Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 (2014 Edition) Review: Wi-Fi Vs.

LTE
By Denis Maniti , JULY 8, 2014 12:00 AM

1. Samsung's S Pen Attack On The Full-Size Tablet Market

To be perfectly frank, Android isn't having the same impact on the tablet space that it enjoys in the smartphone sphere. Whether due to pricing, marketing, features, or specific apps,
outside of the ultra-affordable 7- to 8-inch models, there just aren't many serious offerings with enough allure to upend the iPad.

Samsung, one of Apple's chief competitors in all things mobile, is doing just about everything in its power to change that.

The Galaxy Note 10.1 (2014 Edition) is positioned as Samsung's premium offering in the $500+ 10-inch tablet segment that competes directly with Apple's iPad Air. It sports several
key distinguishing features that the company hopes lend it an advantage, though. For instance, its various S Pen capabilities are deeply integrated into almost every aspect of the
user experience. Multi Window application capabilities emulate desktop-like multitasking. A chassis redesign takes inspiration from the Galaxy Note 3. And an octo-core processor is
intended to serve up strong multimedia, Web browsing and gaming experiences. Finally, an ultra-sharp 2560x1600 display yields one of the highest pixel densities on the market.

We're sure that Samsung would like to use its own SoCs in as many of its mobile devices as possible. Whether the company has issues with scaling to meet demand, or simply isn't
able to match the technology built into Qualcomm's product line-up, Exynos-based processors don't power all of Samsung's offerings, though. In the Note 10.1 2014 Wi-Fi model,
Samsung showcases its Exynos 5 Octa 5420, which uses ARM's big.LITTLE architecture. Meanwhile, the LTE-capable version sports Qualcomm's Snapdragon 800 AA. Check out
Qualcomm Snapdragon 801: Performance Previewed for more information on distinguishing the various Qualcomm SoCs.

Products

Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 (2014) Wi-Fi Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 (2014) LTE
 Pricing

SoC Samsung Exynos 5 Octa (5420) Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 (MSM8974AA)

ARM Cortex-A15 (4 Core) @ 1.9 GHz + ARM Cortex-A7 (4

CPU Core Qualcomm Krait 400 (4 Core) @ 2.26 GHz
Core) @ 1.3 GHz

GPU Core ARM Mali T628MP6 (6 Core) @ 600 MHz Qualcomm Adreno 330 (32 ALU) @ 450 MHz

Memory 3 GB LPDDR3 3 GB LPDDR3

Display 10.1-inch TFT @ 2560x1600 (299 PPI) 10.1-inch TFT @ 2560x1600 (299 PPI)

Battery 8220 mAh (Non-removable) 8220 mAh (Non-removable)

Storage 16/32 GB 16/32 GB

Optics 8 MP, AF, LED Flash 8 MP, AF, LED Flash

Connectivity Wi-Fi 802.11a/b/g/n/ac, Bluetooth 4.0, microUSB 2.0 Wi-Fi 802.11a/b/g/n/ac, Bluetooth 4.0, microUSB 2.0

Size 243.1 x 171.4 x 7.9 mm, 540 g 243.1 x 171.4 x 7.9 mm, 547 g

Given that both versions of the Note 10.1 are virtually identical on paper, aside from their SoCs, this gives us a good opportunity to compare the Exynos 5's performance to the
Snapdragon 800's.

Availability

The Note 10.1 (2014 Edition) is available in a Wi-Fi-only version from many retail outlets (brick-and-mortar stores, as well as online retailers) and also in a 4G LTE-capable version
from Verizon. If you omit the region-specific 64 GB version, the Galaxy Note 10.1 (2014 Edition) is available in three variants: 16 GB, 32 GB, and Verizon LTE 32 GB. They'll set you
back $550, $600, and $700, respectively.

Options

The Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 (2014 Edition) comes in either classic white or jet black. Aside from personal preference, color choice is actually quite important with the Note 10.1,
since the two versions actually have different finishes.

