I've had it for a few days and thought i'd leave some impressions for anyone thinking of buying one... Firstly, the titanium grey looks lovely and the build feels solid once battery and cover are in place. It's a big phone, but i've had no problems getting it in my jeans etc. it'll definitely be too big for many/most. I love the screen, though colours are clearly over saturated and the notorious 'amoled blue tint' is visible on light backgrounds, but not enough to ruin what's a fantastic display. Features... Immense, this thing is truly immense when it comes to content and features.... Google maps was key to me switching away from ios but Google Now is simply brilliant. Everything feels connected apps wise... It's a very fluid os, with the widgets being such a bonus. I've got a full screen dedicated to my calendar, another with youtube (which lets you flick through recommended vids within the widget) and flipboard. Comparing to ios where apps feel individual and closed until they're opened... There's a general feeling of apps being integrated with one another - intelligent (especially the google stuff). I wont go over the s-pen, suffice to say it's very good for noting (handwriting) or recognition if you prefer. My terrible handwriting actually looks like it does with a ballpoint pen. It's practical, which leaves me impressed. Last thing i'll mention is the multitasking update added in an update this week. Two apps in resizable windows, this works extremley well on a device with so much screen real estate. Web browsing + youtube etc.... (Not every app can be multitasked) is a real joy. I really hope my ipad can do this one day soon! To conclude, i'm very happy with this phone. Jellybean os is superb, on the note 2 at least.... And ios suddenly feels totally antiquated and stale to me now... BUT.... Before the flaming starts.... I'm still a massive ios fan. The appeal of Apple is in the simplicity and presentation, and that's probably my main android criticism... Too many settings - too many options... You really have to cut through the crap to set everything to your liking. I'd not swap my ipad for any other tablet, but i'd also not swap my note 2 for any other phone.
I also switched to Note 2 last week. One thing I think you missed is the setting for color balance. There's 4 of which you can choose and while the default one is horrible there are two others that make the screen look brilliant. On other accoutns I can pretty much only agree with you.
I'd love one for the sheer specs but at the same time it is a little big for me to carry around (same with the S3 which I also like), but I've had a good experience with my 4" Galaxy S Advance.
One complaint I have heard in the past is that the battery really goes fast under heavy use. If you are doing heavy gaming, how long does it last?
Which did you settle on? I'm on dynamic as i found 'natural' and 'movie' to appear too washed out. I prefer the high contrasts of the other modes. Once i got an ipad, i didn't game much on my iphone, and haven't done much on the Note 2. I've played 10mins or so of those generic logo types... Had a good browse on the play store. Much is familiar to what's on the appstore, though probably far less overall. But back to the battery... The android option that lets you see how long you've been off charge is very useful indeed. I average 1.5 days with 'regular' use. Currently 23% remaining - 20 hours 9mins off charge. Used lots today so i imagine i'll charge it later. Not seen anything like the 2.5 days one reviewer supposedly got. (Screen set to auto brightness) ... Push email during peak hours. Gps off but location services on. Probably lots i could disable to improve performance.
@Faeryan - download Swiftkey 3 trial for a hugely improved keyboard to the stock samsung. You can make virtually as many typos as you like and it'll always correct your spelling etc, give it a go
