London: The Galaxy Note 2 contains perhaps the biggest screen you could possibly squeeze into your pocket and still call it a phone.
With its 5" screen, it is an attempt by Samsung to bring a larger screen to the mobile world - and it succeeds in so many quarters, although potential customers may take some convincing that they are willing to pocket it.
The 'phablet' market, as these devices are sometimes known, has a patchy history, with the Dell Streak, launched in 2010, being the only device to attempt to crack the market before.
But Samsung may not fear too much, for last year's first attempt, the Note 1, became a big seller in a niche market, and sold around ten million units globally.
The Note 2 attempts to satisfy both smartphone and tablet users - making this a convergent device which theoretically could be the only thing you need to carry with you.
Along with the giant screen, it packs all the latest specifications, including a quad-core 1.6GHz processor, NFC, 32GB of memory and a slick, curvy design that echoes that of Samsung's similarly specced flagship phone, the Galaxy S3.
First of all, the phone-shaped elephant in the room is the phone's size.
Some people will simply look at it, call it too big, and move on – and for them, they have a wide choice of devices to pick from, from the Galaxy S3 to the iPhone 5.
But for those who like to carry portable video players around, or for artists or business types who can see advantages to Samsung's novel and impressive 'S-Pen' stylus, the 5” market is very limited - pretty much a choice between the two Samsung Notes, or Dell's outdated 'Streak' device, which let itself down with poor hardware and software quality.
So with limited competitors, it is up to Samsung to make the best product they can to prove the niche is a worthy one, and it is a challenge they have met admirably.
Design:First to the hardware: Samsung needed to work with the lawyers to design the look of the phone, ensuring it did not look to similar to the iPhone thanks to Apple's wide-reaching patents.
This, to my eyes, let down the Note's smaller sibling, the Galaxy S3 - I thought it looked less attractive when compared to the industrial lines of the S2.
The S3's design seemed a little quirky, with strange curves and an asymmetrical front face.
Luckily this has improved with the Note 2, with the hardware 'home' button sitting neatly at the front of the device, and the curves reduced slightly to present a more traditional looking handset.
Nestled in the front of this is the fantastic screen: The Super AMOLED Plus screen sits proudly front and centre, overwhelming other phones in the vicinity.
There's a big element of acclimatisation when you first pick up the device, but after browsing a few websites in high definition without having to zoom in and out and pan around, you begin to realise what the extra screen offers you.
Video playback is a joy, and if you travel a lot the amount of extra data you can fit on the screen - from text in an eBook reader to extra space on Google maps - becomes a boon.
If you like watching Netflix or downloaded movies on the move - or even just in bed - the screen is large enough to really get absorbed in the material.
Samsung has a deserved reputation for their screens, and it shines on this device.
Colours are sharp and vibrant, pixel density is strong, although not as packed in as the latest iPhone devices, and AMOLED screens are well-known for their quality and colour.
The inclusion of Jellybean - Google's latest version of Android - lets the device fly.
Jellybean comes with new graphics software which - for the first time ever - means the operating system can operate as smoothly as the iPhone, so the phone reacts instantly to your finger pushes.
Previously there was always an unimpressive, if microscopic, delay between touching something and seeing the result.
Apple has always put a focus on making the system prioritise finger input above all else, and it is good to see Google finally recognise the importance of this.
So the Note 2 flies: Homescreen transitions are smooth, apps open instantly, and even when you start adding live wallpapers or tons of widgets it refuses to slow down.
Android really needed to improve on this, and the Note, being one of the first devices to have this software at launch, really shows this off to full effect.
The S-Pen:I was suspicious of the S-Pen on the first Note. While I liked the idea of the stylus, I never felt handwriting recognition would soon be as efficient as a keyboard, and other than a few unique drawing instances the stylus rarely left its slot.
But after a week with the new Note, that opinion is changing.
This is for two reasons: first of all Samsung has really evolved the S-Pen itself. It is now a little thicker, and little chunkier, and a little more 'pen-like', making it a lot easier to hold and to scribble with.
