Samsung Galaxy Note Pro and Tab Pro hands-on: First look

Introduction

Traditionally Samsung hasn't been the most exciting company to watch at CES, but this year the Koreans are really making their presence felt. Bringing the big tablet guns, the company definitely has some of the hottest hardware of the show at its booth.
As a welcome change of pace, we aren't just treated to TVs and Smart home appliances. Samsung has the Pro range of tablets on display, which spans across two families of ultra-high-res powerhouses.
The Samsung Galaxy Note Pro leads the charge and there are three Samsung Galaxy Tab Pro slates to cover its back. Here's the kicker - we have a new tablet size in town - 12.2 inches. That's not very surprising of Samsung, as the company has been keen on experimenting with new form factors and sizes, some of which have yielded amazing results - take the Galaxy Note line-up of phablets, for example.
The new standard is offered on two different slates - the S Pen-enabled Galaxy Note Pro 12.2 and the conventional Galaxy Tab Pro 12.2. Those two are joined by the more straightforward Galaxy Tab Pro 10.1 and another new size for Samsung with the Galaxy Tab Pro 8.4. The latter is a direct competitor to the LG G Pad 8.3 and we're eager to see whether it's a worthy one.
Anyway, we have met with all of them at the CES 2014 and we're ready with our first rundown. Before that though, let's take a look at what the Samsung Galaxy Note Pro 12.2 and the variously sized Galaxy Tab Pro slates offer.

Samsung Galaxy Note Pro 12.2 at a glance:

• Form factor: Tablet
• Size: 295.6 x 204 x 7.95 mm, 750 g
• Display: 16M colors 12.2" Super Clear LCD capacitive touchscreen of 2560 x 1600 pixel resolution
• OS: Android 4.4 KitKat with TouchWiz UI
• Chipset (LTE): Quad-core 2.3GHz Krait 400 CPU, Adreno 330GPU, 3GB of RAM, Snapdragon 800 chipset
• Chipset (3G, Wi-Fi): Quad-core 1.9 GHz Cortex-A15 & quad-core 1.3 GHz Cortex-A7, Mali-T628 MP6 GPU; 3GB of RAM, Exynos 5420 chipset
• Camera: 8MP main camera; 2MP front-facing camera
• Video camera: 2160p@30fps, 1080p@60/30fps, 720p@120fps video capture
• Memory: 32GB/64GB of inbuilt storage, microSD card slot, up to 64GB
• Connectivity: Wi-Fi a/b/g/n/ac, Wi-Fi hotspot, Bluetooth 4.0, microUSB 3.0 port with backwards compatibility with microUSB 2.0, GPS receiver with A-GPS, 3.5mm audio jack, NFC, Ethernet connectivity via adapter
• Battery: 9500mAh
• Extra features: S-Pen support, S Note, Scrapbook, Action Memo, Air Commands software to take advantage of S Pen, free subscriptions to various services including Dropbox, Evernote, Bitcasa, NY Times, LinkedIn, Remote PC, Cisco WebEx Meetings and more

Samsung Galaxy Note Pro 12.2

Samsung Galaxy Tab Pro 12.2 at a glance:

• Form factor: Tablet
• Size: 295.6 x 204 x 7.9 5mm, 732 g
• Display: 16M colors 12.2" LCD capacitive touchscreen of 2560x1600 pixel (WQXGA) resolution
• OS: Android 4.4 KitKat
• Chipset (LTE): Quad-core 2.3GHz Krait 400 CPU, Adreno 330 GPU, 3GB of RAM, Snapdragon 800 chipset
• Chipset (Wi-Fi): Quad-core 1.9 GHz Cortex-A15 & quad-core 1.3 GHz Cortex-A7, PowerVR SGX 544MP3 GPU, 3GB of RAM, Exynos 5410 chipset
• Camera: 8MP main camera; 2MP front-facing camera
• Video camera: 1080p@60/30fps, 720p@120fps video capture
• Memory: 32GB/64GB internal memory, microSD card slot
• Connectivity: Wi-Fi b/g/n/ac, Assisted GPS, Bluetooth 4.0, 30-pin connector
• Battery: 9500mAh
• Extra features: Scrapbook, free subscriptions to various services including Dropbox, Evernote, Bitcasa, NY Times, LinkedIn, Remote PC, Cisco WebEx Meetings and more

