First, the Note is a secondary device; my primary is an iPhone.
The Samsung display is very saturated. It's much stronger than the iPhone and often very good for video. After using it, I will say that it's too strong. Some photos look great but others are overwhelming. The camera takes very good photos; the call quality and other (LTE) network details are excellent; and the available software is as good as any other Gingerbread device.
Unfortunately, it's still Gingerbread. I wanted an ICS update early, but it still hasn't arrived. The Touchwiz skin is mediocre. That's subjective, but it spills over into the objective observations - particularly performance. I often have to wait for it to recognize a button tap or for it to load the phonetop with default widgets. The worst characteristic, ironically, is the size. This is basically a mini-tablet: good for videos, games, and some reading, but I say if you wanti a tablet, get a tablet. Don't try to get this as a hybrid unless you plan to use a Bluetooth headset or earphones. Holding the mini-tablet up to a small head just looks goofy. If this is your primary device, I would suggest the Skyrocket (if you want Samsung) or the HTC One X, which AT&T will release very soon (with ICS).
FYI: I am an AT&T employee but this reflects my personal opinion, not that of AT&T.
The Breakdown
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Design
5
-
Display
6
-
Camera(s)
9
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Reception / call quality
10
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Performance
5
-
Software
7
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Battery life
6
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Ecosystem
7
Show the rest of this review and the breakdown
