Android Smartphone Review - Samsung Galaxy Note II (Verizon Wireless)

Android Smartphone Review -  Samsung Galaxy Note II (Verizon Wireless)

Android Smartphone Review - Samsung Galaxy Note II (Verizon Wireless). The younger and bigger brother of the smartphone that coined the term Phablet, this mobile phone really is a combination of phone and tablet. Having all features a phone need, this smartphone then adds a ton of features making it worthy of being the single device any person needs, able to easily consume any type of media, creating media with its unique S Pen and of course, making conversations, making this a very special device.

Verizon's Note II is a really big phone. With its 5.5 Inch screen, 3.2 x 5.9 Inch dimensions, the question really boils down to this - can you comfortably use a large phone? And this doesn't mean you have to be a seven foot tall basketball player, just to maybe make some few adjustments.

Now, once decied to buy the Samsung Note II, be prepared to deal with a state of the art smartphone. Huge HD AMOLED touch screen can be viewed at any time, and with its 720 x 1280 resolution, though smaller than the S4, still none of our reviewers managed to see individual pixels on menus or HD movies, even when putting the cell phone right next to their noses.

The S Pen can be used to create content. All our reviewers, even those which were not really artists, reported the pen is very sensitive and anyone can produced scribbles of at least mediocre quality. Of course, whipping the S Pen out and writing S Notes is simplicity itself. 

Though a little bit inferior to the Galaxy S4's hardware, still everything on the Note II is lightning fast, with browsing, gaming and media consuming all taking place with no lags or any delays. Of course, the Note II's giant 3100 mAh battery should more than suffice for a day of hard browsing, movie watching and gaming. We tried it. It really outlasts almost every other mobile phone.

And now, for the darker side of things ... Verizon has stripped away the wireless charging from the smartphone. You can't charge it with a wireless charger. You HAVE to buy a case and a screen protected. To be this thin while still owning a huge screen created a less than sturdy phone. Do not drop it without a case! And again, be aware that Verizon has cut away some of the S Pen's functionality and some features like call blocking. Some can be reactivated while some not. Remember, rooting the device voids the waranty.


Some Tips: Verizon has put its logo on several places on the smartphone, including on the home button. There are special stickers that can be ordered online to cover it. Like always, make sure Verizon has LTE 4G cellular coverage in your area, as 3G is considerably slower. Verizon has made the WiFi notification into a separate notification toggle, probably to encourage cellular surfing, which brings more money. There is a one handed keyboard operation for those with large enough hands. Be aware, the S Pen cannot be used to press buttons on the screen. 

Conclusion: Make no mistake, the Samsung Note II is great, for media consuming, creating content, using it as a Phablet and even making calls. If you can adjust to the large size (have large enough pockets or anyway put the mobile phone in a purse) than you'll have a device that will easily work through the day and dazzle anyone who sees it. Just make sure you buy a case and a screen protector and be aware that the Verizon version has some features disabled. Of course, Verizon may have some enticing deals that may make all of this worth it.

• Link:  Samsung Galaxy Note II, White (Verizon Wireless)  Samsung Galaxy Note II, Titanium (Verizon Wireless)
• Score: 4.5 out of 5. A great smartphone but the fragility of the device and some of the more bizarre changes Verizon incorporated must reduce half a point. 
• Description:A state of the art smartphone with a large 5.5 Inch screen Phablet (somewhere in between a phone and a tablet) with a powerful quad processor, 2GB RAM, an S Pen for content creation and all the wireless connections.
• Good Points:S Pen. A LED notification on the front of the device to warn us of incoming messages even when the cell phone is locked. A huge 5.5 Inch AMOLED tocuh screen (okay, this can be a bad point for those who want a smaller phone. But all our reviewers came to love this phone eventually. You won't want to go back to your previous, smaller phone.) Tons of features from Samsung and Google's Android 4.1 Jelly Bean.
• Bad Points: The device is quite fragile so PLEASE do not drop it from any height and make sure you get a case and a screen protector. In addition, Verizon Wireless has seen fit to remove or modify some of the smartphone's features such as Google Wallet, hiding the WiFi indicator, preventing apps from working in split screen mode, preventing wireless charging and other unpleasant changes.
• Specifications: