Samsung have launched the Galaxy Note 10.1, a tablet PC versions of its predecessor the Samsung Galaxy Note. But is it a smartphone or a tablet? And is the Galaxy Note really the one to take on iPad?

The first Samsung Galaxy Note is 5.3 inches, sized between smartphones such as Samsung Galaxy SII and the Galaxy Tab Tablets making it a smartphone/tablet computer hybrid. The new version sports a similar design as the Galaxy Tab 10.1 but just like its predecessor, the Galaxy Note 10.1 is all about the stylus or the S-Pen as Samsung calls it which is used to write notes or draw on the screen.

STYLUS NOW ‘S-PEN’

The S-Pen is well hidden within the device on the bottom right and is quite secure. According to CNET.COM, Samsung’s custom S Note app, designed to take advantage of this input method, has been improved with a Formula Match feature that the company claims is better at recognizing and converting handwritten formulas. This makes it useful as a learning tool for students.

Users can configure a specific stylus-optimised app to launch automatically once the tablet detects that the S-Pen has been removed from its slot. The company has also supplemented its own apps by bundling Adobe’s Photoshop Touch app. Users can run multiple applications at a faster speed that the previous version as it runs on quad-core processor.

10.1 TWICE THE SIZE OF THE GALAXY NOTE

So is it more of a smartphone or a tablet?

According to CNET.COM, everything that was great about Samsung’s flagship smartphone, the Galaxy S III has been ported over to the Note 10.1 which means you can also make phone calls and send SMS on this slate.

A lot of questions however, were raised about the first Galaxy note. Some people opined that Samsung Galaxy Note is too big to be a true mobile phone, citing the difficulty of using it single-handed. Others questioned its marketability as users cannot store it in a small pocket and that look awkward when holding it against their faces while conversing. If that was a problem for the Galaxy Note the 10.1 is almost twice as wide as its processor and is almost the size of a tablet.

A Samsung spokesman said that size-wise, the new product (Galaxy Note 10.1) is nearly a tablet PC. Well Samsung hasn’t enjoyed success with its tablet variants in the way that it has with its range of Android-powered smartphones over the past two years. It has experimented in a number of sizes and internal components, but none have managed to take on Apple’s iPad. So is the Galaxy Note the one to take on iPad?

SAMSUNG TAKES ON THE TABLET MARKET

By releasing the Note 10.1 Samsung is trying to make inroads in the tablet computer market, which is dominated by Apple’s iPad. In an effort to take on the mighty iPad, Samsung has borrowed most of its specs from the Galaxy S III. This includes Samsung’s 1.4GHz Exynos quad-core processor, 2GB RAM, and a Mali-400 GPU included for handling heavy-duty graphics processing among other specs.

It is the choice of screen however that falls short of the pixel density of the iPad’s Retina display with a resolution of 1280X800. Despite that it should still offer a warm, colourful image with decent viewing angles as Samsung has opted for a PLS panel (Plane-to-Line Switching).

So where does that leave the Galaxy Tab?

Most of the features in the Galaxy Note are better than its cousin the Galaxy Tab and despite the estimated high cost of the Galaxy Note 10.1 when they are released to the market they would sell more than the Galaxy Tab.

So is Samsung trying to replace the Tab or is it creating a competition with its own products? Well whether Samsung’s unique selling point, the S-Pen, will excite the market and become a hit, we wait to see.