The Wi-Fi unit we're reviewing is housed in a white chassis, which has a noticeably slicker finish than our LTE-capable black version. The reason for this is that the white model is
more prone to showing dirt compared to the more forgiving black exterior. As a result, it needs to be better at repelling dirt, which the tackier black finish doesn't do. You definitely
get more grip from Samsung's black version, which comes in handy on the heavier LTE tablet.

Accessories
The Galaxy Note 10.1 (2014 Edition) comes with a wall charger, USB 2.0 cable, S Pen, additional S Pen tips, removal tool, documentation and warranty information.

Optional accessories for the Galaxy Note 10.1 (2014 Edition) officially sold by Samsung include two folio-style covers (black and white), additional S Pens, and screen protectors.

2. Look And Feel

Samsung chose the design used in its smaller Galaxy Note 3 to help unify the family's look. Gone are the glossy backs of previous Galaxy tablets.
Instead, we have the faux-leather, plastic-molded backfake stitching and all. Similar to the Note 3, this is a huge improvement over the
HyperGlaze finish of previous Galaxy devices.
Drawing additional inspiration from the phablet, Samsung's Note 10.1 2014 sports the same ridged, faux-metal sides, which somewhat resemble the pages of a closed book.

As with any tablet, the device's weight and thickness are of utmost importance. At 540 grams (1.2 pounds) and 7.9 mm (0.3 inches) thick, the Note 10.1 (2014 Edition) Wi-Fi is a
fairly slim, light package that's great for content consumption.

The iPad Air, in comparison, is a meager 469 grams (1.03 pounds) for the Wi-Fi version and 478 grams (1.05 pounds) for the LTE version. Both are a slender 7.5 mm (0.3 inches)
thin.

On the top of the Galaxy, you find a power button and volume rocker toward the left edge, along with an IR Blaster in the center.

As with most Android tablets, the Note 10.1 is designed for use in landscape mode. Bezels are thinner on the sides than on the top and bottom. That's a bit odd; if you have wider
thumbs, it becomes easier to mistakenly trigger the touch screen. The 16:10 aspect ratio makes it awkward to use the Note 10.1 2014 in portrait mode.
One of the stereo speakers and a 3.5-mm headset jack occupy the left side, transitioning from front-firing drivers to less-than-ideal side-firing speakers. But we'll have more on that
later in the review.

The right side of the Galaxy Note 10.1 holds the S Pen dock, the other stereo speaker and the microSD card slot.

The faux-leather back dominates the device's back side, and is surrounded by faux stitching. Samsung's branding is also back there, along with an 8-megapixel camera and an LED
flash.
The bottom of the unit hosts a pinhole mic and a micro-USB port, which doubles as the power plug.

While we personally prefer the 7- to 8-inch form factor, enthusiasts looking for a 10-inch Android-powered tablet will have a hard time finding something thinner or lighter than the
540-gram (1.19 pounds) Note 10.1 (2014 Edition) Wi-Fi or 547-gram (1.20 pounds) Note 10.1 (2014 Edition) LTE. Then again, if mobility is of primary importance to you, and you're
not averse to iOS, you might prefer the lighter 469-gram (1.03 pounds) iPad Air.

In the end, we're pretty happy with the Note 10.1 2014's overall build, and its looks are more refined than previous Galaxy tablets'. Although the bezels could use some refinement,
the fact that the Note is thinner and lighter than a lot of other Android tablets makes it easier to handle over prolonged periods.

3. Camera, Display, And Speakers

While we don't like to use tablets to take pictures or record video, there are folks out there who don't seem to mind the awkwardness of holding a big device up in front of them.
Thankfully, those who do can rest assured knowing that the Galaxy Note 10.1 2014's camera is decent. While it isn't going to rival a DSLR, point-and-shoot or, probably even the
camera on your current smartphone, it produces stills and video that most people would find satisfactory.

With 8 MP still-image and 1080p video capabilities, the camera on the Note 10.1 2014 doesn't bring any new technology to the table. Colors on stills is fairly accurate, noise is
tolerable, and sharpness is OK. For 1080p video, motion blur is surprisingly low, and sound is recorded at a quality slightly below that of flagship smartphones.

Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 (2014) Video

Overall, if you absolutely insist on using the camera on the Note 10.1 2014, it does a fine job. However, as mentioned, you're going to get better results using a smartphone or
purpose-built camera.

While Samsung does have a love affair with AMOLED displays, the company certainly makes it clear that it isn't averse to using other display technologies. This is the case with the
Note 10.1 2014, which comes equipped with a TFT LCD panel. The million-dollar question for many people is whether it has a PenTile screen. The short answer is yes; but it isn't the
PenTile you might be used to.

The Galaxy Note 10.1 2014 is equipped with a RGBW display. In the past, older AMOLED displays had the RGBG arrangement, meaning that there were two subpixels for every pixel,
rather than the three in RGB. With the Note 10.1 2014's LCD, the RGBW display also sports only two subpixels for every pixel. But this time, it introduces a white subpixel every other
pixel instead of having two greens per pixel. The goal is to increase luminosity.

This isn't the first time we've seen a PenTile RGBW display, which was on the Motorola Atrix 4G. While we weren't fans of the PenTile arrangement thenand, in some ways, still not
this time aroundthe brute force of almost 300 PPI makes the odd aliasing on past AMOLED screens (especially around greens) almost unnoticeable.

I would have preferred a regular RGB LCD IPS display, but the Note 10.1 2014's screen provides a respectable experience for watching movies, looking at pictures, and browsing the
Web. It features rich colors, wide viewing angles, good brightness, and surprisingly dark blacks for a TFT LCD display. Just load up a 1440p video on the 2560x1600 screen and it
becomes easy to overlook the screen's faults.

We're extremely happy to see the Galaxy Note 10.1 2014 equipped with dual stereo speakers, which is something we haven't seen on Samsung smartphones yet. However, while
competitors are now touting this as a big-ticket feature, Samsung pioneered front-facing stereo speakers on tablets. But unlike previous Galaxy tablets, the Note 10.1 2014's speakers
are side-firing, rather than the more optimal front-firing kind. With that said, we're still pleased with the output quality. The speakers are smartly placed to avoid getting covered as
you hold on to the tablet.

4. TouchWiz: Samsung's Take On Android

While many people may not know (or even care) what version of Android their device has, or even know what TouchWiz is, what's important to
Samsung is that the experience is familiar to someone who is already accustomed to previously using a Galaxy-branded device.

From the S Pen capabilities to the TouchWiz overlay, if you took the pure Google Nexus 10 and sought to make it more familiar to the millions of
Galaxy Note owners, you'd get the Note 10.1 (2014).

Google Nexus 10

The Nexus 10 is a full-sized, 10-inch, Google-branded tablet manufactured by Samsung. The standout feature has got to be its
previously unprecedented (for a tablet) 2560x1600 QHD-class resolution. Under the hood is the Samsung Exynos 5 Dual SoC, 2
GB of LPDDR3 memory, a whopping 9000 mAh battery, and is available with either 16 or 32 GB of internal storage. Wi-Fi
802.11b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.0, NFC, microUSB, and microHDMI round out the Nexus 10's connectivity options.

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS

SoC : Samsung Exynos 5 Dual (5250)

CPU Core : ARM Cortex-A15 (2 Core) @ 1.7 GHz
GPU Core : ARM Mali T604 (4 Core) @ 533 MHz
Memory : 2 GB LPDDR3
Display : 10-inch PLS @ 2560x1600 (300 PPI)
Battery : 9000 mAh (Non-removable)
Storage : 16/32 GB
Optics : 5 MP, AF, LED Flash
Connectivity : Wi-Fi 802.11b/g/n, Bluetooth 3.0, NFC, microUSB 2.0
Size : 263.9 x 177.6 x 8.9 mm, 603 g

While many people oppose the idea of TouchWiz and other third-party Android overlays, we can't blame Samsung for doing it, and we're even surprised it took the company this long
to make an upgraded and branded variant of the Nexus 10.

