Information about the make, model, and alternative names of the specific device, if available.

Design

Information about the dimensions and weight of the device, presented in different units of measurement. Materials used, colors offered, certificates.

Width Width information - refers to the horizontal side of the device in its standard orientation during use.	262 mm (millimeters) 26.2 cm (centimeters) 0.86 ft (feet) 10.31 in (inches)
Height Height information - refers to the vertical side of the device in its standard orientation during use.	180 mm (millimeters) 18 cm (centimeters) 0.59 ft (feet) 7.09 in (inches)
Thickness Information about the thickness of the device in different units of measurement.	8.9 mm (millimeters) 0.89 cm (centimeters) 0.03 ft (feet) 0.35 in (inches)
Weight Information about the weight of the device in different units of measurement.	600 g (grams) 1.32 lbs (pounds) 21.16 oz (ounces)
Volume The approximate volume of the device, calculated based on the dimensions provided by the manufacturer. Refers to devices with the shape of a rectangular parallelepiped.	419.72 cm³ (cubic centimeters) 25.49 in³ (cubic inches)
Colors Information about the colors in which this device is offered for sale.	White Grey

SIM card

The SIM card is used in mobile devices to store data that certifies the authenticity of mobile service subscribers.

Mobile networks

A mobile network is a radio system that allows multiple mobile devices to communicate with each other.

Mobile communication technologies and data transfer speeds

Communication between devices on mobile networks is carried out using technologies that provide different data transfer rates.

Operating system

An operating system is a system software that manages and coordinates the operation of hardware components in a device.

SoC (System on Chip)

A system on a chip (SoC) includes all the most important hardware components of a mobile device on a single chip.

SoC (System on Chip) A system on a chip (SoC) integrates various hardware components, such as a processor, graphics processor, memory, peripherals, interfaces, etc., as well as the software necessary for their operation.	Samsung Exynos 4 Quad 4412
Process Information about the technological process by which the chip is manufactured. Nanometers measure half the distance between elements in the processor.	32 nm (nanometers)
Processor (CPU) The primary function of a mobile device's processor (CPU) is to interpret and execute instructions contained in software applications.	ARM Cortex-A9
Processor size The size (in bits) of a processor is determined by the size (in bits) of the registers, address buses, and data buses. 64-bit processors have more high performance compared to 32-bit processors, which for their part are more productive than 16-bit processors.	32 bit
Instruction Set Architecture Instructions are commands with which the software sets/controls the operation of the processor. Information about the instruction set (ISA) that the processor can execute.	ARMv7
Level 1 cache (L1) Cache memory is used by the processor to reduce access time to more frequently used data and instructions. L1 (level 1) cache is small in size and works much faster than both system memory and other cache levels. If the processor does not find the requested data in L1, it continues to look for it in the L2 cache. On some processors, this search is performed simultaneously in L1 and L2.	32 kB + 32 kB (kilobytes)
Level 2 cache (L2) L2 (level 2) cache is slower than L1 cache, but in return it has a higher capacity, allowing it to cache more data. It, like L1, is much faster than system memory (RAM). If the processor does not find the requested data in L2, it continues to look for it in the L3 cache (if available) or in RAM memory.	1024 kB (kilobytes) 1 MB (megabytes)
Number of processor cores The processor core executes software instructions. There are processors with one, two or more cores. Having more cores increases performance by allowing multiple instructions to be executed in parallel.	4
CPU clock speed The clock speed of a processor describes its speed in terms of cycles per second. It is measured in megahertz (MHz) or gigahertz (GHz).	1400 MHz (megahertz)
Graphics Processing Unit (GPU) The Graphics Processing Unit (GPU) handles calculations for various 2D/3D graphics applications. In mobile devices, it is most often used by games, consumer interfaces, video applications, etc.	ARM Mali-400 MP4
Number of GPU cores Like a CPU, a GPU is made up of several working parts called cores. They handle graphics calculations for various applications.	4
GPU clock speed Running speed is the clock speed of the GPU, measured in megahertz (MHz) or gigahertz (GHz).	440 MHz (megahertz)
Amount of random access memory (RAM) Random access memory (RAM) is used by the operating system and all installed applications. Data stored in RAM is lost after the device is turned off or restarted.	2 GB (gigabytes)
Type of random access memory (RAM) Information about the type of random access memory (RAM) used by the device.	LPDDR2
Number of RAM channels Information about the number of RAM channels that are integrated into the SoC. More channels mean higher data rates.	Dual channel
RAM frequency The frequency of RAM determines its operating speed, more specifically, the speed of reading/writing data.	400 MHz (megahertz)

Built-in memory

Each mobile device has built-in (non-removable) memory with a fixed capacity.

Memory cards

Memory cards are used in mobile devices to increase the storage capacity for storing data.

Screen

The screen of a mobile device is characterized by its technology, resolution, pixel density, diagonal length, color depth, etc.

Type/technology One of the main characteristics of the screen is the technology by which it is made and on which the quality of the information image directly depends.	PLS
Diagonal For mobile devices, screen size is expressed by the length of its diagonal, measured in inches.	10.1 in (inches) 256.54 mm (millimeters) 25.65 cm (centimeters)
Width Approximate screen width	8.56 in (inches) 217.55 mm (millimeters) 21.75 cm (centimeters)
Height Approximate screen height	5.35 in (inches) 135.97 mm (millimeters) 13.6 cm (centimeters)
Aspect Ratio The ratio of the dimensions of the long side of the screen to its short side	1.6:1 16:10
Permission Screen resolution shows the number of pixels vertically and horizontally on the screen. Higher resolution means clearer image detail.	1280 x 800 pixels
Pixel Density Information about the number of pixels per centimeter or inch of the screen. Higher density allows information to be displayed on screen with clearer detail.	149 ppi (pixels per inch) 58 ppcm (pixels per centimeter)
Color depth Screen color depth reflects the total number of bits used for color components in one pixel. Information about the maximum number of colors that the screen can display.	24 bit 16777216 flowers
Screen area Approximate percentage of screen area occupied by the screen on the front of the device.	62.92% (percent)
Other characteristics Information about other screen features and characteristics.	Capacitive Multi-touch

Sensors

Different sensors perform different quantitative measurements and convert physical indicators into signals that a mobile device can recognize.

Main camera

The main camera of a mobile device is usually located on the back of the body and is used for taking photos and videos.

Flash type The most common types of flashes in mobile device cameras are LED and xenon flashes. LED flashes produce softer light and, unlike brighter xenon flashes, are also used for video shooting.	LED
Image Resolution One of the main characteristics of mobile device cameras is their resolution, which shows the number of horizontal and vertical pixels in the image.	2592 x 1944 pixels 5.04 MP (megapixels)
Video resolution Information about the maximum supported resolution when shooting video with the device.	1920 x 1080 pixels 2.07 MP (megapixels)
Video - frame rate/frames per second. Information about the maximum number of frames per second (fps) supported by the device when shooting video at the maximum resolution. Some of the main standard video shooting and playback speeds are 24p, 25p, 30p, 60p.	30fps (frames per second)
Characteristics Information about other software and hardware features related to the main camera and improving its functionality.	Autofocus Digital zoom Geographical tags Panoramic photography Setting White Balance

Additional camera

Additional cameras are usually mounted above the device screen and are used mainly for video conversations, gesture recognition, etc.

Audio

Information about the type of speakers and audio technologies supported by the device.

Radio

The radio of the mobile device is a built-in FM receiver.

Location determination

Information about the navigation and location technologies supported by your device.

WiFi

Wi-Fi is a technology that provides wireless communication for transmitting data over close distances between various devices.

Bluetooth

Bluetooth is a standard for secure wireless data transfer between various devices of different types over short distances.

Version There are several versions of Bluetooth, with each subsequent one improving communication speed, coverage, and making devices easier to discover and connect. Information about the Bluetooth version of the device.	4.0
Characteristics Bluetooth uses different profiles and protocols that provide faster data transfer, energy savings, improved device discovery, etc. Some of these profiles and protocols that the device supports are shown here.	A2DP (Advanced Audio Distribution Profile) AVRCP (Audio/Visual Remote Control Profile) GAVDP (Generic Audio/Video Distribution Profile) GAP (Generic Access Profile) GOEP (Generic Object Exchange Profile) HFP (Hands-Free Profile) HID (Human Interface Profile) HSP (Headset Profile) LE (Low Energy) OPP (Object Push Profile) SPP (Serial Port Protocol)

USB

USB (Universal Serial Bus) is an industry standard that allows different electronic devices to exchange data.

HDMI

HDMI (High-Definition Multimedia Interface) is a digital audio/video interface that replaces older analog audio/video standards.

Headphone jack

This is an audio connector, also called an audio jack. The most widely used standard in mobile devices is the 3.5mm headphone jack.

Connecting devices

Information about other important connection technologies supported by your device.

Browser

A web browser is a software application for accessing and viewing information on the Internet.

Video file formats/codecs

Mobile devices support different video file formats and codecs, which respectively store and encode/decode digital video data.

