Amazon.com: Customer reviews: Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 2014 Edition (32GB, Black)

Top positive review

826 people found this helpful

Better Than Expected

ByAnfroon October 20, 2013

I've had this Tablet for over a week now and have to say that I am blown out of the water by its performance and what you can do with it! To be fair, there were a few laggy areas when I first got it (day after launch) but those have since been cleaned up by 2 samsung updates. This thing is smokin fast now. I don't really use the "My Magazine" app that people are complaining about so I don't have an opinion on that one. But everything else that I use it for is amazing. I really enjoy the web browser that came with it too. I never use chrome or dolphin now.

So far what has really blown me away is the split screen where you can have two apps open at the same time side by side. I really love this and do it often. Normally when I split, I have the tablet in portrait mode and have youtube in the top windowpane and the internet browser in the bottom windowpane. But on top of that in each windowpane can have multiple apps that you can switch with independently. I also love the fact you can have a windowed app (select few) that you can move around on the screen while you do others things. For example, I have my bank app up and want to figure out my finances for the next 2 weeks so I use the Spen to open a windowed version of the calculator and just start crankin away. It's awesome!

Honestly I don't use the Spen that much for drawing and didn't really buy it for that. I bought it for the beefy specs, build quality, and high resolution screen and have not been disappointed one bit. It is nice to take a screen capture and be able to write notes directly on it though.

One thing I think a lot of people are not taking advantage of is an app that comes pre-installed called "WatchON". It is a samsung app that uses the IR blaster as a universal remote control for all your devices that use a remote. In the tutorial you set up your tv model the cable you use, the make of the cable box, and voila you have a powerhouse remote experience. Let me tell you I use this every day now. So I open the app to the "guide" section and it shows everything that is on tv like your cable box guide. You then select what you want and it changes it on your tv! It's just nice to have a channel on and just peruse though the guide and select what you want without dealing with the cable box guide. You can star your favorite channels and switch between them with ease. Volume up,down, source, and many other options at your fingertips. I also have my AV receiver that I use for sound set up and it knows to use that for the volume, the channel for the cable box, and the power for the tv. Brilliant! On top of all of that, if you have a newer tv with WIFI direct you can click a button to connect the tablet with the tv and choose to watch whatever is on the tv on the tablet! I was blown away when I stumbled upon that feature! Alert: this app is awesome on football days when you want to switch through the many games that are on at the same time!

I'm rambling on here but also you can mirror your tablet to your tv (with wifi direct) and it shows what you see on your tablet on your tv. I played the new Madden game on it and it was flawless.

All in all this is a great tablet and I am very happy with my decision even though it was about $100 more than I wanted to spend. It is worth it though. The software you get with this compared to a clean android experience makes it worth it. I really think if i went to a nexus device from this I would miss all the features and Spen abilities. That is how I know the extras are worth it.

I will update this review as things change for the better or worse but right now I am thrilled :)

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Update 1: Well, I have had this tablet for just over 3 weeks now and it has successfully integrated itself in my daily life :) I thought it would be odd for a while considering I came from the HP Touchpad with android installed. The HP touch pad has a more square aspect ratio (like the ipads) whereas the Note 2014 is more "Wide Screen". I am happy to say that I am totally comfortable with the Note 2014 after just 3 weeks. :) I even use it in portrait mode mostly and it feels natural and great. Over all I still love this tablet and it is performing very well.

I've been through 3 over-the-air updates from Samsung and it gets faster and faster with each one. The only problem I had with the tablet was that it took a second or two to wake from sleep via the power button. The 3rd update seems to have fixed this mostly but there still are times where it will take a second...one Mississippi...there we go :) But honestly its not that bad. I use the MoKo case for it that I got on Amazon. It has the smart cover that wakes it upon opening so I don't notice a delay that much if there is one. Other than that I am still very happy with this tablet. I'm glad i did my research and waited for this one.

Something I didn't really touch on in the original review are the speakers. They are very nice and I love that there are two of them for stereo. They sound very good as well. The HP Touchpad had some pretty good speakers (shockingly) and I feel this tablet is on par which is good and above average in my opinion.

In conclusion, I am still very happy with my purchase even taking in account its price. I knew I needed at least 32GB internal storage so it was $600 or nothing :) Keep the questions coming and I will try to answer them as quickly as possible. Later!

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UPDATE 2: Holy Cow 1 Year Edition!!!

