Samsung Galaxy Note Pro 12.2 Review: It's Like A Big, Overpriced Note 10.1 2014 Edition With A Couple Of New Tricks

By: Master 0 comments

Late last year, Samsung released the revamped model of the largest Note tablet, the Note 10.1 2014 Edition (which actually came out in 2013, despite its name). It brought with it a full refresh to the lineup, including high end hardware, a better display, and an improved interface. The S Pen became more valuable, and Multi-Window more usable. All in all, it was a good upgrade.

The Note Pro 12.2 is a continuation of that upgrade to the product line, as it's essentially a larger version of last year's Note 10.1 in both hardware and software. Of course, it's not identical in either – there are some minor differences here and there, like processor, Android version, and the like. Given that, the overall experience is very much the same. The primary reason to consider the Note Pro 12.2 over the 10.1 is of course the display size.

Naturally, these increases also warranted a price increase. The question you really have to ask yourself is basically this: is having 2.1 inches of additional screen real estate worth one hundred-fifty more dollars more?

Specs

• Display: 12.2-inch 2560x1600 TFT LCD
• Processor: Exynos 5 Octa (1.9GHz Quad-core + 1.3GHz Quad-core)
• RAM: 3GB
• Storage: 32/64GB
• Cameras: 8MP rear shooter, 2MP front
• Ports: microUSB 3.0, microSD
• Wireless: 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac 2.4GHz and 5GHz, Bluetooth 4.0, Wi-Fi Direct, AllShareCast
• Battery: 9,500mAh
• OS: Android 4.4.2
• Dimensions/Weight: 295.6 x 204 x 7.95mm, 750g (215 grams heavier than Note 10.1)
• Price: 32GB – $750; 64GB – $850
• Buy: Amazon

The Good

• The Display. The Note Pro's display is beautiful. But you already knew that.
• The size. I realize there is a select group of people who really want a 12.2 inch tablet. In the interest of objectivity, this bullet is for you. You'll love it.
• Good speakers. Most tablet speakers are shrill and tinny. The 12.2's speakers are actually very usable for watching movies or even listening to music... assuming you don't have headphones or an external speaker handy.

The Bad

• The size and weight. I think the 12.2-inch size is much more suited to a Galaxy Tab instead of the Note. Why? Because holding it with one hand while trying to use the S Pen is a pain in the ass. Really, holding it with one hand for any reason is a pain in the ass.
• The price.  At $750-850, it's just overpriced. I realize that a larger display equates to higher manufacturing costs, but let's not kid ourselves here – this is definitely overlapping into laptop pricing territory.
• Touchwiz is getting more encompassing and less intuitive. Very little of the OS has been untouched by Samsung, and the changes just keep coming. For example, every Samsung app is fullscreen all the time. Yes, that means the notification bar is hidden. And it's so annoying.
• Multi-Window is still not as useful as it could be. I realize that this is only partially Samsung's fault, since app developers need to add multi-window support before the device can take advantage of it, but on a device market as a professional, multi-tasking, do-it-all monster, I'd like to see a larger variety of apps that can run on the screen at once (like, you know, all of them).
• It's basically a bigger Note 10.1 2014 Edition, which is significantly more affordable. Unless you just have to have a 12.2-inch display, the Note 10.1 2014 is a smarter buy if you're looking at the Note tablet line.