Tablet computer samsung galaxy note 10.1. Design, dimensions, control elements

Scope of delivery:

• Tablet
• Charger with USB cable
• Instructions
• Wired stereo headset (3G version only)

Positioning

This device replaced the Galaxy Note 10.1, which appeared on the market in 2012 and established itself as a device not for everyone - high cost, incomprehensibility of the advantages of the pen and how to work with it. All together, 2012 resulted in rather modest sales, which, however, exceeded the forecasts of both retail chains and the company itself.

Continuing to develop the Note direction, Samsung relies primarily on phablets, in particular Note 2/3 - they are extremely popular on the market, but the main thing is that they showed why and how the stylus can be used. It’s impossible to call the Note family tablets companions to such devices - but it’s absolutely certain that the audience who are familiar with phones and happy with their functionality will consciously choose such tablets.

When we talk about Samsung equipment, we must understand that its cost is obviously higher than that of second-tier competitors - the price gap can be up to 20-30 percent; as a rule, this is a charge not only for the brand, but also for additional features. The price with the standard iPad tablet is approximately on the same level. This leads to an interesting conflict - those who want to save money often choose tablets from small companies, those who are almost unknown on the market, while others rush between iPad and Samsung. Perhaps this choice is determined not even by the device manufacturer, but by your worldview - you choose iOS or Android, which is closer and clearer to you. For example, for me, Apple tablets are more convenient than those on Android, although the iPad has many shortcomings and lack of flexibility built into the system. In 2013, Google put a lot of effort into making Android work better on tablets, and those efforts were not in vain. Even though Android models sometimes suffer from slowdowns and are filled with incomprehensible software from manufacturers, in terms of their overall characteristics they have long been ahead of the iPad, and software manufacturers release games and applications for both platforms simultaneously or almost simultaneously.

The positioning of the Galaxy Note 10.1 2014 Edition is twofold - on the one hand, it is the company’s main tablet with a 10-inch diagonal, that is, a kind of workhorse for everyone, with maximum characteristics and a fairly long life cycle. That is why the device, which began to be sold back in November 2013, had the 2014 Edition prefix. Secondly, this is a purebred continuation of the Note line, which provides new opportunities for artists, students and creative people. But if in 2012 the main capabilities of the stylus were implemented around drawing, then in subsequent versions of Note they are expanded with business functions, for example, the quick creation of tables, graphs and illustrations. In my opinion, this tablet is worth a look for anyone who not only consumes information and reads from the tablet screen, but also actively takes notes, corresponds with other people and shares information. In terms of the variety of methods for entering information, cataloging it, and storing it, this model has no competitors. It differs from other Android tablets in its unique feature - the stylus, which allows you to work with many applications created for it and do it very comfortably.

Design, dimensions, control elements

Samsung adheres to a simple color rule for its main models - white and black, this tablet is no exception, it is available in two colors.

In terms of materials, this is a complete replica of the Note 3, which we have seen in the past - the back cover of the tablet is embossed like leather, but it is plastic. The front surface is glossy, the display is covered with unbreakable glass, which leaves almost no scratches.

Tablet size – 243.1x171.4x7.9 mm, weight – 547 grams (version with 3G, regular Wi-Fi weighs 535 grams). In terms of ergonomics, this is a typical company solution - thin, with one mechanical key in the middle of the wide side, which makes working with one hand uncomfortable. In my opinion, one of the main competitive advantages of the iPad is the metal body, for example the iPad Air weighs about the same, is just as thin, but feels like a more expensive product. There is no such feeling when using Samsung tablets, these are workhorses. It’s curious that if in phones the use of exactly the same plastic is not perceived as a disadvantage, then for a tablet it is rather a minus. It is unlikely that it will wear out over time, break due to falls, or something similar will happen, but metal remains metal, and it is perceived completely differently. Considering that the case in this model is non-separable, there was no reason to use plastic. Weight, dimensions - everything is approximately the same, hence the incomprehensibility of Samsung's obsession with plastic; in this parameter, the company clearly loses to the iPad.

Compared to previous generations of the Note family, the 2014 Edition definitely wins in design and workmanship - no gloss.

On the right side there is a slot for a pen; the stylus itself has become unified and is completely identical to that in Note 3. It can be inserted into the slot without looking, from either side. Among the shortcomings of the implementation of the stylus holder specifically in the Galaxy Note 10.1 2014 Edition, one can note a certain looseness in some copies; it is worth checking this particular point before purchasing. The main returns with mechanical problems are related to the pen and its holder. On the other hand, the number of such returns against the background of sales is quite inconspicuous.

On the top edge you can see the IR port; it is used to control various household appliances, for example, a TV. You can find the corresponding utility in the menu. The on/off key is shifted to the left on this side, and there is also a paired volume key. On the left side there is a 3.5 mm headset jack. Finally, at the bottom there is a regular microUSB connector. Above the screen you can see the front camera for video calls (2 megapixels), the main camera is 8 megapixels and also has an LED flash.

In the 3G model, the SIM card slot is located on the right side, and there is also a slot for memory cards. On two sides you can see the speakers covered with a metal mesh.

Display

Screen diagonal is 10.1 inches, resolution is 2560x1600 pixels, which provides 299 ppi. The screen type is Super Clear LCD, with support for a Wacom digitizer, which allows you to draw on it very accurately and accurately. The colors are bright, the backlight adjustment in automatic mode is comfortable, there is almost no miss, even in conditions of variable indoor lighting. The screen does not fade in the sun, the information remains readable.