Buttons

With the Galaxy Note 10.1 2014, Samsung builds upon its strategy of unifying the "Samsung Experience" found on the Galaxy S4 and Note 3 smartphones. This means forgoing the
on-screen buttons, established by Android 3.0 Honeycomb, in favor of the capacitive Menu, hardware Home, and capacitive Back buttons we know today.
We can't overstate how damaging Menu buttons are to Google's user experience since Android 4.0 (and arguably even earlier in Android 3.x). The hidden menu is not in the novice
user's best interest. While it might have seemed natural in the Eclair, FroYo, and Gingerbread eras, it creates an unnecessarily steep learning curve for new users, since it hides
contextual options that should otherwise be self-evident.

The Galaxy Note Pro and Galaxy Tab Pro lines, as well as the Galaxy S5, show that Samsung is finally getting the message. The company replaces the capacitive Menu button with an
App Switching button, which is a huge relief given the multitude of functions previously assigned to the Home button. Unfortunately, even though the company is now using the same
buttons as the stock operating system, the order is reversed, so a learning curve is still present for those coming from most other Android-based products.

As for the physical actuation of the buttons, the Home button is just the right firmness and "clickiness" for our liking. The power button and volume rocker are situated at the top of
the device when you're holding it in landscape mode, so taking the Home button placement into consideration, it's obvious that Samsung was hinting that this is the intended
orientation for the Note 10.1 2014.

5. Samsung's Galaxy Note Enhancements

Like other Galaxy-branded devices, the Note 10.1 2014 borrows just about every software feature from the Note 3, including S Memo, S Beam,
EasyMode, Multi Window, Smart Stay, Smart Scroll, S Translate, Easy Mode, Air View, and Air Gestures.

Also like Samsung's Note 3, the Note 10.1 2014 emphasizes using the S Pen via the S Pen Air Command. To us, this is the centerpiece of what sets the Note line apart from other
tablets on the market. The Air Command interface is a huge improvement over last year's implementation, like on the Galaxy Note 3, as it allows Air Command functionality to
continue working throughout the OS, separate from TouchWiz.
As a result, if you decide to use a third-party launcher like Nova or Action Launcher, you can continue to take advantage of Air Command. In the past, a lot of S Pen functionality was
bound to the TouchWiz interface. Now, you're able to retain full usage of the S Pen, no matter how you customize your Android launcher.

Handwriting Recognition

We don't usually write notes by hand on tablets, but we're always impressed by the handwriting recognition in the Note suite of applications.

From taking down an email address or phone number to recording a few mental reminders, if you need your notes transcribed into digital form, the software typically handles the task
well. Considering we're lifelong keyboard users and may have some of the worst handwriting in the world, that's quite a feat.

Multitasking

Multi Window support is another feature that no other OEM has really managed to match. It's especially useful on the Note 10.1 2014, given increased screen real estate afforded by
the device's ample QHD resolution.
Compared to previous iterations that were slow, unresponsive, or just plain bad, this year's version is a much better representation of what is typically thought of as desktop
functionality. Combined with other important improvements, such as data transfer between applications and unique input options that only the S Pen can provide, Samsung's offering
is nicely differentiated.

My Magazine

The last notable user experience change is in Samsung's My Magazine. Accessed by swiping up from the bottom of the home screen, My Magazine somewhat previews what Samsung
was cooking up for its professional line of Note Pro and Tab Pro tablets.
In what is basically a baked-in Flipboard news aggregator, you get the latest news in the topics of your choice. It's kind of like the Blinkfeed offering that HTC has on its One line of
smartphones.

While people will either love or hate the Samsung TouchWiz UI, we don't see the company ditching it any time soon (even if some enthusiasts believe otherwise due to the deal signed
with Google). Samsung has too much to lose by completely dropping the TouchWiz branding; it's now familiar to millions of users. And, of course, there are the ever-present rumors
of TouchWiz being used by Samsung to get people accustomed to future Tizen-based devices.

As with other Galaxy products, the usefulness of the Note 10.1 2014's baked-in features are questionable. But, at the end of the day, they're likely a boon to many longtime Samsung
customers.

6. Benchmark Suite And Test System Specs

Benchmark Suite

Our current Android test line-up comprises six key sections: CPU, GPU, GPGPU, Web, Display, and Battery.

