Everyone, and we mean everyone, has some sort of established smartphone series. By this, we’re talking about the many distinguished smartphones series’ that have accumulated a potent lineage throughout the years. Names like Apple’s iPhone, the OnePlus series, and Samsung’s own Galaxy S smartphones all come to mind and have remained relevant – partly because they’ve been tuned to cater to the widest degree of people possible. However, if we’re to think of a series that defied the trends in order to etch out its own destiny, there’s one that comes to mind. And it was a big step up in every facet.
We’re talking about none other than the Samsung Galaxy Note series, the phone series that popularized the notion of what it’s like to be a big phone – the kind that amasses attention due to its sheer size. Before its arrival back in 2011, companies, for the most part, were trying to make phones smaller, more compact. So, when Samsung unleashed its new smartphone, not only did it have such an immense impact on the industry, but its also coined a new term for this new device classification.
Enter the world of the phablet, a phone that seemingly filled the void left between 7-inch sized tablets and smartphones with 4.3-inch sized displays. Impressively enough, Samsung managed to strike a chord amongst smartphone users, as each iteration in the series became more widely accepted. The Galaxy Note series seemingly proved that big phones were big business, and that was just the reality!
The Galaxy Note series seemingly proved that big phones were big business, and that was just the reality!
Beyond the captivating size that the Galaxy Note series brought to the table, it managed to also reintroduce us to the stylus – or more appropriately, popularize its use with smartphones again. It was something that peaked during the Windows Mobile era, eventually being phased out to the point of extinction when capacitive screens proved to be a more reliable form of touch interaction. Samsung didn’t just bring back the stylus, dubbed the S Pen, they improved it in every single way possible.
All of this justifies the obvious here, that Samsung’s Galaxy Note series is a force to be reckoned with. As we embark on finding out what the latest iteration in the series has to offer with the Galaxy Note 9, we have no doubt that it’ll be the benchmark phone for all phones coming out during the second half of 2018. Before we get there, however, we’re going to look back on the series’ history – to see what transpired with each major device in the series. With that in mind, let’s jump right into the history of Samsung’s Galaxy Note series.
Samsung Galaxy Note: The Original Conversation Starter
Prior to its release back in 2011, people perceived phones with 4.3-inch displays as being way too big for everyday use. So when the Samsung Galaxy Note finally arrived, it defied the wanted expectations at the time, opting instead to deliver a phone that was “larger than life.” Yes, it had the specs to compete with all the other flagships at the time, more so when it featured a then-massive 5.3-inch display, but by no means was it trying to appeal to the masses to the same degree – it wasn’t, being largely panned for being niche product.
Nevertheless, it was a smartphone that established its reputation in an entirely different manner. Rather than outperforming its rivals, the Galaxy Note’s reputation was largely dispersed by how it became a phone that spurred conversation from strangers. Anyone who owned it at the time will attest to its mysterious way of being a conversation starter, one that didn’t need to utter a sound to raise eyebrows, but rather its immense size was enough to draw people in. Put it down on a table or take it out of your pocket to accept a phone, and chances are that someone would’ve asked what it was.
Another thing it did was that it brought the stylus back from the dead. Even though its functionality is a small fraction of what we’re presented with what we have now, the S Pen distinguished itself from other styli for being pressure sensitive – capable of distinguishing varying degrees of pressure. Therefore, not only was it used just like any other stylus to jot down notes, but its pressure sensitivity enhanced it.
Samsung Galaxy Note 2: Bigger And Better
Sammy sought out to do something different, which it did with the original Note, but for its successor, they did everything necessary to make it better – and for the most part, they did. Frankly, you can say that the Galaxy Note 2 was very much the iterative update it needed to be, boasting a slightly larger 5.5-inch display, an improved AMOLED panel, beefier battery cell, faster processor, double the RAM, and more S Pen-centric functions.
Aesthetically, it took cues from its sibling in the Galaxy S III, drawing comparisons of being merely a “bigger” version of that phone. Employing the same plastic design language that Samsung had been known for, the Note II did manage, however, to be skinnier than its predecessor. That was impressive to say the least, given that the Note 2 packed on a larger 5.5-inch screen – up from the 5.3-inches of its predecessor.
Needless to say, the Note 2 was more evolutionary than revolutionary, seeing that it managed to hit all the marks to make it a valiant and respectable successor. Out of everything it improved upon, the Note 2 really made it a priority to deliver an enhanced S Pen experience, which it did very well. Improvements made to its ergonomics and the latency when hitting the screen were all appreciated, but the addition of an Air View functionality seemingly made it mimic a mouse cursor. For example, hovering the S Pen over the display while in your email’s inbox would provide a small preview window – or alternatively, appointment details and image previews in the Calendar and Gallery apps respectively.