The screen aspect ratio is 16:9, which many will find interesting for watching videos, but who likes it and how. I don't see any problems watching videos on the iPad (4:3). In my opinion, the screen quality on this tablet is one of the best and gives a clear advantage to Samsung. However, this is not surprising - it is precisely in terms of the quality of screens that the company has always outperformed its competitors. And if in the past the lag behind the iPad with a Retina screen was noticeable, now it is not - these screens can be safely compared with each other.

USB, Bluetooth, communication capabilities

Bluetooth. Bluetooth version 4.0 (LE). When transferring files to other devices that support this technology, Wi-Fi 802.11 n is used, and the theoretical transfer speed is about 24 Mbit/s. Testing the transfer of a 1 GB file showed a maximum speed of about 12 Mbit/s within three meters between devices.

The model supports various profiles, in particular Headset, Handsfree, Serial Port, Dial Up Networking, File Transfer, Object Push, Basic Printing, SIM Access, A2DP. Working with headsets does not raise any questions, everything is ordinary.

USB connection. In Android 4, for some reason, they abandoned the USB Mass Storage mode, leaving only MTP (there is also a PTP mode).

USB version – 3, data transfer speed – about 45 Mb/s.

When connecting to a PC, simultaneous operation of USB and Bluetooth is unacceptable; the device requires you to turn off Bluetooth regardless of the current state (whether there is a connection and transmission or not), this is extremely inconvenient. When connected via USB, the device is recharged.

The microUSB connector also supports the MHL standard, which means that using a special cable (available at electronics stores), you can connect the phone to the TV (to the HDMI output). In fact, the standard describes the ability to connect via microUSB to HDMI. This solution looks preferable to a separate miniHDMI connector on the case.

For GSM networks, EDGE class 12 is provided.

WiFi. The 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac standard is supported, the operation wizard is similar to that for Bluetooth. You can remember selected networks and automatically connect to them. It is possible to set up a connection to the router in one touch; to do this, you need to press a key on the router, and also activate a similar button in the device menu (WPA SecureEasySetup). Among the additional options, it is worth noting the setup wizard; it appears when the signal is weak or disappearing. You can also set up Wi-Fi on a schedule.

802.11n also supports HT40 mode, which doubles Wi-Fi throughput (requires support from another device).

Wi-Fi Direct. A protocol that is intended to replace Bluetooth or begin to compete with its third version (which also uses Wi-Fi version n to transfer large files). In the Wi-Fi settings menu, select the Wi-Fi Direct section, the phone begins to search for devices around. We select the desired device, activate the connection on it, and voila. Now in the file manager you can view files on another device, as well as transfer them. Another option is to simply find devices connected to your router and transfer the necessary files to them; this can be done from the gallery or other sections of the phone. The main thing is that the device supports Wi-Fi Direct.

NFC. The device has NFC technology, it can be used with various additional applications.

S Beam. A technology that allows you to transfer a file of several gigabytes in size to another phone in a few minutes. In fact, we see in S Beam a combination of two technologies - NFC and Wi-Fi Direct. The first technology is used to bring up and authorize phones, but the second is already used to transfer the files themselves. The creatively redesigned way to use Wi-Fi Direct is much simpler than using a connection on two devices, selecting files and so on.

IR port. Necessary for using the phone as a remote control for various household appliances. Automatically configures for almost any model of equipment.

Memory, RAM, platform and performance

The model is available in several versions - the memory capacity can be 16 or 32 GB, the RAM capacity is always 3 GB. After booting, the amount of free RAM exceeds 1.2 GB, but it quickly drops to 300-400 MB and stays around this mark. This does not have any effect on performance; it is almost impossible to see the brakes.

Memory cards are supported up to 64 GB, as well as their “hot” replacement.

The tablet, which is sold in Russia, is built on the Samsung Exynos Octa 5420 - this is an eight-core processor in which 4 Cortex A15 cores operate at a frequency of up to 1.9 GHz, and four Cortex A7 cores operate at a frequency of up to 1.3 GHz.

From an interface point of view, everything works quite quickly, although sometimes you can see stuttering in standard programs that quickly disappear and appear in a chaotic manner - this is the contribution that Samsung's proprietary shell brings. The tablet shows good results in synthetic tests.

Camera

A regular 8-megapixel camera, without autofocus, unlike the last generation Tab Pro/Note Pro, which featured an autofocus camera for the first time, although the resolution was not changed. Examples of several pictures. In my opinion, the camera in a tablet is something that you use extremely rarely - an unnecessary function.

Battery

The tablet has an 8220 mAh battery; according to the manufacturer, it is capable of playing video for up to 10 hours, music for up to 117 hours, surfing the Internet (3G or Wi-Fi, it doesn’t matter) for up to 9 hours. In practice, these results can be considered ideal, since the operating time is about half as long - for example, watching video in FullHD (avi, hardware acceleration, 70 percent backlight) gives about 6 hours of operating time. Even changing the backlight to minimum does not give a working time of 10 hours. When navigating the network with the backlight at 50 percent, we can say that the operating time is about 4-5 hours. On average, with not very active use, the tablet will work quietly for 5-6 days. With very active use – 1 full day.