Battery

Mobile device batteries differ from each other in their capacity and technology. They provide the electrical charge necessary for their functioning.

Capacity A battery's capacity indicates the maximum charge it can hold, measured in milliamp-hours.	7000 mAh (milliamp-hours)
Type The type of battery is determined by its structure and, more precisely, the chemicals used. There are different types of batteries, with lithium-ion and lithium-ion polymer batteries being the most commonly used batteries in mobile devices.	Li-Ion (Lithium-ion)
2G talk time 2G talk time is the period of time during which the battery charge is completely discharged during a continuous conversation on a 2G network.	40 h (hours) 2400 min (minutes) 1.7 days
2G latency 2G standby time is the period of time during which the battery charge is completely discharged when the device is in stand-by mode and connected to a 2G network.	2230 h (hours) 133800 min (minutes) 92.9 days
3G talk time 3G talk time is the period of time during which the battery charge is completely discharged during a continuous conversation on a 3G network.	40 h (hours) 2400 min (minutes) 1.7 days
3G latency 3G standby time is the period of time during which the battery charge is completely discharged when the device is in stand-by mode and connected to a 3G network.	2230 h (hours) 133800 min (minutes) 92.9 days
Characteristics Information about some additional characteristics of the device's battery.	Fixed
	Charging connector - proprietary

Specific Absorption Rate (SAR)

The SAR level refers to the amount of electromagnetic radiation absorbed by the human body while using a mobile device.

Body SAR level (EU) The SAR level indicates the maximum amount of electromagnetic radiation to which the human body is exposed when holding a mobile device at hip level. The maximum permissible SAR value for mobile devices in Europe is 2 W/kg per 10 grams of human tissue. This standard has been established by the CENELEC Committee in compliance with the ICNIRP 1998 guidelines and IEC standards.	0.697 W/kg (Watt per kilogram)
Body SAR level (US) The SAR level indicates the maximum amount of electromagnetic radiation to which the human body is exposed when holding a mobile device at hip level. The highest permissible SAR value in the USA is 1.6 W/kg per 1 gram of human tissue. This value is set by the FCC, and the CTIA monitors mobile devices' compliance with this standard.	1.1 W/kg (Watt per kilogram)

12/30/2012 18:42 (28 Votes)

Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 tablet review

Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 has come a long way in its development. When we first met it at the beginning of this year, it was equipped with a 2-core processor, 1 GB of RAM and a standard version of Android with a TouchWiz interface. Characteristic Features Wacom gave it a stylus, which is a great addition for those who prefer writing over typing.

Since that time, it received a new 4-core processor, the same CPU powers the powerful Samsung Galaxy S3, the amount of RAM was increased to 2 GB, which allowed the Galaxy Note 10.1 to outperform the famous Asus Transformer Infinity in performance.

Key Features: 10.1-inch PLS display with a resolution of 1280 x 800 pixels; 4-core Exynos processor with a frequency of 1.4 GHz; 2 GB RAM; 16-64 GB of memory; S Pen stylus; 3G and microSD slot; IR port.

Design

Unfortunately, the Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 doesn't look the most attractive. If this design was the result of Samsung's efforts to avoid Apple's accusations of copying the iPad, then we can safely say that Samsung has nothing to fear, since Apple certainly does not have a patent for minimalism.

Even being in white, this Galaxy Note 10.1 didn't help. The white plastic gives it a cheaper look compared to the black model, and secondly, the black screen, white bezel around it, and silver frame just don't work well in this combination. Therefore, if you are deciding which color to buy the Galaxy Note 10.1, then we strongly recommend that you opt for black. The two speakers on either side of the tablet are positioned in such a way as to avoid resemblance to some Apple devices, but the fact that there is stereo sound casts the tablet in a positive light for those who care about sound quality.

Don't get us wrong, it feels like it's plastic in your hands, but the build quality is excellent, and the slightly convex frame provides a good grip and grip. But the smooth, glossy back cover of the tablet doesn't feel particularly pleasant in your hands. As a result, it turns out that the Galaxy Note 10.1 is not as assiduous in the hands as, for example, the textured Transformer Pad 300 or the anodized aluminum of the new iPad.

But overall the build quality is very good. The plastic itself is hard and of high quality, although the back cover plays a little and flexes if you press on it. The biggest concern is that the shiny plastic scratches very easily. For such dimensions, the tablet weighs very little, only 595 grams, and in this indicator it even outperformed the new iPad and iPad 2.

Connections and memory

Design isn't the only area where Samsung wanted to borrow features from early Apple devices. And it was precisely the poor variety of means and methods of connecting the Galaxy Note 10.1 to external or peripheral devices that was allowed here.

The very first thing is that you will not find either a USB port or video output on the Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1. Of course, this can be compensated for by special adapters that can be purchased separately, but these are additional costs. But where the Galaxy Note 10.1 wins over the iPad and some Android tablets like the Motorola Xoom 2 is its microSD card slot. With its help, you can add 64 GB to the native 16/32/64 GB, and get enough space for your favorite music or movies.

The MicroSD slot is hidden under a plastic flap and is located next to the power button and volume rocker. The right side of the tablet houses the infrared transceiver and audio output, while the left side is completely unoccupied. At the bottom is a port for charging the tablet, and next to it, a little to the right, is a slot for the S Pen stylus.

The next big advantage of the Galaxy Note 10.1 over its competitors is the presence of a 3G modem. This makes it preferable over the Asus Transformer line of devices, which still does not have a tablet with a 3G modem on board.

IR port

As already mentioned, the Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 is equipped with an IR module, which is very rare now, but a rather convenient feature. With this function, you can use your tablet as a remote control for a TV, and not necessarily made by Samsung. Now, there are not many devices left on the tablet market that are equipped with an IR port, among them Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 10.1 and Sony. The Galaxy Note 10.1 software includes a Smart Remote application, which we used to control our Panasonic TV. The application performed excellently, except for one thing: it turned out that the TV had to be turned on separately first, and all other functions already worked using the Smart Remote.

Cameras

As is the case with many tablets, the Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 is equipped with front and rear cameras. In front was a 1.9 MP HD camera with decent shooting quality, which is quite enough for video calls. On the back side there was a 5 megapixel camera paired with an LED flash. It also demonstrates decent photo quality and is capable of recording 720p video.

Screen

For many, the Note 10.1's screen was the biggest disappointment in the tablet. Most complaints come to his small resolution. This dissatisfaction arose thanks to its 2048 x 1536 Retina display, and then Asus Transformer Infinity and Acer A700 improved their performance to 1920 x 1200, how can they remain silent!?

All the Note 10.1 is capable of is 1280 x 800 pixels, which seems a completely unacceptable resolution especially for the category of designers, technical illustrators and artists. But while we're here complaining about the Galaxy Note 10.1's screen, don't forget that no other tablet, except those mentioned above, has a higher resolution than the Galaxy Note 10.1.

Unfortunately, the screen cannot be highlighted in any other way for the better. In terms of brightness, the Galaxy Note 10.1 also lags far behind the Super IPS Plus screen of the Transformer Prime and Infinity.

It was not surprising that the screen measured 10.1 inches and turned out to be a PLS screen, which is quite close in quality to IPS. The colors are bright and there is good detail in dark fragments, when this is precisely the point that is missed in many tablets. As expected from PLS, viewing angles are excellent, although there is a slight change in contrast visible, but only at higher angles. There are no more complaints about the screen. The aspect ratio is 16:10, which makes the Galaxy Note 10.1 a very convenient device for watching movies and reading.

Performance

Featuring a 1.4GHz quad-core Exynos processor backed by 2GB of RAM, there aren't many tablets today that can match the performance of the Galaxy Note 10.1. In practice, everything works great, there are rare moments when Ice Cream Sandwich causes slowdown or lag, but this is not a hardware issue, and we are confident that with Jelly Bean these inconveniences will resolve themselves. Many have complained that it is TouchWiz that slows down the tablet, but we completely deny these accusations. To see the power of this device, try expanding the video file window to full screen while playing it, or running several other applications at the same time.

Like any Tegra 3 device, the quad-core Note easily plays high-quality 1080p video in almost any format. We said practically because the standard video player does not play some common formats, such as .MOV, so we recommend downloading and installing MX Player.

Battery

The Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 is powered by a 7000 mAh battery, which can last almost a whole day when fully charged. With active and comprehensive use: watching videos, playing games, surfing the Internet, the battery lasted about 8 hours, and the energy-saving mode was turned on.

That doesn't sound like much compared to the 9+ hours on the iPad 3 or the Asus Transformer Pad 300, but let's not forget that the Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 has a quad-core processor to feed.

Conclusion

There are two ways to look at the Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1: it's both ugly and innovative, powerful and limited, and evokes feelings of success and disappointment. Having a 4-core processor and 2 GB of RAM, it has earned the title of the most powerful Android tablet today, and stereo speakers guarantee it victory in the category of best-sounding device. On the one hand, the limited set of connectivity interfaces and the average quality of the screen and battery do not give it much credibility, but for just under $650 you are buying an excellent tablet with a huge range of functions.

