Samsung Galaxy Note II for AT&T hands-on: an S-Pen phablet with 4G LTE (update: video)

[ ](http://www.engadget.com/2012/10/04/samsung-galaxy-note-ii-for-atandt-hands-on-an-s-pen-phablet-with/)

[AT&T's](http://www.engadget.com/tag/ATT/) still keeping us in the dark about a hard date for the [Galaxy Note II's release](http://www.engadget.com/2012/08/29/samsung-galaxy-note-ii/), but at least we know it's real and [on the way](http://www.engadget.com/2012/09/28/atandt-4g-lte-adds-galaxy-note-2-galaxy-tab-2-10-1-galaxy-express/). Confirmed to ship sometime this holiday season, this variant of Samsung's phablet refresh sports a 5.5-inch 1,280 x 720 HD Super AMOLED display, 1.6GHz quad-core Exynos processor, 8-megapixel rear camera capable of 1080p video capture, beefy 3,100mAh battery and, of course, a refined S-Pen. It's nigh unchanged from both the [global](http://www.engadget.com/2012/08/29/samsung-galaxy-note-ii-hands-on/) and [Sprint models](http://www.engadget.com/2012/09/20/samsung-galaxy-note-ii-for-sprint-hands-on/) we'd gotten hands-on with previously; a trend the OEM sparked off with the release of the GS III earlier this year. And in a move that augurs well for those of you averse to branding, there's no superfluous carrier logo blemishing its smooth white back.

If you thought the [original Note](http://www.engadget.com/2011/10/28/samsung-galaxy-note-review/) was big and unwieldy, prepare to stretch your thumb even further up the display. Samsung added 0.2-inches to this update, while incorporating elements of its "famed" _inspired by nature_ design that conspire to lend this handset a reassuring in-hand fit. On the lower right-hand side, you'll find a convenient slot for the S-Pen which, when removed, triggers an action menu that can be customized to launch selected apps. A large physical home button rests just below the expansive 16:9 screen and is flanked by capacitive buttons for menu and back, while the front-facing camera resides up above and hardware keys for volume and power are placed on the left and right edges, respectively.

On the software front, you're still looking at a TouchWizzed version of Android 4.1 Jelly Bean, as well as some carrier-specific apps that come pre-loaded, like My AT&T, CodeScanner, FamilyMap, Navigator and Ready2Go. As you might expect from its quad-core Exynos, performance was smooth... almost buttery smooth, but we'd be remiss if we didn't mention a slight hesitancy between pulling out the S-Pen and the launch of that Smart Actions menu. Bear in mind, this is a pre-production model, so most of those kinks should be worked out by the time it launches this holiday season. Check out the video after the break.

**Gallery: [Samsung Galaxy Note II for AT&T](http://www.engadget.com/photos/samsung-galaxy-note-ii-for-atandt/)**

[](http://www.engadget.com/photos/samsung-galaxy-note-ii-for-atandt/#5338764)[](http://www.engadget.com/photos/samsung-galaxy-note-ii-for-atandt/#5338765)[](http://www.engadget.com/photos/samsung-galaxy-note-ii-for-atandt/#5338766)[](http://www.engadget.com/photos/samsung-galaxy-note-ii-for-atandt/#5338767)[](http://www.engadget.com/photos/samsung-galaxy-note-ii-for-atandt/#5338768)

[Continue reading _Samsung Galaxy Note II for AT&T hands-on: an S-Pen phablet with 4G LTE (update: video)_](http://www.engadget.com/2012/10/04/samsung-galaxy-note-ii-for-atandt-hands-on-an-s-pen-phablet-with/)

Filed under: [Cellphones](http://www.engadget.com/category/cellphones/), [Wireless](http://www.engadget.com/category/wireless/), [Mobile](http://www.engadget.com/category/mobile/), [Samsung](http://www.engadget.com/category/samsung/), [AT&T](http://www.engadget.com/category/atandt/)

[Samsung Galaxy Note II for AT&T hands-on: an S-Pen phablet with 4G LTE (update: video)](http://www.engadget.com/2012/10/04/samsung-galaxy-note-ii-for-atandt-hands-on-an-s-pen-phablet-with/) originally appeared on [Engadget](http://www.engadget.com) on Thu, 04 Oct 2012 17:40:00 EDT. Please see our [terms for use of feeds](http://www.weblogsinc.com/feed-terms/).

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