The time to fully charge the battery is just over 5 hours (2A charge included in the kit). You can safely leave the tablet overnight, this is more of a minus than a plus - but this is different from all modern tablets, including the iPad, which does not win much in this parameter. On the other hand, the operating time of the iPad remains the benchmark for the tablet market - this is, in fact, an honest 10 hours of video, even if all formats are not supported out of the box. Two years ago, the gap in operating time was almost twofold; today it has decreased to 1.5 times, but is still noticeably different. This parameter is worth considering if you need a tablet with the longest operating time, but the electrical network is not at hand most of the time.

Working with the stylus - features of the Note line

All Note family devices are as unified as possible - the same stylus, text recognition quality, pen touches on the screen, software capabilities. Only the screen size differs, and a 10.1-inch tablet is the most convenient option for drawing, creating graphs and the like. I touched on multitasking a bit in the video about this tablet, as well as the S-Pen features, but it's worth repeating their description of their Note 3 review for those unfamiliar with such products.

IN S Action All notes are recognized, they can be linked to actions, so you enter an entry to call someone, the phone recognizes this and adds it to the calendar or makes it possible to call from the phone book at the right time. The function is not very popular and amazing, perhaps the most useless of all.

Scrapbook- an application that allows you to save text, pictures, and so on from the screen, you circle the desired piece of the page and then select a category. Everything is saved in one place, including videos. A good function that may be interesting as an analogue, albeit weaker, of Evernote. The advantage is that this feature is built into the phone.

S Finder– universal search on the phone and its memory, searches for data in all applications without exception (you can, however, set up places where you don’t need to look for anything).

Pen Window– you draw a square on the screen, and a window of the size you drew appears, containing application icons. In fact, this is a pop-up window that may be needed when you are working somewhere and want, for example, to calculate something in a calculator. It hangs above the main window and can be closed at any time. Comfortable.

Application S Note updated, it has synchronization with Evernote (!), a fairly convenient interface for working with notes, you can see several pages, which is extremely convenient compared to the current version. I highly recommend watching the video about this application to share my delight - one of the most interesting programs on the phone.

IN Multi Window Now you can open the same application in two parts of the window, for example, talk simultaneously in IM with two different friends. But the best feature is that you can copy a message from one part of the window to another.

Multimedia capabilities

In terms of music and video playback, this tablet compares favorably with both the iPad and most Android brethren. Most codecs are supported out of the box, no dancing with a tambourine or installing additional software. The following codecs are supported for video: AVI, MP4, M4V, 3GP, MKV, WMV, ASF, FLV, WEBM: MP4, H.263, H.264, VC-1, VP8, WMV7/8, Sorenson Spark, MP43.

For audio – MP3, M4A, 3GA, AAC, OGG, OGA, WAV, WMA, AMR, AWB, FLAC, MIDI, XMF, MXMF, IMY, RTTTL, RTX, OTA Codecs: MP3, AAC, AAC+, eAAC+, M4A , 3GA, OGG, WMA, WAV, FLAC, AMR-WB, AMR-NB, MIDI, SP-MIDI, XMF, i-Melody.

The sound playback quality is excellent - the model has no complaints, music sounds very good in the headphones. When watching videos, the stereo speakers have sufficient volume reserve, although they are not always enough.

Software features – Android 4.3 and TouchWiz

The tablet initially runs Android 4.3, and will soon receive an update to 4.4.2. The TouchWiz shell is somewhat different from the latest generation of devices, it will also undergo changes. There is no point in describing the standard functionality; this is good old Android, which is known to everyone.

Below are screenshots of the tablet's main functions. I would also like to mention that along with the tablet you get a subscription to Businessweek for 1 year, and several weeks of subscription to the New York Times. Also 50 GB of storage on Dropbox, they will be valid for 2 years.

Impressions

The 3G version can be used as a phone with any wired or wireless headset; in fact, it is a regular smartphone, albeit in a larger size. This is another unique feature that distinguishes this device from the iPad and makes it more interesting in terms of usage scenarios (SMS, voice calls, WhatsApp, etc.).

In my opinion, the Galaxy Note 10.1 2014 Edition has a lot of possibilities, it is a combine from which everyone will choose what they need. It can be either a work tool or a tablet for games - it all depends on what exactly you need. In the segment of Android devices there are no direct alternatives to this device; other manufacturers do not work with a stylus (at least of this quality and with such a set of additional programs), there is no multitasking capability (pop-up applications, as well as division into two or even three windows) .

To some extent, this tablet’s competitor is the Note Pro models, which are just beginning to appear on the market, but the 10.1-inch model will not be officially presented in Russia. Another point is that the cost of such models is higher due to a larger set of programs, in particular Hancom Office (a complete replacement for MS Office). Do I need to overpay for the same or almost the same hardware and additional software? The question remains open. For those who don't need a stylus, check out the Galaxy Tab Pro, which is the same but without the stylus.

Considering the unification of software in Samsung tablets, I think that it is necessary to write a separate material in which all the standard functions will be discussed in detail - they are the same for all devices. Such material will appear in the near future.

It remains to look at the cost of this solution - the 3G/32GB version costs about 29,990 rubles, the junior 3G/16GB costs 26 thousand rubles. These prices are quite comparable to those for the iPad Air with 3G, which leaves the buyer with a difficult choice. In my opinion, this is a choice not only of the brand, but of the platform that is closer and clearer to you, more convenient in everyday life. Both have their advantages.

