Samsung Galaxy Note 2 Review and features

Samsung galaxy note phablet will be the next generation super sized device..

We're not expecting a major overhaul of the original, given that it worked surprisingly well. Big really is beautiful. So what ARE we expecting? Fear not, we have assembled all the latest rumours below.

Samsung Galaxy Note 2 Release Date

Checking back to around this time last year, Samsung announced the original Galaxy Note at IFA in Berlin. A similar time this year is on the cards, with GSM Arena reporting that Samsung will be holding one of its Unpacked events, a day earlier than IFA 2012, August 30.

This is a month earlier than some reports, but with Apple announcing the 6th iteration of the iPhone, the foretold iPhone 5, in October, it's an unsurprising move.

Update: it's looks nailed on that we'll be seeing the Samsung Galaxy Note 2 launched on August 15, with sources confirming there will be a worldwide event to see the new phablet flagship.

We'd also suggest that Samsung will (hopefully) have the Galaxy Note 2 in shops as quickly as possible, especially as it managed to get the Samsung Galaxy S3 on sale within a month.

Samsung Galaxy Note 2 Name

We could put forward a list of potential name suggestions, but given Samsung's naming history, we would suggest that Samsung Galaxy Note 2 (or is that Note II) is the most likely. We wouldn't be entirely surprised should we end up with the Samsung Galaxy Note S, though.

However Samsung might well have given the game away here, with a tweet seeming to confirm the Galaxy Note 2 name.

Samsung might even choose to call its next Note device, the Samsung Galaxy Note 5.5, putting it more in line with its tablet devices, such as theSamsung Galaxy Tab 7.7 or Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1.

Even more unlikely, but still plausible, is the decision to break away and call the next device by a totally different name. As much as we highly doubt things, we'd be remiss if we didn't at least mention the words Rush, Amp and Helm.

Update: Leaked benchmark test results have revealed the potential model for the Galaxy Note 2 could be GT-N7100 - which would make sense as the original Note was GT-N7000.

Samsung Galaxy Note 2 Price

All the evidence suggests that the Samsung Galaxy Note 2 won't come cheap, but then again it was never going to be a budget device. The original Galaxy Note hit the shelves at just under £600 (around $930), and the Samsung Galaxy S3 is also available sim-free at the same price.

Given the likes of the Google Nexus 7 are on sale for £199, there's every chance prices may be more competitive, but we expect Samsung to stick at the higher end of the scale, with contract prices starting at £35 per month for the Galaxy Note 2.

Samsung Galaxy Note 2 Display

We said in our original Samsung Galaxy Note review that it was "what media devices should look like", so at the very least, we expect the next screen to continue to reflect that.

Thankfully, all rumours to this point have suggested that Samsung are going even bigger. The current Galaxy Note packs in a 5.3-inch screen, but sources point to a larger, yet narrower, 5.5-inch screen.

We've also heard that the Samsung Galaxy Note 2 is going to get a Super AMOLED display, in line with its predecessor. We're hoping that like the Galaxy S3, that we get a Super AMOLED HD screen, or better yet, a Super AMOLED HD Plus display (with better colour rendering and sharpness), but we're not counting our chickens.

Update: A leaked benchmark test has apparently revealed the screen resolution for the Galaxy Note 2 to be 1280 x 720.

Samsung Galaxy Note 2 CPU

Expected at the very top of end of the price scales, the CPU will have to match. We've heard that Samsung might put in a 2GHz proprietary Exynos 5250 quad-core, but we heard that with the Galaxy S3 as well so we're taking that with a large pinch of salt.

What we can say is that Samsung put a hefty 1.4GHz quad-core Exynos 4212 processor inside the Galaxy S3, and this is what we expect to make its way over to the Galaxy Note 2.

We wouldn't be disappointed though, as we noted in the review that it's a "blazingly-fast core that is almost infallible".

Update: According to a leaked benchmark test, the Galaxy Note 2 will use the same quad-core Exynos 4412 chip found in the Galaxy S3, but Samsung may over-clock it to 1.6Ghz,

Samsung Galaxy Note 2 Frame

The original Samsung Galaxy Note looked remarkably similar to the Galaxy S2, so we'd put our money on Samsung doing something similar again, withMK Business News reporting that the Korean firm is ready to release a "derivative" of the Galaxy S3.

We should point out though, that Samsung had 3 working prototype designs for the Galaxy S3 to avoid any leaks, so we can't rule out something similar.

Samsung Galaxy Note 2 Battery and Camera

We pointed out with the Samsung Galaxy Note that the battery life was on par with the S2, with the extra screen size balancing itself with the extra juice that Samsung had provided. If Samsung really is producing a "derivative" of its Galaxy S3, then expect the amazing battery life found there to continue.

Being a media heavy device, we are also expecting the camera to be pretty powerful too, an upgrade on the 8MP offering of the original. Current rumours have the Samsung Galaxy Note 2 bringing in a 12MP sensor, however the Galaxy S3 did come in with almost identical hardware to its predecessor.

Samsung Galaxy Note 2 operating system

We're into Android 4.1, Jelly Bean, territory now, with Google premiering it on the Asus-built Google Nexus 7. Google told us then, that it was going to be initially rolled out to its Galaxy Nexus and Nexus S devices, as well as the Motorola Xoom.

We know that this is well under way, with reports that its already reaching Galaxy Nexus HSPA+ devices. We also know from the IO2012 Key Note speech that Google is pushing its software updates to manufacturers a lot faster.

You can see where we're going with this, and with YouMobile reporting thatSamsung will push out the OS to Galaxy S3 devices in Q4 this year, all the signs seem to point one way. A note of caution however, we are still waiting for the release of Ice Cream Sandwich devices announced back at MWC 2012 last February.

Update: Apparently the Samsung Galaxy Note 2 will ship with Android 4.0.4 Ice Cream Sandwich, no Jelly Bean joy here then.