Samsung is unveiling its latest offerings to the market today, and the highlight of the show is the Samsung Galaxy Note 4.
In 2011, Samsung released the Samsung Galaxy Note, a new kind of mobile device that boasted a big screen.
Nowadays, big screens are the norm in the smartphone market and a screen that measures 5-inches is nothing out of the ordinary. With this growing demand for a larger display, It is no longer unusual for people to be carrying one large device that functions as a phone, gaming device, camera and laptop all at the same time.
But back in the mid-2000’s, a phone screen larger that 3-inches was almost unheard of. It was the time of small screens, flip phones, laptops and, later on, the more sophisticated tablets. People were so accustomed to having separate devices for different functions that they didn’t see the need for a bigger screen for their mobile phones.
That’s not to say that mobile phone manufacturers didn’t try to introduce something new to the market of small screen devices. As early as 2007, mobile devices with screens as large as 3.7-inches began to make their appearance however, the market did not respond as well to such large screens that offer nothing different from regular sized mobile phones. Coupled with the emergence of the tablet, which integrated the practical functions of a computer and the fun of gaming devices to a 7-inch screen, having a big screen mobile phone was just not appealing.
Then came the smartphone, a device that integrated functions from various devices into one compact mobile device with a sophisticated operating system. With the smartphone, mobile phone manufacturers slowly began introducing larger screens into their product lineup and by 2010, Samsung introduced the 4-inch Samsung Galaxy S, which ran on the Android operating system, setting the benchmark for the smartphone industry for years to come.
However, as the smartphone industry saturation point approached, mobile phone manufacturers faced another challenge in making the large screen smartphone more than just a large screen. With so many large screen smartphones coming out in the market (with a previous skeptic now rumored to be joining the bandwagon), manufacturers had to find a way to standout and distinguish themselves from the competition.
More than just a having a big screen, the Samsung Galaxy Note is the first mobile device that consolidated the benefits of multiple devices while maintaining the portability of the smartphone.
According to Samsung, the Samsung Galaxy Note was developed based on key insights on the smartphone market which most competitors missed. Their research showed that while consumers, who were always on the go, carried multiple devices for different functions, they still carried around a note pad and pen. Samsung realized that the market showcased an emerging desire for a device that consolidated the functions of different devices as well as recreate the simplicity of using pen and paper.
The Samsung Galaxy Note featured a large 5.3-inch screen, faster hardware, better display and smartly optimized software, introducing the market to a whole new smartphone category – the “Phablet”.
The Note’s most distinguishing feature, which made it stand out among its other big screen competitors, was the introduction of the Samsung S Pen.
At the time, the S Pen was the most advanced pen input technology in the market, featuring an array of functions such as pressure sensitivity, preciseness and speed. In addition, the S Pen functionality is deeply integrated into the GALAXY Note’s native applications, providing users with a richer interactive experience. With the Galaxy Note’s S Pen, users were able to recreate the pen and paper experience only better as it runs smarter, which was completely revolutionary at the time.
Samsung has developed its S-Pen from being just a simple stylus to a high-capacity device. From a smart pen used to make notes, it has evolved to become a tool that allows you to do more. With the S-Pen, one can simply draw multiple windows and launch different apps which one can use simultaneously, all on one screen. It provides various shortcuts to do different activities, all with one’s own hand writing.
Stay posted for the details of the new Samsung Galaxy Note 4.
