Our first look at the lower profile half of Samsung’s new flagship device line-up left us intrigued and confused in equal measure. And impressive as the technology on display was, the implications of seeing a new device category just whooshing into existence in front of your very eyes would give anyone pause. Chances are you’ve seen a combination of 1.4 Ghz processor, 1 GB of RAM and Gingerbread at work, just not quite in this particular ensemble.
What you haven’t seen is anything close to the 5.3″ screen taking pride of place on the Galaxy Note’s visage on a purported mobile phone before. This AMOLED 1280×800 beast of a display is a mobile device category maker and breaker, blurring the lines between tablet and phone more than Asus’s Padfone ever could. What really makes it stand out, however, is the return to touchscreen basics with a classic stylus implementation that would make an HTC Flyer blush. Unlike the Flyer, Samsung actually seem to mean it, as the stylus also has full software support, not only through a robust Notes application which allows for sketches and handwriting, but also cleverly persistent UI implementation which lets you switch between the Memo app and a second app, for instance. It’s not all sunshine and rainbows, however.
The size of the thing is not for the faint-hearted. It reminded us of nothing so much as a PlayStation Vita in sheer size, if not heft. Samsung have managed to keep the weight significantly lower than you’d expect at least, lending it an almost hollow quality. Anyone eyeing the Note, however, will know exactly what they’re getting into. By the looks of it, the first not only viable, but downright gorgeous and functional melding of tablet and mobile phone has arrived.
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