The original Samsung Galaxy Note smartphone was a huge hit and surprised many pundits who thought the display of the device, described by some as a phablet, was simply too big. Rather than become a niche device the popularity of this phone has been immense and excitement is now mounting ahead of the release of the Galaxy Note 2, bringing a few questions to mind.
We’ve been bringing you news on the Galaxy Note 2 as we hear it including the expecting unveiling on August 29 at IFA in Berlin. Plenty of leaks about the device have come to the surface suggesting we can expect a Note 2 with a 5.5-inch flexible AMOLED display with resolution of 1280 x 720, an increase in display size from the 5.3-inch original Note. A quad-core Exynos processor, LTE connectivity, 1.5GB of RAM and 13-megapixel camera have also been rumored although nothing has yet been confirmed.
The success of the Galaxy Note 2 already looks assured after the original Note achieved enormous sales and there’s a huge level of interest in the Note 2. However there are still some things not known that could impact this success prompting some serious questions. One of those is which operating system the Galaxy Note 2 will launch with? Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich is what many were originally expecting to see but of course now that Android 4.1 Jelly Bean has been unleashed we reckon Samsung could pick up a serious amount of extra sales by releasing it already running Jelly Bean. If it arrives with ICS we think a lot of people could be disappointed.
This leads us to the question of a release date and whether U.S. consumers will once more have to wait longer than those in other regions? Although we expect to see the reveal on August 29 there’s no news yet on an official release date but we expect it to arrive in Q4. If it does then Jelly Bean is also more likely but as Gotta Be Mobile points out, the unveiling is set to take place in Berlin meaning that once more consumers in the U.S. may have to wait several weeks or even months longer than those in other regions. This has been a real bugbear for many and is often blamed on the hoops that manufacturers have to jump through to satisfy US carriers so it would be a further real boost for sales of the Galaxy Note 2 if it released simultaneously across all regions and we hope that Samsung has taken this into account.
Is a 5.5-inch screen too large? The current trend is definitely for larger-screened mobile devices but at what point does a smartphone screen become too big to handle. As we’ve already pointed out there were plenty of people who had serious doubts about the original Galaxy Note when it was released saying that a 5.3-inch display was simply too big and there were fears it would thus only find a niche market. Those doubts were blown out of the water though by consumers who decided no, they were quite happy with its size. However, there must surely be a limit to display size and we wonder if the increase to a 5.5-inch display may just be too much for some. Another question this leads to is…
Is Samsung wise to reveal the Galaxy Note 2 so close to the time that Apple is expected to showcase the iPhone 5? We’ve already spoken of the fashion for larger screens and the next iPhone is expected to step up to a larger display, maybe around 4-inches, because of this demand. Other improvements expected for the next iPhone include a quad-core processor, LTE connectivity, improved camera and much more, including the next Apple mobile operating system, iOS 6.
Many are expecting the iPhone 5 to be a really significant improvement over the iPhone 4S and are waiting to be blown away by what Apple has to offer so it remains to be seen if it’s a clever move by Samsung to unveil the Note 2 on August 29, just ahead of the rumored Apple event to show the iPhone 5 set for September 12. When it comes to it though, the reveal date may not be as important as a release date. It seems to us that whichever actually hits the shelves first is likely to steal some significant sales from the other.
Hopefully all of our questions will be resolved shortly as more is leaked about the Galaxy Note 2 or when it is made official on August 29. We feel the Galaxy Note 2 is likely to be another smash hit for Samsung but just how successful will rely on the answers to some, or all of these questions. We shall of course bring you more as we hear it.
In the meantime we’d be really interested in hearing your thoughts on the Galaxy Note 2. Are you waiting for the Galaxy Note 2 and if so are you willing to wait a few months or only intend to purchase it if it is made available soon? If you’re in the U.S. will you wait for a launch there if it comes after other regions, or maybe you’ll be tempted by the iPhone 5 instead? Have you any concerns about the display on the Galaxy Note 2 being even larger than its predecessor? Let us know with your comments.