TABLE OF CONTENTS
1 Processing and design
2 Display
3 Equipment and performance
4th camera
5 Software and multimedia
6th battery pack
7th Conclusion
8th Alternatives
Processing and design
At a good 29.5 centimeters wide and 20.4 centimeters high, the NotePRO is no longer a handy tablet . At just under 8 millimeters and 753 grams, it is still quite thin and still quite light in relation to its size, but after a few minutes it is very heavy and uncomfortable in the hand. In order to work comfortably, you definitely need a table or, for example, a support created by the shell that absorbs the weight. The NotePRO could have been a bit smaller, because the edges are very wide at 1.5 and just under 2 centimeters.
Samsung Galaxy NotePRO 12.2: Hands-on pictures
From the front and the side, the NotePRO makes a high-quality and chic impression with its chrome edges. Gaps cannot be seen. At this point , the back is not quite as first-class as with almost all Samsung devices, which, like the Samsung Galaxy Note 3, comes in the well-known synthetic leather look with illustrated seams on the side edges. After all, it feels quite high quality despite the plastic. However, this surface is not protected against fingerprints either. As usual with the Note series, the NotePRO also has the S-Pen, Samsung’s input pen, which is inserted on the back.
Visually, Samsung could go a better way with a look at the imitation leather look and the wide margins. Since the workmanship is flawless, there is only one point deduction.
Rating: 4/5
Display
As the name suggests, the NotePRO 12.2 uses a 12.2-inch super-clear TFT LCD display. This has a resolution of 2,560 x 1,600 in WQXGA and thus offers a pixel density of 247 ppi. Individual pixels cannot be recognized on the NotePRO. The auto-brightness, which is set during the entire test, appears quite bright by default. The contrast and color reproduction are also satisfactory. At this point, film and series fans who like to use the tablet as a notebook or even television replacement get their money’s worth, because with this 12.2-inch display, quality does not have to be compromised. However, like with almost all touchscreens, the legibility is rather poor outdoors in normal sunlight.
The pixel density could have been a bit higher for a price of around 900 euros, but this cannot be seen with the naked eye. Therefore only 0.5 point deduction.
Rating: 4.5 / 5
Equipment and performance
Inside, a 2.3 GHz Snapdragon 800 quad-core processor provides sufficient drive that such a giant tablet also needs. An Adreno 330 with 450 MHz is used as the graphics card. The 3 GB RAM, together with the quad-core processor, ensures smooth and quick operation. There were no noticeable delays during the test when surfing, working with the Office applications or playing complex 3D games. This is also reflected in the An-Tu-Tu benchmark results. There the NotePRO scores an impressive 35,396 points on par with the Galaxy Note 3 . In large cities like Berlin or Cologne with reasonable LTE coverage, mobile surfing is also really fun. The internal memory is 32 GB, but it can beSD card can be expanded by up to 64 GB.
Since the NotePRO 12.2 is hardly lacking in technical equipment apart from the missing HDMI connection, there is only half a point deduction for this.
camera
In contrast to most tablet cameras, which often deliver a bad picture and are therefore rarely used specifically for taking photos, the 8-megapixel camera on the back of the NotePRO is a real highlight of the tablet . As one of the few tablets on the market, it even has an LED flash. This is particularly important for tablets, as tablets are often only used at home and the lighting in interior spaces is usually not bright enough. This often leads to color noise and the photos become blurred. With the NotePRO, things finally look different. The built-in flash allows you to take good photos even in darker lighting conditions.
Samsung Galaxy NotePRO 12.2: Camera test pictures
The 8-megapixel camera, which is quite high-quality for a tablet, is also impressive. Outdoor shots in good, sunny lighting conditions have lifelike, clear colors and a very high dynamic range. With all photos that are taken with the tablet, however, attention must be paid to the somewhat delayed auto focus, which can otherwise quickly lead to a blurry image. It is also positive that even without a flash, most indoor photos tend to have lower color noise than most other high-quality smartphone and tablet cameras. Videos can be recorded in Full HD, and the quality was also convincing in the test indoors.
The front camera should not be too unimportant, especially for business users. Important video conferences can be carried out particularly well with the 5 megapixel camera of the NotePRO 12.2.
Compared to other tablet cameras, the cameras of the NotePRO 12.2 particularly stand out due to the rear LED flash as well as the high number of megapixels of the front camera. Therefore, there is almost the full number of points at this point.