Samsung Galaxy Tab Pro 12.2 official photos

Samsung Galaxy Tab Pro 10.1 at a glance:

• Form factor: Tablet
• Size: 343.1 x 171.4 x 7.3mm, 469 g
• Display: 16M colors 10.1" LCD capacitive touchscreen of 2560x1600 pixel (WQXGA) resolution
• OS: Android 4.4 KitKat
• Chipset (LTE): Quad-core 2.3GHz Krait 400 CPU, Adreno 330 GPU, 2GB of RAM, Snapdragon 800 chipset
• Chipset (Wi-Fi): Quad-core 1.9 GHz Cortex-A15 & quad-core 1.3 GHz Cortex-A7, PowerVR SGX 544MP3 GPU, 3GB of RAM, Exynos 5410 chipset
• Camera: 8MP main camera; 2MP front-facing camera
• Video camera: 1080p@60/30fps, 720p@120fps video capture
• Memory: 16GB/32GB internal memory, microSD card slot
• Connectivity: Wi-Fi b/g/n/ac, Assisted GPS, Bluetooth 4.0, 30-pin connector
• Battery: 8,200mAh

Samsung Galaxy Tab Pro 10.1 official photos

Samsung Galaxy Tab Pro 8.4 at a glance:

• Form factor: Tablet
• Size: 128.5 x 219 x 7.2 mm, 331 g
• Display: 16M colors 8.4" LCD capacitive touchscreen of 2560x1600 pixel (WQXGA) resolution
• OS: Android 4.4 KitKat
• Chipset (LTE): Quad-core 2.3GHz Krait 400 CPU, Adreno 330 GPU, 2GB of RAM, Snapdragon 800 chipset
• Chipset (Wi-Fi): Quad-core 1.9 GHz Cortex-A15 & quad-core 1.3 GHz Cortex-A7, PowerVR SGX 544MP3 GPU, 3GB of RAM, Exynos 5410 chipset
• Camera: 8MP main camera; 2MP front-facing camera
• Video camera: 2160p@30fps, 1080p@60/30fps, 720p@120fps video capture
• Memory: 16GB/32GB internal memory, microSD card slot
• Connectivity: Wi-Fi b/g/n/ac, Assisted GPS, Bluetooth 4.0, 30-pin connector
• Battery: 4800mAh

Samsung Galaxy Tab Pro 8.4 official photos
In terms of hardware, the lineup is as impressive as it gets and the fact that it's powered by Android 4.4 KitKat with the latest TouchWiz enhancements makes it almost too tempting. The WQXGA resolution is impressive whichever way you look at it. First introduced by the Google Nexus 10 more than a year ago, Samsung tested the display with the Galaxy Note 10.1 2014 before bringing it to the Note Pro and Tab Pro slates.
Samsung also unveiled the Galaxy Camera 2, an Android-powered point-and-shoot. It's mostly unchanged from the original version though.

Samsung Galaxy Camera 2 at a glance

• Form factor: Point-and-shoot camera
• Size: 132.5 x 71.2 x 19.3 mm, 283 g
• Display: 4.8" Super Clear LCD capacitive touchscreen of 1,280 x 720 pixel resolution
• OS: Android 4.3 KitKat with TouchWiz UI
• Chipset: Quad-core 1.6GHz Krait 400 CPU,
• Camera: 16.3MP effective resolution; 1/2.3" BSI sensor
• Lens: 21x optical zoom, optical image stabilization
• Video camera: 1080p@30fps, 720p@60fps, 512p@120fps video capture
• Flash: pop-up xenon flash, AF light
• Memory: 8GB of inbuilt storage, only 2.8GB user-available; microSD card slot, up to 64GB
• Connectivity: Wi-Fi a/b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.0, NFC, microUSB 2.0 port, GPS receiver with A-GPS, 3.5mm audio jack
• Battery: 2,000mAh
• Extra features: Tag & go, remote viewfinder

Samsung Galaxy Camera 2 official photos
Follow us onto the next page, where we take a look at the Galaxy Note Pro 12.2 and see if it's as cool in real life as it is on paper.