The Samsung Galaxy Note phone, released a year ago, became the first successful Android device with pen input. And the Galaxy Note 10.1 tablet, which only recently reached Ukraine, is an attempt to transfer the success of the Galaxy Note to the tablet segment. But how successful will this “test of pen” be?

Specifications Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1

Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1
operating system	Google Android 4.0.4
Display	10.1 inches, PLS, 1280x800 pixels, 16 million colors, touch (capacitive matrix)
CPU	Exynos 4 Quad, four ARM Cortex-A9 cores, clock frequency 1.4 GHz; integrated video accelerator Mali-400MP
RAM	2 GB
Flash memory	16 GB + microSDXC card slot (up to 64 GB)
Camera	5 MP, autofocus, 1080p video recording; front camera for video calls
Wireless technologies	Wi-Fi a/b/g/n (2.4/5 GHz), Bluetooth 4.0, GSM/GPRS/EDGE 850/900/1800/1900, HSPA 850/900/1900/2100
Interfaces	Samsung Dock, 3.5 mm headphone output
GPS	Yes
Dimensions and weight	262x180x9 mm, 600 grams

Appearance and design

Externally, the Galaxy Note 10.1 is almost identical to the popular Galaxy Tab 2 10.1 tablet. It is also entirely made of plastic (white or gray) with a silver edging, which hides two front-facing speakers. Overall, the quality of materials and build, in my opinion, does not correspond to the price level of the tablet - both the iPad and the Apple Transformer Prime/Infinity boast much more impressive cases.

On the top edge of the tablet there is a power button, a volume rocker, a microSD card slot, an infrared transmitter window, a headphone output and a SIM card slot. In my opinion, the location of the headphone jack can be called downright unfortunate - it would be better to place it in the corner of the tablet.

On the bottom edge of the Galaxy Note 10.1 there is nothing except the Samsung Dock connector and a microphone hole.

Screen

Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 is equipped with exactly the same screen as the Galaxy Tab 2 10.1. This high-quality PLS matrix with a diagonal of 10.1 inches has a resolution of 1280x800 pixels. It is characterized by pleasant soft color rendition and wide viewing angles. When set to maximum brightness, the screen remains readable in the sun.

Software and functionality

Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 has its own TouchWiz shell installed on top of the Android 4.0.4 operating system, and many of the standard programs (for example, the calendar) are replaced with their own versions. In addition to programs for working with the S Pen (which will be discussed below), the tablet is pre-installed with a file manager, Samsung ChatON messenger (analogous to WhatsApp) and the Polaris Office office suite. We can’t help but mention the Smart Remote program, which allows you to use the Note 10.1 as a remote control for almost any equipment in the house. The remote control codes are downloaded from the Internet.

An interesting point: the stock video player allows you to place the video in a small window on top of your desktop or other programs. This feature is called Pop-Up Play. That is, you can, for example, work in a text editor and at the same time watch TV series with one eye.

S Pen and multi-window

Like the Galaxy Note/Note II smartphones, the Note 10.1 tablet is equipped with a pressure-sensitive S Pen (1024 levels of pressure recognition) using Wacom technology.

The pen itself is relatively small in size and, like the tablet itself, is made of plastic. The prototypes shown in February at MWC 2012 did not have a pen compartment in the case, but this deficiency was eliminated in commercial samples of the tablet. When you remove the pen from the compartment, the tablet automatically displays a sidebar on the screen with applications that support pen input - unfortunately, you cannot edit these shortcuts, but you can specify an application that will launch automatically when you remove the pen.

Galaxy Note 10.1 supports handwriting recognition. The recognition really works and even understands the Russian language quite well, but I personally still manage to type noticeably faster on the virtual keyboard.

To work with the pen, the tablet comes pre-installed with several applications, the main one of which is, of course, S Note. This program allows you to create notes that combine a large number of different elements (including text, graphics, pictures, video and sound). The new version of S Note provides different templates for different types of notes - from plain text to meeting minutes, diary entry or travel report. Notes can be grouped into folders.

There is also formula recognition here, as in the updated version of S Note for the Galaxy Note smartphone.

In dual-screen mode (which will be discussed in more detail a little later), the stylus allows you to take a screenshot of a web page or photo from the gallery, cut out a piece of any shape from it and drag it into a note.

Another pre-installed application that artists and other people who work with graphics will appreciate is Photoshop Touch. This is a greatly simplified version of the “big” Photoshop, which, however, allows you to fully edit images. PS Touch is one of the few programs that can recognize pressure when using the S Pen.

The Galaxy Note 10.1 is the first Android device to be able to display two apps on the screen at once in a kind of multi-window (more precisely, dual-window) mode. Unfortunately, only Samsung’s own applications can work in this mode, and not all of them, but only the browser, S Note, gallery, email client (but not standard Gmail), video player and the Polaris Office office suite.

Another disadvantage of this “two-window” implementation is the slow switching between simultaneously running programs. Let’s say that if you have a browser and an office suite running at the same time, then when you move from one application to another, it will begin to respond to user actions not instantly, but after 1-2 seconds.

Performance and autonomy

Unlike the Galaxy Tab 2 10.1, the Note 10.1 is equipped with a fast 4-core Exynos 4 Quad processor clocked at 1.4 GHz and Mali-400MP graphics, as well as 2 GB of RAM. Due to this, it is the fastest Android tablet in the world at the moment, as confirmed by the results of synthetic tests. In real life, when switching between desktops, there is sometimes some stuttering (if there are a lot of widgets on them), otherwise the tablet is very fast. An update to Android 4.1 should potentially make it even faster.

Bottom line

Without a doubt, the Galaxy Note 10.1 is one of the top Android tablets in terms of performance today. Combine that with the unique S Pen and you've got one of the best-looking Android tablets on the market. The disadvantages include the screen (the resolution of 1280x800 pixels is noticeably inferior to FullHD in the ASUS Transformer Infinity, not to mention the iPad with a Retina display) and the body materials (again, ASUS and Apple are ahead in this parameter). At the same time, the price of the Note 10.1 is exactly the same as an iPad with a Retina screen, so the attractiveness of a Samsung tablet in the eyes of a buyer depends primarily on how much a particular buyer needs a stylus.

5 reasons to buy Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1:

• high performance;
• loud high-quality speakers;
• possibility of use as a remote control;
• S Pen with 1024 pressure recognition;
• convenient S Note application.

1 reason not to buy Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1:

• low screen resolution compared to direct competitors.

Samsung continues to actively develop the Galaxy Note line. Immediately after the release of the Galaxy Note 3 tablet, the 10-inch Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 (2014 Edition) tablet also went on sale. The 2014 Edition marking is made to distinguish this model from last year's Galaxy Note 10.1.

The previous Galaxy Note 10.1 was a rather strange device: to be considered a top-end device, it lacked a high-resolution screen (this parameter was only 1280x800) and a more interesting design. At the same time, the price of the device was very high, at the level of top Full HD tablets from other manufacturers.

Oddly enough, Samsung was in no hurry to improve its tablet line in terms of characteristics, relying on the game in the mid-budget segment (where Samsung released the Galaxy Note 8.0 and Galaxy Tab 3 10.1 models). As it turned out, the company’s marketers decided to completely go beyond the 1920x1080 resolution, leaving it for smartphones, and jump straight to 2560x1600 in tablets. This was implemented in the new Galaxy Note 10.1.

However, Samsung did not limit itself to just updating the screen and raised all other characteristics to a truly flagship level. Let's look at the specifications of the tablet.

Specifications Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 2014 Edition (SM-P601)

• SoC Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 @2.3 GHz (4 cores Krait 400) / Samsung Exynos 5 Octa @1.9 GHz (4 cores ARM Cortex-A15) and @1.3 GHz (4 cores ARM Cortex-A7)
• GPU Adreno 330 / Mali-T628 MP6
• RAM 3 GB
• Flash memory 16/32/64 GB
• Operating system Android 4.3 (Jelly Bean)
• Touch screen Super Clean LCD on PLS matrix, 10.1″, 2560×1600 (299 ppi), capacitive, multi-touch
• Cameras: front (2 MP, 1080p video transmission) and rear (8 MP, 1080p video recording)
• Wi-Fi 802.11b/g/n/ac (2.4 GHz and 5 GHz)
• EDGA/GPRS 850/900/1800/1900, HSPA+42 850/900/1900/2100
• LTE: 800/900/1800/2600+850/2100 (optional)
• Memory card support: microSD (up to 64 GB)
• Bluetooth 4.0
• S Pen
• 3.5mm headphone/microphone jack, Micro-USB (OTG supported)
• Lithium polymer battery 8220 mAh
• DLNA, MHL 2.0 support
• Accelerometer
• GPS (with A-GPS support) / Glonass
• Gyroscope
• Compass
• Dimensions 243.1 x 171.4 x 7.9 mm
• Weight 544 g

As we can see, most of the characteristics of the tablet are identical to the Galaxy Note 3 tablet (with the exception of screen parameters and dimensions). In general, this is certainly a top level, which in all respects corresponds to the best tablets of the second half of 2013. If we compare it with the flagship new products from Asus and Toshiba, the Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 looks no weaker, and in some ways stronger. But, of course, the main competitor is expected to be the new iPad Air, announced by Apple on October 22. For clarity, we have listed the characteristics of all these flagships in a table.

	Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 (2014 Edition)	iPad Air	Toshiba Excite Write	Asus Transformer Pad Infinity (2013)
Screen	PLS, 10.1″, 2560×1600 (299 ppi)	IPS, 9.7″, 2048×1536 (264 ppi)		IPS, 10.1″, 2560×1600 (299 ppi)
SoC (processor)	Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 @2.3 GHz (4 Krait 400 cores) / Samsung Exynos 5 Octa (see above)	Apple A7 1.3 GHz 64 bit (2 cores, Cyclone architecture, based on ARMv8)		NVIDIA Tegra 4 @1.8 GHz (4 cores + 1, ARM Cortex-A15)
GPU	Adreno 330 / Mali-T628 MP6	PowerVR G6430	NVIDIA GeForce	NVIDIA GeForce
Flash memory	from 16 to 64 GB	from 16 to 128 GB	32 GB	32 GB + 5 GB in Asus Webstorage cloud storage
Connectors	Micro-USB (with OTG support), 3.5mm headphone jack	Lightning dock connector, 3.5mm headphone jack	Micro-USB, Micro-HDMI, 3.5 mm headphone jack	dock connector, Micro-USB, Micro-HDMI, 3.5 mm headphone jack
Memory card support	microSD (up to 64 GB)	No	microSD	microSD
RAM	3 GB	1 GB	2 GB	2 GB
Cameras	rear (8 MP; video recording - 1080p) and front (2 MP, video transmission 1080p)	front (1.2 MP, 720p video via FaceTime) and rear (5 MP, 1080p video shooting) and	front (1.2 MP) and rear (8 MP, 1080p video recording)	front (1.2 MP, support for video communication 720p) and rear (5 MP, video recording 1080p)
Internet	Wi-Fi + 3G (optional LTE)	Wi-Fi (optional - 3G, as well as 4G LTE without support for Russian networks)	WiFi	WiFi
Battery capacity (mAh)	8220	unknown	8920	unknown
operating system	Google Android 4.3	Apple iOS 7.0	Google Android 4.2.1	Google Android 4.2.x
Dimensions (mm)*	243×171×7.9	240×170×7.5	262×178×10.2	263×181×8.9
Weight (g)	544	478/469*	671	585

* - according to the manufacturer's information.

In a number of characteristics, the Samsung tablet beats even the iPad Air. But in terms of weight and thickness, the new Apple product is significantly better than its competitors, including the Galaxy Note 10.1. Although before the announcement of the iPad Air, the Galaxy Note 10.1 had every chance of taking the palm in this area.

Let's move on to testing the tablet.

Equipment

We received a test sample of the tablet, so we can’t judge the packaging and accessories. In addition to the device itself (with a stylus inserted into it), the box also contained charger(5.3 V 2.0 A) and Micro-USB cable. Significantly, Samsung abandoned its proprietary connector, which they used last year, and switched to Micro-USB.

As for the stylus, it is quite similar to last year's version, but thinner (which reduces its resemblance to ordinary pens and pencils) and with more rounded edges (in fact, there are no edges at all, whereas the first Galaxy Note 10.1 had a stylus had the shape of a tetrahedron). The stylus body is made of plastic. As before, there is a ribbed button that blocks the action of the stylus (that is, if, by holding it down, you try to click somewhere with the stylus or write something, there will be no effect).

Interestingly, in the hole for the stylus in the tablet there is a sensor that responds to the removal of the stylus or, conversely, its placement in the tablet.

Design

So, we smoothly moved on to the design of the tablet itself. Let's start with the exterior. While retaining recognizable elements, Samsung nevertheless seriously redesigned the appearance of the tablet: the device became thinner, sleeker, and more pleasing to look at.

On the lower frame under the screen, Samsung's signature oblong Home button appeared, next to it there are two touch buttons (Menu and Back), the Samsung inscription moved to the upper frame, next to the front camera and light sensor. The stereo speakers are now located on the side edges (rather than on the sides of the screen), so the overall dimensions have become smaller.

Changes also occurred on the back side. Its surface is no longer smooth, but stylized to resemble leather.

It looks so cool in the photos that it feels like there really is leather (albeit artificial). But in reality it is plastic, and even the stitching is just an imitation. Of course, the need to use leather in mobile devices is a controversial issue, and in purely practical terms this option may be even better, since plastic is more resistant to wear and tear. But personally, when I picked up the new Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1, I still had the feeling that it was a fake - as dubious as cheap jewelry. However, there is no friend here in terms of taste and color, but objectively speaking, the Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 looks significantly better than its immediate predecessor and all other Samsung tablets. First of all, this is achieved due to the pseudo-metallic (actually plastic) edging and rather thin thickness.

The location of the connectors and buttons is as follows. On the left side there is a 3.5 mm mini-jack for a headset and one of two speakers, on the right side there is a hole into which the S Pen stylus is inserted, a second speaker and a slot for a microSD memory card, closed with a lid.

Below we see a hole for the built-in microphone and a Micro-USB connector (with OTG support), through which the tablet is charged and connected to the computer. It is important to emphasize two nuances here: firstly, Samsung abandoned its proprietary dock connector, which was in the first Galaxy Note 10.1. And secondly, Micro-USB supports OTG here.

On the top edge there is a Power button, a volume rocker and an infrared port, thanks to which the device can be used as a universal remote control.

Screen

Detailed examination of the screen using measuring instruments conducted by the editor of the “Monitors” and “Projectors and TV” sections Alexey Kudryavtsev. Here is his conclusion.

The front surface of the screen is made in the form of a glass plate with a mirror-smooth surface that is scratch-resistant. Judging by the reflection of objects, there is a very effective anti-glare filter, approximately equal in reducing the brightness of the reflection to the Google Nexus 7 screen filter.

For clarity, here are photographs in which a white surface is reflected in the switched off screens of both tablets:

Visually, the reflection has approximately the same brightness, and only statistics from the graphics editor show that the screen of the Google Nexus 7 is slightly darker (average brightness value 86) than that of the SM-P601 (average brightness value 84). We also note that visually the screen of the SM-P601 when turned off looks a little cloudier than the screen of the Google Nexus 7, since the former has a less smooth surface of the matrix under the glass and reflects side light a little more.

The ghosting of reflected objects on the screen of the Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 2014 Edition is very weak, which indicates that there is no air gap between the layers of the screen. The outer surface of the screen has a special oleophobic (grease-repellent) coating (very effective - maybe only slightly worse than the Google Nexus 7), so fingerprints are removed much more easily and appear at a slower rate than with regular glass.

When manually controlling the brightness, its maximum value was about 400 cd/m², and the minimum was 5 cd/m². The maximum value is not very high (however, see the text below), but given the good anti-glare properties, in bright daylight the image on the screen should be quite clearly visible. In complete darkness, the brightness can be reduced to a comfortable level. There is automatic brightness adjustment based on the light sensor (it is located to the left of the front camera eye). You can make adjustments to the operation of this function by moving the adjustment slider from −5 to +5 units. Below, for three conditions, we present the screen brightness values ​​for three values ​​of this setting - −5, 0 and +5. In complete darkness, in automatic mode, the brightness is reduced to 5, 8 and 15 cd/m², respectively; in an artificially lit office, the brightness is set to 90, 150 and 250 cd/m², in a brightly lit environment (corresponding to lighting on a clear day outdoors, but without direct sunlight) increases to 460, 635 and 644 cd/m². The result of this function is as expected, while the maximum brightness is noticeably higher than with manual backlight control, so in a bright environment it makes sense to turn on the automatic mode - readability will noticeably improve. At any brightness level, there is virtually no backlight modulation, so there is no screen flickering.

This tablet uses an IPS matrix. The microphotographs show a typical IPS subpixel structure:

What is atypical is that a white subpixel is added to the triad of red, green and blue subpixels. This solution allows you to increase the brightness of the white field without increasing the cost of backlighting. Of course, magic doesn’t work, and there are side effects - the brightness of the color image is disproportionately lower than the brightness of the white areas. This is apparently partly compensated by dynamic brightness adjustment. Note that a matrix with the same set of subpixels is installed in the Toshiba Excite Write tablet.

It turns out that the resolution specified by the manufacturer is achieved only when outputting a black-and-white image, while the resolution of a color image is lower. However, the fact that the color clarity is lower does not actually affect the quality of the image, since the color clarity of human vision is also lower than the brightness clarity. However, this does not mean that the image on such a screen looks exactly the same as on a screen with the same resolution, but with all pixels consisting of the RGB triad. For comparison, here are fragments of photographs of the world on the screen of Google Nexus 7:

and on the SM-P601 screen:

In the second case, lines that are one pixel thick appear slightly jagged.

