Tablet Overview and Pictures
At first glance this could be just about any 10 inch tablet on the market, the Note 10.1 doesn’t really stand out with a unique design or a feature that wows you. You have an inch wide black bezel around the screen with a satin finished metal around the outside edge. There is the Samsung logo on the bottom and directly below it you will also find its power plug. I am used to a similar plug for my Transformer Prime but just like with my own tablet I would much rather than be a micro USB plug for simplicity when dealing with chargers. In our household not only do all of our various phones use the same plug but even our wireless headphones use Micro USB to charge. The idea of being able to keep a few well-placed chargers around our house that will charge everything is very appealing; it’s a shame that the Note 10.1 can’t do that.
Up top and centered much like the Samsung logo we also have a front facing 1.9 MP camera for use with Skype and in my case for making funny pictures of myself without having to look like an even bigger fool taking pictures using the rear facing camera.
One of the features of the Note 10.1 that really stood out to me was the location of the speakers. Generally you will find speakers on phones and tablets facing the back of the device or at best on the side. Samsung went with two front facing speakers on the Note 10.1 that will push the sound directly toward you and not blast it around the room before you can even hear it. This should not only make the audio on this device sound great but it should also keep noise down for anyone who is trying to not disturb others.
Up on the top left you have your power button as well as a volume rocker. Next to the volume rocker is a microSD card reader so you can expand the storage capacity if needed on the Note 10.1. Next to that is actually an infrared port, something that we almost never see on a tablet. Imagine being able to control your television or other infrared devices all with your tablet. Also up top is the headphone port and also the sim card location.
The back of the Note 10.1 is dark grey in color and is made of the same ultra-durable plastic that we have seen on the Note 2 and the S3. You will also notice that up top there is a lighter color area. This houses the 5MP camera as well as an LED flash.
Down in the bottom left corner we also spotted an S pen stored away inside of the tablet. That explains the Note name. We saw the same S pen on the Note 2 and loved putting it to use on the go, I’m sure with a little more writing space it is even more useful.
