Samsung GALAXY Note GT-N7000 - 16 GB - Carbon Blue (Unlocked) Smartphone

At the time of writing this, I have had this Phone/Pocket Tablet for several weeks now. Before I say anything else I want to make it clear why I got one of these supersize smart phones.
In a nutshell, I use two phones. I have a TOUGH phone (Sonim Landrover S1) which I use as a PHONE for calls and text on o2. The phone is rugged,can be thrown dropped, run over, go in water and 1-2 month battery stand by time!
I use a SMART phone JUST for the DATA side of things, internet, email, Flickr,Ebay,Amazon,media,mp3 etc ...why? because smart phones...once you finished using all those things and want to use a phone...the battery runs out!!. So I got a big one as this bridges the gap between a pocket tablet and a phone. I use it on network "3" as signal good in Dorset (surprisingly!) and data speed fast!!. This device is AMAZING , yes it's big as a phone, but like a lot of things, they shrink a little with time (like ya Big flat TV!!!) get a nice wallet case for it and you have a superb wallet/organiser tablet that will do pretty much anything. Crystal clear screen. YES I can type on the Swype keypad when texting or typing email etc. VERY fast to download apps . very smooth to work. My suggestion is pop into a phone shop or currys pcworld mega store and play with one to get the feel of it. When 4G comes, it's compatible!!!!!!!!!!!! Battery life is as you would expect half a day to a day. If you use a water proof cover the screen responds through the clear plastic no problem!! The price of this model may now come down now the NOTE2 is out! I would recommend getting a larger micro SD card, as it soon fills up with apps,pics ,videos ,mp3's books etc. VERY easy to sync with PC, just plug in and drag and drop from folders to and from ! There is SOOO much this does I have barley scratched the surface. as a SAT nav it is FANTASTICAL clear. The copy paste of any text is soooo useful too. as to share a photo doc, Tweet or FB item, when you hit share ALL the choices pop up for you to select. Gmail, Email,Facebook,Twitter,Flickr,​Text,picsa,memo,social hub,sky news reporting,google+,messenger,sk​ype you name it!!!!!

I've been waiting for someone to invent a phone like this for years!

What first drew my attention was the proper stylus - something I have missed ever since resistive touch screens went out of the scene to be replaced by the much less accurate capacitive screens. This phone for the first time combines the beauty and functionality of capacitive screens with the pinpoint accuracy of the now out of fashion resistive ones.

You can now write on the screen, draw intricate diagrams, point accurately at small buttons and so on - something that had become practically impossible with the advent of capacitve touchscreens. Rather than just providing a stylus, Samsung have also integrated the stylus quite well with their applications, giving some extra functionality. The most useful that I find is the ease with which you can instantly call up a notepad and draw freehand or type - you will never need a (real) notpad and pen again. Anytime you need to take down a quick note you just double tap the pen on the screen (even when in lock screen) and a notepad appears instantly and it works just as good as a real pen and paper.

The other main reason I chose it is the size and quality of the screen. For me it is almost the ideal size - I've been wanting a decent sized display but until now the only option for that had been a tablet, which is way too large to use as a phone.

Undoubtedly many people will consider the Galaxy Note too large and for his reason alone I cannot say I recommend it for everyone, and here I must admit that I do occasionally leave it at home and take a smaller phone with me, even if that doesn't happen so often. In any case it is no larger than it needs to be - it is just as large as the screen is with no wasted space. It is also very thin and at 180 grams although heavier than most 'ordinary' phones is noweher near as heavy as you may expect from a device with such a large display.

However for those who do not mind sacrificing compactness for a much better ease of use and comfort there is just no substitute for this phone. Whether it is browsing the web, emails, remote desktop access, viewing documents or anything of the sort it becomes a much more pleasant experience when you don't have to strain your eyes to see what's on the display and fumble with a tiny on screen keyboard.

The quality of the display is something that really must be seen - it is crisp and bright, has excellent colour rendering and a contrast ratio like I have never seen - the black really is absolutely black even if viewed in the dark and this even when there is a mix of black and very bright images on the screen.

As far as other more conventional aspects it performs well in every area.

I have seen many complaints on battery capacity but I find it easily lasts me the whole day and I charge it only over night even though I use it heavily. If you do have problems with short battery life (as I indeed did at one point) it is almost certainly due to a particular Samsung application - you just need to eliminate that as it is a battery hog and you can easily remove it without consequence.

As for things I don't like there isn't realy much. They could have made an easier to remove/replace back cover to make romoving the SIM/SD card/battery. Something a bit silly is the lens of the camera which will scratch very easily unless you are using a gel case - the lens is flush with the back so just putting the phone on the table will easily scratch the lens.

