Samsung Galaxy Note 2

Today in Berlin at IFA, Samsung unveiled the successor device, the Galaxy Note 2. Larger and more powerful, the Note 2 is a stunner in many ways, but it still involves a big (no pun intended) adjustment for users.

Design

When the Samsung marketing executive sitting to my left slowly produced the Galaxy Note 2 by carefully unwrapping a felt cloth, I pursed my lips and whistled. Wow, I said to myself, I really thought the first Galaxy Note was massive, but now there's this monster. If the Incredible Hulk or The Thing perhaps needed a proportionally sized handset, here it is.

That's not to say the Galaxy Note 2 is bigger exactly, but more specifically longer. The device's 5.55-inch AMOLED screen (1,280x720 pixels) is diagonally wider than the Galaxy Note at 5.3 inches. That translates into a display with a wide-screen 16:9 aspect ratio, which is, as Samsung puts it, "optimized for today's visually oriented apps."

Indeed the vast screen is as lovely as ever, with deep blacks and vibrant colors viewable from very wide angles. Some people may question the need for this capability, but I wholeheartedly disagree as someone who views Netflix content daily while blowing through household chores. Washing dishes and screening "Deep Space Nine" is a perfect combination.

 Samsung didn't provide details about the Galaxy Note 2's dimensions. Still, the device looked just as thin as the original Galaxy Note and Galaxy S III (S3). I was also shown models in two colors, white and gray, similar to Samsung's Galaxy S3 devices. A large home button sits below each device's screen, flanked by two capacitive buttons on either side.

S-Pen-tastic

Coming in Marble White or Titanium Gray, Europe, Asia and Middle East markets should get their hands on the S-Pen packing phablet in October, though how much it'll cost remains unknown.

Speaking of the S-Pen, Samsung says it's designed to make this Note tick with expanded capabilities for easy functionality and maneuverability.

Hover the stick over an email, S Note, S Planner, the image gallery, or video and the "Air View" feature kicks in, allowing users to preview the content without having to touch pen to surface. The feature of choice then automatically opens.

The S-Pen also somewhat psychically recognizes any content a user wants to clip from a screen, picking it up no matter what the shape or size for easy Web edits, coloring, shading, and cutting and pasting.

It also allows for a quick combination of the user's own handwriting with any content on the screen and provides quick and easy screen shots.

The Popup Video features extends the Popup Play concept, letting viewers float a video with the touch of the pen. The video will continue to play while other applications are in effect and can be repositioned to any area of the Galaxy Note 2's screen.

With the Note 2, Samsung wants users to connect to their networks with ease. To that end, they installed an AllShare Play feature in the devices, allowing users to share content with a large group in real time by connecting the Note 2 to Samsung HD TVs, phones, mobile tablets, laptops, and other electronics in the same network.

Last but not least, the Screen Recorder function, let's users record something on their device, like an application demonstration, to be replayed at a later date.

Android 4.1 Jelly Bean

Building on the enhanced functionality introduced in Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich, the Samsung Galaxy Note 2 will join the likes of the Nexus 7 and the ASUS Transformer Infinity with Android 4.1 Jelly Bean being available straight out of the box. Samsung’s TouchWiz UI will of course be overlaid on top so expect a distinctly different experience from the Jelly Bean packing devices we’ve seen so far. The good news is that the latest Android update will be available for other Note devices which means you will be able to sync S-Note data across devices.

SPECIFICATIONS:

• 5.5-inch Super AMOLED HD touchscreen display with 1280 x 720 resolution and 16:9 aspect ratio
• Size: 80 x 151.1 x 9.4mm thin – thinner than its predecessor
• Weight: 180 grams
• 1.6GHz quad-core Exynos processor
• 2GB of RAM
• 16/32/64GB on-board memory
• microSDHC support of up to 64GB of additional storage
• 8-megapixel rear-camera with Auto Focus, LED flash and HD video recording
• 2-megapixel front-facing camera
• HSPA+ support
• 4G LTE connectivity (in selected markets)
• Bluetooth 4.0
• Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n
• Wi-Fi Direct
• USB 2.0 support
• A-GPS and Glonass support
• 3,100mAh removable battery with faster charging – bigger capacity than its predecessor
• Android 4.1 Jelly Bean on board out of the box with TouchWiz UI on top
• Redesigned S-Pen: wider and longer to offer better grip. The stylus now has a rubber tip to offer an experience more similar to pen and paper
• Colors: Marble White and Titanium Grey