RealClear Summary
Posted On August 17, 2012
Steve Jobs once mocked the stylus claiming that if a company incorporated one into its product, "they blew it." Samsung begs to differ. Its Galaxy Note 10.1 tablet is staking its claim largely on the basis of a touch-sensitive stylus and a series of apps optimized for use with a stylus.
The Galaxy Note 10.1 is an Android 4.0 tablet that packs an S-Pen stylus for use on its 1280 x 800 resolution display. It contains a number of apps designed for use with the S-Pen, including S Note, for sketching and jotting down your thoughts, and Adobe's Photoshop Touch for photo-editing. On the hardware side, you'll find a 1.4GHz Exynos quad-core processor, microSD card slot and 2GB of RAM. There's a 5-megapixel rear-facing camera for snapshots and a 1.9-megapixel front-facing camera for video chats.
Physically, the Note 10.1 is slender at .35 inches thick. It weighs in at 1.31 pounds.
You can spring for a 16GB, Wi-Fi only version for $499, putting it in league with the new iPad. Reviewers had a mixed take on the Note 10.1. Those that liked it were impressed by the S-Pen and related apps, but many were turned off by the price.
Reviews Sources
The Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 is the best Samsung tablet yet. If you can get over its somewhat high price, it's a sound Android tablet investment.
It's a solid, straightforward Android tablet that comes with an S Pen, a suite of pen-friendly apps and some productivity-oriented software enhancements which give it a more...
To seal the deal and move units off shelves, Samsung should've priced the Note 10.1 at about $100 less. Instead, it stands on even retail ground with higher-end rivals, forcing you,...
Considering the iPad's strong developer support and truly excellent display, it still seems like the more worthwhile purchase right now. I wish that weren't the case (I'm...
Should You Buy It? No. The only possible exception would be a graphic designer absolutely convinced that the S Pen can be tamed. Even then, go to the store and give it a good try first.
This device is clearly Samsung's best effort yet, and with the power you get right along with the hardware that just feels nice to use, you've got a winner on your hands.
The Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 is the first tablet to actually change my workflow. It's the only 10-inch Android tablet with clear consumer advantages over the iPad.
It packs plenty of gimmicks, but none of them can elevate the Note Tablet above its competitors.
A pretty good pen system built on top of a disappointing Android tablet still makes for a disappointing Android tablet. There's just no reason to suffer through it: the Nexus 7 costs...
The Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 lacks one competitive spec that other top-tier tablets but when you factor in the handy stowaway S Pen and Samsung's pen-optimized software, the Galaxy...
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