Samsung Galaxy Note II

Samsung Galaxy Note II

Samsung Galaxy Note II in White
Manufacturer	Samsung Electronics
Slogan	"Be Creative, Be Different"[1] "Incredibly Creative!"
Series	Galaxy Note
Compatible networks	2G GSM/GPRS/EDGE – 850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz 2G CDMA 1xRTT; 800, 850, 1900MHz (Global) & 1.8 Ghz Korean Pcs (LG U+) 3G CDMA EV-DO rev 0/A/B; 800, 850, 1900MHz (Global) & 1.8 Ghz Korean Pcs (LG U+) 3G TD-SCDMA; 1900, 2000Mhz 3G UMTS/HSDPA/HSUPA/HSPA+/DC-HSPA+; 850, 900, AWS (1700), 1900, 2100 MHz 4G LTE; Bands 1–5, 7, 8, 11–13, 17, 20, 25
First released	26 September 2012 (2012-09-26)[2]
Availability by country	200 countries (Q4, 2012)
Units sold	30 million (as of 25 September 2013)[3]
Predecessor	Samsung Galaxy Note
Successor	Samsung Galaxy Note 3
Related	Samsung Galaxy S III Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1
Type	Phablet Smartphone
Dimensions	151.1 mm (5.95 in) H 80.5 mm (3.17 in) W 9.4 mm (0.37 in) D 9.7 mm (0.38 in) D (SC-02E)[4]
Weight	182 g (6.4 oz) 183 g (6.5 oz) (SHV-E250[K,L,S]) 185 g (6.5 oz) (SC-02E)
Operating system	Android 4.1.1 "Jelly Bean" Current: Android 4.4.2 KitKat
System on chip	Samsung Exynos 4412 Quad (Original) & Qualcomm Snapdragon 600 APQ8064T (China Mobile 4G Network)
CPU	1.6 GHz quad-core Cortex-A9 (original) & Krait 300 MP4 1.9 Ghz (China Mobile 4G Network)
GPU	ARM Mali-400MP4 (Original) & Adreno 320 (China Mobile 4G Network)
Memory	2 GB RAM
Storage	16/32/64 GB flash memory
Removable storage	microSD up to 64 GB
Battery	3,100 mAh, 11.78 Wh, 3.8 V Internal rechargeable Li-ion user replaceable[5]
Data inputs	List Multi-touch touch screen 3 push buttons Headset controls Proximity sensor Ambient light sensors 3-axis gyroscope Magnetometer Accelerometer Barometer aGPS GLONASS Stereo FM radio S Pen (Stylus)/Pen UX[6]
Display	List 5.5 in (140 mm) diagonal with 16:9 aspect ratio widescreen HD Super AMOLED touchscreen 720x1280 pixels (267 ppi), non-pentile (S-Stripe RGB) (3 subpixels/pixel) Contrast ratio: 402 (nominal) / 2.307:1 (sunlight) 16M colours[7]
Rear camera	List 8.0 megapixels back-side illuminated sensor LED flash HD video (720p) at 30 frames/s Focal length 3.7mm Aperture f/2.6[8] Autofocus Zero shutter lag Simultaneous HD video and image recording Smile and face detection Image stabilization[6]
Front camera	1.9 Mpx for video chatting, video recording (480p),
Connectivity	List 3.5 mm TRRS jack Wi-Fi 802.11a/b/g/n (2.4, 5 GHz), Wi-Fi HT40 Wi-Fi Direct Bluetooth 4.0 microUSB 2.0 with support for USB OTG (supports OTG USB upto 32GB) NFC DLNA S Beam[6]
Development status	In production
SAR	Samsung GALAXY Note II Head: 0.171 W/kg 1 g Body: 0.404 W/kg 1 g Hotspot: 0.935 W/kg 1 g[9] Samsung GALAXY Note II U.S. Cellular Head: 0.23 W/kg Body: 0.95 W/kg[7]
Website	Official website

The Samsung Galaxy Note II is an Android phablet smartphone. Unveiled on August 29, 2012 and released in October 2012, the Galaxy Note II is a successor to the original Galaxy Note, incorporating improved stylus functionality, a larger 5.5-inch (140 mm) screen, and an updated hardware design based on that of the Galaxy S III.

