Samsung Galaxy Note 8.0 vs Samsung Galaxy Note 2

Samsung has launched the Galaxy Note 8.0 as a medium sized tablet with S-Pen input, but is it better than the Galaxy Note 2 smartphone?

Samsung’s Galaxy Note 2 has been on the market for a little while now but is still a competitive handset choice which has proven popular with consumers.

It features a large 5.5-inch display, S-Pen stylus input, a quad-core processor and Android 4.1 Jelly Bean.

The Galaxy Note 8.0, announced at MWC 2013, follows the same design principles but expands things into a larger 8-inch tablet form factor, though unusually for a device this size still retains the call and text capability (a Wi-Fi only variant is also available, however).

Samsung Galaxy Note 2: Key specs and what’s hot

The two most immediate advantages of the Galaxy Note 2 are its sizeable, high-quality display and powerful quad-core processor.

It uses a 5.5-inch Super AMOLED touchscreen with digitiser support for the S-Pen stylus, along with a 1280x720 pixel resolution at 267 pixels-per-inch (ppi).

Visuals are, on the whole, quite crisp, although as a pentile display it’s not quite as clear as similarly specced LCD counterparts and text clarity does suffer somewhat.



Brightness is also not a strong suit of AMOLED although here it’s reasonably competent. Colour depth, dark tones and contrast are all great. Touch responsiveness is excellent and particularly so with the S-Pen, which delivers high levels of sensitivity, fluidity and accuracy previously unseen with stylus implementation.

The processor is Samsung’s own quad-core Exynos 4412 chip based on ARM Cortex-A9 architecture and clocked at 1.6GHz with a Mali-400MP quad-core graphics processing unit (GPU). The device is also well-stocked when it comes to RAM, with 2GB helping things tick over smoothly.

Storage includes Samsung’s typically generous array of 16GB, 32GB and 64GB options, while each supports high-capacity microSD cards up to 64GB.

Android 4.1 Jelly Bean is a key pulling point as the platform has now evolved into a refined and comprehensive suite of software.



There are now more than 700,000 apps on Google Play for the Galaxy Note 2 to make use of and the operating system runs smoothly, features latency optimisation tweaks for better responsiveness, is more stable and has some fluid and intuitive multitasking controls. The menu layout is also easy-to-use and logical.

Other highlights include the Google Now search engine, voice control and notifications system, an application which seems to consistently surprise users with its eerie behaviour before becoming an invaluable companion.

Additional handset hot-spots include the 8-megpixel primary camera, which is identical to the Galaxy S3 flagship setup and delivers decent quality images and videos, and the sizeable 3,100mAh battery which ensures the Galaxy Note 2 just keeps on going where other phones falter.

Samsung Galaxy Note 8.0: Key specs and what’s hot

The Galaxy Note 8.0 is pretty much a blown-up Galaxy Note 2, so most of the highlights we mentioned in the previous section apply here too.

However, while we will make more detailed points about the external design and build quality of both devices in the next section, it’s well worth mentioning here that although on paper the Galaxy Note 8.0 weighs more than the Galaxy Note 2 smartphone, it feels much more manageable in terms of weight distribution and it’s also the thinner of the two devices.



The processor and RAM setup is exactly the same as its smaller counterpart and provides a similarly slick experience on Android 4.1 Jelly Bean, which in turn has all the same perks in terms of smoothness of operation and app choice.

Points to consider: Practical use

While the specs are broadly comparable and should deliver a similar experience there are a few key differences which may dictate your decision.

The big advantage of the Note 2 over other smartphones is the massive screen, making it excellent for viewing multimedia and webpages. On the same line the Note 8.0’s even larger display makes it even more fit for this purpose.

The Galaxy Note 8.0’s display is an LCD with a 1280x800 pixel resolution, giving a lower pixel density of 189ppi and, side-by-side, the Galaxy Note 2’s screen is sharper despite being pentile AMOLED.

The Galaxy Note 8.0’s LCD, however, ensures better brightness and outdoor use, as well as purer whites, while colours remain rich. Contrast is perhaps not quite as good as the Note 2’s but still competent.

With the Note 8.0 you do lose out on the opportunity for that higher-tier 64GB storage space and it has a 5-megapixel camera instead of the Note 2’s 8-megapixel snapper.

Also, the Note 8.0 has a larger 4,600mAh battery pack but we’re a little concerned this may not be enough of a boost.

The Note 2 generally gives excellent battery life from its 3,100mAh pack but certain tasks, most notably the use of the S-Pen stylus, drain it alarmingly quickly by comparison.

When you consider the Galaxy Note 8.0 must power a larger LCD display, be capable of making calls and may also have drain from S-Pen use you can see how such a small battery boost may not be enough, particularly when compared to other similarly sized tablets in its class.

As a final point we said we’d come back to the build quality. This is the same as with every other Samsung device – reasonably robust and solid in construction, but lacking the premium finish we’d like for this kind of price tag.

The glossy Samsung plastic still holds no appeal whatsoever and while we still find such devices usable it really tarnishes everything with a tacky cheapness that simply isn’t welcome.

The design language on both devices is, for the most part, the same. The only noticable difference is the Note 8.0's broader bezel but this is understandable to allow better grip on a larger device.

Conclusion

In principle, the idea of a Galaxy Note 8.0 device sitting between the Galaxy Note 2 and Galaxy Note 10.1 is fairly sound and it does seem like a well-executed product on the whole.

Having used a Galaxy Note 10.1 the Note 8.0 is infinitely more portable and usable than its larger cousin.

The calls thing seems a bit weird, but then, you don’t have to use it, or you could get the Wi-Fi only model and probably save yourself some cash in the process.

You can’t really go wrong with either device, but if you want something primarily as a phone the Galaxy Note 2 is the better option.

Meanwhile, if you want more from the larger display and the creativity elements of the Note brand the Galaxy Note 8.0 will likely offer more.

The concern over battery life is an important issue and we’ll be focusing on this closely in our full review.

by via Know Your Mobile