on 2nd May 2012
Fantastic, i have had it a few days now and the screen is great and
so is the rest of the phone, recommennnnd ,
What is suprizing is that when i opend the box i went woooaaa thats
big but now i have got usd to it, it just seems normal, it is when others
see it and go woa thats a big phone and ur like yeh it is buts its goods,
I had the one x for a day before i sent dat back nothing wrong with
the x one just my mind wanted the bigphone and now ive got it 5stars
*****,
Stylus is more of a fun thing then needed but it doesnt harm u tucked
away in the side of the phone,
Well i love mine and i do recomnd to u to buy if the chance avails
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Reviewed by TopTen from UK on 1st May 2012
Having always wanting the best phone on the market at the time of renemwal
(Nokia N95, HTC Desire, Iphone4,) there was no way I wasnt getting the
note, afterall, I did more browsing than actually making phone calls
and the big screen was the selling point for me. Yes, its big at 1st
but after a couple of days, its just a phone. I passed the Iphone4 on
to the Wife and when I pick it up to show her things, it looks so "last
year" I couldnt go back to something that small again. The phone generally
outshines the Iphone4 in most departments and I much prefer ANDROID
over IOS. My problem is signal strength. My 3g & wi-fi signal is very
poor at the best. Last night I was at a place where I go often and I
have never had any issues with the Iphone4 signal but it was the final
straw with the Galaxy Note Im afraid. Im going to ring my network provider
up today and send my Galaxy note back :(
Rating: 
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Reply by Yasser from UK on 2nd May
2012
Did you turn on SIGNAL BOOSTER????? A Feature in all Samsung Phones...
Reply by TopTen from UK on 3rd May
2012
Dont know about the "signal booster" I will have to take a look at that.
Having played with the Note a couple more days I can report back that
when in a "3g area" with normal coverage the Note is super fast at browsing.
Upto now I've decided to stay with it and accept that the Iphone just
has better signal strength in low coverage areas. My 2 stars rating
was probably out of frustration and should have been at least 4 stars.
Reviewed by Yasser from UK on 1st May 2012
Just picked up this phone on a bargain £20 per month contract (free
phone) online.
Amazing phone. Was not as big as first thought (I was thinking about
an actual tablet size) so that was thing. I had an S2 before so was
familiar with the menu etc.
It really is a decent phone, watching netflix and videos is amazing.
The sound from the phone did sound a tad bit tin like however I am used
to hands free when watching media on it.
Defo 5 stars, if there were a 6th then I would give it that too. Well
done Samsung for releasing this.
Rating:
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Reviewed by Claire from UK on 22nd Apr 2012
I upgraded to this phone 11 days ago. I was hesitant about doing so
due to its size, seeing it in the shop it appeared to be freakishly
and laughably large compared to all other phones! But I am somebody
who uses my phone for actually making phone calls on it the least, my
main uses being texting and web browsing. I went ahead and bought this
on a two year contract with 02, knowing that I had the 14 day cooling
off period in witch I could change my mind if this phone was too beastly
to carry around in my pocket, and send discreet texts whilst I am supposed
to be working, ahem.
Having owned the HTC Desire for the previous two years there were a
few initial teething problems with moving over to Samsung. Firstly the
text reflow whilst browsing the web,rather than pinch to zoom with HTC,
with Samsung you double tap. Not as impressive as HTC's as when you
scroll up or down the page with the Samsung the text will wobble to
the side unless you swipe the screen in a perfectly straight line. The
HTC locks it to a straight up and down so there's no flying diagonally
across the page by accident. Maybe a minor thing for some but I find
it irritating. Texting isn't as straight forward either, using XT9 a
lot of words are time consuming. Mostly words containg an apostrophe,
if I want to type "they're" it will automatically add the apostrophe,
if I want to type "Ben's" it will not (even if I add that word to my
dictionary). To get the apostrophe I have to scroll through a menu.
Also there are no led flash light notifications for texts or missed
calls, nor is there a light whilst charging the phone. I actually really
miss my old phone, but I love the beautiful display and huge screen
on the Note. I will be keeping it, and hopefully the ICS and premium
suit update will be a great improvement.
