Samsung Galaxy Note Releases Feb. 19: Top 10 Reasons Why iPhone 4S Should be Afraid

Samsung Galaxy Note hit the right note at CES 2012 by drawing a huge crowd of people, who were jostling with each other to catch a glimpse of the newly unveiled tablet/smartphone hybrid. On Monday, the South Korean electronics giant announced that Galaxy Note will go on sale in the U.S. market on Feb. 19 for $299.99 with a 2-year AT&T contract. Online sale kicks off on Feb. 5. So far, so good, but will Galaxy Note pose a threat to iPhone 4S?

Apple and Samsung are running neck-to-neck in their bid to become the No.1 smartphone maker. Samsung has sold more Android smartphones than Apple but Apple's iPhone continues to dominate the market as the single most popular smartphone ever.

However, that was before Galaxy Note surfaced.

Galaxy Note made a splash at CES 2012 in Las Vegas in January because it's the first smartphone/tablet hybrid from the stable of the South Korean giant.

The device, Samsung says, combines the best features of a smartphone as well as a tablet.

Even AT&T, Apple's wireless partner, is all praise for the Galaxy Note.

"The Galaxy Note brings a new level of efficiency to busy customers who would normally rely on multiple devices," Jeff Bradley, senior vice president of devices at AT&T, said. "This new breed of smartphone helps consumers accomplish more with a single device than ever before. The unique all-in-one experience can simplify daily life while tapping into AT&T’s 4G LTE network to let customers work even faster."

However, marketing blurbs aside, both are amazing smmartphones as they both support tethering, both are world phones, can shoot high resolution HD movies, capture extremely high resolution images, offer long talk time, boast of zippy processor, support multi-touch and can give access to lots and lots of games and applications.

But Tech & Trend has found top 10 reasons why we think Galaxy Note can change the balance of power in Samsung's favor.

Start the slideshow to begin.

Must Read: iPhone 5 Production Set to Begin: Numerous Chinese Job Seekers Line up in Front of Foxconn Doors

Must Read: Google Defends Privacy Policy Changes to the Congress

Must Read: iPhone 5 will be 'Ethical' or Not?

MUST READ: Samsung Galaxy Note vs Samsung Galaxy Nexus: Which Should You Buy?

The best thing about Galaxy Note is the S Pen stylus that accompanies it.

To the untrained eye, S Pen look like any any typical stylus, but look a little closer and you'll see that it has been engineered in such a way so that it is not only fast and responsive but also it gives the user precise control over what is written or drawn on the device display, much like an ink pen would on a paper pad.

And, because the S Pen gives the user a slightly more delicate and natural feel than other styluses in the market, users can easily sketch drawings, jot down notes, or even write emails and texts quickly and easily in free-form handwriting.

Samsung's proprietary multimedia application has been designed to capture and transform into a 'memo,' all forms of user-created content ranging from pictures and voice recordings to typed text, handwritten notes or drawings.

The application not only allows the user to share the content with others, but also features an easy screen-capture function that allows users to capture and save any screen and annotate it being saving it or sharing it with others.

S Memo also boasts of a smart professional planning tool and a calendar that integrates the device's to-do list and schedule.

Galaxy Note boasts of 5.3-inch HD Super AMOLED display (800x1,280 pixels resolution), which is the biggest among all smartphone displays.

In comparison, iPhone 4S has a 3.5-inch display (640x960 pixels resolution).

Galaxy Note is the clear winner here because the Samsung device not only boasts of around 70% higher screen resolution but also it has an OLED screen which, compared to LCD screen (as in iPhone 4S), is generally brighter and more vivid. Galaxy Note also has a bigger display, which means less strain on the eyes while watching videos, playing games or even browsing the Web for long hours.

Galaxy Note supports 4G network. iPhone 4S does not support 4G LTE but Apple has doubled the maximum HSDPA data speeds in iPhone 4S to 14.4 Mbps.

Both offer faster data download and upload speeds compared to 3G and technically it puts the new iPhone 4S in the realm of 4G LTE smartphones.

However, there's a big problem - especially for U.S. residents. None of the wireless carriers supporting iPhone 4S can exploit the full potential of what iPhone 4S has to offer. While Verizon Wireless and Sprint support only CDMA network, AT&T has been conservative in improving its HSDPA capacity. In fact, last September, AT&T acknowledged to the public that it "has engineered its network so that most users' experience typical downlink throughput rates of 700 kilobits per second (Kbps) to 1.7 Mbps, with bursts over 1 Mbps. Typical uplink rates are 500 Kbps to 1.2 Mbps."

In other words, if you're residing in the U.S., you're better off with a 4G LTE smartphone than HSDPA. At least, until AT&T improves the engineered throughput on its network.

iPhone 4S features Apple A5 dual-core 1GHz Cortex-A9 processor and it's zippy, which means you can multitask, browse, watch movies and play games without a hitch.

However, Galaxy Note is no slouch. It boasts of dual-core 1.5GHz ARM Cortex-A9 processor, which makes it snappier and more responsive than iPhone 4S.

iPhone 4S doesn't support NFC (Near Field Communication) technology though Apple said it is interested in embedding the chip in future iPhones.

However, Galaxy Note features NFC, which allows simplified transactions, data exchange, and connections with a touch. In other words, you'll be able to use Galaxy Note to make a credit card payment, use it as a keycard or ID card, and do more.

Galaxy Note, like other Android devices, support Adobe Flash. Apple doesn't allow its iPhone to support Adobe Flash for inexplicable reasons.

Galaxy Note's battery boasts of superior performance than iPhone 4S'.

iPhone 4S features a Li-Ion 1432 mAh battery that offers up to 200 hours of standby time and up to 14 hours/8hours (2G/3G) talk time. In comparison, Galaxy Note features a more powerful Li-Ion 2500 mAh battery that boasts of up to 960 hours/820 hours (2G/3G) standby time and up to 26 hours 10 min/13 hours 30 min (2G/3G) talk time.

iPhone 4S has less RAM than galaxy Note (512MB versus 1GB). Which means Galaxy Note is better at multitasking and is more responsive.

Despite boasting of a bigger display, Galaxy Note still is a wafer thin device at a mere 9.7mm. It also has a slick and minimalistic design, which compliments the large screen, and allows the user to focus on the visuals without being distracted.

iPhone 4S too has minimalistic design and is a sleek device but the major gripe of iPhone fans is that there's no external overhaul whatsoever from iPhone 4 - iPhone 4S looks exactly like iPhone 4 on the outside and that's going to confuse many a people.