As a short postscript, I want to say that I treated the Note 10.1 2014 Edition with a certain prejudice, especially as an iPad user. After several months of use, I was unable to fall in love with this device; there is no emotional component in it that would attract me. But as a tool, it is a very powerful machine that has quietly taken a place in my life. She could use a little charisma and it would turn out to be a bestseller - but for now it’s just a good tool. Therefore, we have an iPad and this tablet, which is used on a daily basis for work. There is no ideal in life, which is a pity.

Related links

Hi all. Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 is a stylish multifunctional Android tablet with the proprietary TouchWiz interface and powerful hardware. The ideal choice for work and play.
Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1, despite its involvement in a new series of devices that support the active S Pen, is the heir to the very first 10-inch tablet Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1. The tablet itself is very unusual. It is both for individuals and for avid “gamers”. Let's first look at the general characteristics of the device:

▪ 10.1-inch display (1280x800 pixels)▪ Samsung Exynos 4412 1.4 GHz quad-core processor (ARM Cortex-A9)
▪ 2 GB RAM▪ 5 megapixel main camera
▪ 1.9-megapixel front ▪ Slot for microSD cards up to 64 GB
▪ Wi-Fi, GPS and Bluetooth▪ 7000 mAh battery
Continue reading under the cut

Well now let's begin...
Design

The tablet itself is very similar to its younger brother - Galaxy Tab 10.1. It is practically impossible to distinguish them. It feels like Samsung has one designer and is running out of ideas. We will forgive this.

The speaker layout is well implemented in the tablet, which is very convenient when you hold the tablet and you feel the surround sound.

At the top end we see:▪ Shutdown and reboot button
▪ Volume rocker
▪ Slot for microSD card up to 64 GB
▪ IR port for use as a remote control
▪ 3.5 mm headphone jack
▪ SIM card slot

Screen

Possesses TFT screen on 10.1 inch ( Samsung proudly announces this in the device name) and resolution 1280x800 pixels. The screen is very responsive to touches. Built into the screen itself WACOM"Sensor for recognizing a special pen S Pen. Supports simultaneously 10 touches:

S Pen

The most important feature in a tablet is the pen. S Pen. Comfort and pen recognition are excellent. It is very convenient for drawing and lessons. There are special programs for it from Samsung"a - S Note, S Planner, Paper Artist, PS Touch(Premium Suite Pack).

The pen also supports the Air Pen function. This is how the function works: you move the pen 3 mm and a round cursor appears.

The S-Pen itself:

IR port

Another interesting idea from Samsung. This time the tablet can be used as Remote control(Remote Control). How to use your tablet Remote control carried out by the program Peel SMART Remote:

This is what the control looks like:

Performance

The tablet runs Android 4.1.2 Jelly Bean (if you purchase 4.0.4 ICS).

He has 2 gigabytes of RAM(Excellent for the market) 16/32/64 gigabytes of internal memory, processor Exynos 4412 with MP-Mali 400 video accelerator (everyone forgets about Tegra 3).

Tablet in AnTuTu Benchmark received 15284 “parrots” - on par with Galaxy S III, And overtaking Google Nexus 7.

The tablet itself can handle any hard and simple games such as: Subway Surfers, Cut the Rope, Modern Combat 3 & 4, The Amazing Spider - Man, Real Racing 3, NFS Most Wanted, Asphalt 7, N.O.V.A 3. (Alas, the games were present on the tablet, but they were deleted)

Interface

The tablet has a proprietary shell (Updated Nature UX) TouchWiz. It is very convenient, fast (Sometimes it freezes) and simple.

Here is TouchWiz itself (Nature UX):


This is what it looks like menu:

Total
Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1- an excellent tablet, leading the tablet market, costing from 22 thousand to 31 thousand rubles, which is quite good. For this price we get powerful device, with special S Pen, at the same time we are pleased Premium Suite package. If you decide to buy it - your choice is the right one.

The Samsung Galaxy Note phone, released a year ago, became the first successful Android device with pen input. And the Galaxy Note 10.1 tablet, which only recently reached Ukraine, is an attempt to transfer the success of the Galaxy Note to the tablet segment. But how successful will this “test of pen” be?

Specifications Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1

Appearance and design

Externally, the Galaxy Note 10.1 is almost identical to the popular Galaxy Tab 2 10.1 tablet. It is also completely made of plastic (white or gray) with a silver edging, which hides two front-facing speakers. Overall, the quality of materials and build, in my opinion, does not correspond to the price level of the tablet - both the iPad and the Apple Transformer Prime/Infinity boast much more impressive cases.

On the top edge of the tablet there is a power button, a volume rocker, a microSD card slot, an infrared transmitter window, a headphone output and a SIM card slot. In my opinion, the location of the headphone jack can be called downright unfortunate - it would be better to place it in the corner of the tablet.

On the bottom edge of the Galaxy Note 10.1 there is nothing except the Samsung Dock connector and a microphone hole.

Screen

Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 is equipped with exactly the same screen as the Galaxy Tab 2 10.1. This high-quality PLS matrix with a diagonal of 10.1 inches has a resolution of 1280x800 pixels. It is characterized by pleasant soft color rendition and wide viewing angles. When set to maximum brightness, the screen remains readable in the sun.

Software and functionality

Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 has its own TouchWiz shell installed on top of the Android 4.0.4 operating system, and many of the standard programs (for example, the calendar) are replaced with their own versions. In addition to programs for working with the S Pen (which will be discussed below), the tablet is pre-installed with a file manager, Samsung ChatON messenger (analogous to WhatsApp) and the Polaris Office office suite. We can’t help but mention the Smart Remote program, which allows you to use the Note 10.1 as a remote control for almost any equipment in the house. The remote control codes are downloaded from the Internet.