I am not sure who will be reading this at this pint in the product's life cycle but I will update my original review regardless.

So it has been a year. Many things have happened but one thing is for sure. I still love my Note 2014. I felt the need to come back and add this because it is kind of rare for a product to continue to meet and exceed expectations. Also I have noticed it is still the top review which blows me away because that has never happened to me on amazon or any other consumer site for that matter. I just wanted to let everyone know that I sill love this tablet and it is still going strong. There is not much more to add to my original review really. I know how fast paced the mobile tech world can get and I am pleased to say that this tablet is still excelling within my usage. No defects. No glitches. No problems at all. I would love it if samsung would update it to Android Lollipop in the near future but I know that would be months off. Its ok though because it is performing well. I think I would be in the category of tablet power user so I have many many hours on this thing. Read "news junky". So I am still happy with my purchase even though it is much cheaper now.

For new tablet users I will just say; use bookmarks. Bookmark your favorite 10-15 websites in your preferred browser and have your favorite apps on the front home screen and you will be good to go! I absolutely love to use this tablet during college football for info and comments during the many games. Love "Thuuz Sports" app, "CFB" sub-reddit, and the many forums that comment about your favorite team for play by play fan commentary. Makes Saturdays that much more enjoyable!

For those who are reading this in consideration of buying this 3rd market I just want to say: Buy from a reputable seller and the tablet will take care of the rest! It's really nice. One year in and I'm still loving it. I like to update my tech in any given usage but I feel this product will satisfy my tablet needs for another 2 years. So in my opinion it is a great after market choice.

That's it! Just thought I would update my "blast from the past" review! :D

Top critical review

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4 people found this helpful

Amazing! When it works

ByGamulon March 26, 2014

Part of me wanted to give this 1 star but that would not be right either. When this unit is functioning the device is awesome. Crystal clear screen. Fast graphics. Ease of use. Great features. Its everything I wanted in a tablet. UPDATE 3/28/2014. Lowered stars from 3 to 2 due to yet another failure (see below). I am still keeping 2 stars because as I say below - when these are working they are awesome.

My issue is durability. I own two of these 2014 Edition models and both have had the same issue. Unit 1 has had the screen die twice and had to go back for repair both times. Samsung service has been outstanding both times and have repaired the devices quickly. Samsung gets 5 stars from me. Now my 2nd unit has had the screen die and I am in the process of sending it back. These devices are only 4 months old and do not get abused. So whats up with the durability on these? What happens once the warranty expires and the screens die again?

UPDATE 3/28/2014: The screen on Unit #1 died again, for the 3rd time, less than 1 week after it was replaced. The fact that it was replaced sort of makes it 3 devices that have now died. This is a very bad trend and I have lost faith that these devices can withstand the test of time.

As I said, when the devices are working they are awesome. But for them to die multiple times with adults using them for web browsing, emails and simple games - seems a bit worrisome.

On the first unit, the 2nd time it went back they seemed to have replaced it. I am hopeful that will now last for a long time. Hopefully, they have learned something and my other unit will be fixed permanently too.

Its funny - I bought these to replace a 2.5 year old Xoom that has gotten slow. Still slow but it still works fine and for the moment is being used again.

5 stars for Samsung Support and for the device when it is working (95% of the time). 1 star for the fact that it has failed so much.

UPDATE 3/28/2014: The process of sending these back is fairly simple and Samsung Support is great. But each time is a nearly 3 week process of sending it back and waiting until it comes back.

Update 4/2/2014: Unit two is on its way back to me, should be here in a couple days. Nice fast turn around from Samsung support again. Spoke on the phone with Samsung about Unit one, the one that died for a 3rd time. With a mature and constructive conversation they have agreed to refund me the purchase price (minus sales tax though). They did not want to refund me on the 2nd unit because it was a first time failure and they have not even had a chance to repair it yet. Fair enough. I am not too concerned about the future at this point because I really have to say - Samsung support has been outstanding to work with. I have zero complaints about their professionalism, promptness and general ease to work with. Top notch professionals. I am now hoping that unit two comes back and no longer fails because as I have said, when these have been working they are awesome. There is currently nothing better out there. To replace the first unit we are looking at the upcoming Sony Xperia Z2, which still does not have the specs that the Samsung does but it looks close. I will continue to update this thread about unit two as I have more info.

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It works perfect

ByCollienon December 22, 2017

Verified Purchase

Had little issues with it when it was setting up but its ok now. I would recommend this item .