CPU AnTuTu X, Basemark OS II Full, Geekbench 3 Pro, MobileXPRT 2013

GPU 3DMark, Anomaly 2 Benchmark, Basemark X 1.1 Full, GFXBench 3.0 Corporate

GPGPU CompuBenchRS

Web Browsermark 2.0, JSBench, Peacekeeper 2.0, WebXPRT 2013

Display Brightness (Min/Max), Black Level, Contrast Ratio, Gamma, Color Temperature, Color Gamut Volume (sRGB/AdobeRGB)

Battery Basemark OS II Full, BatteryXPRT 2014, GFXBench 3.0 Corporate

Test Methodology

All handsets are benchmarked on a fully updated copy of the device's stock software. The table below lists other common device settings that we standardize to before testing.

Bluetooth Off

Brightness 200 nits

Cellular SIM card removed

Display Mode Device Default (nonadaptive)

Location Services Off

Power Battery

Sleep Never (or longest possible interval)

Volume Muted

Wi-Fi On

Comparison System Specs

Along with the duo of Galaxy Note 10.1 (2014) models, we have the iPad Air and EVGA Tegra Note 7 representing the latest SoCs from Apple and Nvidia. In addition, we have the
Google Nexus 7 (2013) to provide a comparison point to the superpopular Qualcomm S4, which is used in far too many devices to mention.

The table below contains all the pertinent technical specifications for today's comparison units:

Products

Samsung Galaxy Note Samsung Galaxy Note Apple iPad Air EVGA Tegra Note 7 Google Nexus 7 (2013)
10.1 (2014) Wi-Fi 10.1 (2014) LTE Read the Review

Pricing

Samsung Exynos 5 Octa Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 Qualcomm Snapdragon S4

SoC Apple A7 Nvidia Tegra 4 (T114)
(5420) (MSM8974AA) Pro (APQ8064-1AA)

ARM Cortex-A15 (4 Core)

Qualcomm Krait 400 (4 Apple Cyclone (2 Core) @ ARM Cortex-A15 (4 Core) Qualcomm Krait 300 (4
CPU Core @ 1.9 GHz + ARM
Core) @ 2.26 GHz 1.3 GHz @ 1.8 GHz Core) @ 1.5 GHz
 Cortex-A7 (4 Core) @ 1.3
GHz

Imagination PowerVR
ARM Mali T628MP6 (6 Core) Qualcomm Adreno 330 (32 Nvidia GeForce ULP (72 Qualcomm Adreno 320 (24
GPU Core G6430 (4 Cluster) @ 200
@ 600 MHz ALU) @ 450 MHz Core) @ 672 MHz ALU) @ 400 MHz
MHz

Memory 3 GB LPDDR3 3 GB LPDDR3 1 GB LPDDR3 1 GB LPDDR3 2 GB LPDDR3

10.1-inch TFT @ 10.1-inch TFT @ 9.7-inch IPS @ 2048x1536 7-inch IPS @ 1280x720 7-inch IPS @ 1920x1200
Display
2560x1600 (299 PPI) 2560x1600 (299 PPI) (264 PPI) (441 PPI) (323 PPI)

Battery 8220 mAh (Non-removable) 8220 mAh (Non-removable) 8820 mAh (Non-removable) 4100 mAh (Non-removable) 3950 mAh (Non-removable)

Storage 16/32 GB 16/32 GB 16/32/64/128 GB 16 GB 16/32 GB

5 MP, F/2.4, AF, HDR, 5 MP, AF, HDR, Dual-LED

Optics 8 MP, AF, LED Flash 8 MP, AF, LED Flash 8 MP, AF, HDR, LED Flash
Dual-LED Flash Flash

Wi-Fi 802.11a/b/g/n/ac, Wi-Fi 802.11a/b/g/n/ac, Wi-Fi 802.11b/g/n,

Wi-Fi 802.11a/b/g/n, Wi-Fi 802.11a/b/g/n/ac,
Connectivity Bluetooth 4.0, microUSB Bluetooth 4.0, microUSB Bluetooth 4.0, microUSB
Bluetooth 4.0, Lightning Bluetooth 4.0, NFC
2.0 2.0 2.0