The screen has good viewing angles without inverting shades and without significant color shifts, even with large viewing deviations from perpendicular to the screen. For comparison, here is a photo in which the same images are displayed on the Google Nexus 7 and SM-P601 screens, with the brightness of both screens set to approximately 200 cd/m², and the photo was taken at an angle of approximately 45 degrees to the plane and to the side of the screen. First, just a white field:

It can be seen that the brightness at an angle for both tablets decreased approximately equally (about five times, based on the difference in shutter speed), but the color tone did not change much. Now the color test picture:

It can be seen that the colors did not “float” on both tablets, but on Samsung the black is noticeably more exposed. Indeed, when deviated diagonally, the black field is greatly brightened and acquires a red-violet tint or remains almost neutral gray. A photo from Google Nexus 7 shows this for comparison (the brightness of both tablets is the same!):

When viewed perpendicularly, the uniformity of the black field is average, since there are areas with increased black brightness in the corners and along the border of the screen. Proof and comparison (bright dots are dead pixels on the camera matrix):

The black uniformity of the Google Nexus 7 is also not ideal, but it is still better, and its contrast is clearly higher. Indeed, the contrast (approximately in the center of the screen) of the SM-P601 is not the highest - about 670:1. The response time for the black-white-black transition is 17 ms (10 ms on + 7 ms off). The transition between halftones of gray 25% and 75% (based on the numerical value of the color) and back takes a total of 25 ms.

The gamma curve constructed using 32 points did not reveal a blockage either in the highlights or in the shadows, and the index of the approximating power function turned out to be 2.13, which is slightly lower than the standard value of 2.2, while the real gamma curve deviates greatly from the power-law dependence:

However, this curve was obtained for the profile Dynamic, in the other two profiles the gamma curve may have the form of a power-law dependence.

Color gamut is almost equal to sRGB:

Apparently, the matrix filters mix the components with each other to a moderate extent. The spectra confirm this:

As a result, the colors of images - drawings, photographs and films - oriented to the sRGB space (and the vast majority of them) have natural saturation. The balance of shades on the gray scale is good, since the color temperature is slightly higher than the standard 6500 K, and the deviation from the blackbody spectrum (delta E) is less than 10, which is considered an acceptable indicator for a consumer device. At the same time, the variation in color temperature and delta E is small, which also has a positive effect on the visual perception of color balance. (Dark areas of the gray scale can be ignored, since color balance there is not very important, and the error in measuring color characteristics at low brightness is large.)

When selected in the profile screen settings Standard, apparently only the gamma curve changes, and when selecting a profile Movie The color temperature decreases slightly - it becomes closer to 6500 K.

The brightness adjustment range of this screen is very wide, and the anti-glare filter is very effective, which allows you to comfortably use the tablet both on a clear day outside and in complete darkness. At the same time, the user is relieved of the need to manually adjust the brightness, since the corresponding function copes with this task perfectly, while also helping to conserve battery power. The advantages of the screen also include an effective oleophobic coating, sRGB coverage, good color balance and the ability to choose one of three color correction profiles. The low stability of black to the deviation of the gaze from perpendicular to the screen surface and the poor uniformity of the black field are disappointing. In general, the screen is clearly not optimal for watching movies (especially with dark scenes), but these shortcomings are unlikely to have any effect when working with text, playing games, etc.

Platform and performance

Like the Samsung Galaxy Note 3, the new Galaxy Note 10.1 tablet is available in two variants: an octa-core Exynos 5 Octa SoC and a quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 SoC. The first variant is designed for tablets without LTE, the second for tablets with LTE. There is an important nuance here: versions with Exynos 5 Octa are officially sold in Russia; they do not support LTE, but do have 3G. That is, in all versions of the tablet there is mobile internet, but only the 3G model is officially supplied to Russia. This is the version we tested.

Exynos 5 Octa comes in two variants: 5410 and 5420. The first of them is used in Galaxy smartphone S4, the second - in Galaxy Note 3 and Galaxy Note 10.1 2014 Edition. The differences lie in the GPUs of different manufacturers (the Exynos 5410 has the PowerVR SGX544 MP3, the Exynos 5420 has the Mali-628 MP6), as well as the CPU frequencies and RAM bandwidth (the 5420 has better these parameters).

But let's move from theory to practice. Let's see what results Exynos 5 Octa (5420) shows in benchmarks. It is especially interesting to compare these results with the Toshiba Excite Write tablet based on NVIDIA Tegra 4, since it has the same screen resolution and diagonal.

Let's start with browser tests: SunSpider 1.0, Octane Benchmark and Kraken Benchmark. In all cases we used the Google Chrome browser, except for the iPad, which used Safari.

It's interesting that the Samsung tablet lost out to the Toshiba Excite Write here, albeit by a slight margin. But all other competitors were far behind.

Next in our program will be a new test - MobileXPRT 2013. Its peculiarity is that it simulates real user actions (applying filters to photos, scrolling Internet pages, creating slideshows), so its results directly indicate how smoothly the tablet works in daily operations.

Since this test is new to our method, there are not many results for comparison. But some conclusions can also be drawn from them. So, it is curious that the Galaxy Note 10.1 seriously outperformed the LG G2 with the Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 SoC. But the loss of the Asus Transformer Pad Infinity on the previous generation NVIDIA Tegra was quite predictable.

Let's move on to comprehensive Android benchmarks: Quadrant Advanced Edition and AnTuTu Benchmark.

Here the Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 again takes the lead and is already in the lead with a serious advantage.

In the case of AnTuTu, we note one more detail. Two versions of the application have appeared in the Google Play Store: AnTuTu Benchmark and AnTuTu Benchmark X. Judging by the description, version X is protected from cheating, and the developers in the description of the application accuse Ainol and Ramos of dishonest play. We remember that similar accusations were made against Samsung, so we decided to compare the results of the Galaxy Note 10.1 tablet in the regular and X versions of the benchmark. The result was almost the same. And very good. However, do not forget that the leadership of the Samsung tablet may be due to a larger amount of RAM than all competitors.

The third group of benchmarks is designed to show the performance of the CPU and RAM: these are SuperPi and Geekbench.

Note that we used Geekbench in two versions: the second and the third, since there is no continuity between them. The Geekbench 3 results were presented in a separate table.

Obviously, the picture is similar to previous tests: the Samsung tablet is the leader in all cases.

The last group of benchmarks is dedicated to testing GPU performance. Unfortunately, we only have one multi-platform (that is, available on both Android and iOS) application here: GFXBench (formerly GLBenchmark 2.7). The other two applications are currently only available on Android (more precisely, Epic Citadel is available on iOS, but without a test component). On the other hand, in the case of Epic Citadel, the possibility of comparison is not so important: the absolute value is more important here. If the result is more than 30 fps, it means that you can play projects on the Unreal engine, since Epic Citadel demonstrates a real gaming scene on this engine (and many popular games are made on it - Dark Meadow, Horn, Infinity Blade II, etc.).

So, in Ultra High Quality mode, that is, with maximum quality settings, the tablet showed performance of 26.0 fps. This is slightly less than the “playability threshold” and even slightly less than the result of NVIDIA Tegra 4. However, the difference is insignificant. In less severe High Performance and High Quality modes, the results were 55.1 fps and 56.4 fps, respectively. And these are already excellent indicators!

The table below shows the results of other tablets for comparison. In this case, it is necessary to take into account the influence of resolution: Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 2014 Edition and Toshiba Excite Write have it higher than their competitors.

	(Samsung Exynos 5 Octa)	Toshiba Excite Write (NVIDIA Tegra 4)	Asus MeMO Pad FHD 10 (Intel Atom Z2560)	Asus Transformer Pad Infinity (NVIDIA Tegra 3 T33)
Epic Citadel (High Performance mode)	56.4 fps	54.6 fps	59.2 fps	42.9 fps
Epic Citadel (High Quality mode)	55.1 fps	55.2 fps	58.3 fps	39.5 fps
Epic Citadel (Ultra High Quality mode)	26.0 fps	27.6 fps	30.7 fps	This mode is not available on this device.

Now let's look at the results in GFXBench. But here Exynos 5 Octa quite confidently outperforms NVIDIA Tegra 4, although in the T-Rex scene the playability threshold is still not reached.

	Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 2014 Edition (Samsung Exynos 5 Octa)	Toshiba Excite Write (NVIDIA Tegra 4)	Asus MeMO Pad FHD 10 (Intel Atom Z2560)	Sony Xperia Z Ultra (Qualcomm Snapdragon 800)	Apple iPad fourth generation (Apple A6X)
GFXBench 2.7.2 T-Rex HD (C24Z16 Offscreen)	23 fps	16 fps	7.2 fps	23 fps	16 fps
GFXBench 2.7.2 T-Rex HD (C24Z16 Onscreen)	14 fps	10 fps	6.9 fps	24 fps	12 fps
GFXBench 2.7.2 T-Rex HD (C24Z16 Offscreen Fixed Timestep)	21 fps	15 fps	6.9 fps	21 fps	16 fps
GFXBench 2.7.2 T-Rex HD (C24Z16 Onscreen Fixed Timestep)	13 fps	10 fps	6.7 fps	22 fps	12 fps
GFXBench 2.5 Egypt HD (C24Z16)	41 fps	28 fps	26 fps	52 fps	38 fps
GFXBench 2.5 Egypt HD (C24Z16 Offscreen)	60 fps	43 fps	26 fps	60 fps	50 fps

The latest GPU test is 3DMark. Here are the results for two modes: Ice Storm Extreme and Ice Storm Unlimited.