Everything about the Note 2 was better, so it’s difficult to find faults with it. Sure, it was a great performing phone in the face of the competition it had during the time, but in the greater scheme of things, it was just a successive phone with all the improvements that come with any successor.
Samsung Galaxy Note 3: Seeking Sophistication
The Samsung Galaxy Note 3 arrived in the fall of 2013, boasting the customary hardware improvements to give it that complete overhaul feel. Just as before, the specs were boosted to make it a formidable adversary in the smartphone space. The screen size jumped up to 5.7-inches while fashioning together a chassis that was sleeker and lighter. The resolution, too, happily joined the 1080p crew – a first for the series! The camera, now at 13-megapixels, easily made its predecessor’s 8-megapixel one quaint by comparison. Nothing was left unturned with this one, including the addition of an IR blaster, which was yet another first for the series.
Other firsts in the series also include the short-lived microUSB 3.0 port for faster charging and data connectivity, as well as a slew of new S Pen related functions. Specifically, the consisted of a new Air Command view with the S Pen, the ability to recognize if the S Pen is removed from its slot, and notifications if the S Pen is placed too far away from the phone. Moving onto the software, its productivity aspect became enhanced with the addition of Multi Window for true side-by-side multi-tasking.
Samsung Galaxy Note 4: A True Powerhouse During Its Time
By the time 2014 came around, there was no questioning Samsung’s complete dominance in the smartphone world. Their strategy became more focused by announcing its flagship phone in the Galaxy S series during the first half of the year while reserving the second half to the Note. Even with all the successes, Samsung still had one nagging reputation that was almost impossible to reverse.
Design aside, the Note 4 was a beast of a phone that was both specs and features heavy! In fact, it was one of the few phones to feature Quad-HD resolution, ensuring it was moving ahead of the curve. There was even a fingerprint sensor embedded into the home button, which was still a rare feature amongst phones. Everywhere else you look seem to confirm the obvious, that it was just a stellar performing smartphone. Some have gone as far as proclaiming it as one of the best phones in the series ever!
To sum it up, the Note 4 was one of those phones you dream about – a no-compromise thing that delivered on all fronts!
Samsung Galaxy Note Edge: A Curvy Experiment
Alongside the Note 4’s unveiling, Samsung also happened to announce a variant – one that matched the Note 4’s specs sheet but featured one compelling standout aesthetic. That, folks, would be none other than a curved screen; the Samsung Galaxy Note Edge. While some thought of the curved edge to be yet another gimmicky thing, looking back at it now, the features brought to us by this new curved edge were practical.
On top of displaying usual notifications, this edge transformed into something more when certain apps were opened. The camera app, for example, offered some additional buttons to minimize the clutter with the viewfinder. Besides that, though, the phone operated and performed similarly to the Note 4 – albeit, it did cost a lot more in price.
Samsung Galaxy Note 5: The Dawn Of Premium
Considering all the wonders and joys brought on with the Note 4, you’d think it’d be tough for Sammy to top? Arguably ahead of the curve at its release, the Note 4’s notoriety continued to make it a force well into 2015. By this time, however, we saw Samsung’s transformation in the form of adopted a new design language with its smartphones. Following after the receptive response found with the new premium design of the Galaxy S7, it was a no-brainer to adopt it into the Note 5 – released in the fall of 2015.
In standard fashion, the Galaxy Note 5 was a Swiss Army knife of sorts, featuring premium amenities such as a new, more responsive fingerprint sensor, heart rate sensor, and an updated S Pen as well. Also a first time for the series, the Note 5 featured wireless charging – in addition to the “rapid charging” it was blessed with. Going back to the S Pen, it adopted an auto-eject mechanism to mimic the click you get with a pen. Even better, there was also a new feature that allowed users to instantly jot down a note the moment the S Pen was ejected.
All told, the Note 5 will be remembered most for its refreshing premium design. Besides that, there was very little to complain about this phablet because it performed well in pretty much all the areas you’d expect. The battery life was long, its camera captured some amazing photos, and it continued to be a productivity workhorse with its software and S Pen.
Samsung Galaxy Note 7: Big, Boom, & Bust
For the sixth generation of the Galaxy Note series in 2016, Samsung decided to skip using the “6” name. Instead, it branded the phone as the Galaxy Note 7 in order to bring the name in line with the branding for its Galaxy S phone series. It included a 5.7-inch curved dual-edge Super AMOLED screen, and features like an always-on display, an iris scanner to unlock the phone, and some more features added for S-Pen users.
