The latest version of Samsung's biggest Galaxy
Note has a bigger processor and better screen than its predecessor, and a whole
range of other improvements too.
Design
The glossy plastic casing of the previous model has been replaced by an odd-looking faux leather effect on the back complete with fake stitching, which isn't fooling anyone, but at least it gives a bit of grip. It's no super lightweight at 540g but it's slim at a sliver under 8mm and no chore to carry.
The glossy plastic casing of the previous model has been replaced by an odd-looking faux leather effect on the back complete with fake stitching, which isn't fooling anyone, but at least it gives a bit of grip. It's no super lightweight at 540g but it's slim at a sliver under 8mm and no chore to carry.
There are slimline stereo speakers on each side,
plus a covered microSD slot (up to 64GB to add to the 16GB of onboard storage)
and an infrared blaster so you can use it as a remote control. There's no HDMI
port to transfer content straight to your TV though.
The 10.1 inch screen's resolution has been bumped up to 2,560x1,600 pixels
(299ppi) which is equal to the Google
Nexus 10 and just about as sharp as you'll find on any tablet (technically
the Nexus 10 is slightly sharper because its screen is a little smaller but
that's a minor quibble).
It's running the latest Android 4.3 Jelly Bean (and expected to upgrade to 4.4 KitKat early in 2014) but as usual Samsung has overlaid its TouchWiz interface over the top. It's a busy and distinctive UI that some will find unnecessary but extras like the shortcut tray you pull out from the side don't distract from basic Android, only enhance it.
You also get a lot of extras, including Multi Window (two app windows on one screen), Polaris Office 5, dual-screen media sharing app Group Play, plus S Note and Sketchbook, which make good use of the S Pen stylus hidden away in a neat slot on the side and the generally reliable handwriting recognition software.
The 1.9GHz quad-core processor is backed by a full 3GB RAM which puts it right up there with some of the best we've come across. Our AnTuTu benchmark test gave it a score of 32,395 -- a little behind the Galaxy Note 3 but still among the highest we've yet seen. But even so, the processor didn't seem to perform quite as well as it should do, considering the spec, and there were occasional instances of slight lag. It's not terrible by any means, this is still a very fast and powerful device, but the fact that it happened at all came as a surprise.
Photography
There's now an 8-megapixel camera on the back with autofocus and an LED flash, plus a good range of Samsung settings. Picture quality is pretty good, making it almost seem worthwhile having a quality camera on a tablet for once. There's also a 2-megapixel camera on the front for video calls.
Conclusion
The Galaxy Note 10.1 is one of the best-specced and most powerful tablets available. It's not cheap, and it doesn't have the high-quality metallic casing of the iPad Air, but it has a feast of features and the ability to handle them all very well indeed.
The Galaxy Note 10.1 is one of the best-specced and most powerful tablets available. It's not cheap, and it doesn't have the high-quality metallic casing of the iPad Air, but it has a feast of features and the ability to handle them all very well indeed.
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