243.1 x 171.4 x 7.9 mm, 243.1 x 171.4 x 7.9 mm, 240 x 169.5 x 7.5 mm, 469 200 x 114 x 8.65 mm, 299
Size 199 x 119 x 9.4 mm, 320 g
540 g 547 g g g

Apple iPad Air Google Nexus 7

Review on Laptop (2013) Review on
Related Content
Laptop

As in the PC space, the specs race is interesting to watch in the mobile market. Android's sketchy performance (particularly in older versions of the operating environment) spurred a
considerable amount of demand for faster, more powerful SoCs, while Apple stayed relatively modest when it came to its own devices. We suspect that while the Android tablets boast
much higher clock rates and core counts, the iPad will hold its own against many of the tablets in our benchmarks.

With the Note 10.1 (2014 Edition), we obviously get two flavors of the device: one with LTE connectivity (and Wi-Fi connectivity) and one with only Wi-Fi connectivity. However, this
also entails two completely different SoCs: the Exynos 5 Octa from Samsung in the Wi-Fi version, and the Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 in the LTE version. Both versions function
identically to the untrained eye, but the lab results will expose performance differences beyond connectivity.

7. Results: CPU Core Benchmarks

AnTuTu

AnTuTu is an Android system benchmark designed to test the performance capabilities of four major aspects of mobile devices: graphics
(encompassing 2D, UI, and basic 3D); CPU (fixed, floating-point, and threading); RAM (read and write); and I/O (read and write).

The Tegra Note 7 and both Galaxy Note 10.1 models fall within striking distance of one another; the two Note 10.1 devices benchmark ahead of the Nexus 7 (2013) by a very wide
margin.
While it's obvious that the Snapdragon S4 Pro-powered Nexus 7 (2013) would trail the other tablets, the performance difference between the Tegra Note 7 and pair of Galaxy Note
10.1s is quite narrow. With near-even UX, RAM, CPU, and I/O capabilities, the gap seems to mostly come from GPU performance. Unsurprisingly, the Tegra 4-powered Note 7 comes
out with the best GPU score, followed closely by the ARM Mali-T626-powered Note 10.1 (2014) Wi-Fi, and then the Adreno 330-powered Note 10.1 (2014) LTE.

While the Wi-Fi and LTE models seem closely matched, remember that AnTuTu tests only a very basic implementation of 3D graphics, and we expect the gap to widen as the graphics
tests become more intense.

Basemark OS II

Rightware is an experienced multiplatform benchmark developer. The company leverages this experience with Basemark OS II, an all-in-one tool designed for measuring the overall
performance of mobile devices. The test is available on all major smartphone platforms, including Android, iOS, and Windows Phone 8. Basemark OS II uses a similar approach to
Geekbench, but focuses on more application-specific areas, particularly User eXperience (UX), Web browsing, and rendering performance.

The Basemark OS II scores are quite interesting, as Apple's iPad Air beats the Snapdragon 800-powered Note 10.1 (2014) LTE by a slim margin. Both have a healthy lead over the
Exynos 5 Octa (5420)-powered Note 10.1 (2014 Edition) Wi-Fi, as well as the almost one-year-old Nexus 7 (2013). What's most surprising is that the Tegra 4-powered Note 7 falls far
behind every other tablet, even on graphics performance.

In this metric, the LTE model's Adreno 330 blows away all other GPUs to the point that even the iPad Air, with its noticeably superior System and Web scores, just barely beats the
Snapdragon 800-powered Note 10.1 (2014) LTE. The Exynos Octa-powered Note 10.1 (2014) Wi-Fi's score falls somewhere between the Note 10.1 (2014) LTE and Nexus 7 (2013). It
seems like Nvidia's Tegra 4 simply doesn't run well in Basemark OS II, as it performs quite badly in the graphics portion of the benchmark, resulting in a score less than half that of
the top two tablets.

Geekbench 3

Primate Labs' Geekbench is somewhat of an industry standard due to its long-standing database and wide cross-platform compatibility (Windows/OS X/Linux/iOS/Android). This
simple system benchmark produces two sets of scores: single- and multi-threaded. For each, it runs a series of tests in three categories: Integer, Floating Point, and Memory. The
individual results are used to calculate category scores, which, in turn, generate overall Geekbench scores.

