Review: Samsung Note 10.1

 Samsung brings the S Pen experience to its tablet.

BEING the top Android ­smartphone maker in the world, Samsung is trying hard to make its mark in the tablet arena. Its latest attempt comes in the form of the Galaxy Note 10.1.

First of all, the Note 10.1 is not to be confused with the Galaxy Note 2. Instead of being a "phablet" (a hybrid of phone and tablet) like the original Note, the Note 10.1 is actually a tablet which makes use of an updated version of the Note's S Pen stylus, hence earning its name.

Over the past year, Samsung has launched a range of tablets under its Galaxy Tab series, with the ­latest being the Tab 2 10.1. The Note 10.1 aims to be different from the rest of the pack with the use of the S Pen.

Riding on the worldwide ­success of the Note and being Samsung's ­flagship tablet in an already crowded tablet market, the Note 10.1 definitely has high expectations to live up to.

Look and feel

The Note 10.1 that we got for review has a nice white body with silver metal frame. It is a welcome change of colour from the usual black for its Tabs.

For a device with a premium price, it would have been a lot more reassuring if the body didn't feel so plasticky. It felt a little cheap in the hands and creaked a little when excessive pressure was applied on the sides.

SLIM: The metal frame houses the stereo speakers on either side of the screen, which really enhances the audio experience, be it for watching movies, listening to music or playing games.

The metal frame houses the stereo speakers on either side of the screen, which really enhances the audio experience, be it for watching movies, listening to music or playing games.

There isn't anything out of the ordinary with the design. If you have handled the Tab 10.1 before, you will find the same buttons and slots. The only difference is at the bottom of the device where the S Pen nests.

The Note 10.1 is a 3G device and has a SIM card slot so it can be used as a phone as well. It does not have an earpiece, so calls will have to be made either through the loudspeaker or with earphone accessories.

This is all for the best, as it will be social suicide to be seen with a device this large being placed against one's ear!

The device comes with 16GB of internal memory. If that isn't enough, there is a microSD slot that can handle up to 64GB more of ­external memory.

The 10.1in screen comes with a resolution of 1,280 x 800-pixels, which is rather disappointing for a flagship device.

Other top players in the tablet market are already having HD displays and those will put the Note 10.1's screen to shame. It is by no means bad, as the colours and viewing angles are good, but you just can't help expecting more from a device that is competing to be in the top tier of the market.

The Note 10.1 is a real powerhouse in terms of hardware, sporting a 1.4GHz quad-core processor and 2GB RAM.

Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich is unsurprisingly fast and smooth - swiping between screens and lists were very fluid and hardly showed any slowdown. If that isn't enough, the Note 10.1 is set to receive an upgrade to the latest of version of Android, 4.1 Jelly Bean, which ­promises to be even smoother.

LETDOWN: The 10.1in screen comes with a resolution of 1,280 x 800-pixels, which is rather disappointing for a flagship device.

Just like any other Samsung Android product, don't expect to receive the vanilla Android ­experience with the Note 10.1, as Samsung has ­intertwined it together with its TouchWiz user interface.

The latest incarnation of TouchWiz blends in well with Ice Cream Sandwich and gives users fanciful features, such as Smart Stay and video Pop-up Play that were first seen in Samsung's flagship Galaxy S III smartphone.

With Smart Stay enabled, the screen will not go off as long as the front facing camera is able to detect the user's eyes looking at the screen.

Video Pop-up Play enables users to minimise a video that is being watched so that they can do other stuff in addition to watching clips.

Smart Stay worked like a charm for us, provided there was sufficient lighting for the sensors to detect our eyes.

Another handy addition that TouchWiz has brought to Samsung's tablets is Mini Apps, which can be accessed by clicking on the taskbar at the bottom of the screen. This brings up a list of utilities, which are condensed versions of actual apps.

For example, clicking on ­calculator in the list will pop up a small, ­independent calculator that can be moved around.

The tablet comes with a 5-­megapixel rear camera and a 1.9-megapixel front facing camera. The camera quality is nothing to shout about but it's understandable since cameras aren't exactly a forte for tablets. The cameras are suitable for video calling, and not much of ­anything else.

The battery life of the Note 10.1 is decent, being able to last a whole day of use which involved watching ­videos, playing games and web browsing on a WiFi network.

Mighty Pen

The main highlight of the Note 10.1 is, of course, the S Pen. The first Note gave the stylus a new lease of life, and the trend continues here.

The S Pen

The S Pen is not just any ordinary stylus, as it has built in sensors and a function button. It also supports a host of gesture abilities for capturing screenshots and opening up apps.

The Note 10.1 comes pre-installed with a handful of apps which are specially designed to be used with the S Pen. These are mostly the same apps as those that were introduced in the ­original Note but with interesting improvements.

The app that received the biggest upgrade is the S Note, which is an enhanced version of the memo app. Here, it works like a charm together with the S Pen, simulating the experience that you will have when using an actual pen and paper. This is due to the Wacom technology used by the S Pen as well as the 1,024 degrees of pressure points that the stylus has.