Here Samsung also has a victory over NVIDIA Tegra 4, although not very confidently. Unfortunately, we did not test the Toshiba Excite Write tablet in Unlimited mode.

We also checked the compatibility of this SoC with a number of popular games.

The result is good, problems were noted with only one game out of seven. All the others worked flawlessly and pleased with excellent graphics and performance. So we can safely recommend this tablet for fans of 3D games on a tablet.

MHL interface test

Additionally, the MHL interface was tested. To test it, we used an LG IPS237L monitor that supports direct MHL connection using a passive adapter cable from Micro-USB to HDMI. Let us recall that Samsung has implemented its own version of this interface at the physical level. As a result, to connect an external device via MHL, you need to use special adapters or connect standard MHL adapters through simple passive adapters.

In this case, we carried out the test using a proprietary Samsung adapter, and output via MHL was carried out at a resolution of 1920 by 1080 pixels at a frequency of 60 frames/s. When the tablet is in landscape orientation, the image is displayed on the monitor screen in landscape orientation, while the image on the monitor is inscribed within the boundaries of the screen in height and narrow black fields are displayed on the sides. When the tablet is in portrait orientation, the image is displayed on the monitor screen in portrait orientation, while the image on the monitor is inscribed within the height of the screen, and wide black fields are displayed on the right and left.

Sound is output via MHL (in this case, the sounds were heard through headphones connected to the monitor, since there are no speakers in the monitor itself) and is of good quality. In this case, sounds are not output through the loudspeaker of the tablet itself, and the volume is adjusted using buttons on the tablet body. In principle, in the tablet settings you can select the sound output mode - stereo or surround. However, in our case, the monitor only received stereo sound, so there was no choice. The video output using the standard player deserves a special description. To begin with, using a set of test files with an arrow and a rectangle moving one division per frame (see Methodology for testing video playback and display devices. Version 1), we checked how the video is displayed on the screen of the tablet itself. Screenshots with a shutter speed of 1 s helped determine the nature of the output of frames of video files with various parameters: the resolution varied (1280 by 720 (720p) and 1920 by 1080 (1080p) pixels) and frame rate (24, 25, 30, 50 and 60 frames/ With). The results of this (block entitled " Screen") and the following test are tabulated:

File	Uniformity	Passes
Screen
watch-1920x1080-60p.mp4	Fine	many
watch-1920x1080-50p.mp4	Fine	many
watch-1920x1080-30p.mp4	Fine	No
watch-1920x1080-25p.mp4	Fine	No
watch-1920x1080-24p.mp4	Fine	No
watch-1280x720-60p.mp4	Badly	many
watch-1280x720-50p.mp4	Fine	many
watch-1280x720-30p.mp4	Fine	No
watch-1280x720-25p.mp4	Fine	No
watch-1280x720-24p.mp4	Fine	No
MHL
watch-1920x1080-60p.mp4	Great	No
watch-1920x1080-50p.mp4	Fine	No
watch-1920x1080-30p.mp4	Fine	No
watch-1920x1080-25p.mp4	Fine	No
watch-1920x1080-24p.mp4	Fine	No
watch-1280x720-60p.mp4	Great	No
watch-1280x720-50p.mp4	Fine	No
watch-1280x720-30p.mp4	Fine	No
watch-1280x720-25p.mp4	Fine	No
watch-1280x720-24p.mp4	Fine	No

Note: If both the Uniformity and Dropout columns are rated green, this means that when watching movies, there will most likely be no or no amount of artifacts caused by frame spacing or dropouts visible. will not affect viewing comfort. "Red" marks indicate possible problems related to the playback of the corresponding files.

Based on the frame output criterion, the quality of playback of video files on the screen of the tablet itself is on average good, but in the case of 50 and 60 fps, many frames are skipped. The brightness range displayed on the monitor is equal to the standard range of 16-235, that is, all gradations of shades are displayed in shadows and highlights. When playing video files with a resolution of 1080p (1920 by 1080 pixels), the image of the actual video file is displayed exactly the width of the screen, but the actual resolution is slightly reduced due to interpolation to the screen resolution.

With a monitor connected via MHL, when playing a video with a standard player, the image of the video file is displayed only in landscape orientation, while only the image of the video file is displayed on the monitor, and only information elements and virtual controls are displayed on the tablet screen. The results of monitor output tests are shown in the table above in the “MHL” block. The output quality is very good, noticeably better than on your own screen. When playing video files with Full HD resolution (1920 by 1080 pixels) on the monitor screen, the image of the video file itself is displayed exactly along the border of the screen while maintaining true proportions and the resolution corresponds to Full HD resolution, but only horizontally, since for some reason the image is stretched vertically by a couple of pixels, which leads to interpolation and a slight loss of clarity. The brightness range displayed on the monitor is equal to the standard range of 16-235, that is, all gradations of shades are displayed in shadows and highlights.

The conclusion is typical: an MHL connection can be used for games, watching movies, displaying web pages and other activities that benefit from multiplying the screen size. True, you will have to purchase an adapter specifically for Samsung or find an appropriate adapter. Note that for the second time we observed MHL output in 1920 by 1080 pixels at 60 fps. The first time was in the case of the Samsung Galaxy Note 3, but we will write about it a little later.

Operating system and applications

The tablet runs Google Android 4.3 (the latest version of the OS at the time of the tablet's release), however, compared to the original version and even compared to last year's shell installed on the first Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1, the operating system on the new Galaxy Note 10.1 looks completely different . For clarity, here are three screenshots: above - Android 4.2 on Toshiba Excite Write, minimally different from “pure” Android, below - Android with the TouchWiz shell on the first Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1, and the third screenshot was taken with the help of our today’s hero.

Despite the visual richness, the interface of the Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 2014 Edition is perhaps the most minimalistic. For those who used the previous Galaxy Note 10.1, the question immediately arises: where are the mini-applications? You could access them by clicking on the arrow on the bottom panel. Now it was decided to do it differently: mini-applications can be opened from the auxiliary menu that appears when the user pulls out the stylus. There you need to select the “Open in window” option and draw a rectangle on the screen with the stylus. The Select Application menu appears.

The set of mini-applications is small (calculator, browser, alarm clock, phone, contacts, ChatON and Google Hangouts), but having them can still be useful. For example, the ability to open a calculator on top of a spreadsheet or doc file is often useful.

The only problem is: will the user figure out how to find the mini-applications? In this regard, the Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 2014 Edition OS is far from the intuitiveness that iOS is famous for. True, its possibilities are much broader. Among these unique features is dual-window mode, in which you can open two applications at the same time, dividing the screen space between them.

It was also present in the previous Galaxy Note 10.1, but in the new tablet the implementation is again very different. In the screenshot above this paragraph you can see Gallery (on the right) and S Note (on the left) open in this mode. True, this is now done a little differently: you need to long press the Back button, and an arrow will appear on the left side of the screen, clicking on which, we will see a panel with applications that support two-window mode. This is a fairly large set (at the time of testing - 18 applications, that is, more than half of the pre-installed applications).

Among other features of the OS on the tablet, it is worth noting the division of the Settings section into several bookmarks. These are Connections, Device, Management and General. Honestly, in my opinion, this does not make navigating through the settings any easier, it only makes it confusing, but for a user who is seeing Android for the first time and has not yet gotten used to a certain type of Settings, this may seem quite logical. Although, for example, it is difficult to understand why the Battery menu item refers to General and not Device.

But the main feature of the Galaxy Note 10.1 is, of course, working with the pen. As we remember, the first Galaxy Note 10.1 did not implement it flawlessly. We liked Toshiba's Excite Write implementation much better. And it was even more interesting to see what Samsung could offer in response. Let's say right away that the new Galaxy Note 10.1 left us with a pleasant impression. And although perfection still has a long way to go, “you are walking the right road, comrades!”

The main application for working with the pen, as before, is S Note. Its interface has again undergone major changes, but it is quite easy to understand. The main features - text recognition, formulas and shapes - remain. Moreover, the recognition of formulas was especially pleasing. Let's say you are taking notes at a lecture at a technical university. Once you have finished your notes, you can simply circle the handwritten formulas, recognize them, and drag this formula exactly to the place in the text where it is needed.

As a disadvantage, we note that errors in formula recognition still occur (for example, from complex formula the system may incorrectly recognize one or two characters), and there is no way to correct this. Just cancel recognition and try to complete the incorrectly recognized character so that repeated recognition will be more successful.

