Samsung Galaxy Note Pro 12.2 Tablet Review

[nextpage title=”Introduction”]

The Samsung Galaxy Note Pro 12.2 a high-end tablet with a 12.2-inch, 2560 x 1600 screen, a Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 (MSM8974) processor (four Krait 400 cores, 2.3 GHz, Adreno 330 GPU), 3 GiB of RAM, and 32 GiB of storage space. It has support for 4G LTE networks, an 8 MP main camera and a 2 MP front camera, and the operating system is the Android 4.4 (“KitKat”). Let’s take a good look at this huge tablet.

Figure 1 shows the box of the Galaxy Note Pro 12.2. The part number of the model we tested is SM-P905.

Figure 1: box

Inside the box, besides the tablet, we found a wall charger, USB 3.0 cable, headphones, and user manuals.

Figure 2: accessories

Figure 3 reveals the Galaxy Note Pro 12.2. There is a physical “home” button, and capacitive “back” and “app list” buttons at its sides. At the top, there are the front camera and the light sensor. The tablet has a metal frame around it. The device can be found either black or white; we analyzed the white version.

Figure 3: the Galaxy Note Pro 12.2

Figure 4 shows the back of the device. It has a plastic back panel with a leather-like texture. (There are even fake sewing stitches around it.) At the top, you will find the 8 MP camera and the LED flash.

Figure 4: back side

[nextpage title=”Overall Look”]

The Galaxy Note Pro 12.2 uses a quad-core, 2,3 GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 (MSM8974) processor. It has four Krait 400 cores and an integrated Adreno 330 GPU.

The 12.2-inch screen is the highlight of this tablet, not only by its size, but also because of its resolution: 2560 x 1600 pixels. It brings clear, bright, vidid, and color-rich images.

Figure 5 unveils the top of the Galaxy Note Pro 12.2, where you will find the power and volume buttons, the microphone opening, and the infrared transmitter.

Figure 5: top side

At the right-hand side, you will find the SIM chip and microSD card slots, the USB 3.0 connector, a speaker opening, and the slot for the S Pen, shown in Figure 7 removed from its resting place.

Figure 6: right-hand side

Figure 7: pen

At the left-hand side of the tablet, you will find another speaker opening and the earphone connector.

Figure 8: left-hand side

There are no buttons or connectors at the bottom of the tablet.

Figure 9: bottom side

[nextpage title=”Inside the Galaxy Tab Pro 12.2″]

Removing the plastic rear cover, we have an overall view of the interior of the Galaxy Tab Pro 12.2. The mainboard is at the top, with the main chips covered by metallic shieds. The two-cell battery is at the center of the tablet.

Figure 10: cover removed

The battery has a voltage of 3.8 V and 9500 mAh, which is a very large capacity.

Figure 11: battery detail

[nextpage title=”Using the Galaxy Tab Pro 12.2″]

The Galaxy Note Pro 12.2 is a pleasure to use. First, because of its great performance: everything runs smooth and fast, due to the powerful processor and the generous 3 GiB of RAM.

Second (and mainly), the screen is excellent, with its high resolution and quality. Everything seen in the screen is sharp, bright, clear, and vivid.

Of course, with a 12.2-inch screen, it is big and may be uncomfortable to hold in some positions for a long time. It measures 11.6 x 8.0 x 0.31 inches (295 x 204 x 7.9 mm) and weighs 1.66 lbs (753 g). Some people will be best served with a tablet featuring a smaller screen.

The Android 4.4 “KitKat” operating system is easy to use and intuitive, with big customizations from Samsung. An excellent feature is the split screen, which is activated when an app is lauched from within another: for example, if the email reader opens a page in the web browser, both apps share the screen, split in two.

The S Pen is useful, as it is not a simple, more precise substitute for the finger, but has some unique funcions such as selecting parts of the screen, drawing over it, etc. With some commands you do not even need to touch the screen with the pen: the tablet detects its “suspended” movements.

Figures 12 and 13 show the initial screens when you turn on the Galaxy Tab Pro 12.2 for the first time.

Figure 12: main screen

Figure 13: main screen

Pressing the icon with 16 dots, you enter the list of applications, shown in Figures 14 and 15. There are some custom applications from Samsung, and the Android itself is heavily customized with the Samsung TouchWiz UI.

Figure 14: list of applications

Figure 15: list of applications

You can install new applications using the Google Play Store, which has thousands of applications and games available.

The 3.8 V, 9500 mAh battery lasted about five hours running YouTube videos from a Wi-Fi network, which was a little disappointing for such a high-end equipment.

The 8 Mpixel main camera is surprisingly good for a tablet, and the front camera, with 2 Mpixel resolution, is also not bad.

The sound quality is excellent, due to the two speakers at the sides of the tablet.

[nextpage title=”Main Specifications”]

The main specifications for the Samsung Galaxy Note Pro 12.2 include:

• Dimensions: 11.6 x 8.0 x 0.31 inches (295 x 204 x 7.9 mm)
• Weight: 1.66 lbs (753 g)
• Display: 12.2-inch, 2560 x 1600, IPS touchscreen
• Operating System: Android 4.4 (“KitKat”)
• Main Processor (CPU): Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 (MSM8974), four Krait 400 cores running at 2.3 GHz
• Graphics Processor (GPU): Adreno 330, embedded in the CPU
• RAM: 3 GiB
• Storage: 32 GiB
• Memory Card Slot: yes, MicroSD
• GPS: yes
• FM Radio: no
• Sensors: accelerometer, gyro, compass
• SIM slots: one Micro-SIM
• Networks: GSM (850/900/1800/1900 MHz), HSDPA (850/900/1900/2100 MHz), LTE (800/850/900/1800/2100/2600 MHz)
• Wi-Fi: IEEE 802.11b/g/n/ac, dual-band
• Bluetooth: yes, 4.0
• Rear camera: 8 Mpixel
• Front camera: 2 Mpixel
• Flash: yes
• Battery time: 5 h
• Battery: 3.8 V, 9500 mAh Li Ion
• More information: https://www.samsung.com/
• Average prince in the U.S.*: USD 830.00

* Researched at Newegg.com on the day we published this review.

[nextpage title=”Conclusions”]

If you are looking for a big tablet with high-end hardware, good camera, and a wonderful screen, the Galaxy Note Pro 12.2 is an excellent choice, as long as you do not mind paying a considerable amount of money for it.

Strong Points

• Excellent screen, clear, sharp, bright, and with very high resolution
• Excellent performance
• Great design
• Supports 4G LTE and voice calls
• Good camera
• Excellent audio
• Good frontal camera
• Memory card slot
• Useful pen
• Great usability with the split screen feature

Weak Points

• Very expensive
• Battery could last longer