Battery life is good, especially for such a large display. I am getting
a day and a half of medium/heavy usage.
Rating:
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Reply by Nick Prosser from Scotland on
22nd Apr 2012
I had a desire hd for 18 months, bought the Note, and i noticed the
same things as you. I could have lived with that but the phone was too
big to thumbtype horizontally. I sent the Note back and bought the One
X, and have fallen in love with it
Reply by Claire from uk on 29th Apr
2012
I found an app on the android play store to replace the missing led
notifications. Works great! I'm very used to the size of this phone
now, other phones now look miniscule to me. No laughs from people about
its size so far!
Reply by Richie from UK on 9th May
2012
Does anyone know waht this app on play store to replace the missing
led notifications is called.
Reply by Akram from Jordan on 21st
Jun 2012
Richie, try NoLED or iLED
Reviewed by Nick from Scotland on 21st Apr 2012
I recently sold my One X due to various bugs, and bought a Note. The
screen is gorgeous, everything works great. The camera isn't as good
as the One X though, and Sense is alot more pleasurable than Touchwiz.
However, the One X has ICS, where as the Note is still running Gingerbread.
The problem I have with the Note is thumb typing in Landscape mode.
This was a joy on the One X. But with the Note, the Menu button is awkward
to reach with your thumb. There is also no button for closing the keyboard,
unless you install an app, which is great for customizing the keyboard,
but this takes up RAM and slows down performance.
Also, the quality of the phone is not on a par with the One X. It falls
short of expectations considering it's high price.
There is no dedicated Home button for the internet browser. In fact
the browser just feels cheap, basic and clunky.
So to summarize, this phone needs a makeover. Improved camera, build
quality and ICS. Avoid if you are a thumbtyper.
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Reviewed by Andre from South Africa on 21st Apr
2012
Totally blown away with this phone. As an Apple fan, I am very impressed
with this. Not using it as a phone but as PDA replacement and Samsung
got it right. Love the choice of input method - still a bit old school
and like the thought of writing something down. Worth the money spend.
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Reviewed by Cheryl-Lee from Scotland on 19th Apr
2012
I recently upgraded my phone contract with Orange and instantly knew
that the Galaxy Note was for me. I am gadget daft so this had me sold
on that alone, Twitter trends it as a phablet - cross between a smartphone
and a tablet - so I get the best of both!!This phone has many features
that I love, for example all of my social networking and email accounts
at my fingertips. Yes, it is on the big side but that doesn't bother
me in the slightest. The 5.3" super AMOLED screen is superb and razor
sharp in quality. A few other features that I love is the S Planner,
which is perfect for me and I love the screenshot facility it has (ideal
with Google Maps). All in all, an outstanding phone and, despite its
size, would recommend to anyone. It definitely makes both my old Blackberry
Bold 9700 and the current iPhone 4S vastly inferior!!
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Reviewed by edrus nawawi from malaysia on 17th
Apr 2012
the best ever....i won't have another gadget of this sort not until
the birth of the next generation of galaxy note....
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Reviewed by Richie Curry from Ireland on 14th
Apr 2012
Great phone, love PDA's and love smart phones, best of both, battery
good too but I am on the phone alot, therefore get one day max, very
big but you get used to that, in my opinion better than current Iphone,
which I also love.
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Reviewed by WKL from UK on 11th Apr 2012
This describe is truth about between PDA and tablet. I'm fan of PDAs
since 2006. I saw this device appeared in the commercial on the television.
I was surprised that device with style, which is PDA-like is return
back!!! Since most of PDAs were near disappeared around 2008 since Apple's
iPhone launched which became popular than PDAs. I'm not happy with Apple
because my fingers are fat. I'm looking for device with hardware keyboard
(found HTC with Windows 7) and then found Samsung's Galery Note with
Android. I love device with style for easy write down between deaf and
hearing persons. I had test this device in Phone4U store that's wonderful.
I'm glad Samsung pushed Apple out the way before I was about buy iPhone
4S or 5. Now I will decide buy Samsung's.
