Galaxy Note 10.1 Review from AP: Shameful garbage

[Bateluer]

http://www.androidpolice.com/2012/0...iew-an-embarrassing-lazy-arrogant-money-grab/

More design from Samsung's Legal Department, just like the GSIII. Everything about this is made to scream "I am not an iPad." Apple claims "substantial black borders on all sides being roughly equal in width," so this thing has uneven, "Pearl Grey" borders. Apple suggested Samsung could make a non-infringing device with a "front surface that isn't entirely flat" and "thick frames rather than a thin rim around the front surface," so Samsung fitted the Note 10.1 with hideous, thick, plastic framing.

Samsung didn't design this to look good, they designed it only to not look like something else, and it shows.

The Note 10.1 is wrapped in the trashiest, most awful, cheapest-feeling plastic I've ever experienced. Sure, the finish is Samsung's usual glossy-plastic junk, but this plastic isn't even rigid. It's squishy.

Yeah, you heard me, squishy plastic. You can easily flex it with a light touch, and you can feel the whole back deform in your hands when using it. It's sort of like holding a marshmallow.

On the software side: Samsung desperately wants to develop the next version of Android themselves, but they lack the technical ability, vision, ecosystem support, and design chops to make it happen. They want to add features, and maybe even have a good idea or two, but they just can't execute those ideas in a way that makes them good.

Samsung is the world's largest Android OEM, by a huge margin. They need to get the message that this kind of half-assed, lazy, profit-margin-first style of device building is unacceptable.
The hardware is pure, unadulterated garbage. The build quality is so bad, I think it gave me cancer. Samsung gave us last year's display tech and saved their best tablet screen for Apple.

Another highly detailed review from Android Police. Clearly, he loathed the Note 10.1. I haven't gone hands on with one yet myself, but I've handled the Asus TF201 and TF700, and those feel great in the hands. Crappy plastic, squishy plastic, is simply not acceptable in a 500 dollar flagship device.

Samsung, if you keep letting your legal department design your devices and cutting corners, you will wind up in HTC's current position in a year.





Locked by moderator PM for going way off-topic
Ok, this thread has run it's course. We've gone way off-topic - the thread was about reviews of the Galaxy Note 10.1, not what kind of boxes Samsung and Apple use. Plus, three warnings, and I could have added another.

I will say that I am personally getting a little frustrated with the fact that we have threads about reviews of devices and they devolve into the same sort of lawsuit thread that we've been having more or less non-stop for over a year now. It's in the news (it's in jury deliberations) and so the discussion makes sense, but not in every thread. In this case, it could be argued that the Note is what it is due to the lawsuit and so I'm not going to do anything here... except lock the thread. But I would request that we keep the review threads as threads about the review and the device and leave the debating about who copied whose boxes to the legal threads.

Moderator PM

 

[Dari]

I expected better from such a flagship device. But it's a Samsung so... BTW, when will Intel sue Samsung for copying their jingle?

 

[Mopetar]

It doesn't look that bad to me. I'd be more worried about this:

The build quality. Terrible even by Samsung's low standards. The back is actually squishy, and you can feel it deform while holding it. It's noisy too, the plastic creaks, groans, and grinds when you pick it up. Regular, strong plastic would still be unacceptable when everyone else uses aluminum, but this... this is insulting for a $500 tablet.

 

[RockinZ28]

Damn pretty rough.

$500 for a 12x8 display and cheap plastic is rough too though. Hard to believe that's their flagship device in late 2012.

 

[Bateluer]

Three replies, and the two of them are on my ignore list for being iFans.


Warning for mild insult
There's a huge sticky at the top of the forum saying not to throw that term around since it's insulting. If you really want to ignore someone, go to User CP, and click Edit Ignore List and add them to it and you'll never see their posts again unless someone quotes them.

Moderator PM

 

[Puddle Jumper]

They completely miss the fact that it is the most powerful Android tablet by a decent margin.

I will be waiting for a more objective review before completely dismisng it.

 

[pm]

I expected better from such a flagship device. But it's a Samsung so... BTW, when will Intel sue Samsung for copying their jingle?

Samsung's got a jingle like Intel's? Do you have a link to it? I did a quick YouTube and Google search and I didn't read anything about this.

 

[Dominato3r]

They completely miss the fact that it is the most powerful Android tablet by a decent margin.

I will be waiting for a more objective review before completely dismisng it.

Reviews say the device is terribly crippled by touchwiz or some other issue. The side by side app thing is a great example where it just goes completely haywire

 

[RockinZ28]

They completely miss the fact that it is the most powerful Android tablet by a decent margin.

I will be waiting for a more objective review before completely dismisng it.

Really, hmm? I saw it mentioned it was like a 10.1" SGS3? Well I already have a S3, would want something significantly better for a tablet and $500+.

I'm waiting for at least the MS tabs, or next generation of Tegra. Would love a Nexus 7 since it's a bargain compared to any high-end tablet, but no microsd or hdmi just destroy its value for much of my intended uses.

 

[Bateluer]

They completely miss the fact that it is the most powerful Android tablet by a decent margin.

I will be waiting for a more objective review before completely dismisng it.

He notes the power of the Exynos 4412, but goes into a lot of detail as to why TouchWiz negates it.