An interesting point: the stock video player allows you to place the video in a small window on top of your desktop or other programs. This feature is called Pop-Up Play. That is, you can, for example, work in a text editor and at the same time watch TV series with one eye.

S Pen and multi-window

Like the Galaxy Note/Note II smartphones, the Note 10.1 tablet is equipped with a pressure-sensitive S Pen (1024 levels of pressure recognition) using Wacom technology.

The pen itself is relatively small in size and, like the tablet itself, is made of plastic. The prototypes shown in February at MWC 2012 did not have a pen compartment in the body, but this deficiency was eliminated in commercial samples of the tablet. When you remove the pen from the compartment, the tablet automatically displays a sidebar on the screen with applications that support pen input - unfortunately, you cannot edit these shortcuts, but you can specify an application that will launch automatically when you remove the pen.

Galaxy Note 10.1 supports handwriting recognition. The recognition really works and even understands the Russian language quite well, but I personally still manage to type noticeably faster on the virtual keyboard.

To work with the pen, the tablet comes pre-installed with several applications, the main one of which is, of course, S Note. This program allows you to create notes that combine a large number of different elements (including text, graphics, pictures, video and sound). The new version of S Note provides different templates for different types of notes - from plain text to meeting minutes, diary entry or travel report. Notes can be grouped into folders.

There is also formula recognition here, as in the updated version of S Note for the Galaxy Note smartphone.

In dual-screen mode (which will be discussed in more detail a little later), the stylus allows you to take a screenshot of a web page or photo from the gallery, cut out a piece of any shape from it and drag it into a note.

Another pre-installed application that artists and other people who work with graphics will appreciate is Photoshop Touch. This is a greatly simplified version of the “big” Photoshop, which, however, allows you to fully edit images. PS Touch is one of the few programs that can recognize pressure when using the S Pen.

The Galaxy Note 10.1 is the first Android device to be able to display two apps on the screen at once in a kind of multi-window (more precisely, dual-window) mode. Unfortunately, only Samsung’s own applications can work in this mode, and not all of them, but only the browser, S Note, gallery, email client (but not standard Gmail), video player and the Polaris Office office suite.

Another disadvantage of this “two-window” implementation is the slow switching between simultaneously running programs. Let’s say that if you have a browser and an office suite running at the same time, then when you move from one application to another, it will begin to respond to user actions not instantly, but after 1-2 seconds.

Performance and autonomy

Unlike the Galaxy Tab 2 10.1, the Note 10.1 is equipped with a fast 4-core Exynos 4 Quad processor clocked at 1.4 GHz and Mali-400MP graphics, as well as 2 GB of RAM. Due to this, it is the fastest Android tablet in the world at the moment, as confirmed by the results of synthetic tests. In real life, when switching between desktops, there is sometimes some stuttering (if there are a lot of widgets on them), otherwise the tablet is very fast. An update to Android 4.1 should potentially make it even faster.

Bottom line

Without a doubt, the Galaxy Note 10.1 is one of the top Android tablets in terms of performance today. Combine that with the unique S Pen and you've got one of the best-looking Android tablets on the market. The disadvantages include the screen (the resolution of 1280x800 pixels is noticeably inferior to FullHD in the ASUS Transformer Infinity, not to mention the iPad with a Retina display) and the body materials (again, ASUS and Apple are ahead in this parameter). At the same time, the price of the Note 10.1 is exactly the same as an iPad with a Retina screen, so the attractiveness of a Samsung tablet in the eyes of a buyer depends primarily on how much a particular buyer needs a stylus.

5 reasons to buy Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1:

• high performance;
• loud high-quality speakers;
• possibility of use as a remote control;
• S Pen with 1024 pressure recognition;
• convenient S Note application.

1 reason not to buy Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1:

• low screen resolution compared to direct competitors.

How can you surprise a sophisticated and advanced user of portable technology? Big and bright screen? Productivity? Extensive connectivity options with other devices? Long lasting battery? Stylus? A quality camera? No, this won’t surprise us. “We’ve already seen all this!” - you will say and you will be absolutely right. Yes, we saw it. But only separately. And it’s rare to find everything together...

⇡ Technical characteristics declared by the manufacturer

Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 system information

⇡ Equipment

Unfortunately, we cannot describe the complete package of the tablet, since the device did not reach our test laboratory in its original box. However, judging by previous Samsung tablets, we can assume that the buyer, along with the gadget itself, will receive headphones (they were also brought to us), a cloth for wiping the screen and, of course, a USB cable, a charger, and a user manual. All that remains is to buy an additional cover, which, most likely (even, perhaps, for sure), will not be included in the kit, and you can live in peace.

⇡ Appearance and ergonomics

Front side of Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1

Samsung engineers did not come up with any fundamental innovations when modeling the Galaxy Note 10.1. The tablet is similar to other gadgets of the company, which in turn are somewhat similar to all other “tablets”. The only distinctive feature of the new Note is the stereo speakers located on the front side of the tablet. During everyday work, it is difficult to block them with your hand, no matter how you grab the device. In addition to the speakers, on the front side you can find a light sensor and a 1.9-megapixel front camera.

