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Samsung Galaxy Note 2 vs. Nokia Lumia 920

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In the next few weeks, those looking to pick up a new smartphone are going to have quite a few options. From new Android devices and Windows Phone 8 handsets, the mobile marketplace will be chock full of possibilities. Two of the leading candidates for the hearts and minds of consumers are the new Samsung Galaxy Note 2 phablet and Nokia’s flagship Windows Phone 8 offering, the Nokia Lumia 920. Here, we take a look at how they stack up against each other.

The Samsung Galaxy Note 2 is Samsung’s latest and greatest phablet, a term used to convey the fact that it offers the features of a tablet and a smartphone. And with its large screen, bundled stylus, speedy processor and powerful software, the Galaxy Note 2 is a force to be reckoned with this holiday season.

There is a reason that it has already sold over three million units worldwide, even before it has arrived on AT&T and Verizon.

Read: Samsung Galaxy Note 2 vs. iPad mini.

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The Galaxy Note 2.

As for the Nokia Lumia 920, it’s the Finnish company’s latest flagship Windows Phone smartphone, replacing the Nokia Lumia 900 as AT&T’s flagship Windows Phone. Nokia has packed in a number of appetizing features including a large display, quick processor, a fantastic camera, an extraordinary price tag, and of course, Windows Phone 8, Microsoft’s latest piece of mobile software.

Like the Galaxy Note 2, it’s an intriguing option and one that smartphone shoppers certainly should have at the top of their shopping lists as well. But how do they stack up against each other? Well, in order to help shoppers make the inevitable decision, we are going to take a close look at how the Galaxy Note 2 compares to the Lumia 920.

Here is the Galaxy Note 2 versus the Lumia 920 for AT&T.

Release Date

The Samsung Galaxy Note 2 has already arrived in the United States though its release is currently limited to three of the nation’s five largest carriers. While Sprint, T-Mobile and U.S. Cellular have all launched the phablet, AT&T and Verizon still have yet to release it.

AT&T’s release picture is clear. The carrier is currently taking pre-orders for the device and will be releasing it on November 9th. Verizon, unfortunately, has quite a few question marks remaining. It’s currently offering the Galaxy Note 2 on pre-order, however, it still hasn’t said when the device will be released. Right now, November 29th looks to be the date but that remains unconfirmed.

Read: Nokia Lumia 920 Comes To AT&T November 9 For $99.99.

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The Lumia 920 will hit AT&T in just a few days.

Pre-orders are supposedly going to start shipping on November 27th, according to Verizon’s website, which means that the November 29th release date should hold up.

The Nokia Lumia 920 release date is confirmed for November 9th and it will be available both online and in-stores on that day. Currently, the device is up for pre-order through AT&T’s website.

Design

Samsung’s new Galaxy Note 2 is a behemoth when it comes to design due, in part, to its massive 5.5-inch display. It dwarfs standard smartphones, thus, why it’s often called a phablet. Starting with the design itself, the Galaxy Note 2 features a polycarbonate/plastic design, typical of Samsung, that is both durable and easy to hold. It also features the same curves found in the design of the Galaxy S3 smartphone.

Specifics as far as the dimensions are concerned include 51.1 x 80.5 x 9.4mm thin with a weight of 6.35 oz. That means it weighs about 180 grams, which is heavy for a smartphone. Those with small hands will likely find it a little more difficult to hold in one hand than the average smartphone. A price to pay for the large display.

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The Lumia 920 is heavier and bulkier than the Galaxy Note 2.

Nokia’s Lumia 920 isn’t much better in terms of size. The Lumia 920 features a fairly bulky and heavy design that is built out of glossy plastic. Unlike the curves of the Galaxy Note 2, it features a rectangular monoblock build.

Specifics include 130.3 x 70.8 x 10.7 mm thin, meaning it’s actually bulkier than the Galaxy Note 2. It weighs more as well checking in with an 185 gram weight.

Display

Samsung decided to boost the screen of the Samsung Galaxy Note 2 up from the 5.3-inch display on the original to a massive 5.5-inch display. However, Samsung decided not to do much else with it.

The display is a Super AMOLED HD which means it offers 1280 x 720 HD resolution and features 265 pixels-per-inch which is down from the original Galaxy Note. The screen allows for stylus input as well given the Galaxy Note 2′s S-Pen accessory. Given the size and type of screen, two people can easily enjoy a movie together as it provides not only the size but great viewing angles.

It also offers 16:9 resolution which means it will provide true widescreen content, perfect for watching movies and TV.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=lN-NaHcOeII

Nokia’s Lumia 920 offers a spacious display with HD resolution as well. It boasts a 4.5-inch PureMotion HD+ ClearBlack display with a 1280×768 resolution.