The tablet also works great with third-party professional applications for artists and designers - for example, Sketchbook Pro. They also support gradations of pressure force, that is, if you press the stylus harder, the line turns out denser and thicker, and if you press less hard, then vice versa.

Compared to the Toshiba Excite Write, the Samsung tablet looks quite decent in terms of working with the pen, although, in our opinion, working with the Toshiba pen was still a little more comfortable, and there was less lag when drawing a line. But, alas, we did not have the opportunity to compare them face to face, so we can only rely on subjective impressions.

Autonomous operation and ergonomics

Battery life has traditionally been a weak point in high-powered tablets. high resolution screen. However, Toshiba Excite Write, as we remember, demonstrated average performance. We expected no less, if not more, from Samsung.

And, I must say, he did not disappoint us.

In reading mode (screen brightness - 100 cd/m²), the tablet lasted for fifteen hours! That's a lot.

When playing a video from YouTube (screen brightness is the same), the tablet worked for almost 10 hours, which is no longer a record, but pretty decent. And again, more than Toshiba Excite Write.

We checked the possible duration of playing modern 3D games using the Epic Citadel benchmark, Guided Tour mode (screen brightness - 100 cd/m², default settings). In this mode, the tablet worked for about four and a half hours, and this result is already disappointing. Apparently, under high load, the SoC Exynos 5 Octa is no longer so energy efficient.

Heating during operation of the Epic Citadel was noticeable, but not beyond acceptable limits.

In general, we can consider the battery test results of the Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 2014 Edition to be very worthy, although not amazing.

Camera

As expected, the tablet is equipped with two cameras: front and rear. The front camera is designed for video communication and has a resolution of 2 megapixels. The rear camera of the Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 2014 Edition has a resolution of 8 megapixels, while the previous model had only 5 megapixels. But let's see what the camera can boast of besides resolution. The photographs are commented on by our specialist in the “Digital Photo” section, Anton Solovyov.

	Sharpness is generally quite good, but falls off towards distant plans. Sharping marks are barely visible on the wires. Of course, at a shutter speed of 1/50 s, even the numbers of the nearest moving cars are indistinguishable.
	The tile pattern fades into blur too quickly - the camera doesn't capture details well. The splash of light from car headlights suggests a bad aperture or even almost no aperture.
	Even if you allow for camera shake, the image is very blurred by noise reduction.
	The flash, of course, improves the situation - by reducing shutter speed and light sensitivity, but this gain is not always significant.
	The text is processed quite well.
	The flash works properly and improves the situation significantly.

Looks like they saved money on the camera. It would seem that Samsung can install a good module in the tablet, but everything says otherwise. In terms of its physical parameters, the camera here is far from the best. Even from just a few pictures, the strange operation of the program is already noticeable. Aggressive noise reduction, long shutter speeds (1/50 s, 1/33 s) and minimum sensitivity values ​​(ISO 40, 50, 64) also indicate a weak module. In the third photo, taken at night, there is no EXIF, so the values ​​of sensitivity and shutter speed remained unknown, but even without this it is clear that the camera is completely unable to cope in such situations.

In terms of its level, the camera resembles the 8-megapixel modules of cheap smartphones. Perhaps it will come in handy when you need to shoot a document or capture a general plan without much detail. But overall, you shouldn't have high hopes for this camera.

The camera can shoot video in Full HD format. An example can be seen below.

The camera produces video quite well, but during fast movements there is a noticeable lag in some areas. Overall, the quality is typical for most mid-range smartphones.

Conclusions

Until the announcement of the Apple iPad Air, we could safely call the Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 2014 Edition the best tablet on the market. It, of course, also has several weak points (lack of LTE in the official Russian version, a difficult-to-learn interface where many interesting features are hidden very deeply, a mediocre rear camera), but in terms of all the parameters it looked like an undisputed leader. However, the announcement of the iPad Air confused everything. In terms of performance, the Apple product will most likely be on par with the new Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1, but in terms of weight and thickness, the iPad Air is significantly better. And its body is metal, which is also a plus compared to a plastic fake leather.

However, Samsung still has two key trump cards on its side: the openness of the Android system, including support for OTG (and Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 is perhaps the best among Android tablets so far), and, of course, working with a stylus. Here it has no alternatives at all, except for the Toshiba Excite Write, which is not officially supplied to Russia.

How can you surprise a sophisticated and advanced user of portable technology? Big and bright screen? Productivity? Extensive connectivity options with other devices? Long lasting battery? Stylus? A quality camera? No, this won’t surprise us. “We’ve already seen all this!” - you will say and you will be absolutely right. Yes, we saw it. But only separately. And it’s rare to find everything together...

⇡ Technical characteristics declared by the manufacturer

Specifications Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 GT-N8000
Screen	TFT PLS, 10.1 inches, WXGA (1280 x 800), capacitive
CPU	Quad-core Samsung Exynos 4412 Quad @ 1.4 GHz
Memory	2 GB RAM; 16, 32 or 64 GB internal + microSD
Wireless networks	Wi-Fi 802.11a/b/g/n; GPS; GLONASS; Bluetooth 4.0; GSM; UMTS/WCDMA; HSDPA; HSPA+; HSUPA; EDGE; GPRS
Sensors	Accelerometer, gyroscope, light sensor, digital compass
Camera	Main: 5 MP, flash, autofocus (video recording 720p/30fps in mp4 format) Front: 1.9 MP, fixed focus (video recording 720p/30fps in mp4 format)
Connectors	1 x MicroSD 1 x USB 1 x SIM 1 x 3.5mm audio output
Battery capacity	7000 mAh
Additionally	Inductive S Pen; IR port for TV control; Proprietary TouchWiz interface
operating system	Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwitch
Official manufacturer's warranty	12 months
Dimensions	256.7x175.3x8.9 mm
Weight	583 g

Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 system information

⇡ Equipment

Unfortunately, we cannot describe the complete package of the tablet, since the device did not reach our test laboratory in its original box. However, judging by previous Samsung tablets, we can assume that the buyer, along with the gadget itself, will receive headphones (they were also brought to us), a cloth for wiping the screen and, of course, a USB cable, a charger, and a user manual. All that remains is to buy an additional cover, which, most likely (even, perhaps, for sure), will not be included in the kit, and you can live in peace.

⇡ Appearance and ergonomics

Front side of Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1

Samsung engineers did not come up with any fundamental innovations when modeling the Galaxy Note 10.1. The tablet is similar to other gadgets of the company, which in turn are somewhat similar to all other “tablets”. The only distinctive feature of the new Note is the stereo speakers located on the front side of the tablet. During everyday work, it is difficult to block them with your hand, no matter how you grab the device. In addition to the speakers, on the front side you can find a light sensor and a 1.9-megapixel front camera.

Back side of Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1

The back panel of the tablet is made in the classic Samsung style: a small metal cutout that houses the camera eye and flash. Below you can find the necessary device certification marks.

Right side of Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1

Left side of Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1

The sides of the tablet contain nothing. It is worth noting that they are quite smooth, and thanks to the well-rounded corners, the device lies very nicely in the hands and does not tend to jump out of them.

Bottom end of Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1

Traditionally for Samsung, on the bottom edge of the Galaxy Note 10.1 there is a port for charging the gadget, which can also be used for a USB connection to a computer. In the right corner you can find the S Pen stylus, without which the Note 10.1 would not be a “Note”. We will talk about it in detail below.

Top end of Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1

The on/off button and volume rocker are located on the top edge of the device. There are also slots for SIM and MicroSD cards, a 3.5 mm audio output and an infrared port, which will also be discussed below.

Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 leaves a very pleasant feeling. The tablet fits perfectly in the hand and doesn’t weigh too much on it (the weight of the device is less than 600 grams - excellent for a 10.1” tablet). The device is reliably assembled: almost nothing creaks or wobbles, and this is in a non-commercial sample. Among other things, Samsung’s proprietary design has once again proven its right to life - the device looks quite nice.

⇡ Picture

Samsung engineers, apparently, did not chase numbers and simply installed a high-quality ten-inch PLS screen in the new Note. Its resolution is 1280x800 pixels - perhaps optimal for an Android tablet PC (16:10 aspect ratio). There is no need to increase the battery capacity due to the prohibitively large matrix, and individual pixels are not striking. The pixel density is 149.45 pixels per inch, and the sensor supports up to ten simultaneous clicks.

Screenshot of AnTuTu MultiTouch Tester test results

The maximum brightness of the Galaxy Note 10.1 screen, as shown by our measurements, is 338 cd/m2 - this means that users will have a chance to make out what is happening on the display under the scorching sun. This is true: when working with a tablet on the street on a fine day, of course, you have to squint, but at least you can see something on the display. The screen contrast is 519.5:1. Viewing angles tend to 180 degrees. The colors look bright and rich, although the color gamut is a little short of sRGB.