Samsung Galaxy Note Pro 12.2 hands-on

The long awaited 12.2-inch Samsung tablet is finally official - it's the Galaxy Note Pro 12.2 flagship. Long story short, the new slate is an upsized version of the Galaxy Note 10.1 2014 Edition which, besides the bigger screen, brings Android 4.4 KitKat and the latest TouchWiz UI out of the box.
That may not sound like a lot of changes, but there's actually quite a lot to talk about here.


Samsung Galaxy Note Pro 12.2

Let's start with the specs. Just like the Galaxy Note 10.1 2014, the Galaxy Note Pro 12.2 is based on either a Snapdragon 800 chipset or Samsung's own Exynos 5 Octa. Naturally, the LTE version will be the one to run on Snapdragon 800 with four Krait 400 cores @ 2.3GHz, Adreno 330 GPU and 3GB of RAM, since Qualcomm's chipset offers LTE support by default.
As usual, the 3G-enabled and Wi-Fi-only flavors of the Note Pro 12.2 will be powered by Samsung's second generation Exynos 5 Octa chip. It packs a 1.9GHz quad-core Cortex-A15 processor plus a battery-friendly 1.3GHz quad-core Cortex-A7 for the more routine tasks. The two processors most probably won't be allowed to work simultaneously though, to avoid, as Samsung has previously stated, the risk of overheating. The GPU in charge of graphics is ARM's powerful six-core Mali-T628 MP6, while the amount of RAM is the same 3GB.
We have already met with the 3G version of the Galaxy Note 10.1 2014 Edition, which runs on Exynos 5 Octa. We tested the raw performance of the chipset and it did a great job at handling the high resolution and the advanced multi-tasking services.
The Galaxy Note Pro 12.2 is built around a 12.2-inch Super Clear LCD with 2560x1600 pixel resolution. It is the same type of display and resolution as on the Galaxy Note 10.1 2014, but the pixel density is lower (247ppi) due to the bigger screen estate. Since it is a Note device, there is an additional pen-sensitive layer above the screen based on the Wacom technology for detecting the S-Pen stylus.


Samsung Galaxy Note Pro 12.2
The similarities with the Note 10.1 2014 don't end with the screen though. The new Galaxy Note Pro 12.2 successfully reuses the design of its sibling, featuring the same faux-leather-like finish at the rear.
Samsung Galaxy Note Pro 12.2 stands at 295.6 x 204 x 7.95 mm and weighs 750 grams. This is nearly 5cm wider and 3cm taller than the Note 10.1 2014, and a good 210g heavier. It seems the new chassis and display are quite heavy.
So, the Galaxy Note Pro 12.2 has a huge screen at the front and a faux-leather plastic finish at the back. The placement of most of the controls, speakers and ports is the same as on the Note 10.1 2014.
The Android controls are below the screen - a hardware Home key flanked by two capacitive keys - Task Switcher and Back. That's right, the Menu key is now gone replaced by the default Android option - the task switcher.


The new hardware controls - Task Switcher, Home, Back
At the top (in landscape) we find the microphone pinhole, an IR blaster, the Power/Lock button and the slim volume rocker next to it. There is nothing at the bottom.


The top and bottom sides of the Galaxy Note Pro 12.2
The left side of the Galaxy Note Pro 12.2 has the 3.5mm audio jack and one of the stereo speakers, under a subtle metallic grille. The right side is really crowded - there we find the S-Pen compartment, the other speaker, the upgraded microUSB 3.0 port, plus the microSD and SIM slots, covered by small plastic lids.


The left and right sides of the Galaxy Note Pro 12.2
At the back of the Galaxy Note Pro 12.2 we find the same combo we saw on the Note 10.1 2014 - an 8MP cam accompanied by a LED flash.


The back of Samsung Galaxy Note Pro 12.2
Samsung will be offering smart flip covers, to double as a stand when needed. Another interesting accessory is the microUSB Ethernet adapter, which along with the standard Ethernet port will give you two regular-sized USB ports.


