The Samsung Galaxy Note was first launched near the end of last year, unfortunately we didn’t manage to review the device when it was released, so I thought it was about time to try one out.

The first thing you notice about the Samsung Galaxy Note is the size of the device compared to other handsets, the device is designed to be a combination device between a smartphone and a tablet, and it features a 5.3inch Super AMOLED display.

Samsung Galaxy Note Hardware Specifications

The Samsung Galaxy Note’s 5.3 inch Super AMOLED touchscreen display has a resolution of 1280 x 800 pixels, the device comes with Samsung’s S-Pen and processing is provided by a dual core 1.4GHz processor.

The Galaxy Note features an 8 megapixel camera on the back which can record full HD video in 1080 at 30 frames per second, the camera also features an LED flash, up front there is a 2 megapixel camera for video chat.

Other specifications on the Samsung Galaxy Note include Bluetooth 3.0, USB 2.0 and 802.11 a/b/g/n WiFi plus WiFi direct, it comes with 16GB of built in storage plus a microSD card slot which takes up to 32GB microSD cards.

Samsung Galaxy Note Design, Display And UI

The first thing you notice about the Samsung Galaxy Note is the size of the device, especially when compared to other handsets, the photo below illustrates just how large the Samsung Galaxy note is when compared to other devices, as you can see in the photo which shows the Galaxy Note next to the iPhone 4S.

Considering the Galaxy Notes large 5.3 inch display we would have expected it to be thicker and heavier , but the handset measures just 9.65mm thick and weighs in at just 178 grams.

The Galaxy Notes 5.3 inch display is a Super AMOLED display which has a resolution of 1280 x 800 pixels, and as with previous Samsung devices with an AMOLED display that we have reviewed it certainly is an impressive display.

The 5.3 inch Super AMOLED display on the Galaxy Note in excellent, and great for watching videos and movies, also browsing the web, reading emails and playing games is also very good on the display.

The Galaxy Note we tested in this review had Android 2.3.5 Gingerbread and Samsung’s TouchWiz user interface which is great to use, although Samsung has started rolling out their Android 4.0 ICS update to the device.

Samsung Galaxy Note Processor, Camera And S-Pen

As we mentioned the Samsung Galaxy Note features a dual core 1.4GHz processor, the processor feels pretty fast on the device, opening apps and running games on the handset feels fast and responsive.

The Galaxy note features a rear facing 8 megapixel camera which does it great job of taking photos, it also has an LED flash and comes with some cool feature like Panorama, the photo below gives you an idea of how camera on the Galaxy note is, the image has been resized but not edited.

The Galaxy Note’s camera can also record full high definition video in 1080p at 30 frames per second, and it does a good job with video, there is also a front facing 2 megapixel camera for video chat.

One of the more interesting features on the Galaxy Note is the S-Pen, which is a stylus designed to be used with the 5.3 inch Super AMOLED display, i have never been a fan of the stylus with touchscreen devices, but the Samsung S-Pen works very well.

The Galaxy Note features a number of built in apps that are designed specifically for the S-Pen, which include S-Memo, and more plus there are a bunch of third party apps available which are designed for the S-Pen.

Samsung Galaxy Note Battery Life And Call Quality

The Samsung Galaxy Note features a 2,500 mAh Li-on battery which does a reasonable job, and I would say it is better than average considering the handsets large 5.3 inch display.

Moderate users should get at least a full day of usage out of the handset, although if you are a heavy user then you can expect to charge the handset once a day, don’t expect to go for days without charging the device.

The call quality is excellent on the Samsung Galaxy Note, we tested the GSM version on UK mobile carrier three and didn’t have any issues making or receiving calls.

Conclusion

When I first heard about the Samsung Galaxy Note and saw the specifications, and the size of the device, I didn’t think this would be the sort of device I would like to use on a daily basis.

I used the Samsung Galaxy Note as my handset for about two weeks and was pleasantly surprised with the experience, whilst it is one of the largest smartphones I have used it certainly was a fun handset to use.

It has it plus and minus points, as the device is so large I am not sure if I could use this as my regular handset, although if I wanted one device to replace my smartphone and tablet then this would definitely be a contender.

Samsung have done a great job with the Galaxy Note, the design the handset as a cross between a smartphone and a tablet, which some people call a ‘Phablet’, and if you are looking for a device to cover these two areas than the Samsung Galaxy Note fits the bill.

I would definitely recommend that you test out the Samsung Galaxy Note to see what you think of it, it may not be for everyone due to its large size, but it is a great device for those who want one device rather than two.

The model tested in this review was the GSM Galaxy Note running Android 2.3.5 and it was on UK mobile carrier Three, the handset is available for free on a number of different contracts and you can find out more details over at Three, the device is also available from other mobile carriers here in the UK, have a look at the photo gallery bellow.