10/10 recommended
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Reviewed by Mihnea from Romania on 9th Apr 2012
Best "phone" i ever had. It moves very fast,internet browsing is epic,
battery life is good and the screen is....SUPER Amoled :). Love it.
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Reviewed by jonno from England on 4th Apr 2012
my first smart phone.. I decided to make a quantum leap and go for the
Note.. It is truly amazing and not too big to use as a phone at all
and i now see no need to get a tablet as i had planned to do..so it
has saved me money that's what I told my wife anyway ha ha. Just brilliant
and my old phone now feels microscopic when I look at it
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Reviewed by Robin Sandow from United Kingdom on
3rd Apr 2012
I have now had my Samsung Galaxy Note for about a fortnight and have
to say that this is the first phone I have ever fallen totally in love
with. Actually, I do not refer to this device as a phone, but a hand-held
computer, which may also be used comfortably as a phone. It is incredibly
versatile, reasonably easy to get acquainted with, and simply is a most
amazing piece of kit. Why is it that everyone boasts about getting a
larger and larger TV screen, but finds virtue in having an ever increasingly
small phone? It is the very size of it that I really like. You can use
it as a Kindle too........
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Reviewed by Aliennurse51 from USA on 30th Mar
2012
I've had the galaxy note now for one month and must say coming from
an evo 3d this is an awesome upgrade. The size is fabulous for watching
movies and videos and everywhere I go people are stunned by the size.
Picture taking are awesome with super color reproduction and clarity.
I left my canon rebel at home on a recent vacation. I work out frequently
and the size is no problem. Fits in my sweatpants or workout shorts
fine and even my shirt pockets. Yes a word of warning once you are used
to its size and super hd screen you will most probably never go back
to a smaller phone. Enjoy fellow note users
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Reviewed by Francois Bechu from UK on 24th Mar
2012
A word of warning...... once you've switched to the Note, there is no
going back. All other smart phones will look and feel too small. There
is nothing out there that matches the wonderful experience of the Note
short of Ipad which of course is not a phone and too big to carry around.
It takes about a day to get used to the size and you then become hooked.
You need some kind of thin silicone case for better grip and protection
in case you drop it. This is the ultimate phone in my mind. I just love
it and can't help playing with it constantly. Buy it, you won't be disappointed.
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Reviewed by Dave Juby from Tobago West Indies on
15th Mar 2012
By far the best and quickest beast i have ever used
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Reviewed by Matt from Uk on 6th Mar 2012
Had iPhone 4s since launch day, saw the note and had to have one, once
you get used to its size it makes every other phone look poor. It's
display is large , clear and crisp. I can't stress how good this really
is, won't ever go back to a smaller screen . Super amoled makes retina
display look poor. Battery life is amazing and when ics arrives the
experience will just get better.
This makes the S2 look bad.
Galaxy Note is king of the smartphones, I know people will be waiting
for the release of quad core phones, but the dual core exynos in the
note outperforms every other phone on the market.
If you were in doubt as to your next smartphone purchase then hesitate
no more , go and buy one it's the best decision I have made
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Reviewed by deano from uk on 4th Mar 2012
ive had many many phones. I got this for the size as its easier to use
with bigger fingers. Battery is great, screen amazing, fast aps, reliable,
great camera and the list of possitives goes on and on and on. THE best
phone i have had (ive had iphones and a few of my friends jumped the
iphone ship and dived into samsung waters). Android 4.0 to be sent to
the phone in Q1 so its guna be even better. Get this phone!!
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Reviewed by Rishi from India on 1st Mar 2012
Used this phone for almost 2 months after leaving my N900 Maemo phone.
Well, the display is so good that you can just admire it for atleast
a day. Reading Novels from Kindle store is easy. The browsing, reading
word docs, worksheets are all so soothing on eyes. GPS is super fast.
Although sound quality lacks the punch of N900. The Samsung store offers
many Apps for free which are charged in Google Android store. Video
player is treat to use, just drop file of any format and it runs. However
I had problem playing video file beyond 4 GB. Camera is really good.
