Samsung Galaxy Note II: First impressions

Samsung launched the Galaxy Note II in India on September 27, and the phablet will be available on store shelves starting next week, for Rs 39,990.

The Galaxy Note II boasts of a 5.5-inch display and is powered by a 1.6GHz quad-core processor under the hood. The smartphone-tablet hybrid runs on Android 4.1 Jelly Bean and boasts of a whopping 2GB of RAM just like the Galaxy Note 10.1.

The new Note II has an 8MP autofocus rear camera with LED flash, capable of 1080p HD video recording, and a 1.9MP front facing camera. The device comes 16GB internal storage expandable up to 64GB via a microSD card.

We got some hands on time with the Samsung Galaxy Note II at the launch event and here are our first impressions:

1. The display of the Note II is very crisp and vibrant. Kept next to the original Note, the display of the Note II is more rectangular in nature and the display is much more vibrant.

Are you a gadget/gaming wizard/afficianado? Would you like to write on gadgets, gaming, the Internet, software technologies, OSs and the works for us? Send us a sample of your writing to gadgetsandgaming@rediffmail.com with the subject as 'I'm a tech wizard/afficianado' and we will get in touch with you.

2. The device runs on Android 4.1 Jelly Bean straight out of the box and Samsung's TouchWiz Skin too has seen some tweaks in its features.

Are you a gadget/gaming wizard/afficianado? Would you like to write on gadgets, gaming, the Internet, software technologies, OSs and the works for us? Send us a sample of your writing to gadgetsandgaming@rediffmail.com with the subject as 'I'm a tech wizard/afficianado' and we will get in touch with you.

3. The Note II houses the S-Pen which is slightly larger and much more comfortable to hold than its predecessor.

Are you a gadget/gaming wizard/afficianado? Would you like to write on gadgets, gaming, the Internet, software technologies, OSs and the works for us? Send us a sample of your writing to gadgetsandgaming@rediffmail.com with the subject as 'I'm a tech wizard/afficianado' and we will get in touch with you.

4. The curved design of the device makes it look like a Galaxy S III on steroids.

Are you a gadget/gaming wizard/afficianado? Would you like to write on gadgets, gaming, the Internet, software technologies, OSs and the works for us? Send us a sample of your writing to gadgetsandgaming@rediffmail.com with the subject as 'I'm a tech wizard/afficianado' and we will get in touch with you.

5. The notifications menu too has been customized to take advantage of the large display.

Are you a gadget/gaming wizard/afficianado? Would you like to write on gadgets, gaming, the Internet, software technologies, OSs and the works for us? Send us a sample of your writing to gadgetsandgaming@rediffmail.com with the subject as 'I'm a tech wizard/afficianado' and we will get in touch with you.

6. A feature called 'One hand operation' compresses the keyboard and dialler so that the large display is easily usable with one hand.

Are you a gadget/gaming wizard/afficianado? Would you like to write on gadgets, gaming, the Internet, software technologies, OSs and the works for us? Send us a sample of your writing to gadgetsandgaming@rediffmail.com with the subject as 'I'm a tech wizard/afficianado' and we will get in touch with you.

7. S-Notes also makes an appearance on the device and helps users take notes. The app also recognises the user's handwriting.

Are you a gadget/gaming wizard/afficianado? Would you like to write on gadgets, gaming, the Internet, software technologies, OSs and the works for us? Send us a sample of your writing to gadgetsandgaming@rediffmail.com with the subject as 'I'm a tech wizard/afficianado' and we will get in touch with you.

8. Just like the big brother, Galaxy Note 800, you can watch a video in a small window and continue operating on the device with other activities such as playing games, checking your mail and browsing the Internet.

Are you a gadget/gaming wizard/afficianado? Would you like to write on gadgets, gaming, the Internet, software technologies, OSs and the works for us? Send us a sample of your writing to gadgetsandgaming@rediffmail.com with the subject as 'I'm a tech wizard/afficianado' and we will get in touch with you.

9. The camera app on the Galaxy Note II has a feature called Best Face. This feature makes the camera app click 5 photos and the app itself suggests which is the best picture from the lot depending on the faces of the people in the image.

Are you a gadget/gaming wizard/afficianado? Would you like to write on gadgets, gaming, the Internet, software technologies, OSs and the works for us? Send us a sample of your writing to gadgetsandgaming@rediffmail.com with the subject as 'I'm a tech wizard/afficianado' and we will get in touch with you.

10. The iPhone 4S looks really small when placed next to the massive 5.5-inch Samsung Galaxy Note II.

Are you a gadget/gaming wizard/afficianado? Would you like to write on gadgets, gaming, the Internet, software technologies, OSs and the works for us? Send us a sample of your writing to gadgetsandgaming@rediffmail.com with the subject as 'I'm a tech wizard/afficianado' and we will get in touch with you.

11. The Galaxy Note II gives users the option of five customizable home screens.

Are you a gadget/gaming wizard/afficianado? Would you like to write on gadgets, gaming, the Internet, software technologies, OSs and the works for us? Send us a sample of your writing to gadgetsandgaming@rediffmail.com with the subject as 'I'm a tech wizard/afficianado' and we will get in touch with you.

12. The S Pen is housed at the bottom of the device.

Are you a gadget/gaming wizard/afficianado? Would you like to write on gadgets, gaming, the Internet, software technologies, OSs and the works for us? Send us a sample of your writing to gadgetsandgaming@rediffmail.com with the subject as 'I'm a tech wizard/afficianado' and we will get in touch with you.

13. We really liked the multiscreen feature we saw on the Note 800. However that feature doesn't make an appearance on the Galaxy Note II.

Are you a gadget/gaming wizard/afficianado? Would you like to write on gadgets, gaming, the Internet, software technologies, OSs and the works for us? Send us a sample of your writing to gadgetsandgaming@rediffmail.com with the subject as 'I'm a tech wizard/afficianado' and we will get in touch with you.

14. The left has the volume rocker and the right has the power/sleep button. There is no dedicated camera button.

Are you a gadget/gaming wizard/afficianado? Would you like to write on gadgets, gaming, the Internet, software technologies, OSs and the works for us? Send us a sample of your writing to gadgetsandgaming@rediffmail.com with the subject as 'I'm a tech wizard/afficianado' and we will get in touch with you.

15. Air View is a new feature of the S Pen. If you want to see the contents of a folder or a mail or even your photos album, simply hover the S Pen above the desired folder and you can see a glimpse of its content.

It is really useful especially if you have a lot of content to go through.

Are you a gadget/gaming wizard/afficianado? Would you like to write on gadgets, gaming, the Internet, software technologies, OSs and the works for us? Send us a sample of your writing to gadgetsandgaming@rediffmail.com with the subject as 'I'm a tech wizard/afficianado' and we will get in touch with you.