As Samsung Galaxy Note is heading to the US market, a lot of reviews for US (AT&T) version of this phone were published last week. Here we compiled a list of such reviews from CNET, PCWorld, engadget, phandroid, Android Community, as well as a negative review (seldom get) from Los Angeles Times.
1. Review from CNET by Jessica Dolcourt
Galaxy Note got a quite good review on performance, phone quality, 4G LTE connectivity, 5.3″ display, and the camera. The editor’s major concerns are: 1). the S pen is too small and 2). the size of this device may be awkwardly large for some people to fit into pocket.
So, the conclusion is:
The good: The Samsung Galaxy Note’s 5.3-inch HD screen is ideal for showcasing multimedia. It has 4G LTE, a great 8-megapixel camera, and a souped-up S Pen stylus that brings new ways to interact with your phone.
The bad: The Galaxy Note’s S Pen is small, has a delayed response, and requires a little training to use. The phone will be awkwardly large for some, and it doesn’t fit easily into pockets.
The bottom line: With its huge screen and throwback stylus, the Samsung Galaxy Note is a polarizing smartphone that winks at tablet territory. Those who like their screens XL will find a top-notch device that lets multimedia shine. The S Pen adds some artistic potential, but for some, the phone will just simply be too big.
The review is quite positive. The reviewer dived into some aspects that other reviewers overlooked, e.g., Samsung’s TouchWiz UI, S Memo. The reviewer’s major concern is the lack of apps for S Pen. Spot on. The conclusion is unique and impressive, but not for everyone.
Pros
- Large, bright display
- Snappy performance
- Pen works well with user interface
Cons
- A bit too large for a phone
- Not enough apps support the pen
Bottom Line
With its large display and stylus-like pen, the Samsung Galaxy Note is a refreshing departure from the smartphone pack, but its design won’t please everyone. Additionally, not enough apps support the pen right now.
Read the full review here.
3. Review from engadget by Tim Stevens
Personally, I like to read reviews and articles form Engadget. This review is trying to compare the performance of AT&T version with international version (they published a review for it by Zach) . Some performance degradation was spotted. Overall, the review is quite positive.
The Note is big, but not unmanageably so. Those with small hands might find it a bit unwieldy at times, but even if your glover has you written down as XS you shouldn’t rule this out completely. After a few hours with the Note you’ll very quickly become accustomed to the size, and once you have you won’t want to go back.
With the decrease in performance and battery life here, the international release is still the better phone overall, and we can’t help but be disappointed by that. Still, given the relative affordability of the US release of the Note ($300 on-contract) and its ease of availability, we certainly wouldn’t blame you for heading to AT&T and ordering yourself an American Superphone. It’s one of the best phones of any size on the market today, regardless of what market you’re in.
Read the full review here.
4. Review from phandroid (Android Phone Fans) by Chris Chavez
The review is interesting as it was written from a different angle. It tried to focused on whether the size affects functions and performance, in addition to standard review on hardware, performance, UI and apps. The reviewer’s main concern is the Gingerbread (Android 2.3.6) is not suitable for this big phone. So, it is good as a phone, and it is not good enough as a tablet.
Overall, as a smartphone, the Samsung Galaxy Note still gets high marks in almost every area and make no mistake, anyone would be lucky to carry one in their pocket. But even though I’ll always look back on the Galaxy Note with much admiration, I’ll always remember how much more the Galaxy Note could have been if it was simply true to itself — a pocketable tablet.
Read the full review here.
5. Review from Android Community by Cory Gunther
This is quite detailed review, but with a focus on the size. The reviewer is actually quite happy with the size. The issue is you need time to adapt yourself to the bigger size. It is not a rule, that phone should be operated with one hand. The reviewer is quite happy with the S Pen (me too). The only concern is the lack of more apps for it.
Is this a phone for you? Sure! The added size makes it hardly portable, but the large 5.3″ HD screen makes movies and pictures a joy to consume and browsing the web rocks. I could see the Note replacing my tablet but I’m still unsure as to if I’d replace my Galaxy Nexus with it. They are both awesome but at times while in public I did get a few odd looks with it up to my ear.
In the end is this a phone that you could use? Absolutely. Some with smaller hands might find the phone unwieldy at times, but for the most part I’ve managed to get over the sheer size of the phone and enjoy it for what it truly is. And that is an impressive multimedia, consumption, and creation device. At first I was thinking this was more of a Niche device but in reality I could see it becoming much more than that. Add in the huge coverage from Super Bowl and I’m sure many are extremely interested in this smartphone — and with good reason. The Galaxy Note is extremely impressive in every aspect and once it has Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich it will be pretty hard to beat.
Read the full review here.
6. Review from Los Angeles Times by Nathan Olivarez-Giles
We seldom read phone reviews from news papers. But this one is special: the reviewer gives totally negative review of Galaxy Note. Maybe we do not agree with his arguments, but we appreciate such straightforward words. The arguments include: 1) too large; 2).too large; 3).Gingerbread, not Ice Cream Sandwich; 4). S Pen does not work well with the device.
Because of the Note’s size, some have called it a “tablone” and a “phoblet.” No matter what you call the Note, it’s a gadget I’m happy to live without.
Read full review with video here.
What’s your opinion on these reviews? Leave your comments below!
Samsung just announced they shipped 5,000,000 Galaxy Note. 5 months, 5 millions units shipped, it is impressive! Potentially (some are still in the vendors’s warehouse) 5 million users!
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