The Note II was released to positive critical reception for its improvements over the original Galaxy Note, and sold over 5 million units within only its first two months of availability. Samsung announced a successor to the Galaxy Note II, the Galaxy Note 3, on September 4, 2013.^[10]

History

The Galaxy Note II was unveiled at IFA Berlin on August 29, 2012, and released in multiple markets at the beginning of October 2012.^[11] Samsung sold more than 3 million units within the first 37 days^[12] and it crossed 5 million in two months of its release.^[13]

Software versions

In December 2012, Samsung began rolling out an update to Android 4.1.2 "Jelly Bean" for the device.^[14] In April 2014, Samsung began rolling out an update to Android 4.4.2 "KitKat" for the device.^[15] Samsung Nordic has stated several times, including on their official page that both the 3G and 4G versions of the phone will get Lollipop update.^{[16][17][18][19]}

Specifications

A photograph of the Galaxy Note II's S-Stripe RGB (non-PenTile) subpixels

The Galaxy Note II features a 5.5-inch HD Super AMOLED S-Stripe RGB (3 subpixels/pixel) (non-PenTile) screen with 1280×720 resolution, a 1.6 GHz quad-core Exynos CPU, 2 GB RAM, an 8 MP rear camera and 1.9 MP front camera, and a 3,100 mAh battery. It is slightly thinner than its predecessor at 9.4 mm (0.37 inches), albeit also being slightly heavier by 2 grams (0.071 oz). Depending on the specific model, the phone features HSPA+ 21 Mbit/s along with 4G LTE (42.2 Mbit/s DC-HSPA+ for LTE Version).^[20][21][22] The Galaxy Note II is equipped with Broadcom BCM4334 chipset for the IEEE 802.11 a/b/g/n Wi-Fi connectivity in 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz dual-band with maximum rate up to 150 Mbit/s, FM radio tuner and Bluetooth 4.0 + HS support.^[23]

The Galaxy Note II was supposed to be available in 16 GB, 32 GB and 64 GB storage capacity variants, each expandable by up to an additional 64 GB with a microSD card. However, as of 8 January 2013, only the 16 GB and 32 GB versions are available and there has been no release date for or any indication of a 64 GB version of the Note II to be offered.

S Pen

The smartphone's pressure-sensitive S Pen is slightly thicker than in the original Galaxy Note, and a feature marketed as Air View allows a user to preview content by hovering the pen over the content, similar to the hoverbox feature of a mouse in some desktop computers. Another feature marketed as Quick Command reveals a list of available commands at the swipe of the S Pen.^[20][24] The S Pen's 1,024 levels of pen-pressure sensitivity give it significantly more accuracy and precision than the original Note's 256.^[25]

Variants

The Galaxy Note II is available in Titanium Grey, Marble White, Martian Pink, Amber Brown and Ruby Wine case colors. Some features were removed, which vary as customized by carrier, include FM/TV tuner, charging pins, and Multiple-SIM card support. To prevent grey market reselling, models of the Galaxy Note II, and other models (Galaxy S4, Galaxy S4 mini, Galaxy Note III and Galaxy S III) manufactured after July 2013 implement a regional lockout system in certain regions; requiring that the first SIM card used on a European and North American model be from a carrier in that region. Samsung stated that the lock would be removed once a valid SIM card is used.^[26]

Communication processor

The baseband chipset of GT-N7100 is Intel Wireless PMB9811X Gold Baseband processor.^[27] The baseband chipset of SGH-T889, SHV-E250K, and SHV-E250S is Qualcomm Gobi MDM9215.^[23][28][29] SHV-E250L has Qualcomm Gobi MDM9615M for the EVDO revision B connectivity.^[30]

Network connectivity

Most of the variants support GSM/GPRS/EDGE in the 850 MHz, 900 MHz, 1.8 GHz, and 1.9 GHz bands; and UMTS/HSPA+21 in 850 MHz, 900 MHz, 1.9 GHz, and 2.1 GHz.

AWS phones

SGH-T889 and SGH-T889V are devices that support AWS-1 for HSPA networks capable of transferring data over Advanced Wireless Services band in HSPA mode on carriers such as T-Mobile US, and in Canada, Wind Mobile, Mobilicity, and Vidéotron.

CDMA/EV-DO phones

SCH-R950, SHV-E250L, SCH-i605, SPH-L900, and SCH-N719 are to connect to cdmaOne, CDMA 1xRTT, and EV-DO rev 0/A/B. These variants except SCH-R950, can connect to the GSM network as well, SPH-L900 can only use WCDMA/GSM services while roaming internationally due to it having an embedded SIM.

