When AT&T gave me the chance to check out the Samsung Galaxy Note 2, I jumped at the chance. My current phone is the now outdated Samsung Galaxy S 2, and I was eager to compare the two. I wished I had taken photos of the two phones side by side because the Note 2 was huge compared to my S2. When I first bought my Galaxy SII a year and half ago, I thought it was big phone. So did everyone who saw it.
The Note 2 is definitely the Big Daddy of smartphones. Samsung even coined a term for it: a phablet. (Phone + tablet. Get it?) It does everything a smartphone does but the large screen gives you the capability to actually do things on your smartphone besides check email, play games, and make phone calls. You know, like get some work done.
While I still couldn’t get used to its large size after a few days, the Note 2 definitely impressed everyone who saw it. Here’s a mother at my son’s playschool playing with the Note 2. Can you believe that she’s never owned a smartphone? After playing with it for a few minutes, she was sold. Maybe AT&T should hire me to sell phones.
The Note 2 also comes with a stylus called the S Pen that is stored in the phone itself. With its large screen, the phone allows you to have two different apps running on your screen at the same time. Which is quite convenient when I wanted to refer to my email or cut and paste it into another app. When you withdraw the S Pen, the productivity app automatically starts. The app allows you to take notes, mind map or create pretty much whatever you want.
I used it sketch. I really liked sketching on it because I didn’t have to search for my journal and ink pen. I just pulled out the stylus and started drawing. I enjoyed spending a few relaxing minutes each evening drawing and doodling. The kids liked this too.
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| Taken using Samsung Galaxy Note 2 |
I absolutely loved the camera on the Note 2. Like my Galaxy S2, it takes amazing photos. The photo of the sunset above was taken on the Note 2 and I didn’t do anything to except slap my info on it. The rear camera takes 8 MP photos and has a flash, though I found the flash usually washed out my photos. My favorite thing about this camera? It can take multiple photos at once, up to 20! All you do is just keep touching the capture button. With my fast moving kids, I love this option!
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| Photo taken with Samsung Galaxy Note 2 |
Since I take a ton of food photos, I had to try out the camera on my food shots as well. The photo of my tangy cilantro dressing was a little dark, but that was because I didn’t use the flash. I didn’t alter it so you can see the quality of the photo. Not bad, right?
I also loved reading books using the Kindle app on the Galaxy Note 2. The screen was the perfect size for it. Even checking my email on the large screen was fun. I actually wanted to write emails on the phone because I had enough space to see everything.
I’m still iffy on the size as it was too large for my jeans pocket, where I usually keep my phone. I had to keep it in my purse which isn’t always convenient when chasing my three year old. I felt a little obnoxious pulling the phone out at the park or the bus stop. One of the middle schoolers even exclaimed, “WOW! That phone is huge!” I couldn’t even zip up my the breast pocket of my jacket when the phone was in it.
In conclusion, if you’re looking for a phone that gives the function of a tablet, you’ll find Samsung Galaxy Note 2 phabulous. Personally, I think I will wait for the Galaxy S 4.
Thanks to AT&T for loaning me the Galaxy Note 2. Opinions are 100% my own.