Samsung's new Milky way Note is a unique device in the smartphone market. Straddling the line between a smartphone and a tablet, the Note features a massive v.3-inch display, which is considerably larger than the screen on whatsoever other smartphone available today (just see the image below sitting alongside an iPhone). Because of this, the Note is rather unwieldy in the manus, and nearly incommunicable to utilise i handed.

Trying to brand the nearly of the smartphone'due south larger footprint, Samsung has attempted to add together functionality to the Note with its "don't-call-information technology-a-stylus" Due south Pen input device. But one time over again the Note's dominant feature is its 5.3-inch, Super AMOLED display that packs a dense 1280 ten 800 pixel resolution. The form factor alone will identify many potential buyers at odds, while others might appreciate the hybrid nature of the device. Read on to acquire our findings.

Hardware

The Samsung Galaxy Note borrows heavily from the designs Samsung has used for its Galaxy Southward II line of smartphones. In fact, one would non exist faulted for thinking that the Galaxy Notation was just a Galaxy S II on steroids. The big display looks fantastic, with dandy, punchy colors, tremendous viewing angles, and good outdoor visibility. The pixel layout is the much-derided PenTile format, simply since in that location are then many pixels packed onto the screen, you have to really hunt to run across any PenTile patterns in images. It really is a great display.

Because of the massive screen, the Annotation has as large dimensions - and therein lie the difficulties I had with using it every bit a phone. The Note measures 147mm (5.78in) alpine and 83mm (3.27in) across, which means that it feels admittedly massive when held in the hand. Even compared to the already large Samsung Galaxy S II Skyrocket with its 4.5-inch display, the Note is a enormous beast (and information technology makes the 3.v-inch iPhone 4S look positively atomic). I am unable to reach the corners of the screen with my thumb without having to significantly move the Annotation around in my manus and stretch to my hand's fullest extent, which gives me concern that the Note will slip out of my mitt and autumn to the basis.

Thus, using the Galaxy Note is a two-handed affair, and at that place really isn't a mode to become around information technology -- unless you are a pro basketball player, I suppose. However, despite its large dimensions, the Note remains very thin at only 9.7mm (0.38in) thick. As with many thin Samsung smartphones, the sparse profile of the Note certainly makes it feel fifty-fifty larger than it really is.

The rear cover of the Note is made of the familiar, thin plastic material that Samsung has used on many of its prior models, just the Note'south back features a classier texture than the others that makes it feel equally if it is of college quality. The textured back helps in treatment the device, though I am not sure it will prevent users from eventually dropping information technology.

Tucked in the lower right corner of the Note's frame is the South Pen input device. The Southward Pen uses Wacom technology and works with the digitizer in the Note's brandish to allow users to draw and activate things on the screen with the pen-like tip. The tip has 256 levels of force per unit area sensitivity, and so apps that support the Southward Pen'southward capabilities can allow the user to describe thick or sparse lines depending on how much pressure they put on the screen.

The S Pen also has a function button on the side of it to perform diverse tasks like screen capture. Unlike the Scrybe pen for HTC's Flyer tablet, the Due south Pen does not require a battery. The housing that the Southward Pen fits into is snug, and the pen won't fall out unintentionally. Still, the South Pen is very thin and pocket-sized, and many users will likely lose it at some point during their Galaxy Note ownership (AT&T and Samsung are offering replacement South Pens for $29 a popular).