However, soon after the Galaxy Note 7 launched in August 2016, reports started to come in from many owners that the phone was overheating and even exploding. At first, Samsung issued a recall of the phone and offered to replace the Note 7 that had been sold to customers with new units. However, even some of the replacement Note 7 models started catching on fire. In October, Samsung finally pulled the plug on the Note 7. It ended production of the phone and launched a full recall of all of the Note 7 phones that had been sold to customers. For people who decided to keep their Note 7 units, Samsung also issued over-the-air software updates that would prevent the phone from charging or working as cellular mobile devices.
Samsung conducted an internal investigation into what caused the Note 7 to overheat. In January 2017, the company stated that it had discovered that the first shipment of the phones had issues caused by a design flaw in the upper-right corner, which apparently allowed the protective layer in the battery inside to become damaged. The replacement Note 7 units were affected by “abnormally high welding bars” that resulted in “direct contact with the negative electrode” in the battery. Samsung said that all of its future phones would go through an eight-step battery test to make sure these kinds of design issues will not happen again.
Even with this recall, Samsung decided in July 2017 to release refurbished Note 7 models, with smaller batteries, in select countries in Asia, under the Galaxy Note Fan Edition branding. This version of the phone was also the first in the Note series to include Samsung’s Bixby digital assistant out of the box.
Samsung Galaxy Note 8: Even Bigger, But No More Boom
Samsung managed to recover nicely from the Note 7 debacle with the launch of the Galaxy S8 and S8 Plus in 2017, and like clockwork, it launched the Galaxy Note 8 in September 2017. It had the biggest screen of the Note series (and that’s saying something) with a Super AMOLED 6.32-inch 2,960 x 1,440 resolution display, with the same type of 18.5:9 aspect ratio design that the company launched earlier in 2018 with the Galaxy S8 series.
Also read: Best Note 8 accessories | Best Note 8 cases
Compared to the Note 7, Samsung increased the RAM inside the Note 8 from 4GB to 6GB, and the phone was also the first from the company with a dual rear camera setup, with two 12MP sensors, one with a wide angle lens and the other with a telephoto lens. It’s also the first phone in the Note series with a dedicated Bixby button. On the downside, it was also the most expensive Samsung phone launched up to that point, with a starting price of $930. It also had a weirdly positioned fingerprint scanner, which was placed to the right of the dual camera. Even with these issues, Note fans were likely pleased with this release, especially after what happened with the Note 7.
Samsung Galaxy Note 9: The Latest, The Greatest, And The Priciest
Samsung has just announced the next entry in the Note series, the Galaxy Note 9, during its Unpacked press event. While we don’t have our full review up yet, we do know that the Note 9 has a 6.4-inch display, up slightly from the Note 8’s 6.32-inch screen. Another major change is that the Note 9 comes with at least 128GB of onboard storage, along with 6GB of RAM in the standard version. Samsung has also announced a model that will have 8GB of RAM and 512GB of onboard storage. The phone will still support a microSD card to add up to 512GB of additional storage.
The Note 9’s battery is much bigger this time, at 4,000mAh, compared to the 3,300mAh battery found in the Note 8. It will also support fast wireless and wired charging. Inside, the Note 9 will have the Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 chip, and the phone will be rated IP68 for water and dust resistance. Both of the dual rear cameras on the Note 9 will support optical image stabilization, and they will have new AI-based features. One of them is called a scene optimizer, which Samsung says will automatically fine-tune the camera’s software settings to match what’s going on in the picture, such as night, snow, text, and more, in order for the phone to take the best possible shot without any help from the owner.
The S-Pen in the Galaxy Note 9 is getting its biggest revamp since the start of the Note series. The S-Pen will have Bluetooth LE wireless technology inside that will allow the owner to use the pen like a remote control for the Note 9. You will be able to launch and operate apps and features on the phone with the S-Pen, including its cameras. It will last up to 200 clicks or 30 minutes on a single charge, and it only takes 40 seconds to fully charge the S-Pen’s battery up again when its placed back inside the Note 9.
Samsung has also confirmed that the Galaxy Note 9 will be the most expensive phone in the series to date. The model with 6GB of RAM and 128GB of storage will be priced at $999.99 without a contract, while the version with 8GB of RAM and 512GB storage will set you back a whopping $1,249.99 without a contract.
Stay tuned as we will have our full review of the Samsung Galaxy Note 9 soon, along with more coverage of the latest phone in the company’s popular series.
Conclusion
That’s our look at the history of the Samsung Galaxy Note phone series. Which one of these phones is your personal favorite, and do you think the Note 9 could be the best in the series, even with its high price tag? Let us know in the comments!
from Android Authority https://ift.tt/2vXFOoF
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