 

[Dominato3r]

The videos of the chassis giving way and making that crackling sound give it all away. What a hilariously terrible tablet.

 

[aceO07]

Too bad the review didn't go too much into the s-pen. That's what's different with this tablet. (However the poor construction does bother me.)

A tablet with wacom tech is supposed to let you draw/write/scribble/etc more accurately. Much better than using your finger or alternative. The review just stated the pen tracked well but was lagged.

Also, the s-pen is probably just like any other wacom stylus. It's not a hollow tube, there's electronics in there to signal to the screen the location of the tip.

 

[Sheep]

They completely miss the fact that it is the most powerful Android tablet by a decent margin.

I will be waiting for a more objective review before completely dismisng it.

Enjoy.

http://www.theverge.com/2012/8/15/3243546/samsung-galaxy-note-10-1-review

 

[Bateluer]

Enjoy.

http://www.theverge.com/2012/8/15/3243546/samsung-galaxy-note-10-1-review

And a 5.4 out of 10. Every review of this POS is pretty negative.

A DISAPPOINTING ANDROID TABLET WITH A PEN IS STILL A DISAPPOINTING ANDROID TABLET

 

[kaerflog]

The plastic framing around the Note 10.1makes it look hideous.
Seriously what happened to the Samsung that created the Galaxy S2 ??
The international/ATT version is a thing of beauty.
Now, Samsung is in love with glossy plastic all over its products.
I've said before, HTC is so stupid for making its One X with no SD cards and removable battery.
Had HTC included those, Samsung would have nothing on HTC beside a brand name.

 

[lothar]

The plastic framing around the Note 10.1makes it look hideous.
Seriously what happened to the Samsung that created the Galaxy S2 ??
The international/ATT version is a thing of beauty.
Now, Samsung is in love with glossy plastic all over its products.
I've said before, HTC is so stupid for making its One X with no SD cards and removable battery.
Had HTC included those, Samsung would have nothing on HTC beside a brand name.

Apple. That's what.
The lawyers at Samsung have now taken priority over their engineers.

 

[RockinZ28]

I really really like that split screen or apps overlapping other apps, even if the 10.1 Note doesn't pull it off spectacularly. Anyone know if this is in development for android as a whole? Hate having to switch screen to browse for a little during a baseball game, then it has to buffer the video again when I switch back.

Would be awesome to have a split screen for many things imo.

 

[Suspicious-Teach8788]

Three replies, and the two of them are on my ignore list for being iFans.

This kind of troll language is not needed. You're going to ignore them for simply being iFans?

Quite honestly I'm disappointed by this device. If Samsung believes it truly isn't copying or would be guilty of copying, then why are they changing the design so much and making it "not" iPad-like?

Change of design is fine, but when you release an ugly device like the SGS3 and now the Note 10.1, then it really is disappointed. It's fine to differentiate, but at least come out with a GOOD design.

 

[Bateluer]

Apple. That's what.
The lawyers at Samsung have now taken priority over their engineers.

Pretty much. Multiple reviewers and sites have pointed out their recent products seem to have been designed by lawyers rather than engineers and developers.

 

[Aikouka]

I kind of like the inclusion of an IR blaster. I think it'd be funny to watch someone hold up a 10" tablet as a remote, but I kind of wish that more devices would have them. I'm just not a huge fan of having to connect to devices via WiFi to control them. :\

Pretty much. Multiple reviewers and sites have pointed out their recent products seem to have been designed by lawyers rather than engineers and developers.

I don't see why it isn't possible to create something that isn't all black or white with a metalic border, but is still good. I have no qualms with how my Transformer TF300 looks (it uses plastic, but I don't mind that), and it doesn't remind me of an iPad at all.

 

[TuxDave]

Ouch. I guess it's still the 2 horse race for tablets.

 

[Dari]

Samsung's got a jingle like Intel's? Do you have a link to it? I did a quick YouTube and Google search and I didn't read anything about this.

It's towards the end (like the Intel commercials). This one is a subtle change from the earlier ones, which were more identical to the Intel commercials.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Df0ZNEGxqs4

 

[Zaap]

Gahhh!

That horror looks like Samsung hired some of HTC's "designers". Or maybe PanDigital's.

Google needs to make a proper 10" Nexus tablet and show the collective bunch of dopes half-assing just about every other attempt at a 10" android tablet how it's done.

 

[WelshBloke]

... If Samsung believes it truly isn't copying or would be guilty of copying, then why are they changing the design so much and making it "not" iPad-like?...

Because defending multiple lawsuits in lots of countries is expensive, time consuming and sucks up manpower that could be used elsewhere.

 

[fuzzybabybunny]

I really really like that split screen or apps overlapping other apps, even if the 10.1 Note doesn't pull it off spectacularly. Anyone know if this is in development for android as a whole? Hate having to switch screen to browse for a little during a baseball game, then it has to buffer the video again when I switch back.

Would be awesome to have a split screen for many things imo.

Sounds like this is an in-house Samsung feature of touchwiz. In that case, no, it will probably not come to stock android, at least for a while. I've been using Samsung Touchwiz and stock Google to know that the stock Google interface continues to lack some serious user interface and user experience refinements that have been in touchwiz for years.