Not yet tested the video recording feature. Playing Angry Bird is real
treat here, tested few more games and they are all super smooth. As
a phone, the sound quality, reception, loudness are all top notch. I
found that sometimes after using lot of Apps,say in a week, the phone
become laggy and even drops the signal, where previously it was holding.
It needs a restart then to acquire the same level of performance. After
2.3.6 update, this earlier character has reduced. Overall I purchased
this for large screen in a proper phone, fast CPU and GPU for super
smooth android experience and it doesn't disappoint. I am searching
for an app which can replace my garmin trekking gps having a facility
to store waypoints, route to the waypoints and calculate area in the
field, which is yet not found. Any suggestion folks?
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Reviewed by Nowroz from Bangladesh on 26th Feb
2012
just got it today and it is AMAZING! i saw my brother use s2 but when
he saw mine he was awestruck! hahah i simply love it!!
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Reviewed by Terry from London on 16th Feb 2012
I just got my galaxy note and I am quite impressed with the phone all
in all but I feel it is a bit laggy in some areas and find that slightly
disappointing for a dual core processor and that's clocked at 1.5 ghz
but the phone is excellent I am also not so keen on the huge screen
fair play its kind of the point to have bought the phone but at the
end of the day I thaght that you were support to beable to us to phone
when you bought it basically when you hold this phone in your hand it
makes your hand look like a child's hand and your thumb can not reach
the top of the screen or to edge of the screen and my hands are not
small by any means. The This is probably the best phone on the market
to date but I think I need to go to a sensible range of 4.7" because
this phone is just too much. Battery life is absolutely top notch on
this phone and doesn't lose complete charge till early evening 10pm
it has almost 2gb of stored phone memory for your apps and you can transfer
them to your memory card which is great I have enjoyed every moment
of using this phone its just a shame it is a little too big, the a pen
is gimmiky it is excellent none the less but it's something to that
you pull out in front of your iphone friends an stand in awe at and
wish they had gone for a galaxy note but when you have finished showing
off you don't really use it much after woods. The best even - the huge
gomph of screen
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Reply by Terry from london on 16th
Feb 2012
i thaught i would come back today and just let you know that after a
few more hours of playing with this device i have come to the conclusion
that actually i love it and i am now keeping it and will be selling
my galaxy nexus. Yeah the screens big but after a little while i just
feels like a 4.7" handset there realy is nothing in it when i wrote
my expirence earlier i had the phone for a day and a half but i would
say after two to three days you come to the conclusion of yeah its a
big phone deal with it ask yourself the question what did i want this
phone for? I found out that i wanted a phone and a tablet all enclosed
inside one driver and thats exactly what this is bye bye galaxy nexus
*****.
Reviewed by android noobee from UK on 27th Jan
2012
I've been looking, waiting and saving since Froyo. Friends have the
S2 and that is one impressive phone. I wanted a tab 7" but the 1gHz
processor and screen let it down, the tab 7+, honeycombe 3.1 let it
down. Then the Note came out...wow this is it. Mine runs on gingerbread
2.3.5 and it runs smooth and like a dream. The screen is beautiful res
and is just the right size to read docs, watch iplayers and YouTube
and the processor is fast enough to do it. The wifi is fantastic and
doesn't drop out and the bluetooth is backward compatible with all my
old phones, p.c. and handsfrees. Bought off Amazon and with a Tesco
simm only, 1yr contract. All in all, Spot on.
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Reviewed by Sherveen from UK on 23rd Jan 2012
Can't add anything new to what everyone hre have already added. Had
my Note for almost a week now and boy aren't I satisfied. I did initially
wonder had I made a wrong move with the size and with the phone bit
too big to work with just one hand sometimes, if I have got into a bit
of an impractical phone and less mobile one. It only takes less than
a day to forget the size being a bit too large, just can't love it enough....The
battery life is around the regular 1 day for any smart phone to be honest,
but that is a life style I have already got used to with all my past
phones so its not an issue. Never was a fan of the iPhone and doubt
I ever would be at the rate Samsung is creating wonderful devices like
this....well done Samsung, I love you!
