Samsung Galaxy Note 12 Review

Introduction

Samsung's Galaxy Note series has long been the gold standard for smartphones that blend powerful performance with innovative features, especially aimed at productivity and creative professionals. The Samsung Galaxy Note 12, released in 2024, continues this legacy with a host of improvements over its predecessors. This review will provide a comprehensive look at the Samsung Galaxy Note 12, covering its design, display, performance, camera system, battery life, software, and overall user experience.

Design and Build Quality

The Samsung Galaxy Note 12 boasts a refined and elegant design, typical of Samsung's flagship devices. It features a glass front and back, protected by Corning Gorilla Glass Victus 2, and an aluminum frame, ensuring durability and a premium feel. The device is slim, measuring just 7.7mm in thickness, and weighs around 180g, making it relatively lightweight for its size.

The Note 12 is available in a range of sophisticated colors, including Phantom Black, Mystic Bronze, and Cloud White, catering to different style preferences. One of the standout design elements is the nearly bezel-less Infinity-O display, with a small, centered punch-hole cutout for the front camera. This design maximizes screen real estate and provides an immersive viewing experience.

The back panel has a matte finish that resists fingerprints and smudges, enhancing its aesthetic appeal. The camera module is integrated seamlessly into the design, protruding just slightly from the back panel. The placement of buttons and ports is ergonomic, with the power button and volume rocker on the right side, and the USB Type-C port, speaker grille, and SIM tray at the bottom. The Note 12 also includes an under-display ultrasonic fingerprint sensor, which is fast and reliable.

Display

The Samsung Galaxy Note 12 features a stunning 6.8-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X display with a Quad HD+ resolution of 3200 x 1440 pixels, resulting in an impressive pixel density of around 516 ppi. This high-resolution screen ensures sharp and vibrant visuals, making it perfect for media consumption, gaming, and professional tasks.

The display supports a 120Hz refresh rate, providing a smoother and more responsive experience compared to traditional 60Hz screens. The higher refresh rate is particularly noticeable when scrolling through web pages, navigating the user interface, and playing supported games. The Dynamic AMOLED 2X panel offers deep blacks, high contrast, and excellent color accuracy, enhancing the overall viewing experience.

The display also supports HDR10+ content, providing an even more immersive viewing experience with improved color accuracy and dynamic range. The peak brightness of 1500 nits ensures good visibility even in bright outdoor conditions, and the screen is protected by Corning Gorilla Glass Victus 2, which offers excellent resistance to scratches and minor drops.

Performance

Under the hood, the Samsung Galaxy Note 12 is powered by the latest Exynos 2200 chipset (for international models) or the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chipset (for models in the US, China, and other select markets). Both chipsets are built on a 4nm process, ensuring power efficiency and robust performance.

The device comes with 12GB or 16GB of RAM and 256GB or 512GB of internal storage, providing ample space for apps, photos, videos, and other files. The Note 12 also supports microSD card expansion up to 1TB, offering additional storage options for users who require more space.

In terms of real-world performance, the Galaxy Note 12 handles everyday tasks with ease. Apps launch quickly, and multitasking is smooth and responsive. The device excels in productivity tasks, thanks to the combination of powerful hardware and software optimizations. Gaming performance is also impressive, with the Note 12 capable of running graphically intensive games at high settings without noticeable lag or frame drops.

Camera System

The camera system on the Samsung Galaxy Note 12 is one of its main highlights, featuring a versatile quad-camera setup on the back and a single front-facing camera.

Rear Cameras

Primary Camera: The 108MP primary sensor with an f/1.8 aperture captures incredible detail and clarity. The high resolution allows for significant cropping and zooming without losing too much detail. The primary camera produces sharp and vibrant images with excellent dynamic range, and the large sensor size helps in capturing more light, improving low-light performance.

Ultra-Wide Camera: The 12MP ultra-wide-angle lens has a 120-degree field of view, making it perfect for capturing landscapes, group photos, and architectural shots. The wider perspective allows users to fit more into the frame, though there is some noticeable distortion at the edges, which is typical for ultra-wide lenses.

