Cellphones used to be big and heavy. Then, they started getting smaller, thinner and light. Now, they're starting to be bigger again. The Galaxy Note 2 is a good example of a big phone. At 5.5 inches, we bet half the population will have a hard time holding it with one hand.

Impressive and powerful specs; Long battery life; Great front and rear camera; Large HD display; Jellybean out of the box; Inclusion of the S Pen

Not for single-handed operation; Plastic construction

As with the first generation Samsung Galaxy Note, if you don't mind a very large phone and your use tends more toward web, email and video rather than calling, the Samsung Galaxy Note II is a unique cross-over phone that works both as a small tablet and a phone.

Huge screen, but slim phone; Digital pen, excellent custom software; Removable battery and microSD card slot

Big phone! Maddeningly slippery; Screen tech doesn't wow us

Sci-fi films from the 70s have us speaking into phones the size of thimbles by the 21 st Century, but recent trends amongst high-end mobiles have swung well the other way. Samsung's Galaxy Note II is one of the biggest around, rocking a massive 5.5-inch screen, but we love its S-Pen stylus and wide...

Spacious, vibrant screen; Smart pen and tools; Quad-core power; Fantastic battery life; Great 8MP camera

Bulky and heavy; Niche target audience

Generally technology is getting smaller – but some of the high-end smartphones are taking things the other way – take a look at the Samsung Galaxy Note II for example. Here's one of the biggest phones on the market, with a huge 5.5-in display, as well as a whole host of features and an S-Pen stylus.

Large bright screen; S Pen stylus and other tools; Quad-core processor; Impressive battery life; Great eight-megapixel snapper

Big and weighty

It's pretty obvious that design-wise, the Note II is inspired by the GS3. It's all about the plastic body, rounded corners, and thin bezels. In an attempt at the "premium" look, Samsung has added a flashy metallic finish (like what you see on Whirlpool refrigerators).

Brilliant screen; Excellent performance; Extensive multimedia support; Great battery life; Packed with features

Uncomfortable for single-handed use; Feels too plasticky; S-Voice is worse than Siri

In a smartphone market that's expanding at a breakneck pace and offers a wide variety of choices, Samsung's Galaxy Note II is somewhat unique. For the longest time, companies were offering phones which sacrificed performance sets in order to achieve the smallest hardware footprint possible.

The second of Samsung's big phones to be released, the Galaxy Note 2 is one massive device. Featuring a 5.5 inch screen, you'll never call the 4.8 inch Galaxy S3 a big phone again, and while that huge display is one of the reasons to draw you to the Note II, it's the little things and performance...

Strong performance in the operating system; Fantastically fast 4G connection; Just over a day's battery life on 4G; more if you use your phone less; One handed operation mode makes it possible to use the phone's core functions with one hand; Split-screen multitasking works a treat; Homescreens that...

Screen resolution isn't as high as last Note; Not every app can go to split-screen; Android exhibits the same bugs in the 4G S3; so you can't switch out your dock shortcuts

In the end, the Samsung Galaxy Note 2 is a great big salad of good and bad things. On the one hand, it has solid internals which translates to excellent performance in most aspects – on the other hand, there's the poor choice of external design and mediocre-feeling materials, along with the bloated...

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I have been using a galaxy S 2 for the past year, so I was excited when I first unboxed my brand new Galaxy note 2. First off, let me confirm this- the phone (or should I say phablet) really does amaze you by its sheer size.