The “PureMotion HD+ ClearBlack” in the name refers to the fact that the Lumia 920 has a high refresh rate so words on-screen still look smooth when scrolling. It’s also easy to read in any light. The screen is also very sensitive which means that users can use it with gloves on.

It features a 332 pixels-per-inch, which means that text and images will appear rich and crisp on the display. The Galaxy Note 2 on the other hand has a 265 pixels-per-inch.

Specs

Both of these smartphones are going to be high-end devices and that means they possess some extremely powerful hardware.

First, here are the specifications for the Samsung Galaxy Note 2.

  • 5.5-inch Super AMOLED HD display with 1280×720 resolution
  • 1.6GHz Quad-core Exynos Processor
  • 16GB
  • 8MP Camera/1.9MP Front-Facing
  • 3100mAh Battery
  • 2GB of RAM
  • S-Pen
  • NFC

And now, in comparison, the Nokia Lumia 920 specifications:

  • 4.5-Inch IPS display with 1280×720 resolution
  • 1.5GHz Dual-core Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 Plus Processor
  • 16GB Storage
  • 2000 mAh Battery
  • 1GB of RAM
  • NFC
  • Wireless Charging

Key differences here include the battery sizes, the Galaxy Note 2’s is much bigger because of the display, and the amount of RAM and processor type. The Galaxy Note 2 features a quad-core processor with 2GB of RAM which should make for great looking gaming and a smooth all-around user interface experience.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=hOX3HYDwTCY

We should also point out that the Galaxy Note 2 features an S-Pen stylus bundled in along with it.It allows users to write and draw directly on the screen and it’s also equipped with unique software like S-Note, which is a simple note taking app designed for the S-Pen.

Camera

With the Samsung Galaxy Note 2, Samsung included similar cameras to the original’s. The front-facing camera is a 1.9MP shooter that will be decent for things like video chat. As for the rear camera, it can shoot solid photos but don’t expect the world from it.

A sample taken with the Galaxy Note 2 camera can be seen below.

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A Galaxy Note 2 camera sample.

The Nokia Lumia 920 on the other hand has a stellar 8MP PureView rear camera that reviews say is one of the best available on the smartphone market, particularly when shooting in low-light environments.

A sample taken with the Lumia 920 camera can be seen below.

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A Nokia Lumia 920 camera sample.

As for the front-facing camera it too will be solid offering 1280 x 960  pixel resolution which should translate to high-quality video chats.

Software

The Samsung Galaxy Note 2 will be running Google’s Android 4.1 Jelly Bean software, a piece of software that was released back in July of this year. It’s not the newest Android version, that belongs to Android 4.2 Jelly Bean, but it’s still an optimal OS to have out of the box.

Android 4.1’s main features can be seen in the video below, and include a super quick user interface, top notch Google Apps, a fantastic camera app, an improved Browser, and a whole lot more.

The Galaxy Note 2 benefits from being one of the first devices to launch with the software out of the box, meaning, it will likely be one of the first to Android 4.2 Jelly Bean. It will also be running Samsung’s TouchWiz over the top of it and will also come with some unique software as well including the ability to split-screen multitask. That means that users will be able to split the device’s massive display to run two different apps at once.

The device’s S-Pen also will be able to take advantage of unique applications including the ever-present S-Note app that allows for easy note taking.

Nokia’s Lumia 920 on the other hand runs Microsoft’s new and improved Windows Phone 8 operating system which brings a new user interface, NFC support, and a whole lot more to the table.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=SQZEkXCE_fY

The operating system is detailed in the video below.

Carriers

One of the benefits of the Samsung Galaxy Note 2 is that it is home on five of the largest service providers in the U.S. AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, U.S. Cellular and Verizon will all be offering it at one point or another. This is the first time that the Galaxy Note has seen this kind of support. The original Galaxy Note only became available on AT&T and later, on T-Mobile.

This means that users will be able to decide which 4G LTE network, based on coverage, is right for them. Verizon currently has a massive 4G LTE network, boasting over 400 markets in the U.S. AT&T is next closest with just under 100 while Sprint and U.S. Cellular lag behind. T-Mobile still doesn’t have 4G LTE in place and won’t until 2013.

The Nokia Lumia 920 unfortunately will only, for the time being at least, be available on AT&T’s 4G LTE network.

Price

The pricing of the Samsung Galaxy Note 2 is known across the board. And while four of the carriers will charge the same price on-contract, one U.S. carrier opted to charge a different price. So, let’s take a look at how it breaks down.

