Samsung Galaxy Note 2 Review (T-Mobile) - The Phablet Returns
by Brian Klug on October 24, 2012 9:00 AM ESTSpeakerphone
The Note 2 puts its speakerphone in the same place as the original Galaxy Note, and thanks to the large size of the handset I bet there’s plenty of space for a big driver. The Note 2 also includes a new boost mode I didn’t see on Galaxy S 3 before that boosts speakerphone output volume considerably.
The tradeoff is that there is significantly more saturation and clipping with this mode toggled, but it is very, very loud.
Noise Suppression
Samsung has continually included Audience earSmart processors in its handsets for noise rejection and filtering, and the Note 2 is no exception. Both the original Note, and Note 2 include the Audience eS305 voice processor, though the Note 2 includes newer firmware thanks to its later release date. I’m told that both the Note and Note 2 were interesting challenges due to the extreme size of the handset and just how far apart the microphone pair is — there’s one at the very top, one at the very bottom on both models. In addition the T-Mobile Note 2 also has wideband AMR enabled (AMR-WB), which I confirmed inside ServiceMode by poking around. I called between two T-Mobile devices (the Note 2 and my own HTC One S) but it appears as though T-Mobile is still using AMR-NB over UMTS at least as evidenced by the 4 kHz maximum in the below spectral view. Either that or my HTC One S is the limiting factor.
Samsung is unique in that it gives a nice easy way to enable and disable the noise rejection paths by tapping the menu button, so we can easily test with it on and off just to see how much difference it makes. I’ve been supplied an industry standard babble track that emulates a loud cafe or restaurant, complete with a din of voices, doors opening and closing, and background bustle. I’ve found that playing this on loop in my office when I want that cafe vibe mitigates the desire to go and pay exorbitant amounts of money for the luxury of distraction, but I digress.
Galaxy Note 2 - Noise Rejection Enabled by AnandTech
Galaxy Note 2 - Noise Reduction Off by AnandTech
Anyhow I went ahead and tested the Note 2 with the babble track at a very loud maximum loudness of 94 dBA which is likely above spec, but a worst case. You can hear a dramatic difference between the Note 2 with the noise rejection turned on and off. I’ve heard eS305 do even better at rejecting literally all noise on the Xolo X900, but this is our first time using the babble track as opposed to music so my mental comparison isn’t quite fleshed out.
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sharath.naik - Wednesday, October 24, 2012 - link
I expected the battery life to be much better that what the test shows. Specifically the WiFi browsing time of 6 hrs, when I Phone gets 10. I did not see the brightness level set during this test in the article (or did I miss it), given how much of a effect OLED screen brightness has on battery life, I would have liked know the brightness level set.Mugur - Thursday, October 25, 2012 - link
They said the brightness was at 200 nits. In my opinion that is somehow misleading, because this is almost max for Note 2 or other OLED screens and 1/3 for LCD ones like iPhone 5. Why not doing a test on max brightness?Spunjji - Thursday, October 25, 2012 - link
It's meant to be a standard level to make the numbers directly comparable. Furthermore, it would be unfair to penalise a phone with an exceptionally high brightness by running it at such a level during a test when you'd be unlikely to use that mode all the time in reality.However, in this instance it does hamper the phone's performance - I run it around the 50% level most of the time and it looks nice and clear that way. However, I wouldn't say it necessarily does so *unfairly*. Just something to bear in mind... additional figures would be nice but time-consuming to obtain.
Seggybop - Wednesday, October 24, 2012 - link
"I know there are big cultural differences associated with the appeal of this chrome ring"where can I find this mythical culture that appreciates gaudy chrome trim? as far as I can tell, it's a universally reviled element that does nothing but make a device look cheap.
CeriseCogburn - Friday, February 1, 2013 - link
Both you ladies should take some more cultural arts classes and brush up on your laughable snobbery.Seggybop - Wednesday, October 24, 2012 - link
"I know there are big cultural differences associated with the appeal of this chrome ring"where can I find this mythical culture that appreciates gaudy chrome trim? as far as I can tell, it's a universally reviled element that does nothing but make a device look cheap.
Impulses - Thursday, October 25, 2012 - link
Korea or Asia in general possibly...Seggybop - Wednesday, October 24, 2012 - link
"I know there are big cultural differences associated with the appeal of this chrome ring"where can I find this mythical culture that appreciates gaudy chrome trim? as far as I can tell, it's a universally reviled element that does nothing but make a device look cheap.
barry spock - Thursday, October 25, 2012 - link
The longer I spend think about my own subjective limitations, the more I realise that the products from anyone but apple aren't getting a fair go.And this one's an interesting product to attempt to not pigeonhole. I'd think of it more as a media device than a phone. And so does the rest of south korea, as I watch them using these things on the subway -- they watch tv on them. They make calls using earbuds -- not holding a thing this size to their heads. And they rarely put it in their pockets -- it goes in a handbag (or a manbag)
The bit about it not fitting in the F-150's "big Gulp" plastic cup holder speaks volumes about the culture it was written in.
Different cultures will use these devices differently. I imagine Samsung won't fret if this isn't taken up in droves in the US, because after all, there's always china.
Also, Anand, et al. *please* give us the ability to mod-down thoughtless comments such as the first one attached to this article.
CeriseCogburn - Friday, February 1, 2013 - link
That's all we need is you bland one mind fits all nazi book burners to demand the ability to wipe out the 1st amendment when you see fit.If you don't like a comment move on, instead of demanding personal power over others.
I didn't like certain things in your comment above, I'd like to wipe it out, we'd all be better for it.