Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1

We've been waiting for Samsung's new Galaxy Note tablet to arrive since it plastered banners for it all over Mobile World Congress in February, and now it's here: at its "major" Galaxy launch event today, the company has just officially launched the Galaxy Note 10.1, the larger-screened successor to the Galaxy Note with a bit of Galaxy Tab DNA. As expected, the tablet features a 10.1-inch screen, Samsung's proprietary Wacom-based S Pen stylus system, a 1.4GHz quad-core processor, and 2GB of RAM, running Android 4.0.4 Ice Cream Sandwich with TouchWiz. You can get your hands on the new Wi-Fi versions tomorrow in the US, at a price of $499 for 16GB of storage, or $549 for 32GB, but if you're looking for mobile network capabilities you'll have to hold off a little longer — Samsung has yet to announce pricing and availability for the HSPA+ models.

The Specs

Samsung’s new Note tablet features a 10.1 WXGA display with 1280-by-800 resolution, a 1.4GHz quad-core Samsung Exynos processor, 2GB RAM, 16GB or 32GB onboard storage, microSD card slot (supports up to 32GB), 5 megapixel rear-facing and 1.9MP front-facing cameras, Bluetooth 4.0, USB 2.0 port, 802.11a/b/g/n Wi-Fi, and an IR blaster. The Galaxy Note 10.1 is running Android 4.0, Ice Cream Sandwich and comes with a Samsung S Pen stylus. Samsung says an Android 4.1 Jelly Bean upgrade is in the works.

Preloaded Apps and Deals

The Galaxy Note 10.1 comes with a free copy of Adobe PhotoShop Touch ($10 on Google Play), 50GB of free Dropbox storage for two years, Polaris Office, Kno e-textbook platform, and the Barnes & Noble Nook reading app.

Pricing and Availability

At launch, you will be able to buy the tablet from Amazon, Best Buy, BrandSmart, CDW, Conn’s, Fry’s, HH Gregg, and Tiger Direct. The 16GB version will set you back $500, while the 32GB model costs $550.

The S Pen

Apple may have set back the idea of adding a stylus to a touchscreen, but Samsung is slowly helping the lowly pen input make a comeback.

A stylus may not make much sense on a smartphone screen, but a stylus for drawing and note taking is a popular option for tablets, even on the iPad. You can use the S Pen for taking notes via the S Note app or editing images on PhotoShop Touch. And most critics, even those who didn’t like the Note 10.1, are saying the stylus is very responsive.

Samsung first included an S Pen with the 5-inch Galaxy Note “phablet"” released in the U.S. in February.

Multiscreen functionality

You don’t have to fill up the new tablet’s 10.1-inch screen with just one app, Samsung has added a Windows Snap-like functionality, called Multiscreen, that lets you see two apps side-by-side. The downside, however, is that it only works with a limited number of apps including the Web browser, S Note, Video Player, e-mail, Gallery, and Polaris Office. So you can use the new feature to copy and paste data between apps, or do research in the browser and take notes with S Note.

The Note 10.1’s video player also has “always on top” functionality called Pop Up Play that you can overlay anywhere on the screen.

Battery Life

PCWorld’s tests were able to squeeze 8 hours 24 minutes out of the device during video playback with a brightness of 200 candelas.

Hardware

The Note 10.1 is fairly thin and light given its size, especially compared to the iPad. Samsung’s new tablet weighs about 1.32 pounds and is just 0.35-inches thin, compared to the iPad’s 0.37-inch profile and 1.44-pound heft. But that thinness comes at a price, PCWorld’s review dinged the 10.1 for a plastic chassis that felt “inexpensively made.” Both The Verge and The New York Times said the plastic back flexes when you hold it. And the Times’ David Pogue even said he could feel the back flex against the tablet’s circuit board. Bottom line: you might want to see how this thing feels when you hold it before making a purchase.

Samsung’s new Note tablet sounds like it may have a few downsides, but overall, it’s at least worth checking out if you want a new tablet that’s not the iPad.

TECH SPECS

HARDWARE

Height	7.1 inches
Width	10.3 inches
Thickness	0.35 inches
Weight	1.31 pounds
Color	Black / Silver, White / Silver
Speakers	Stereo

DISPLAY

Screen size (diagonal)	10.1 inches
Technology	LCD
Resolution (X)	1280 px
Resolution (Y)	800 px
PPI	149
Touchscreen type	Dual-digitizer
Multitouch	Yes

SOFTWARE

Operating system	Android
Skin	TouchWiz
Launch OS version	Android 4.0
Media streaming	DLNA, AllShare

PROCESSOR

Clock speed	1.4 GHz
Cores	4

MEMORY

RAM size	2 GB

STORAGE

Internal size	16 GB, 32 GB
External storage	Yes
External storage support	microSD
Max external size	32 GB

CONNECTIVITY

3G	Yes
GSM	Yes
GSM frequencies	1900, 1800, 900, 850
UMTS / HSPA	Yes
UMTS frequencies	2100, 1900, 900, 850
WWAN data standards	UMTS, EDGE, HSPA+, HSUPA, HSDPA, GPRS
Max. WWAN downlink speed	21 Mbps
Max. WWAN uplink speed	5.76 Mbps
Wi-Fi	Yes
Wi-Fi support	802.11n, 802.11g, 802.11b, 802.11a
802.11n frequencies	5GHz, 2.4GHz
GPS	Yes
Bluetooth	Yes
Bluetooth version	4.0

FRONT CAMERA

Effective pixels	1.9 megapixels

REAR CAMERA

Effective pixels	5 megapixels
Flash	Single LED
Focus type	Autofocus

PORTS

Headphone	3.5mm
Data connections	Proprietary

SENSORS

Sensors	Ambient Light, Gyroscope, Compass / Magnetometer, Accelerometer

BATTERY

Capacity	7000 mAh
Removable	No