Samsung Galaxy Note Smartphone Review

Since browsing the Web is a key feature of any smartphone, we also conducted some formal speed tests to see how well the Samsung Galaxy Note compares to some of today's hottest smartphones.

 

Because we weren't able to disable 4G connectivity on the Galaxy Note, we weren't able to complete 3G testing. In the Xtremelabs 4G test, the Galaxy Note achieved a relatively low score while connected to AT&T's HSPA+ network. Keep in mind that this "slow" 4G score is still significantly better than most 3G connectivity scores.

In the Speedtest.net test, the story was much the same for the Galaxy Note. Although the phone performed better in this test than in the Xtremelabs test, it still earned a mid-to-low range score. Here again, the Galaxy Note's 4G HSPA+ speeds are still significantly better than 3G connectivity speeds.

Depending on connectivity, we're hoping to get 4G LTE scores for you soon – stay tuned. On other phones with AT&T LTE connectivity (namely a Samsung Galaxy S II Skyrocket), we've seen speeds as fast as 33 Mbps down and 13 Mbps up in both the NYC and Las Vegas areas.

Although these tests are designed to put a quantitative score on network connection performance, it's important to keep in mind that network speeds can vary depending on many factors and the test results can also vary from one day to the next.

 


Jennifer Johnson

Jennifer Johnson

Jennifer grew up around technology. From an early age, she was curious about all things related to computers. As a child, Jennifer remembers spending nights with her dad programming in BASIC and taking apart hard drives to see what was inside. In high school, she wrote her senior term paper on her experiences with building custom computers.

Jennifer graduated from the Jeffrey S. Raikes School of Computer Science and Management at the University of Nebraska at Lincoln. After college, she began writing full-time for various PC and technology magazines. Later, she transitioned to the Web. In these roles, Jennifer has covered a variety of topics including laptops, desktops, smartphones, cameras, tablets, and various consumer electronics devices. When she's not playing with or writing about the latest gadget, Jennifer loves to spend time with her family, capture memories with her camera, and scrapbook.

Opinions and content posted by HotHardware contributors are their own.

Related content