SAMSUNG GALAXY NOTE 2 UNVEILED

After a season of rumours and leaks, Samsung unveiled its second phablet device in a pre-IFA press event at Berlin. 

Forget the Galaxy S3, this is the most powerful smartphone or “phablet” if you prefer, on the planet. 

The device, dubbed 'phablet' because it can function as a tablet as well as a phone, is powered by a quad-core processor running at 1.6Ghz, has 2GB RAM, 16GB or 32 GB storage with support for SD card, 1280 x 720 pixels resolution, a 8MP rear camera, a 1.9MP front camera and a 3100 mAh battery.

The 5.5-inch (14-centimeter) screen is narrower but longer than on the first version. The processor is faster, and the software has been further adapted for the included stylus, the phone's signature feature.

SPECS:

• SoC: Samsung Exynos Quad 4412
• CPU: 1.6 GHz Quad Core ARM Cortex-A9
• GPU: ARM Mali-400MP
• RAM: 2 GB RAM
• Storage: 16 GB/32 GB/64 GB inbuilt with MicroSD expandable support upto 32 GB
• Display: 5.5 inch Super AMOLED HD Capacitive touchscreen, 720 x 1280px (267 ppi)
• Camera: 8MP rear facing camera (1080P video recording), 1.9MP front facing camera
• Connectivity: Bluetooth v4.0, Wi-Fi, MicroUSB port (USB on-the-go support), NFC
• Battery: 3100 mAh
• OS: Android 4.1 Jelly Bean

NEW FEATURES:

Samsung has included the trademark S-pen stylus with the Note 2. It’s not just a regular stylus, it allows users even more control. One of the new features is Air View, similar to Sony’s floating touch technology. It allows users to hover over an email, image, video or such and get a preview without actually opening it. Then there’s the new note feature, which allows users to open an editable note anywhere. Also, pressing the S-pen button and swiping the screen in certain ways can open commonly used applications. The S-pen can also be used to capture screenshots to send, draw, write and of course, there’s handwriting recognition. But this time around, users can add content by simply writing keywords. Finally, there’s also a bunch of new features that Android 4.1 Jelly Bean brings along and Samsung has built upon it in the TouchWiz Nature UI.

The Samsung Galaxy Note 2 will be the most powerful smartphone ever. Benchmarks show that it blows away even the Samsung Galaxy S3, which is no mean feat. Coupled with Android 4.1 Jelly Bean and its fluid interface, the Galaxy Note 2 delivers an unbelievably smooth experience. Even though the screen size has been increased and the hardware is upgraded, the Note 2 still remains just over 9mm thick. The camera remains the same as the previous model and the only thing it doesn’t improve upon from its predecessor is the pixel density. The larger screen and same resolution result in a slightly lower pixel per inch count, but the screen is still gorgeous and this difference is really not noticeable. Backing everything up is the huge 3100 mAh battery which promises great running time even with those internals.

Samsung said the device would launch in 128 countries with market availability expected in October. Given that India often gets priority for most Samsung smartphones and tablets, Note 2 is likely to be available here in October.