The second reason is the software you can use it with, which has evolved into a mature suite of products to make the stylus shine: double-tapping the stylus on the screen brings up the memo pad, which does an amazing job at translating even my shabby chicken-scrawl.
Frankly, this is the first time I've seen handwriting tools work for nine out of ten words, and I may in future consider this a better way of making notes for myself, compared to my old method of opening a memo app and writing on the software keyboards.
The pen also allows for very colourful multimedia note creation: As Samsung has largely shown off in its advertisements, it s very simple to whip the pen out, draw around an object – such as part of a map on Google Maps – and with the flick of a finger copy your captured image, along with annotated notes, to an email, or send it via Facebook, or just store it on the phone.
While planning a trip abroad, I began using the S-Pen to design route maps, copy and paste my itinerary from websites to my notepad, and ended up with a great little notepad with all my trip details within.
It also integrates seamlessly with Samsung's dressed-up calendar app, making adding an appointment a breeze.
Battery life:One thing slightly let the Note 1 down, and that was battery life. There was nothing inheritance wrong with it, but like with most smartphones if you forgot to charge it overnight, you would likely run out of battery the following evening.
I'm not sure how Samsung has done it, but battery life is incredible on the Note 2, even with a larger screen.
This is surely helped by the super-size 3,100Mah battery, but some clever software tweaks appear to have been brought into play.
Like with any new slinky phone it's hard to keep your hands off the thing for the first week or so, but I believe I can easily get two days of battery life out of the device once that first enthusiasm has died down.
The large screen does sap the battery life so, but standby time is amazing – I purposely left the phone untouched for three days, but still connected to 3G and Wifi, and it went down by 25 per cent in 60 hours.
Keep your screen on for less than two hours a day and I believe you could get close to three days from it.
Wisely, Samsung hasn't followed the latest trend of making batteries irremovable by the user, and that makes it easy to carry a spare - but frankly, I don't think any but the hardest users will need to do such a thing.
An easy-to-access micro SD slot also allows you to bring up an additional 64gb of music and video files with you - handy on such a media-friendly phone.
Software and apps:
TouchWiz, Samsung's own software additions to Android, often divides users.
This comprises both the 'desktop launcher', e.g. your homescreens where you place your widgets and apps, as well as software tweaks added to the device.
Launcher-wise, TouchWiz remains slightly boring, with dull and basic clock and weather widgets, although the Caqlendar and Memo widgets are both attractive and functional.
Personally, I always replace the defualt launcher with either Go Launcher, ADW Launcher or the (paid-for) TSF launcher, all of which offer a bettter experience.
But on the software-side of things Touch Wiz continues to evolve and innovate nicely.
For starters, the video player brings the same features that arrived on the S3, such as the pop-up player, allowing you to watch a video in a floating window while using your phone for other tasks.
This Windows-like way makes a good deal of sense on a screen of this size and there are rumours that firmware updates will allow you to open two apps side-by-side.
This leads to intriguing possibilities such as booking train tickets on one app while simultaneously browsing Google Maps, or perhaps having a Sat-Nav app open one side of the screen while browsing music on the other side.
A hook-up with DropBox also brings you 50gb of additional cloud stoage, which has now become my de-facto home for documents and music.
The installed DropBox app i also great at uploading camera images as soon as they are taken so that they will not be lost, even if the phone itself is lost.
Speaking of the camera, special mention must be made of one of the greatest camera apps I have had the pleasure to try: Paper Artist works as a camera but then allows you to instantly add wonderful colour tweaks to your images with a swipe of the camera.
This has been done many times in many apps for both Android and Apple over the years, but the interface, and the beautiful images you can make in seconds is the best implementation I have ever seen.
I believe this is a Note 2 exclusive app, which is a shame as it deserves to be on every camera phone.
The Note 2 also brings along the 'Stay Awake' feature from the S3, which uses the front-facing camera to see if you are looking at the screen: if you are, the phone stays awake, and if not, it will enter sleep mode and save you battery.