The smart cover • the Ethernet adapter with two USB ports

Samsung Galaxy Note Pro 12.2 hands-on

The Samsung Galaxy Note Pro 12.2 is going to run the latest Android 4.4 KitKat plus the most recent version of Samsung's TouchWiz UI on top. In addition to all the KitKat goodies and optimizations (incl. Project Svelte that lowers the Android specs and makes the OS run smoother and faster), you'll also get a major overhaul of TouchWiz.
There are two upgrades worth mentioning - the brand new homescreen and the new Multi-Window UI that now supports up to four apps running simultaneously, each in its dedicated window.
The new TouchWiz UI coming with the Android 4.4 KitKat offers brand new resizable widgets plus an entirely different approach to the homescreen. You can have up to eight homescreen panes and you can put up to four widgets on each. If you fill the screen with enough widgets, the actual homescreen wallpaper will be completely out of sight.
The homescreens now look much like the Samsung News service that premiered on the 2013 Note devices, much similar to the HTC's Blinkfeed. Samsung has widgets for pretty much everything - you can have social updates, various news topics (the new disassembled and more functional Samsung News service is now available as a series of separate widgets), weather, mail boxes, shortcuts, office documents, Scrapbook albums, NY Times app, Hubs, Gallery, S Note docs, S Planner, messages, bookmarks, etc. And all these look just fabulous - every homescreen is completely different, not intrusive at all and very useful - it's like running four apps on a homescreen simultaneously and thanks to the huge screen and resolution you won't even need opening them in full-screen.
Imagine filling your homescreens with such widgets - you can have a number of active apps the entire time. But what's most important is that the slate ran silky smooth despite all the simultaneous action! Maybe the Android 4.4 KitKat optimizations helped here.
The second worthy upgrade is the new Multi-Window service. Instead of two, it now supports up to four running apps and you can even have one app opened more than once. You can easily resize the windows, and copying and pasting content across windows is a matter of two clicks. The Galaxy Note Pro 12.2 continued to run smooth even with four apps opened at the same time.

The S-Pen features and apps are the same as on the Note 3 and Note 10.1, as far as we had the time to check. Once you pop the S-Pen out you get the Air Command menu with the usual S-Pen shortcuts - Action Memo, Scrap Booker, Screen Write, S Finder and Pen Window.
The Action Memo lets you write stuff and then use it to initiate an action - i.e. add a contact name and number to your phonebook, or check out an address on Google Maps. You just need to mark a part of the text and send it to one of the supporting apps.
Scrap Booker lets you add pieces of your screen to... well, a Scrapbook. You don't need to take a full-size screenshot - just mark the stuff you need. The Scrap Booker will automatically extract pictures and text from the selected area and will save them to one of your Scrapbook categories. You can then add an optional memo to every scrapbook entry you create.
Screen Write allows you to start writing on the display no matter what screen you are on. You can either use a clean sheet or a snapshot of the screen you are currently using. It's the best tool for taking quick memos.
The S-Search is local search that'll browse through all the content on your Note Pro 12.2 with preset filters. It can search in all S-Pen content you've added (including notes, scrapbook pages, etc.), messages, multimedia, settings, phonebook, even the internet. You can even search for symbols you've drawn with the S-Pen.
The last item on the Air Command menu is Pen Window. It lets you launch a mini window with one of the supported apps by drawing a rectangle on the screen. The Galaxy Note Pro 12.2 will then fit the floating app in the said rectangle (correcting the aspect, of course).
Even though we had very little time with the Galaxy Note Pro 12.2, we saw enough to want a closer look very soon. It's a blazing fast gadget thanks to all optimizations under the hood, it is an even greater multi-tasker and an amazing tool whatever you are using it for - work or pleasure.
Samsung made sure you have everything you may EVER need and we mean it. You get subscriptions worth around $700 to many popular services: 50GB of Dropbox storage for 2 years, 1TB Bitcasa storage for 3 months, 1 year of Bloomberg Businessweek+ subscription, 3 months of LinkedIn Premium Membership, Remote PC 2 year free subscription, NY Times free for 2 months, Cisco WebEx Meetings for half a year, free Hancom Office package, and even an Evernote free subscription for up to 1 year. Yes, that impressive!
So, the Galaxy Note Pro 12.2 is probably the ultimate slate you can buy this year. It has everything - excellent display and hardware, the latest Android OS with an amazing feature set, value-adding services, S-Pen integration and much more.