TD-SCDMA phone

GT-N7108 is to support TD-SCDMA networks in the 1.9 GHz and 2.0 GHz bands, and connect to the GSM/GPRS/EDGE 1.9 GHz band.^[31]

Dual-cell HSPA phone

SGH-T889 is known to support dual-cell HSPA+ up to 42.2 Mbit/s.^[23]

LTE phones

• GT-N7105 is a LTE phone of the international version, that can connect to LTE band 3, 7, 8, and 20 and has 42.2 Mbit/s DC-HSPA+.
• SCH-i605 can connect to the LTE band 13, Verizon Wireless operates.
• SCH-R950, SGH-i317[M], SGH-T889[V], SPH-L900, SC-02E (SGH-N025), and SHV-E250[K,L,S] can connect to the LTE bands of each locked carrier as well as the LTE bands of the other network operators as a roaming service.
• GT-N7108D is a version similar to GT-N7108 but with LTE-TDD support. Also the Qualcomm Snapdragon SoC was used in this version.

FM radio, digital TV tuner

Only some Galaxy Note II variants have a built-in FM radio tuner. For example, some US and Canadian variants (SGH-i317,^[32] SGH-i317M^[33]) and the LTE International version (N7105) lack the FM radio tuner support.^[34] SC-02E for Japan market has 1seg digital-TV tuner and antenna.^[35] Korean variants have the T-DMB tuner as well as the T-DMB antenna that can be concealed in the phone body.

Dimension and weight

Korean variants with the T-DMB tuner and the T-DMB antenna are 3 g (0.11 oz) heavier than other variants. SC-02E for NTT DoCoMo with 1seg TV tuner is 5 g (0.18 oz) heavier and 0.3 mm (0.012 in) thicker.^[36]

Wireless charging

Depending on the model, some Galaxy Note II (GT-N7100) units have the two optional charging pins on the back side of the device, just right of the battery holder, that can be used for wireless charging with the modified back cover. Galaxy Note II displays the notification message built in the firmware when it is charged wirelessly. SCH-L900 does not have the pins. SGH-T889 has the pins, but they are disabled.^[37]

Table of variants

Notes

• The bolded frequencies in connectivities, are to support the released carriers' networks.
• "GSM: quad-band" denotes "GSM/GPRS/EDGE: 850 Mhz, 900 Mhz, 1.8 Ghz and 1.9 Ghz".
• "UMTS: quad-band" denotes "UMTS/HSDPA/HSUPA/HSPA+: 850 Mhz, 900 Mhz and 1.9 Ghz, 2.1 Ghz".
• "CDMA: dual-band" denotes "CDMA 1xRTT/CDMA EV-DO Rev A/CDMA EV-DO Rev B: 800 Mhz and 1.9 Ghz"

Release and reception

Commercial reception

The Note II launched on September 26, 2012, in South Korea on three carriers and it was expected to ultimately arrive on 2760 carriers in 128 countries. It is now widely available in the market after its official launch on September 27, 2012, in Hyderabad, India.^[64][65] The Note II was officially launched in the UK on September 30, 2012, available to purchase exclusively from the Samsung flagship stores in Stratford and White City.^[66] It was then released to all major stores in the UK on October 1 on ThreeUK, Vodafone and O2 and at retailers such as Carphone Warehouse and Phones4U.^[67] It was made available for pre-order in Indonesia on September 29, 2012, on Erafone, Telkomsel, and Indosat. Samsung's mobile chief Shin Jong-kyun expected to sell 3 million Galaxy Note IIs during the first three months of availability.^[68] Samsung announced that 8.5 million Galaxy Note II devices had been sold worldwide, based on supply as of November 25, 2012. By September 2013, approximately 30 million units had been sold.^[69]

Critical reception

In September 2012, PhoneArena.com said the device uses "the best phone screen Samsung has ever produced", noting the phone offers improved S Pen performance.^[70] Stuff awarded the smartphone 5/5 stars and ranked it number 1 in its "Top 10 Smartphones" section.^[71] The Verge awarded the smartphone an 8.5/10 rating and stated that "the Note II is an unambiguous upgrade over its predecessor and can even challenge the Galaxy S III for the title of best Android device". They praised the device's performance and its improved handwriting recognition while criticizing the dearth of S Pen apps.^[72]

In September 2016, India's aviation regulator said a Samsung Galaxy Note 2 was sparked and smoked in IndiGo airplane, which was on its way to Chennai from Singapore. Indian Directorate General of Civil Aviation will send an advisory to airlines warning passengers to keep all Samsung Note smartphones switched off during flights or avoid carrying the phones on commercial jets altogether.^[73]

See also

• Samsung Galaxy Note series
• Samsung Galaxy Mega

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Samsung Galaxy Note II.

• Official website