This review is almost identical with my guide "To be or Note to be, Galaxy Note or Galaxy Note 2."

If you are thinking whether to buy Galaxy Note or that PRICEY Galaxy Note II, let me ease your struggle. Without detailing all the specifications but only the major differences between Galaxy Note II and Galaxy Note, for those of you who are, like Hamlet, torn between the Note and Note II buying decisions.

The Main differences between Galaxy Note (N7000) and Galaxy Note II (N7100) are-

The Processor

Note II CPU is Quad-core 1.6 GHz Cortex-A9 (Exynos 4412 Quad chipset) while Galaxy Note has Dual-core 1.4 GHz ARM Cortex-A9 CPU (Exynos chipset) however the Graphics Processing Unit (GPU) is the same Mali-400MP. So both the CPUs are good and both the GPUs are the same!

Operating System

Note II's Operating System is Android OS, v4.1 (Jelly Bean) while Note has Android OS, v2.3.5 (Gingerbread), upgradable to v4.0.4 (Ice Cream Sandwhich) a few serial upgrades are necessary but it's simple and easy with Samsung's Kies software provided with the note or downloadable from Samsung sites.

Display

I personally think both displays are pretty similar while the original Galaxy Note's display is slightly better because both displays are Super AMOLED, while Note II has a slightly bigger screen 5.5 inches with 720 x 1280 pixels (-267 ppi pixel density) display Samsung Note has SLIGHTLY lesser display screen of 5.3 inches with 800 x 1280 pixels (-285 ppi pixel density)

Memory

The internal memory of Galaxy Note II comes with 16, 32 or 64 Gb storage with 2 Gb RAM while Glaxy Note has only 16 Gb upto 32 Gb storage with only One Gb RAM. Here Galxy Note really scores. In both models the card slots are microSD.

Battery

Note II has Li-Ion 3100 mAh while Note has only Li-Ion 2500 mAh, so the Note II battery is better but 2500 mAh is not bad either, it all depends on your application usage, if you use battery wisely it's not that big difference.

Camera

Camera features are pretty same but here Galaxy Not is slightly better with the secondary (front facing camera) with 2.0 MP while Note II secondary camera is 1.9 MP.

Connectivity

Both WLAN wifi connections are pretty same Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n, DLNA, Wi-Fi Direct, Wi-Fi hotspot while Note II is dual band. Blue ooth in Note II is version 4.0 with A2DP, LE, EDR while Note has version 3.0 with A2DP, EDR. Both models lack infrared port. 4G Network in Note II is LTE 700 MHz Class 17 / 2100 - N7105 while Note has LTE 700 (Region Specific).

As you can see though there are differences in many cases they were slight, but the price difference is NOT slight. So if you are any average user and wanted a Note model, and couldn't make up your mind - then go for Galaxy Note, it's an amazing tabmo (tablet mobile) or motab (mobile tablet), actually it's a fantastic smartphone. With Galaxy Note II's arrival the price for Galxy Note will drop, which makes it again a wise decision to go for Samsung Galaxy Note N7000. So if it was Hamlet, he would have been said “to be” to Galaxy Note and “not to be” or “Note II be” to Galaxy Note II.

Hello,

This phone is just perfect for those who are always on the move. A perfect screen size to remote access computers and laptops with the function to connect to your work VPN. The display is outstanding and it comes with flash player built in for streaming videos.

I bought this phone from a honest customer who dealt with my concerns and requirement with a A* customer service.

In the words of the lovely lady herself... Its simply the best. I have this phone on contract and i can honestly say its going to be a pleasure having it for 2 years. Admittingly when i first saw it in person i was taken aback by the size of it. No doubt about it, its big! But please dont let that put you off because its also super slim and Its big for a reason. The reason is its not just a phone. Its a tablet too. In my oppinion thats great! Because if a tablet is out of your budget, you'll still get the full functions of one with this. The s pen is simply amazing in letting you take notes, draw when you want to kill time and you can use it to form a text. The all new amoled screen speaks for itself by giving crisp precise images and text. I can say i have no problems with my battery life, it can last me a full 2 days and thats after taking some use from it. People go on about iphones siri but this phone has the same feature. Its screen is of the rhino tech so not even the pen use can scratch this beauty. Ive unfortunately dropped it twice and theres not been any affect on it. The note just keeps on coming. If samsung wanted to create a new category in phones for the future they have certainly achieved it.I hope this review has helped you somewhat but i will say, there are plenty of phones out there and new ones are coming out all the time, but no matter the brand, flashy design or even the price tag as long as the phone you get does everything you need it to do then that at the end of the day is all that matters :-)