Samsung Galaxy Note II Review

S Note is the device's namesake application, with a number of options for note-taking geared toward business, education, sketching, and layout formatting. I was intrigued by this app more than any other on the Galaxy Note II, since it's what makes the device so unique among other phones.

I jotted down all of my thoughts on the device in the S Note mobile app to get a real feel for its capability. The blank black field at the bottom of the screen is where I "wrote" (in cursive!) using the stylus. The application translated my chicken-scratch handwriting into text, punctuation and all, with shocking accuracy.

Students will definitely benefit from the school-minded functionalities, which turn handwritten math equations into text and hand-drawn graphs into graphics. The "Lifestyle" documents, which can be used as an Adobe InDesign or Illustrator on the go, create magazine-like spreads, with clip art, text boxes, and images that can be resized and moved around using the stylus. I can see bloggers really maximizing this tool for recipe posts or DIY tutorials.

The first thing about the Galaxy Note II that'll catch your eye (literally) is the bright HD Super AMOLED 1280 x 720 display. The 16:9 screen ratio works great with visual apps like Flipboard and shows video and images with stunning quality.

At almost six inches tall and three inches wide, the Galaxy Note II feels huge in my hands. But despite its unusually large dimensions, the phone/tablet slips right into purses and pockets, thanks to an especially slim body and smooth plastic battery cover. The Galaxy Note II can fit everywhere my iPhone can — besides jeans, where smartphones really shouldn't be anyway. And, at 182.5g, the Galaxy Note II is pretty lightweight, too.

The side volume control and power buttons are well-integrated — prominent, but not too much so. And, when tucked away, the S Pen lies flush with the casing. Almost too flush. It takes a tug to remove the stylus, but at least it's safely stored away.

The rear-facing 8MP auto-focus camera is about the same quality as the iPhone 5, but the camera's software has more built-in features. Some standout shooting modes: Beauty Shot gives people a blemish-free, soft-lighting, gauzy glow; Smile Shot won't trigger the shutter until everyone in the frame is smiling; and Low Light worked well in dark environments.

In the photo gallery, I liked that you can write with the stylus on the "back" of photos. That feature could come in handy for traveling to quickly jot down the names of landmarks or people you meet.

Shown here is the Galaxy Note in Marble White and Titanium Gray without the flip cover.

The Galaxy Note II isn't the kind of device that's suited for urbanites who need to hold their smartphone in one hand and cling onto a bus strap with the other. The phone is, however, very appropriate for people who are sitting down to take notes during a class or meeting.

Gadget fiends who find themselves using their phones less as phones and more as media consumption devices will also benefit from the Galaxy Note. The S Pen stylus offers a certain preciseness that makes surfing the web and tapping on links a breeze. Typing on the device with two thumbs, the way you would on a normal smartphone, is difficult — but that's what the stylus and handwriting-to-text functionality are for.

The S Pen doesn't provide a totally seamless experience, however. The "permanent buttons" at the bottom of the screen (one for options and one to go back) don't respond to the S-Pen. You have to use your finger. If you share media or links a lot, this back-and-forth pen-to-touch tango gets tedious.

I love the Mint Cover ($40, also available in white, gray, blue, pink, and other colors) that was sent with the device, but the battery cover and attached screen protection accessory have no closure, so it's a bit floppy. The flipcover would be perfect if it was more like the iPad Smart Case — with a little magnet that snaps the cover closed and a close-to-sleep, open-to-wake feature.

Would I abandon my iPhone for the Galaxy Note II? Not quite yet. But with tablets getting smaller and phones getting bigger, I see a bright future for Samsung's midsized phablet.