The iPad Air benchmarks better by a country mile in the Single-Core test. This is one of the stronger scores for Apple's A7 SoC, dominating in Integer and Floating Point calculations,
as well as Memory testing.

Both Note 10.1 (2014) units, as well as the Tegra Note 7, finish closely behind Apple's flagship tablet with scores in the mid-900s. Finally, the Nexus 7 2013 finishes with a much
lower score, as expected, though not by nearly as much, since this test holds no graphics component.

Analysis gets more complicated in the Multi-Core scores, where the Note 7 trails Apple's iPad Air ever so slightly. Samsung's Exynos-powered Note 10.1 (2014 Edition) Wi-Fi, on the
other hand, bests the iPad Air ever so slightly, while the Snapdragon 800-powered Note 10.1 (2014 Edition) LTE leads, scoring just short of 3000 points.

MobileXPRT 2013

Principled Technologies' MobileXPRT 2013 is a modern SoC benchmark for Android. It consists of 10 real-world test scenarios split into two categories of testing: Performance and User
Experience. The Performance suite contains five tests: Apply Photo Effects, Create Photo Collages, Create Slideshow, Encrypt Personal Content, and Detect Faces to Organize Photos.

The Snapdragon 800-powered Note 10.1 (2014 Edition) Wi-Fi leads with 300 points, while the Snapdragon-powered LTE version follows closely behind at 214.5 points. The Tegra Note
7 trails significantly, achieving 206.5 points.

The User Experience suite also has five tests: List Scroll, Grid Scroll, Gallery Scroll, Browser Scroll, and Zoom and Pinch. These results are measured in frames per second. The
category scores are generated by taking a geometric mean of the ratio between a calibrated machine (Motorola's Droid Razr M) and the test device for each subtest.
To many people, this is the most important test to look at, as User Experience measures the responsiveness of the most common gestures performed by users on their smartphones.
Many purists clamor for the stock Android experience, often for its responsiveness. And these results might be the most convincing evidence for wanting a stock device. The much
older Nexus 7 and Tegra Note 7both of which run stock versions of Androidscore better than both versions of the Note 10.1 (2014 Edition). There is a sharp difference between
the two Galaxy devices. The often-better-performing Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 loses harshly to Samsung's Exynos 5 Octa. We'll have to chalk that one up to Samsung's production
of more efficient drivers for its own in-house chips.

8. Results: GPU Core Benchmarks

3DMark Ice Storm Unlimited

Futuremark has become a name synonymous with benchmarking, and the company's latest iteration of 3DMark offers three main graphical
benchmarks: Ice Storm, Cloud Gate, and Fire Strike. Currently, the DirectX 9-level Ice Storm tests are cross-platform for Windows, Windows RT,
Android, and iOS.

Ice Storm simulates the demands of OpenGL ES 2.0 games using shaders, particles, and physics via the company's in-house engine. Although it
was just released in May of last year, the on-screen portions of Ice Storm have already been outpaced by modern mobile chipsets, with Nvidia's
Tegra 4 and Qualcomm's Snapdragon 800 both easily maxing out the Extreme version (1080p with high-quality textures). However, Ice Storm Unlimited, which renders the scene
off-screen at 720p, is still a good gauge of GPU-to-GPU performance.

The 3DMark results are quite surprising. For one, Overall score doesn't vary as much as we expected among the Snapdragon 800, Exynos 5 Octa, Tegra 4, and Apple A7. The Tegra
Note 7 finishes on top with 16,567 points, followed closely by the iPad Air. The Snapdragon 800-powered Note 10.1 (2014 Edition) LTE scores roughly 15,200 points, followed by the
Exynos 5 Octa-powered Note 10.1 (2014 Edition) Wi-Fi and 2013 Nexus 7.

While the Overall scores are close, the Graphics and Physics scores are all over the place. In Graphics, the iPad Air and its PowerVR G6430 engine obliterate the competition. The
Tegra 4 is surprisingly far behind in second place, while the Adreno 330 follows in third.

The Physics scores yield the biggest surprise, though. