Samsung Galaxy Note II camera review

This phone is like a dream that will never come true. I bought this phone 5 months ago where all of the sudden it stopped working.
Currently I live in Canada.. logically I can go to any Samsung service and fix but that is not possible for unknown reasons. so I had to contact Samsung UK.
I checked and confirmed with them that this phone belongs to them before sending it. I sent the phone which costs me shipping and handling back and forth because this cheap Samsung company doesn't pay for the shipping. Anyway that is not the point.

finally Samsung received my phone and they didn't even bother to follow up. so I called and guess what they told me that this phone is from United Emirates...!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Which means that Samsung UK cannot touch..

Now I have to wait for the phone be sent back and then ship it to United Emirates.

they just lost a customer where all my products are Samsung. TV, phones...etc.

No way that I will touch their products.

Bye bye Samsung

DxO still refuses to acknowledge GoPro ... the most popular camera in the world and capable of higher quality then these phone cameras?!

My Note II ( unlocked AT&T ) is quite nice .... much better battery life than the Note I.
I can do about 80% of the ordinary, every day photos with this unit. What would take that to 95% is to add a 10X to 12X optical zoom, even if that requires 10mm thickness and a few ounces. More control over exposure, ISO ( to 6400 ) and shutter speed would help. The phone manufactures don't really realize they are in the camera business ... and the camera manufacturers don't realize they are in the phone business .... although there are signs they are waking-up.
AS for OSs, MS is somnolent.

nice review, but if you can't get reviews out sooner than this for phone it's almost not worth bothering.

Having had my time with the Note 2 I must say it is a very decent phone + internet machine.
And once you get some security in place it can boost your outdoor your productivity regarding emailing / surfing / messaging etc.. It has CPU + RAM enough to load full web sites like Outlook web access etc..
Memory flexibility, the return of the stylus, battery life, software. A lot to love.

But the camera is just mediocre.

-continued-

DP Review should help the phone makers to integrate better camera's and use stronger term and verdicts to push for less generic camera module integration in Phones and have some them invest in some real R&D on the subject.

We usually walk with Note 2 + Nokia 808 Pureview and feel taking pictures with the Note 2 is a waste if you have the 808 at your disposal.

Since both Note 2 and Nokia 808 are about the same age I urge for a re-review of the Nokia 808 compared to "current best of class".

If we continue forget about what is possible in terms of camera integration we will be stuck for ages to come with anorexic smartphone designs with generic camera modules and mediocre results at best. Even from Nokia (see L920)

Until they get the camera's upgraded I say no to 6 month to yearly update cycle madness of the smartphone industry as we can already guess the Note 3 will not sport a superior groundbreaking camera technology.

Maybe it will have a hardware shutter?

Purchased the Note II specifically for photography and videography, but it had nothing to do with using it to take photos. The sumptuous 5.5 inch screen is a godsend when paired with the GH3's wifi feature. That extra real estate makes all the difference.

Just another gadget review site.

New owners should always ask themselves why the site/product became popular in the first in the first place.

Anyone complaining about cellphone review are out of touch with reality. Currently cellphone are the new P&S.

Both Photoshop touch and Photoshop touch for phone exist on Android.

Please correct it.

DPReview, whoa!, behind & late to review, whats going on here? I got Note2 last year... Note 3 will release on Aug 2013.. C'mon..

Garbage? Samsung is kind enough to offer the stylus to those that need or want it. The S4 can't be owned yet, and the iPhone 5... no sd card support, smaller screen, and you can't change the battery like you can with most Samsungs. The Note 8 is what I'm waiting for... That is the killer s-pen platform for me. Choice is a great thing.

This phone is garbage, not sure why any photographer would prefer it over the S4 or IPhone 5

Thanks dpreview! I have the note II and have gotten a lot of good results with the camera and video. The HDR mode works really well. Low light is a hit and miss, but I am able to get a good picture if there is time to setup the shot and take it. When there is plenty of light, most of the time no problems unless indoors and there are curly bulbs. If I change the WB then it works out just fine. When I view the pictures on the Note II and a more expensive monitor, the pictures are awesome! When I view on a cheaper or crappy monitor, detail is lost and I am disappointed. These smartphones are designed to capture memories and I think they do a really good job. I know each version of the Note will keep getting better and better, but I am happy with mine and probably will upgrade to the Note IV. For those complaining about a late review... I know where you are coming from, however, this is something new to dpreview so give them time. I'm sure Galaxy S4 Review will be quicker!

I liked Note 1 better. It's 16:10 form factor is MUCH more useful then 16:9 of Note 2...

Go Samsung go ...this is the best device I ever owned , its not only the camera , its the whole combination .
It will take me hours to explain it ...
In short : it is the world in your hand .
Go Samsung go

What is the focal length (35mm equivalent) of the lens?

I owned a Note 1 and to date, I can say with confidence, it produced the best images I have ever got from a phone - so much so, I sold my Panasonic GH2 and used the Note to do EVERYTHING on my trip to Chicago in March 2012, including of course, the photography and video. Although the video is a bit wobly without optical stabilisation, the photos were superb - indoor and out. I think Samsung have the edge when it comes to phone cameras.

I also used the Note (1) on the trip for hotel booking (using the awesome Hotel Tonight app), SatNav (GPS) when driving or walking about Chicago and area, taking notes and of course, as a phone, both regular calls and Skype.

The screen was great too.

So I cannot imagine how a Note 2 is, perhaps it has the same camera? Here's to the Note 3.

Anyway, if any pros want a second camera for quick shots, the Note comes highly recommended.
(I had sold the GH2 prior to knowing about my trip, would have kept it for the optical zoom and wide angle lens.)

lol, how long has this phone been out and only now a review! Note 3 is almost released....

The Galaxy Note 2 uses a quad-core Exynos processor clocked at 1.6GHz, not a dual core processor as stated, just to clarify, thanks!

Can we have some comments about the display? AMOLED screens have been notoriously bad when it comes to colour accuracy. Is this better than usual? How does it compare to IPS displays?

The note I is already at the dumps X 150,000.

I love my Note 2. I don't use the camera all that much, but it strikes me as decent for a cell phone (I don't have huge expectations), and it's always with me.

The Note 2 will accept a 64GB micro SD card. It's easy to load photos taken with a better camera, and the big screen provides a great way to show them to family and friends.

Note 2 is a fantastic smartphone.
The first one I'm really happy with.

Screen is gorgeous, it's extremely fast and it's bettery lasts very long (for a smartphone).

One of your negatives is that there is no physical shutter button. There actually is a way to use a physical button (volume button) as the shutter, by adjusting the settings. In camera mode, go to Settings > Use volume key as > The camera key. Thought you might want to know.

DP Review. It makes sense to launch a DPReview mobile site, provided you are able to keep some of your key qualities. One of those is sharing a format among the reviews. Having checked this review out I looked into the Nokia Lumia 920, but unless I'm mistaken it follows an entirely different layout, sections are different, making comparison difficult. You want to have a large audience I suggest you get your review format aligned so that I can tell all reviews are off the same site. In addition, comparisons with various mobile phones within the article would provide some value as well. Good luck.

Are you serious? Really? Are you the same of DPreview or are you stealing only the name?
It takes bravery to call this "camera review".
Even I could do this "camera review".

Please be serious and start doing cameraphone reviews at the level I can see on your mother site (?) and for wich I know you are able to.