inspect kally: Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 review

Wednesday, August 22, 2012

Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 review

Galaxy note 10.1

Samsung's Galaxy Note 10.1 marries an ambitious pen input and user interface to hardware that's a little tough to digest, especially when you can get better for less.

In light of the recent ban on the Galaxy Tab 10.1 and its ongoing litigation with Apple, it'd be hard to imagine that Samsung hasn't thought twice about its tablet strategy. Continually pushing out a revamped iteration of the flop before it (see: Galaxy Tab 2 10.1) has proven to be as ineffective as it is effortless, a sign of the times that just may have given birth to Samsung's latest flagship device, the Galaxy Note 10.1. It marks a shift from "content consumption to content creation", an evolution that Samsung is banking on to finally cement its name in the tablet market.

But is the integration of the S Pen into the user experience enough for the Note to stand out in a sea of Android tablets trying to do just that? And, more important, has Samsung found a niche worth a $500 price tag? Let's find out.

The Galaxy Note 10.1 is mostly fast and fluid, a testament to its top-notch processor and 2GB of onboard RAM. It's also handsome and well-designed, taking cues from the GS3. Samsung's S Pen has evolved into a sophisticated tool with exciting potential.	That said, the Note 10.1 feels like it may snap in half at any given moment, and its certainly one of the least-sturdy tablets on the market today. The 1200x800 display is a joke compared to its competitors, and really distracts if you're familiar with nicer screens.

The Galaxy Note 10.1 is unique and stands out among a seemingly endless sea of competitors, though not always in a good way. Samsung has stepped back and reshaped its tablet strategy, now focusing on user experience rather than specs alone, and if you keep an open mind about the included S Pen, you just might find it more handy than you would have imagined. However, we believe the $500 you'll spend on a base Note 10.1 would be better spent on two Nexus 7s. However, if you've got your heart set on a full-sized tablet, the Galaxy Note 10.1 is the way to go if you want to keep from breaking the bank.