The S Note comes with a range of new interesting features, such as Shape and Formula matching. Shape match detects geometrical diagrams that you sketch, and corrects them to be as perfect as if you had used proper utensils.

Formula match detects ­mathematical equations and gives you the answers. The Note 10.1 uses Wolfram Alpha search engine to scan for the answers. The writing detection was very accurate but was a little slow in coming up with answers.

The Note 10.1 prides itself with its enhanced multitasking abilities through a feature called multiscreen.

You don't have to limit yourself to either work or play, as multiscreen is capable of allowing you to do both at the same time. How it works is that two applications can be used at the same time, sharing half of the screen.

AT THE BACK: The Note 10.1 comes with a 5-megapixel camera with autofocus.

This works very well with minimal lag. The only drawback is that the feature is only limited to a number of apps, some of which will hardly see much use at all. Multiscreen only works with the video player, web browser, gallery, e-mail, S Note, and Polaris Office.

Couple multiscreen with video Pop-up play as well as mini apps and you can actually have more than four different apps running on the screen at the same time.

Multiscreen gives us the closest experience we can get to desktop multitasking that a tablet can offer thus far. It's a step in the right ­direction for ­tablets in terms of multitasking.

Another cool upgrade for the S Pen is that it doesn't have to be touching the screen for the Note 10.1 to know where you are pointing at. When you hover the S Pen a few ­millimeters away from the screen, you will see a pointer appear on it.

Such a feature is especially useful for certain apps, such as the Adobe Photoshop Touch that comes with the tablet.

This app is a really elaborate and useful photo editing tool that will be appreciated by both beginners and professionals alike.

It also came with a comprehensive tutorial to teach users how to use the app. Combined with the precision of the S Pen, it was that much easier to edit pictures.

This tablet also comes pre-installed with Polaris Office, which is a full-fledged suite for creating and ­editing various files including Excel and PowerPoint.

Also, the quad-core processor gives it enough power to run all sorts of resource hungry games that we threw at it. It handled games such as Dark Knight, FIFA 12 and Asphalt 7 without a hitch.

Final thoughts

The Note 10.1 aims to be different in the crowded tablet market by having the S Pen.

The stylus is truly a game changer if it is utilised to its full potential. However, the problem is that there aren't enough apps that can fully take advantage of it.

Also, it is unlikely to be fully ­appreciated by everyone. It will only appeal to a niche market, mainly designers and artists, as well as those who want to have something different.

All in all, the Note 10.1 has a relatively low screen resolution and plastic build quality, but is still a decent tablet to own for the S Pen and multiscreen features.

Pros: Multiscreen brings multitasking to a whole new level; S Pen works well; Jelly Bean update coming soon.

Cons: Screen resolution disappointing; multiscreen works with only a few apps.

Galaxy Note 10.1 (N8000)
(Samsung)
Android tablet
NETWORK: GSM 850/900/1800/1900, HSDPA 850/900/1900/2100
OPERATING SYSTEM: Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich), upgradeable to Android 4.1 (Jelly Bean)
PROCESSOR: Exynos 4412 Quad-core 1.4GHz
DISPLAY: 10.1in PLS TFT display (1,280 x 800-pixels)
CAMERA: 5-megapixels with autofocus; LED flash; 1.9-megapixels (front facing)
CONNECTIVITY: Bluetooth 4.0, Wireless 802.11 a/b/g/n, microUSB 2.0
MEMORY: 16GB internal memory, 2GB RAM
EXPANSION SLOT: microSD (up to 64GB supported)
FEATURES: Stylus (S Pen), GPS, stereo speakers, multiscreen, pop-up play, Adobe Photoshop Touch app
DIMENSIONS (W x D x H): 262 x 180 x 8.9mm
WEIGHT: 600g
WEBSITE: www.samsung.com.my
PRICE: RM2,199
RATING: 3.5 stars
Review unit courtesy of Samsung Malaysia Electronics, 1-800-88-9999

QUICK SPECS

Editor's Rating
Users' Rating
Manufacturer	(Samsung)
Class	Android tablet
Other Features	NETWORK: GSM 850/900/1800/1900, HSDPA 850/900/1900/2100, CAMERA: 5-megapixels with autofocus; LED flash; 1.9-megapixels (front facing), Stylus (S Pen), GPS, stereo speakers, multiscreen, pop-up play, Adobe Photoshop Touch app
Dimensions (WxDxH)	262 x 180 x 8.9mm
Weight	600g
Price	RM2,199
Processor	Exynos 4412 Quad-core 1.4GHz
Memory	16GB internal memory, 2GB RAM
Display	10.1in PLS TFT display (1,280 x 800-pixels)
Connectivity	Bluetooth 4.0, Wireless 802.11 a/b/g/n, microUSB 2.0
Operating System	Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich), upgradeable to Android 4.1 (Jelly Bean)
Contact	Review unit courtesy of Samsung Malaysia Electronics, 1-800-88-9999

- Donovan Quek (The Star)