Review: Samsung Galaxy Note for AT&T
Screen
The Galaxy Note's key feature is its 5.3-inch display, which packs a whopping 1280 x 800 pixels. It's a Super AMOLED HD display, but also includes an active digitizer layer so that it works with the S-Pen. Adding layers to a display can have negative effects — such as reducing brightness — but that's not the case with the Galaxy Note. The display is just as impressive as any other SAMOLED from Samsung. Of course, the insane size makes it all the more eye-popping. Colors are stunning. It can be used at night to direct air traffic it is so bright, and outdoor visibility is not a problem.
Signal
The Galaxy Note is one of a few phones that can access AT&T's slowly growing LTE 4G network. When LTE is not available, it falls back to HSPA+. I used the Note under both LTE and HSPA+ and either way it connected easily to the network and showed off quick internet speeds. AT&T's LTE network in New York City provided for blazing fast internet speeds on the Note. I had no problems making phone calls under any network conditions, and the Note didn't drop any during my testing.
Sound
The Galaxy Note is a fine voice phone. The earpiece produces warm tones and clear conversations. The earpiece also offers enough volume so that the phone can be used outside in the wind or in a crowded coffee shop with no problems. Set all the way up, the Galaxy Note borders on painfully loud. The speakerphone, too, is a capable tool. Though the quality of calls routed to the speakerphone was not as good as through the earpiece, the Galaxy Note's speaker emits a lot of sound so that conversations can be heard in noisy environments with no problem. The ringers and alerts are plenty loud, and the vibrate alert is enough to jolt you out of a daydream.
Battery
With 2500mAh of power stored in the Galaxy Note's huge battery, you'll easily get a full day's life out of the device. Even with the huge screen, 4G radio, and dual-core processor, Samsung worked some magic into the Galaxy Note's power management. If you unplug it Monday morning at 7AM, you'll make it to lunch on Tuesday with no problem. Well done, Samsung.
Hands On: Samsung Galaxy Note for AT&T
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Samsung Galaxy Note