AT&T, Sprint, U.S. Cellular and Verizon are all charging $299.99 on-contract for the Galaxy Note 2. That price will net customers a 16GB version of the Galaxy Note 2. It’s unclear if other storage options will arrive in the U.S. at this point.

T-Mobile however decided to charge a premium for its Galaxy Note 2 with a price tag of $370 on-contract. That’s a bit of a steep price for a phone that won’t have 4G LTE data until next year.

Screen Shot 2012-11-07 at 9.41.05 AM

The AT&T Lumia 920’s price tag is one of its most appealing features. AT&T, like the Lumia 900, will be charging $99 on-contract for the Lumia 920. That’s an aggressive price especially for a smartphone of this caliber.

In addition, the carrier will only be charging a mere $449 for the device off-contract, far less than the steep $600+ off-contract prices of the Galaxy Note 2.

13 Comments

13 Comments

  1. Zul

    11/07/2012 at 3:11 pm

    You don’t have the correct size measurements for the Note 2 (seems like a typo) and the 920 comes with 32 GB memory not 16 GB as you noted.

  2. Louie Lavin

    11/07/2012 at 5:49 pm

    Nokia 920 comes with 32gb not *16gb

  3. Fred931

    11/07/2012 at 6:12 pm

    I think you’ll wind up with a totally different opinion on the 920’s physical design once you actually get one to toy around with. Which begs the question: Why even bother writing the comparison if you haven’t actually been able to get a Lumia 920 to review? Heck, two of your discussion topics feature press releases for the Lumia rather in lieu of subjective investigation.

    And yes, the Note II size reads 51.1mm for length rather than 151.1mm. This page I just found at Phonearena can be used to visually place the devices (and thousands of others) side-by-side: https://www.phonearena.com/phones/Samsung-GALAXY-Note_id6116/size The Lumia is smaller laterally, but thicker. Almost like compressing a Note II a little.

    But seriously. You should use the phone, hold it in your hand, run some programs, etc. before writing a review about it, even in compare/contrast sense. Otherwise, this is well-written.

    • Fred931

      11/07/2012 at 6:14 pm

      Hah, put an old iPhone next to these two phones. It makes it look miniscule.

      • TALLEN

        11/07/2012 at 6:39 pm

        Ha put the new iPhone next to them and you still get the same effect :P

  4. Gravity

    11/07/2012 at 7:40 pm

    I am currently up for a upgrade with ATT and these 2 phones are what I’m debating. I am leaning more so towards the Nokia phone because of the amount of small innovations that I think would improve my phone experience. I know that the Windows platform isn’t popular, but from the information that has been release about it, it is something I feel I should at least try. I already know what Apple and Android can do, but I would like to give the Windows program a chance and Nokia has created a phone that just seems to have a lot of stuff that other phones don’t have now, but I’m sure will be adding soon. I think Nokia is the best choice for now mainly because its already the future, and although it has liveable shortcomings, its offers that best currently in the smartphone world.

    • Thericker

      11/07/2012 at 9:32 pm

      I left iPhone for the Note 2 and can’t wait to receive it. Windows is just all surface show to me. Glossy and heavy arent for me.

    • jack

      11/13/2012 at 5:00 pm

      I have a lumia 900 and believe me I love it and that is just the 900 I couldn’t imagine it with a better camera wireless charging and windows phone 8. One thing I will recommend though if you get it is get a matte color you will be happy scratches and smudges never show up. The lumia 920 is definitely a phone before it’s time. By the way I wrote this from my lumia 900.

  5. Jared

    11/08/2012 at 5:49 am

    I preordered my Nokia Lumia 920 the yellow one and I ordered the yellow charging plate yesterday from the AT&T store. They will only carry red black and white (might be gray) in stores so u have to order the other options… 99.00 for the phone plus 49.99 for the charging plate. I bought bothe for less than the iPhone. Btw I’ve been using iPhone’s since the original was released. Take a big step and get the Lumia 920, it’s going to be awesome! Also it has 8.7 mp camera not just an 8mp.

  6. Mario

    11/08/2012 at 8:39 am

    I think the stylus input, with 1024 pressure levels, is a huge distinctive factor of the Note (both the original and the Note II). There is not a single phone that has anything similar.

  7. mikroland

    11/08/2012 at 12:26 pm

    WRONG – Lumia 920 has 32Nigabytes of storage, not 16.

  8. Robbymobby

    11/17/2012 at 12:30 pm

    Also Lumia 920 is 1280×768

  9. Matt

    11/22/2012 at 10:33 pm

    Thats true buy the galaxy note 2 is expandable with up to a 64GB card…you can’t do that with your lumia.

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