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Reviewed by auya from india on 18th Jan 2012
because of its size it's better than every phone out there and ya it
fits my pocket
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Reviewed by michaelw33 from uk on 11th Jan 2012
i was hesitant about getting this phone-mini tab...i owned n loved the
galaxy s2..brilliant phone...loved the vibrant colours and everything
else it did...i even played online no bother no lag etc..using ps3(mw3)..i
couldnt believe it..anyway after seeing a demo note..i thought jeez
thats got an even better screen..but is it guna fit in my pocket..i
was also intrigued by the camera it does indeed take better pics than
s2..maybe its the screen resolution..but ive compared pics blown up(note
wins))...anyway the note is top notch in every department..beating every
other phone ever made...you get used to the size after a day of use..BRILLIANT
JOB SAMSUNG!!!What could possibly beat this??? N yes it fits easily
in yr pocket;)
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Reviewed by Alison from UK on 7th Jan 2012
I have had the Samsung Galaxy Note just for a few days now. Without
a doubt it is the ultimate phone, despite its rather large chassis!
I have owned and used many smartphones, recently the Apple 4S and also
the HTC Sensation XL, which is another phone of large proportions. In
all honesty they all have individual qualities that make them stand
out but for quality across the board, I am not sure you will find anything
better on the market at the moment! Android seems to be the way forward,
and with the imminent release of ICS promised for this handset, I can
only see things getting better and better. Stand out features are brilliant
crisp AMOLED HD screen, a big screen that makes browsing, reading and
typing a real pleasure. An 8mp camera which again is one of the best.
I actually want to take photos with this phone. The UI is extremely
intuitive, and because Android is a busy OS, I think the larger hardware
does it justice. On some of the smaller handsets, Android can just look
too cramped. I do use tablets as well, but this is as good as the Galaxy
tab and so much easier to keep in my bag, that the tablet is now redundant!
I love that it has the stylus, this is practical and a really useful
addition. A quality product!
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Reviewed by Bruce from Northern Ireland on 31st
Dec 2011
Size is its advantage, not something to be downrated on. It's a fantastic
phone and better than anything else I have used.
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Reviewed by Osmond DSouza from Saudi Arabia on
24th Dec 2011
I have been using this phone for the past 2 weeks. Its just awesome.
This phone has an excellent battery life. It can last easily for 2 days
with heavy usage. The screen is great. After using it for some time
the size of the phone will never matter. Now I dont feel it is a big
phone. The problem is that you can never go back to other phones as
the screen size matters.
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Reviewed by afiq from malaysia on 17th Dec 2011
the camera?super fantastic. Battery?super cooool.
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Reviewed by Ade from UK on 2nd Dec 2011
How can this be given 4* only when it is a FREE phone on a the same
contract as other top priced phones. It has to be a 5* review on the
back of its features. The size of it is a POSITIVE not a negative. If
people do not want the HUGE benefits that its large screen gives you
then you get a Galaxy SII. You cant give it less stars than the SII
on the back of how its better! Weird. I think this marks a new era.
We put up with small screens a couple of years back and now everyone
wants a larger screen. People love iPads, Tablets and Kindles. Why go
out and about with a phone and a tablet when this phone bridges the
gap brilliantly. So, change that review ending and give it the 5* that
it blatently deserves and then add a new section on the left called
Hybrid Phones and actually be a pioneer.
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Reviewed by patrick wong from singapore on 29th
Nov 2011
This is definitely an iphone beater If you can live with the size nothing
out there right now can beat this monster
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Reviewed by Helen from England on 28th Nov 2011
I have had this phone 1 week. Its fantastic! I have never known a battery
last so long. It only needs charging every 3 days and thats wilth me
either listening to music, going on net, texts etc. Really crisp clear
screen, excellent camera and music player. Due to size, internet pages
are also very clear. Lovely phone
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Reviewed by Jon-Cameron from England on 27th Nov
2011
Perfect review and one of many that really highlight how amazing this
phone is. I have owned this now for a few weeks and never tire of looking
at the beautiful screen. Please don't emphasise too much on what you
might look like holding the phone to your ear, having asked my friend's
opinion many times, they concluded that it doesn't look stupid at all.
I cannot recommend this phone enough.
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