Camera:The 8MP camera itself is brilliant, arguably the best I have used outside of the closer-to-camera-than-it-is-a-phone Nokia PureView.
Outdoor images in particular are sharp and display beautifully on the AMOLED screen, and the burst mode - allowing you to take up to 30 images in the space of a second or two - means you can always capture the split-second perfect image of the perfect moment.
It's a lot of fun - but also I believe a great advantage for those once-in-a-lifetime images, like someone cutting a wedding cake, or child running a sports-day race.
The crisp HD video-recording continues the trend set with the S2 and S3 - very sharp, colourful, and even good at capturing shots while moving the camera around.
Meanwhile, once you get back home, it is easy to display your photos and high-definition videos with the family: While not many people will likely use this, the HDMI-Out via the micro-USB cable is excellent.
Plug your phone into a TV o PC monitor with a 'MHL' cable (not included), and add a bluetooth keyboard, and your phone can offer a full-blown desktop or Media PC experience wherever you are.
Is it worth purchasing?
There still remains the caveat that, for some people, the Note 2 will simply be too big.
Do I have any quibbles? I think it is a massive oversight that TouchWiz still does not support landscape mode, especially on devices like this which are tablets as they are phones, and I also think it's time that Samsung started adding kickstands to these devices, although third-party cases usually solve this need.
There is also a market here which I don't quite think gets the attention or marketing it deserves here, and this devices for the older generation or for those whose eyesight is not as strong as it was when they were in their 20s.
I quite often see elder people - my parents included - squinting at tiny Blackberry screens or 3” to 4” devices, and I think there is a lot of benefit this larger phone can often them, from larger keybads and dial-pads, to larger fonts on email without sacrificing how much content can be displayed.
Also, for those who are on a budget, then the Note 1 is still worth looking at.
With the Note 2 commending premium prices for the next six months or so, the original Note can now be found on deals for as little as £20 a month.
Samsung has also stated that many of the Note 2 software features will find their way on to the Note 1 before Christmas, and therefore the device becomes a good value proposition which will not date too much in the next 18 months or so.
But if that none of that is off-putting, then Samsung nailed it: This is a highly-polished evolution of the Note 1, which got so much of it right anyway the first time round.
Improved battery life, an even bigger screen within roughly the same-sized phone, and much better integration of the S-Pen - which for me makes it a key, usable feature of the phone, not a gimmick which was the impression I felt last year.
I love the screen-size and can use it for everything, making this the only device I ever need in my pocket.
In fact Samsung, if you could create a bluetooth keyboard and case to match, I would probably ditch my notebook.
Verdict:Rating: 5 Star Rating
* A fantastic high-end smartphone, if you can handle the size
* Our review unit was loaned from Three, which sells the Note 2 for £34 a month with an upfront cost of £69 on the Ultimate Internet 500 plan.
* The device is also available on Pay As You Go for £499.99 plus a top up.
SPECS AT A GLANCE: INSIDE THE SAMSUNG NOTE 2* Processor: 1.6 GHz quad-core processor
* OS: Android 4.1 (Jelly Bean)
* Display: 140.9 mm (5.55") HD Super AMOLED (1,280 x 720)
* Dimension: 80.5 x 151.1 x 9.4 mm, 182.5g
* Battery: 3,100mAh
* Memory: 16/32/64GB User memory + 2GB (RAM) and microSD slot (up to 64GB)
S Pen Optimised Features:
* S Note, S Planner, Email with hand-writing integration
* Quick Command, Easy Clip, Photo Note, Paper Artist
* Popup Note
* Popup Video Play
* Bluetooth
* USB 2.0 Host
* WiFi 802.11 a/b/g/n (2.4 & 5 GHz)
* NFC
* GPS
* Main camera: 8 Megapixel Auto Focus Camera with LED Flash
* Best Photo, Best Group Pose, Low light shot
* Full HD(1080p) Playback & Recording # Source: The Daily Mail