Back side of Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1

The back panel of the tablet is made in the classic Samsung style: a small metal cutout that houses the camera eye and flash. Below you can find the necessary device certification marks.

Right side of Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1

Left side of Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1

The sides of the tablet contain nothing. It is worth noting that they are quite smooth, and thanks to the well-rounded corners, the device lies very nicely in the hands and does not tend to jump out of them.

Bottom end of Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1

Traditionally for Samsung, on the bottom edge of the Galaxy Note 10.1 there is a port for charging the gadget, which can also be used for a USB connection to a computer. In the right corner you can find the S Pen stylus, without which the Note 10.1 would not be a “Note”. We will talk about it in detail below.

Top end of Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1

The on/off button and volume rocker are located on the top edge of the device. There are also slots for SIM and MicroSD cards, a 3.5 mm audio output and an infrared port, which will also be discussed below.

Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 leaves a very pleasant feeling. The tablet fits perfectly in the hand and doesn’t weigh too much on it (the weight of the device is less than 600 grams - excellent for a 10.1” tablet). The device is reliably assembled: almost nothing creaks or wobbles, and this is in a non-commercial sample. Among other things, Samsung’s proprietary design has once again proven its right to life - the device looks quite nice.

⇡ Picture

Samsung engineers, apparently, did not chase numbers and simply installed a high-quality ten-inch PLS screen in the new Note. Its resolution is 1280x800 pixels - perhaps optimal for an Android tablet (16:10 aspect ratio). There is no need to increase the battery capacity due to the prohibitively large matrix, and individual pixels are not striking. The pixel density is 149.45 pixels per inch, and the sensor supports up to ten simultaneous clicks.

Screenshot of AnTuTu MultiTouch Tester test results

The maximum brightness of the Galaxy Note 10.1 screen, as shown by our measurements, is 338 cd/m2 - this means that users will have a chance to make out what is happening on the display under the scorching sun. This is true: when working with a tablet on the street on a fine day, of course, you have to squint, but at least you can see something on the display. The screen contrast is 519.5:1. Viewing angles tend to 180 degrees. The colors look bright and rich, although the color gamut is a little short of sRGB.

Galaxy Note 10.1 screen color gamut compared to sRGB space

⇡ Sound

One of the two speakers of the Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1

At the beginning of the article, we already noted the non-standard location of the tablet's speakers - on the sides of the front side. This way the sound travels from them directly to the user - hence the gain in volume. To be honest, volume is the only indicator by which it is logical to judge the speakers of a tablet PC. Well, really, what kind of quality, what kind of detailing of sound can we talk about in the “tweeters” of such a device? There is no noise or wheezing, the volume is very decent - that's all you need.

The tablet comes with in-ear headphones, the sound quality of which is reminiscent of the Sennheiser CS300-II, only with a microphone and buttons to answer calls and increase/decrease volume. They have decent noise reduction, a fairly sensitive microphone and good sound processing (again, there is no wheezing or noise to speak of).

⇡ Performance

A quad-core processor, two gigabytes of RAM - such a set would have been the envy of desktop PCs until recently. Needless to say that the tablet copes with any tasks, practically does not freeze, and shows the highest scores in benchmarks? This is expected, but when you see such speed of work with your own eyes, you come to a state of some kind of childish happiness and euphoria. Here's what the synthetic tests show (let's compare the results with the indicators of the ASUS flagship in the “Performance” mode):

Galaxy Note 10.1 showed amazing results in all disciplines, scoring not a record, but very significant 5434 points in Quadrant, and 12398 in AnTuTu Benchmark. The tablet easily overtook the once leading Asus Transformer Prime. In the BrowserMark test, the device gave an impressive 158,518 points (in the Chrome browser, which will become a system one with the release of the update to Android 4.1), which means that the gadget can instantly cope with the most complex web pages, and the loading speed depends solely on the Internet connection.

As for the graphics, there is also complete order here. In the moderately difficult Nenamark 2 test, the tablet rarely dropped FPS from 60 to 58, and as a result the average value was 58.9 - an absolute record. In the most difficult discipline - Basemark 2 Taiji - the gadget showed 36.21 FPS (most tablet PCs have difficulty reaching 25). In general, in terms of both processor and graphics power, the new Laptop is doing well; it can cope with any tablet tasks.

⇡ Battery

Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 has a battery with a capacity of 7000 mAh (3.7 V). When playing a video non-stop with maximum screen backlight brightness and an active Wi-Fi connection, the tablet began asking for recharging after seven and a half hours - an excellent result. In standby mode, the battery is practically not wasted. That is, with everyday use, the Galaxy Note will definitely last for one and a half, or maybe two days.

⇡ Camera

Galaxy Note 10.1 five-megapixel camera eye and flash

The Galaxy Note 10.1 has two cameras: rear (5 MP) and front (1.9 MP). And even though we categorically do not support taking photos and videos on tablet PCs, the rear (and front, in general, too) camera in the gadget is excellent. Well-exposed photos come out sharp and contrasty. In dark rooms, noise, of course, appears in the frame. To prevent this from happening, there is a flash available that more or less corrects the situation.

Galaxy Note 10.1 camera interface

It should be noted that, as in previous Samsung devices, the Galaxy Note 10.1 has its own camera interface, and not the standard one from the Android OS. Because of this, the user loses digital zoom, but, in our opinion, this thing is so useless that it’s not really a shame. But here you can specify the focus point by clicking on the desired area of ​​the screen - convenient. Creative settings are minimal and similar to those found in the most budget digital cameras of previous years: 12 scenes (portrait, landscape, sports, etc.) and three effects: sepia, black and white photo and negative. Also in the settings you can specify exposure compensation (from -2.0 EV to +2.0 EV), white balance and ISO value, but the tablet itself copes well with this, so you can safely set all values ​​to Auto.