Samsung Galaxy Tab Pro 12.2 hands-on

Obviously, we’ll start our hands-on of the Samsung Galaxy Tab Pro with the new size. The mass consumer tablet realm hasn’t witnessed a 12.2” slate so far, but you can count on Samsung to shake things up.
However, besides the larger screen diagonal, there’s not much in terms of surprises regarding the Galaxy Tab Pro 12.2. In terms of specs, it’s very close to the Galaxy Note 10.1 (2014) and, naturally, comes without the S Pen stylus (that’s Galaxy Note Pro’s property). At the front, there’s a 12.2” 16:10 Super Clear LCD display with a resolution of 2,560 x 1,600 pixels (WQXGA). With a pixel density of 247 ppi, the display is very sharp and bright. Colors aren’t as saturated as on Super AMOLED units, but decent nonetheless.

Samsung Galaxy Tab Pro 12.2 live photos
Under the hood, the LTE version of the Galaxy Tab Pro 12.2 is a potent beast. The LTE version of the slate packs a 2.3GHz Snapdragon 800 chipset with four Krait 400 cores, Adreno 330 GPU and 3GB of RAM. This is a proven combination that runs Android 4.4 KitKat with the latest version of TouchWiz on top without breaking a sweat. There’re a lot of pixels to push and Samsung has added a ton of features to the stock Android experience, so it’s not the easiest of times the Snapdragon 800 has seen. Nevertheless, it does its job effortlessly.
The Wi-Fi model is decently powered too, packing Samsung's Exynos 5 Octa chipset with four 1.9GHz Cortex-A15 cores as well as four 1.3GHz Cortex-A7 cores. The GPU is a Mali-T628 MP6 and RAM is 3GB.
On the outside, the Galaxy Tab Pro 12.2 looks very similar to the Galaxy Note Pro 12.2. At the back, there’s the same leather–like texture that was introduced with the Galaxy Note 3 and later used on the Galaxy Note 10.1 (2014). We quite like it for the grip it provides, on top of looking stylish. We’re just not sure it's the kind of device to carry around too much for others to see.

Samsung Galaxy Tab Pro 12.2
There's a main 8MP camera with LED flash and zero shutter lag. It's capable of recording full HD video at 60fps, which is impressive for a tablet.
Anyway, in terms of feel in the hand, it’s very similar to holding the Galaxy Note Pro 12.2. In fact, the Galaxy Tab Pro 12.2 shares the same dimensions - 295.6 x 204 x 7.95mm and weighs nearly the same. 732 grams for the WI-Fi version and 8g more for the LTE-enabled model is quite heavy for single hand operation. Undoubtedly, the Galaxy Tab Pro 12.2 is a big device.
The 12.2” display has given Samsung engineers enough space to fit a 9500mAh battery. Samsung hasn’t specified how much it’ll last while web browsing and video watching, but we guess it’ll be good for a solid day of use.

Samsung Galaxy Tab 12.2 live photos
On the software side, Samsung has integrated its latest version of TouchWiz on top of Andoird 4.4 KitKat. In short, it’s a marvelous combination. Instead of just going with the flow and have the same traditional homescreens, Samsung has stirred them up by making the widgets more flexible than before. Now, they’re also edge-to-edge meaning there’ re no gaps between them.
Such a large display also favors enhanced multitasking and Samsung has delivered. Productivity is now much improved with the latest version of Multi Window. It now allows you to split the screen into four equal parts each fitting a different app.
Samsung has done a great deal to include pre-paid subscriptions to some of the most popular services and cloud storage providers. Some of the partners include Cisco, Dropbox, Evernote, LinkedIn, The New York Times, Oxford Advanced Learner’s A-Z as well as a copy of Sketchbook Pro.