Galaxy Note 10.1 screen color gamut compared to sRGB space

⇡ Sound

One of the two speakers of the Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1

At the beginning of the article, we already noted the non-standard location of the tablet's speakers - on the sides of the front side. This way the sound travels from them directly to the user - hence the gain in volume. Honestly, volume is the only indicator by which it is logical to judge the speakers of a tablet PC. Well, really, what kind of quality, what kind of detailing of sound can we talk about in the “tweeters” of such a device? There is no noise or wheezing, the volume is very decent - that's all you need.

The tablet comes with in-ear headphones, the sound quality of which is reminiscent of the Sennheiser CS300-II, only with a microphone and buttons to answer calls and increase/decrease volume. They have decent noise reduction, a fairly sensitive microphone and good sound processing (again, there is no wheezing or noise to speak of).

⇡ Performance

A quad-core processor, two gigabytes of RAM - such a set would have been the envy of desktop PCs until recently. Needless to say that the tablet copes with any tasks, practically does not freeze, and shows the highest scores in benchmarks? This is expected, but when you see such speed of work with your own eyes, you come to a state of some kind of childish happiness and euphoria. Here's what the synthetic tests show (let's compare the results with the indicators of the ASUS flagship in the “Performance” mode):

Discipline	Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 GT-N8000	ASUS Eee Pad Transformer Prime (Performance mode)
Quadrant, points	5434	4357
AnTuTu Benchmark, points	12398	-
Linpack, Single Thread, Mflops	57,068	47,865
Linpack, Multi Thread, Mflops	174,359	88,562
Nenamark 2, fps	58,9	50,8
Basemark 2.0 Taiji, FPS	36,21	-
BrowserMark, Stock, points	156208	120165
BrowserMark, Chrome, points	158518	132037

Galaxy Note 10.1 showed amazing results in all disciplines, scoring not a record, but very significant 5434 points in Quadrant, and 12398 in AnTuTu Benchmark. The tablet easily overtook the once leading Asus Transformer Prime. In the BrowserMark test, the device gave an impressive 158,518 points (in the Chrome browser, which will become a system one with the release of the update to Android 4.1), which means that the gadget can instantly cope with the most complex web pages, and the loading speed depends solely on the Internet connection.

As for the graphics, there is also complete order here. In the moderately difficult Nenamark 2 test, the tablet rarely dropped FPS from 60 to 58, resulting in an average value of 58.9 - an absolute record. In the most difficult discipline - Basemark 2 Taiji - the gadget showed 36.21 FPS (most tablet PCs have difficulty reaching 25). In general, in terms of both processor and graphics power, the new Laptop is doing well; it can cope with any tablet tasks.

⇡ Battery

Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 has a battery with a capacity of 7000 mAh (3.7 V). When playing a video non-stop with maximum screen backlight brightness and an active Wi-Fi connection, the tablet began asking for recharging after seven and a half hours - an excellent result. In standby mode, the battery is practically not wasted. That is, when everyday use Galaxy Note will definitely last for one and a half, or maybe two days.

⇡ Camera

Galaxy Note 10.1 five-megapixel camera eye and flash

The Galaxy Note 10.1 has two cameras: rear (5 MP) and front (1.9 MP). And even though we categorically do not support taking photos and videos on tablet PCs, the rear (and front, in general, too) camera in the gadget is excellent. Well-exposed photos come out sharp and contrasty. In dark rooms, noise, of course, appears in the frame. To prevent this from happening, there is a flash available that more or less corrects the situation.

Galaxy Note 10.1 camera interface

It should be noted that, as in previous Samsung devices, the Galaxy Note 10.1 has its own camera interface, and not the standard one from the Android OS. Because of this, the user loses digital zoom, but, in our opinion, this thing is so useless that it’s not really a shame. But here you can specify the focus point by clicking on the desired area of ​​the screen - convenient. Creative settings are minimal and similar to those found in the most budget digital cameras of previous years: 12 scenes (portrait, landscape, sports, etc.) and three effects: sepia, black and white photo and negative. Also in the settings you can specify exposure compensation (from -2.0 EV to +2.0 EV), white balance and ISO value, but the tablet itself copes well with this, so you can safely set all values ​​to Auto.

As already noted, in good lighting you can’t tamper with the picture: it’s contrasty, detailed, you shouldn’t expect anything more from a tablet.

The picture is presented without editing (with exposure adjusted in the tablet by +1 step), enlarged by clicking

The gadget selects automatic shooting parameters well, and autofocus works very quickly. To prevent the frame from falling into shadows (which happens when you shoot at midday solstice, which is what we did), the exposure was increased by one stop.

The picture is presented without editing, enlarge by click

The shot was taken against the sun, however, the textures of the city are preserved in detail, without catastrophic darkening.

The picture is presented without editing, enlarge by click

When shooting macro, the tablet slightly blurs the background.

The picture is presented without editing, enlarge by click

The minimum focusing distance is about two centimeters.

The Galaxy Note 10.1 also copes well with video recording. It records it in HD Ready 720p 30fps mp4 format. The one-minute video takes up just over 80 MB of disk space. Below is an example of a recorded video to judge the quality. We think it's more than good for a tablet.

We will say the standard words about the front camera: in good lighting the picture turns out to be “readable” for the interlocutor, in poor lighting it becomes overgrown with noise, so it’s better to communicate in the light.

⇡ S Pen

S Pen "in the house"

The main feature of both the first and second Note is the presence of a proprietary stylus called the S Pen. You can use it to take notes, draw, and just perform common tasks, just communicate with the screen with it, and not with your fingers.

The S Pen is hidden in the lower right corner of the device. When the user removes it, it appears on the screen special panel(see screenshot above) containing applications optimized for the stylus. If you return the S Pen to its place, it will disappear. In addition, the Galaxy Note 10.1 makes sounds when the stylus is disconnected or connected. The pen itself is very pleasant to the touch, and fingers can easily confuse it with a regular pen.

S Pen Settings

The stylus settings are comprehensive. The user can disable or enable the use of a kind of cursor when working with the tablet using the S Pen, select the sound of connecting or disconnecting the pen. Also in the settings, you can disable pen auto-detection to save battery (with such a battery life as the Galaxy Note 10.1, the author of the article would not disable this function), and customize the application sidebar.

⇡ Infrared port

Main window of the Smart Remote program

Many companies wanted to build an IR port into their devices, some even did it and journalists received samples of it, but when the devices went on sale, they did not have the coveted port. Therefore, Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 is the first tablet with which you can control all the equipment in your home. Yes, yes, everyone. We tested the performance with a large number of equipment: from TVs to receivers. The gadget confidently turned on, clicked through channels and turned up the volume on all devices that were offered to it. And he did it quite quickly.

Adding a new device to Smart Remote

The process of adding a new device to Smart Remote is very simple: the user is required to select the type of equipment (TV, DVD or Blu-ray player, etc.) and the manufacturer. Next, the tablet will offer to test the functionality of the equipment control and add it to other devices. Execution of commands occurs quickly, without any problems.

⇡ Telephone: it also rings!

Among other things, the new Note has, at first glance, a rather funny (for a device of this type), but if you think about it, it’s a very useful function. Yes, he can make calls. A ten-inch tablet can be used as a phone. Moreover, you should not try to talk through it as you would through a regular handset. To conduct a dialogue, you can use the speakerphone (speakers) or connect the included headset. In case you run out of money on your phone, this is a very convenient solution. It communicates reliably and is no different from a regular phone. The same thing, by the way, applies to 3G Internet.

⇡ Software

Galaxy Note 10.1 runs Android 4.0.4 Ice Cream Sandwitch operating system with the proprietary (and so unloved by many) Samsung TouchWiz shell. By the way, this very shell behaves very correctly on the device and does not slow down at all (either it has finally been well optimized, or the powerful hardware inside the gadget helps out). The tablet comes pre-installed with a huge number of applications, from branded Samsung Apps, S Note and S Planner to applications from the online services “Kinoafisha”, “Yandex.Weather”, “Yandex.Market” and the portable photo editor PS Touch. For the convenience of the reader, we did not list all the pre-installed programs and games, but simply took a screenshot.

Nevertheless, it should be noted that there are clients of such services as Yota Play, uBank, Dropbox. With games, the situation is a little worse: the user is provided mainly with arcade games: Bejeweled 2, Shaolin Jump, Super Dynamite Fishing and the simple but quite pleasant Crayon Physics. However, as we know, you don’t look a gift horse in the mouth, and the user can download everything they need on their own from Google Play.

⇡ Conclusion

At the time of publication of this review, the Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 is one of the most powerful tablets in the world. It copes with absolutely any work, multimedia and gaming tasks, satisfying the requirements of even the most demanding user. We have extremely positive emotions from the gadget. We tried very hard, searched with all our might, but we could not find any shortcomings in it (except that the device’s screen is powerless against bright sunlight, and therefore the picture fades, although it remains legible).

Any disadvantages relate primarily to the operating system, and not to the device itself. So if you love Android, you'll love the tablet. The estimated price for Galaxy Note 10.1 is still unknown, but we think that at the start of sales in Russia it will be no less than 20-25 thousand rubles. They say that they will try to adjust the price to the cost of the iPad in the appropriate configuration.