As already noted, in good lighting you can’t tamper with the picture: it’s contrasty, detailed, you shouldn’t expect anything more from a tablet.

The picture is presented without editing (with exposure adjusted in the tablet by +1 step), enlarged by clicking

The gadget selects automatic shooting parameters well, and autofocus works very quickly. To prevent the frame from falling into shadows (which happens when you shoot at the midday solstice, which is what we did), the exposure was increased by one stop.

The picture is presented without editing, enlarge by click

The shot was taken against the sun, however, the textures of the city are preserved in detail, without catastrophic darkening.

The picture is presented without editing, enlarge by click

When shooting macro, the tablet slightly blurs the background.

The picture is presented without editing, enlarge by click

The minimum focusing distance is about two centimeters.

The Galaxy Note 10.1 also copes well with video recording. It records it in HD Ready 720p 30fps mp4 format. The one-minute video takes up just over 80 MB of disk space. Below is an example of a recorded video to judge the quality. We think it's more than good for a tablet.

We will say the standard words about the front camera: in good lighting the picture turns out to be “readable” for the interlocutor, in poor lighting it becomes overgrown with noise, so it’s better to communicate in the light.

⇡ S Pen

S Pen "in the house"

The main feature of both the first and second Note is the presence of a proprietary stylus called the S Pen. You can use it to take notes, draw, and just perform common tasks, just communicate with the screen with it, and not with your fingers.

The S Pen is hidden in the lower right corner of the device. When the user removes it, a special panel appears on the screen (see screenshot above) containing applications optimized for the stylus. If you return the S Pen to its place, it will disappear. In addition, the Galaxy Note 10.1 makes sounds when the stylus is disconnected or connected. The pen itself is very pleasant to the touch, and fingers can easily confuse it with a regular pen.

S Pen settings

The stylus settings are comprehensive. The user can disable or enable the use of a kind of cursor when working with the tablet using the S Pen, select the sound of connecting or disconnecting the pen. You can also disable pen auto-detection in the settings to save battery (with the battery life of the Galaxy Note 10.1, the author of the article would not disable this function), and customize the application sidebar.

⇡ Infrared port

Main window of the Smart Remote program

Many companies wanted to build an IR port into their devices, some even did it and journalists received samples of it, but when the devices went on sale, they did not have the coveted port. Therefore, Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 is the first tablet with which you can control all the equipment in your home. Yes, yes, everyone. We tested performance with a large number of equipment: from TVs to receivers. The gadget confidently turned on, clicked through channels and turned up the volume on all devices that were offered to it. And he did it quite quickly.

Adding a new device to Smart Remote

The process of adding a new device to Smart Remote is very simple: the user is required to select the type of equipment (TV, DVD or Blu-ray player, etc.) and the manufacturer. Next, the tablet will offer to test the functionality of the equipment control and add it to other devices. Execution of commands occurs quickly, without any problems.

⇡ Telephone: it also rings!

Among other things, the new Note has, at first glance, a rather funny (for a device of this type), but if you think about it, it’s a very useful function. Yes, he can make calls. A ten-inch tablet can be used as a phone. Moreover, you should not try to talk through it as you would through a regular handset. To conduct a dialogue, you can use the speakerphone (speakers) or connect the included headset. In case you run out of money on your phone, this is a very convenient solution. It communicates reliably and is no different from a regular phone. The same thing, by the way, applies to 3G Internet.

⇡ Software

Galaxy Note 10.1 runs Android 4.0.4 Ice Cream Sandwitch operating system with the proprietary (and so unloved by many) Samsung TouchWiz shell. By the way, this very shell behaves very correctly on the device and does not slow down at all (either it has finally been well optimized, or the powerful hardware inside the gadget helps out). The tablet comes pre-installed with a huge number of applications, from branded Samsung Apps, S Note and S Planner to applications from the online services “Kinoafisha”, “Yandex.Weather”, “Yandex.Market” and the portable photo editor PS Touch. For the convenience of the reader, we did not list all the pre-installed programs and games, but simply took a screenshot.

Nevertheless, it should be noted that there are clients of such services as Yota Play, uBank, Dropbox. With games, the situation is a little worse: the user is provided mainly with arcade games: Bejeweled 2, Shaolin Jump, Super Dynamite Fishing and the simple but quite pleasant Crayon Physics. However, as we know, you don’t look a gift horse in the mouth, and the user can download everything they need on their own from Google Play.

⇡ Conclusion

At the time of publication of this review, the Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 is one of the most powerful tablets in the world. It copes with absolutely any work, multimedia and gaming tasks, satisfying the requirements of even the most demanding user. We have extremely positive emotions from the gadget. We tried very hard, searched with all our might, but we could not find any shortcomings in it (except that the device’s screen is powerless against bright sunlight, and therefore the picture fades, although it remains legible).

Any disadvantages relate primarily to the operating system, and not to the device itself. So if you love Android, you'll love the tablet. The estimated price for Galaxy Note 10.1 is still unknown, but we think that at the start of sales in Russia it will be no less than 20-25 thousand rubles. They say that they will try to adjust the price to the cost of the iPad in the appropriate configuration.

