I have been wanting to review the Samsung Galaxy Note II ever since it was released. With it being such a popular device, it was hard for me to get my hands on one—until now. A few weeks ago, AT&T sent me their flagship Samsung phone/tablet/digital notepad (or phablet as the tech enthusiasts have christened it), and I had full reign of it on their 4g LTE network. Since then, I’ve been using the phone pretty much everyday, and I must say, I am very impressed.
If you’ve read my tech articles before, then you know screen real estate is very important to me. As much as I love my iPhone, its small screen is sometimes a bore when watching video or movies. The Galaxy Note II is a dream; I love the fact that you can actually scribble notes on the device with the S-Pen, which is ultra intuitive. You can personalize photos, draw sketches, edit and correct documents, all on the phone. No need for a tablet, which is also great if you travel a lot; the less you have the better.
The Galaxy Note II utilizes the Android OS, which right now, is beating it’s closest competition, the iOS. Samsung has been able to remain ahead of Apple because they aren’t afraid to try to innovate already impressive phones, which keeps consumers excited and ready to purchase. Instead of resting on their laurels much like Apple has done, Samsung has upped the ante with every device they release. And the Note II is the Mercedes Benz of phones—there’s not too much this phone can’t do (but instantly synch up with my MacBook Pro, iPad, and iPad Mini which is why I remain an iPhone loyalist. I need all of my devices to work together seamlessly).
The one issue I have with the phone, is the same thing that I love about it— the size. Yes, it’s awesome to not have to use a phone and a tablet, and it has wonderful screen size. But, as a girl with little hands, I cannot use it just with one hand. If I am trying to run to catch a flight and I need to make a call or text, it would be too cumbersome for me to do so with the Note II. With my iPhone, one hand use is easy breezy. Which is something that I need to be able to do since I am always on the go.
For those of you with bigger hands or don’t mind a bigger device, then I say YES—go out and get the Samsung Galaxy Note II if you haven’t gotten one already. If there’s a perfect phone on the market, it’s this phone.
In terms of the Note II on AT&T 4g LTE network, I was also impressed. It was speedy and fast, and also worked well when I tethered it with my iPad and iPhone. Rootmetrics (an independent testing firm) recently studied LTE networks in 84 markets and found that AT&T’s LTE is the fastest.
In a press release sent on March 14th:
RootMetrics®, an independent mobile analytics firm, has reported an average download speed of 18.6 Mbps and an average upload speed of 9.0 Mbps, based on recent testing. That means ultra-fast song downloads, faster photo sharing and app downloads, faster mobile Internet access—virtually everything you do with a smartphone, just easier and faster.
In their LTE Performance Review released today, RootMetrics called AT&T’s network “blazing-fast.” According to the RootMetrics study, “AT&T easily offered the fastest pure LTE download speed of any carrier.”
The RootMetrics LTE March 11, 2013, Performance Review is based on more than 725,000 4G and 4G LTE data samples gathered from the top 77 U.S. markets during the second half of 2012. AT&T had officially deployed 4G LTE technology in 47 of those markets at the time they were tested.
I can say from the two weeks I’ve been using the Samsung Galaxy Note II on AT&T’s network here in St. Louis, I’ve been impressed with the speed. It didn’t let me down.
This Digital Debutante can honestly give a two-thumbs up for Samsung Galaxy Note II with AT&T 4g LTE.
Pros: Android OS, multi-functional, camera, photo-editing on device, S Note.
Cons: Size (too big to hold at times), battery life.
What are your thoughts on the Samsung Galaxy Note II?
Disclaimer: TheCubicleChick.com received the above-mentioned device at no charge in exchange for a review. This is not a paid nor sponsored post, and the opinions, as always, belong to the author and are not indicative of the company and/or brand.
I really want one. I’ve heard great things about it. I’m going back and forth between it and the Galaxy S3. Nice review!
Kween, the S3 is a great device as well. But if you are going that route, I think you should wait because the S4 is coming out very soon! Thanks for commenting!
Danielle, I am glad you liked it as much as I did! I really hated to send my review unit back, my wife actually gave me the :-l look on my last evening with it.
It definitely is a solid device, though I personally thought the battery life on it was very good considering all the bells and whistles that came with it.
Apple would do good to release something of a similar size and usability.
– Kevin
Kevin, if it weren’t for the size and my small hands, this would be my everyday phone. I love everything that it does. Thanks for commenting!
I have been wanting one of these forever. And this has just sealed the deal for me. Great review!
Margaret, you will LOVE this phone. So glad I was able to help you make a decision on which phone you were getting next. I’m honored!
I keep reading reviews & wanting one, but I too have really small hands. My 11 yr old’s hands are as long as mine now.