Rating: 4.5 / 5
Software and multimedia
With the NotePRO 12.2, Samsung is primarily targeting business users who would like to create or edit important files while on the move. The standard applications for Word documents, PDFs, Powerpoints or Excel tables are preinstalled ex works with S Note, Hword, Hcell, Hshow, SketchBook and Remote PC. Of
course, the programs do not fully correspond to MicrosoftPrograms, but the most important functions are housed. With the integrated S-Pen, once you’ve got the hang of it, you can create a PowerPoint or Excel spreadsheet almost as conveniently as using a mouse on a laptop. The multi-window function is also ideally suited for such business applications. Up to 4 applications can be placed on the 12.2-inch screen at the same time and their size can be variably adjusted.
Similar to the Teamviewer software known to many users, the Remote PC program enables access from the tablet to the PC or laptop at home or in the office. This means that all data can also be accessed on the go. A cloud is not necessary.
But the tablet should not only be of interest to business users. With programs such as SketchBook and the 12.2-inch screen, which is almost equivalent to an A4 sheet of paper, the tablet is also suitable as a mobile coloring book for children. Android 4.4.2 KitKat is installed as the operating system.
Samsung Galaxy NotePRO 12.2: Screenshots
The stereo speakers on the left and right do not deliver a particularly loud sound, which one would expect spontaneously from such a large tablet, but the sound is clear and a bit of bass is also noticeable in places. Nevertheless, for a real sound experience you should rather connect the tablet to a high-quality system or connect it via Bluetooth.
Since the tablet available to the editors also has cellular access, the voice quality was also tested. If you hold the tablet comfortably in your hand or have it on the table, the voice quality that reaches the called party is a bit dull and quiet. However, if you as a phone caller make sure that you speak into the microphone placed above, you can be heard much more clearly at the other end of the line. However, it not only looks a bit strange, but is also very exhausting in the long run due to the size and weight of the tablet. Cellular use should therefore be limited to the mobile Internet, unless you use a Bluetooth headset.
On the software side, the NotePRO 12.2 has everything a mobile business heart desires. Samsung set the focus sensibly, so it is bearable that a 12.2-inch tablet is not particularly suitable for making calls.
Rating: 5/5
battery pack
12.2 inches want to be properly powered. Samsung has done nothing at this point and has installed a 9,500 mAh battery that is supposed to help the giant tablet through the tough everyday work. On paper, it should provide almost 10 hours of internet or 11 hours of video playback time. In the test, the NotePRO had to endure
30 minutes of time-consuming games, surfing, music streaming, HD video streaming and office work. In addition, it was burdened with the download of large amounts of files (approx. 2 GB), a benchmark test and the recording of various photos and videos. Cellular and Bluetooth were switched off the entire time.
After an eight-hour test day, the battery indicator showed a capacity of 52 percent. The tablet only lost one percent of its battery power in overnight standby. These are very good values. The tablet can therefore be used intensively for two days without any problems. For comparison: LG’s G Pad 8.3 only had 35 percent after such a test day.
The 9,500 mAh keep what they promise. Therefore full marks for the excellent battery values.
Rating: 5/5
Conclusion
If the user is looking for a tablet that has a very large and at the same time high-resolution screen and is not only suitable for mobile office applications in terms of performance but also in terms of software, then the Samsung Galaxy NotePRO 12.2 is definitely the right one Choice – as long as you can raise the current street price of just under 750 euros. The 12.2-inch tablet is certainly a niche product due to its size, but Samsung remains true to its business focus in almost all functions. If you are looking for a tablet for your handbag, it is better not to use the NotePRO 12.2. In principle, due to its size, the tablet could also be suitable for children for painting and playing, as well as for older people who often have difficulties reading on smaller displays.
Per
very good battery life
wide office package
High-end equipment
Cons
no HDMI connection
quite high weight
high price
Alternatives
The fact that there are currently no real tablet alternatives on the market that also have a 12-inch display, high-end equipment and Android as the operating system should be positive for Samsung. Tablets of a similar size, such as the Acer Iconia W700, weigh even more at 900 grams and are a bit worse equipped. In addition, many devices are only available as tablet-keyboard combinations. Alternatives for business users are only available in the 10-inch segment, such as the Samsung Galaxy TabPRO 10.1 for 599 euros, which has almost the same equipment as its big brother, but is a bit more compact. A direct comparison of the two tablets can be found here.