Player

Supported formats include MP3, AAC, AMR, WMA, WAV, FLAC, OGG. If a track is selected, it will appear on the right. The screen displays the name of the artist, the name of the album and the song being played. Tracks can be put on repeat (song, album, all songs) or listened to in shuffle mode. For navigation, virtual keys are used: forward, backward and pause.

The user has access to numerous equalizer settings, including manual settings. A set of audio effects is also activated, there is a 5.1 function that enhances the music listening experience. The search for music by mood works, when you can move the squares on the grid, looking for suitable compositions. This feature comes from the Samsung Galaxy S III.

In terms of sound quality, the device performed excellently; it can be safely used as an alternative to a player, especially if paired with high-quality headphones. The stereo speakers are loud, so if desired, the tablet can replace a music center somewhere on vacation.

Media

The gallery allows you to sort data into several categories: albums, time, place, tags. You can display pictures and videos together or only one type of data. Images and movies are displayed on the screen as large icons.

Tapping the icon in the top right corner activates the slideshow. If you hold your finger over a picture, you can mark one or more files, and then send it via Bluetooth, by email, or upload it to Picasa. Directly from the gallery you can switch to photography mode. Pictures can be rotated, resized, or used as wallpaper.

Playing video

The tablet supports DivX and XviD codecs, which allows you to watch most unconverted films. There are no problems with video; the gadget normally displays high-resolution files without any glitches.

The video library is displayed in the form of a list with a small preview image of the film, its name and duration are also indicated. While viewing, controls may appear on the large screen, including rewind and pause keys, and a scroll bar. It helps you quickly navigate through the movie being played.

From the player menu you can send the video to someone or post it for public viewing on YouTube. The function of broadcasting sound to a Bluetooth headset is supported. There is also a “picture-in-picture” effect, when you can navigate through the menu or work in another application, and a video will play on top of the program.

Google Maps

Maps allow you to use GPS navigation, at the same time using GLONASS. It works exactly, everything depends only on the amount of data consumed, the “cold” start sometimes lasts quite a long time. Traffic jams are displayed, so the application has become fully functional and convenient not only for pedestrians, but also for car owners.

There is a function for determining the current location and calculating the route from the starting point to the ending point. Moreover, you can set the method of transportation: by car, on foot or public transport. The route is laid out on the map, and key places are indicated in the form of text messages, which are displayed on the screen in the form of a column; you can switch between them: view the route in advance or vice versa, go back and plot another path.

Polaris Office

This application can display Word, Excel, PDF, Power Point files. The user comes to the aid of a clear structured menu where data from the internal memory is displayed. It looks like a regular file browser. Recently viewed files are displayed as a separate group.

Editing is possible: it’s convenient to view and make changes on the device’s large screen. The gadget opens various files quickly, without delays. It is convenient to scale, change the font and use a number of other functions to create a full-fledged document using a mobile device. When you launch the application, it automatically searches among the files in the device’s memory, and then displays the found documents in a list - no need to manually set the path to the desired folder.

The calculator supports all the necessary functions.

The tablet allows you to store multiple alarms. A repeat signal is set; you just need to select the days of the week.

Google Play launches, offering a large range of software.

There is also a separate Game Hub section.

Displays time in different time zones.

A file browser will always help if necessary.

Google+ built in.

The Yandex.Market application has been installed.

A program for reading books is provided.

There is a movie poster.

Videos are shown on YouTube.

An application has been installed that will allow you to use the tablet as a remote control to control equipment. Moreover, it can be not only a TV, but some other media gadget.

The weather is displayed.

Connections

The tablet operates at frequencies of 850/900/1800/1900/2100 MHz. Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n is supported, Wi-Fi Direct, DLNA, and access point mode are available. Bluetooth 3.0 has all the necessary profiles. You can connect to a PC via a cable using the USB 2.0 port, but using only the original cable. The device is also capable of making calls.

Battery

The tablet has a 7000 mAh battery. As usual, it is not removable. As for battery life, the gadget showed good results here. On one charge, it worked quietly for a couple of days with the Internet for about 1 hour a day, watching videos for about 2-3 hours a day, as well as background data synchronization. At maximum screen brightness, it showed HD movies for 6 hours. Charging from the mains takes about 4 hours.

Conclusion

A tablet model with 16 GB of memory and 3G costs today an average of 22 thousand rubles. The model is good because it works quickly and offers an original addition to its functions in the form of a stylus pen. It should appeal to designers, people who often take notes, and indeed anyone who likes to follow trends.

In addition to already known functions such as drawing or creating text notes, the device can calculate formulas and offers an original way of dividing the screen into two halves. Although this does not work with all applications, in general it affects the most popular options.

Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 works quickly, outperforming its competitors in this parameter. Unfortunately, the model is inferior in display quality. If there are no complaints about color rendering or sensitivity, then the resolution itself is no longer pleasing; I want a better picture.

This means that those users who care about the image on the display will look at products from Acer, ASUS and, of course, Apple. Samsung will probably prepare a tablet with a high-resolution screen, but this is a matter for the future. In the meantime, the company has in its arsenal a productive device that is inferior to its competitors in image quality. This is an important component for a tablet, so given the current pricing policy, the model is in good demand (Samsung, after all!), but does not set any records.

© Alexander Pobyvanets, Test laboratory
Article publication date: February 13, 2013