Samsung Galaxy Note II to Hit on November 9

The smartphone will be available through AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, Verizon Wireless and U.S. Cellular By Rachel Cericola

October 22, 2012

A few service providers have started a new fight for your smartphone dollars. Samsung just announced the Samsung Galaxy Note II, which will be available though AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, Verizon Wireless and U.S. Cellular when the unit ships on November 9, 2012.

Everyone appears to be offering the device for a whopping $299—except for T-Mobile, who has it for $70 more. Each of those plans also requires the standard two-year service agreement. However, all of that will be a small price to pay to those frothing over this hot little handheld.

The hook on the Galaxy Note II is that it includes a 1.6GHz quad-core Exynos processor, which is specifically designed for LTE networks. It also has a very pretty 5.5-inch HD Super AMOLED display with a 1280x720 resolution, as well as the Android 4.1 operating system (a.k.a. Jelly Bean). In other words, it’s great for those of you wanting tablet features in more portable, smartphone-style package. Other perks include 2GB of internal RAM and 16GB of onboard file storage, which can be increased to 64GB with a microSD card. There’s also an 8-megapixel rear-facing camera.

Being that the Galaxy Note II is Samsung’s first to have Jelly Bean, the company is promising all kinds of special goodies. One of those is an upgraded Google Now service, with contextual search. Also, the Galaxy Note II is a SAFE-designated device, which basically means that it has all kinds of safety features to keep your data private and away from prying eyes (and fingers!).

Another nifty feature is the enhanced S Pen, which is basically a super stylus that can detect 1,024 levels of pressure sensitivity. Besides allowing you to get around the phone’s functions more easily, it also allows users to actually write like they write, instead of just poking away at a screen—for more personalized/human touch. Also, if you forget to return the S Pen to its proper hiding spot inside the device, there’s actually a visual and audible alarm, so you won’t have to worry about leaving it on someone’s desk or the train or something.

Last, but certainly not least, the Galaxy Note II features all sorts of multitasking and sharing features. For instance, Popup Note, Popup Video and Popup Browser can launch separate windows for those tasks, while working on email or doing other things on the phone. Also, the device included access to services such as S Beam, Share Shot, AllShare Cast and GroupCast for sharing content.

Promising up to 15 hours of talk time, the Galaxy Note II is currently available for pre-order. Check with your provider for exact pricing and service contract info.