It’s almost strange to think that when the original Galaxy Note arrived on the scene it was greeted by confusion and trepidation by many a tech guru and consumer alike. How could a device that didn’t seem to be able to decide if it was a phone or a tablet possibly survive in the already competitive global smartphone market?
It seems obvious now that the Note has found its audience and became one of the most successful smartphones in Samsung’s already impressive lineup, even creating the ‘phablet’ market through its popularity.
Now its successor, the Galaxy Note II, is here and available for preorder from both Optus and Virgin Mobile starting today. Eventually, the Note II will also be available through Telstra as well, so don’t go running for your Optus or Virgin preorder just yet. However, at this time Telstra hasn’t yet announced just when it will be bringing the Note II to its customers.
This kind of thing is actually pretty common, as carriers often make deals to ensure a few months of exclusivity when a new and hotly-awaited device is released. So hopefully it shouldn’t be too long before the Note II is available on Australia’s largest 4G network (Telstra), but if you don’t like the idea of waiting, or if you’re going with Optus or Virgin anyway, then go ahead and sign up for your Optus/Virgin preorder now.
We would also like to advise anyone who is excited about 4G broadband to double check that 4G is available in their area before making a decision. 4G is still relatively new to Australia and much of the country is still yet to receive coverage.
The Note II is everything people loved about the original, just better. The screen is a little larger, going from 5.3 to 5.5inches, but without adding to the overall size too much. The once dual-core 1.4GHz processor has been upgraded to a powerful quad-core 1.6GHz option and RAM has doubled from 1GB to 2GB. The S-Pen has even been improved in sensitivity, length and with a new rubberised tip, rather than the old metallic one.
There’s also 4G LTE support, which will be great for folks in Optus and Virgin Mobile 4G LTE-supported areas. While this might usually be concerning on a phone with such a powerful processor and large screen, the Note II has a huge 3100 mAh battery that should be able to handle all of the improvements without sending users searching frantically for a charge point before the day is done.
As far as the camera goes the Note II is still rocking an 8MP shooter, but hopefully with some upgrades to the image sensor and software that run it. There’s also Android 4.1 running the show, which should provide a smooth and easy experience for its users.
The original Note was a fantastic device, assuming you’re the kind of user who doesn’t mind a big screen, and the Note II looks to be better in just about every way. It’s prettier, faster, thinner, has a bigger screen, better S-Pen and comes rocking super-fast 4G LTE speeds. Despite how many amazing phones have come out recently, and that are soon to arrive, the Note II is definitely one of the devices we’re most keen to try out for ourselves.