Telephoto Camera: The 12MP telephoto lens offers 5x optical zoom and up to 50x digital zoom, enabling users to get closer to their subjects without sacrificing image quality. The optical zoom provides clear and detailed images, though the quality degrades slightly when using digital zoom. The telephoto lens also features optical image stabilization (OIS), which helps in reducing blur and shake.

Depth Sensor: The 5MP depth sensor enhances portrait photography by providing accurate depth information, resulting in better bokeh effects and subject separation.

Front Camera

The 40MP front-facing camera, housed in the punch-hole cutout, captures detailed and well-exposed selfies. The camera supports features like Live Focus, which creates a bokeh effect for portraits, and Night Mode for improved low-light performance. Video recording with the front camera is also impressive, supporting 4K resolution at 60fps.

Video Recording

The Samsung Galaxy Note 12 supports 8K video recording at 30fps with the rear cameras, and 4K at 60fps with the front camera. The video quality is excellent, with sharp details, vibrant colors, and smooth motion. The device also features advanced video stabilization, combining optical and electronic image stabilization (OIS + EIS) to reduce shake and produce smoother footage, especially when recording action scenes.

Additional video features include Director's View, which allows users to switch between different cameras while recording, and Pro Video mode, which offers advanced controls for exposure, focus, and audio. These features add a professional touch to video recording, making it suitable for content creators and filmmakers.

S Pen

The S Pen is a defining feature of the Galaxy Note series, and the Note 12 comes with an improved version that offers enhanced functionality. The S Pen now includes a built-in accelerometer and gyroscope, enabling Air Actions, which allow users to control the device with gestures. For example, users can swipe left or right in the air to switch camera modes or control media playback.

The S Pen also supports Bluetooth, enabling remote control functionality. Users can take photos, control presentations, and perform other tasks by pressing the button on the S Pen. The latency of the S Pen is impressively low, providing a natural and responsive writing and drawing experience.

Samsung Notes, the default note-taking app, offers a range of features that make the most of the S Pen. Users can convert handwritten notes to text, draw shapes and diagrams, and organize notes into folders. The S Pen is also compatible with a variety of third-party apps, enhancing its versatility.

Battery Life

The Samsung Galaxy Note 12 is equipped with a 4500mAh battery, which provides excellent battery life for a full day of moderate to heavy usage. The efficient Exynos 2200/Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chipset and software optimizations contribute to the device's impressive endurance.

The Note 12 supports 45W wired fast charging, allowing users to quickly recharge their device. It also supports 25W wireless charging and 15W reverse wireless charging, enabling users to charge other Qi-compatible devices, such as earbuds or smartwatches, using the Note 12.

Software and Features

The Samsung Galaxy Note 12 runs on One UI 4.0, based on Android 12, with updates available to newer versions of One UI and Android. One UI is known for its user-friendly interface, intuitive design, and rich feature set. The software is optimized for one-handed use, with key elements positioned towards the bottom of the screen for easy reach.

One UI includes a range of productivity features, such as Samsung DeX, which allows users to connect the Note 12 to a monitor and use it as a desktop computer. DeX mode provides a desktop-like experience with resizable windows, a taskbar, and support for a keyboard and mouse.

The Note 12 also includes Bixby, Samsung's virtual assistant, which offers voice control, smart home integration, and contextual information. While Bixby has improved over time, it still lags behind competitors like Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa in terms of functionality and accuracy.

Connectivity

The Samsung Galaxy Note 12 offers a comprehensive set of connectivity options, including 5G support, dual SIM functionality, Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.2, NFC, and a USB Type-C port. The device also supports Samsung Pay, which allows users to make secure payments using their phone.

Overall User Experience

The Samsung Galaxy Note 12 delivers a premium user experience that caters to both productivity and entertainment needs. Its sleek design, vibrant display, powerful performance, and versatile camera system make it a compelling choice for a wide range of users. The S Pen adds a unique dimension to the device, providing enhanced functionality for note-taking, drawing, and remote control.