First impressions of the T-Mobile Samsung Galaxy Note II (gallery)

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  • The Samsung Galaxy Note II comes in the standard durable white T-Mobile box I have come to enjoy over the past couple years.

    Caption by: Matthew Miller

  • The back of the Note II box list some of the high end features and certifications of the device.

    Caption by: Matthew Miller

  • Here you can see all of the box contents, including a handy Start Guide and phone recycle envelope.

    Caption by: Matthew Miller

  • Lately I have seen manufacturers skipping headsets in the box, but Samsung includes one with extra tips and it actually is a decent headset.

    Caption by: Matthew Miller

  • And here is the Galaxy Note II. Note that it looks a lot like a larger Galaxy S III, which is a good thing IMHO.

    Caption by: Matthew Miller

  • The proximity sensor, headset speaker, and front facing camera are all found above the display.

    Caption by: Matthew Miller

  • I like that Samsung keeps using the center physical button as it gives me a great way to get back to the main home screen and also launch Google Now.

    Caption by: Matthew Miller

  • The headset jack is up top  with the volume button on the left side and camera centered in the upper back. The power button is in the same place you can always find it on a Samsung device.

    Caption by: Matthew Miller

  • I bought the Titanium Gray Galaxy Note II as you can see by looking at the back.

    Caption by: Matthew Miller

  • The S Pen silo is in the bottom left area of the Note II.

    Caption by: Matthew Miller

  • The S Pen has a slightly different form factor and feels MUCH better in my hand than the one used in the original Note.

    Caption by: Matthew Miller

  • The small pen button is used to switch between pen and touch input functionality.

    Caption by: Matthew Miller

  • Yes, the Galaxy Note II is a large phone. However, it is slightly narrower than the original Note and that alone make a huge difference to me and how comfortable I am with it.

    Caption by: Matthew Miller

  • This smartphone lineup includes the HTC One X, Galaxy Note II, Galaxy Nexus, and Apple iPhone 5.

    Caption by: Matthew Miller

  • Back view of the smartphone lineup includes the HTC One X, Galaxy Note II, Galaxy Nexus, and Apple iPhone 5.

    Caption by: Matthew Miller

  • This is the default home screen on the Galaxy Note II for T-Mobile.

    Caption by: Matthew Miller

  • Here is the first screen of apps loaded on the device. Some come from Samsung, others from Google, and a few from T-Mobile.

    Caption by: Matthew Miller

  • Here is the second screen of apps loaded on the device.

    Caption by: Matthew Miller

  • And finally the last screen. I only added a few of my own apps and then after these screenshots were taken I went crazy and loaded it up.

    Caption by: Matthew Miller

  • There are several widgets available on the Note II.

    Caption by: Matthew Miller

  • Words with Friends is awesome on the Note II display, even when I am getting my rear end kicked.

    Caption by: Matthew Miller

  • The ability to capture photos with your voice is pretty slick and eliminates the blurring caused by moving your finger on the display.

    Caption by: Matthew Miller

  • S Note is a feature app on the Note II due to the pen usage.

    Caption by: Matthew Miller

  • I was excited to try out this new racing game since my Moga gaming attachment arrived, but as you can see I will have to wait until next week.

    Caption by: Matthew Miller

  • The Calendar app is great and very useful for me.

    Caption by: Matthew Miller

  • Rotate the Note II to get a more useful calculator.

    Caption by: Matthew Miller

  • A few S Pen apps are loaded on the device to encourage you to use the stylus.

    Caption by: Matthew Miller

  • Google Now is on the device, although it is hidden by Samsung and there are a couple tips to find it. Check out my written article for the details.

    Caption by: Matthew Miller

  • Web browsing is good on the large 5.5 inch display.

    Caption by: Matthew Miller

  • Google searches through Google Now are also easy to launch.

    Caption by: Matthew Miller

  • Quick glance lets you see notification status for different services by waving your hand over a locked device.

    Caption by: Matthew Miller

  • You can have video playing on the screen as you do other things thanks to the Pop-up Player.

    Caption by: Matthew Miller

  • Given that the device is large, Samsung includes some utilities for one handed optimization.

    Caption by: Matthew Miller

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The Samsung Galaxy Note II appeared on T-Mobile shelves yesterday so I made the trip to the store after selling off my Galaxy S III and am now a very happy owner of one of the greatest data focused devices ever.

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The Samsung Galaxy Note II comes in the standard durable white T-Mobile box I have come to enjoy over the past couple years.

Caption by: Matthew Miller

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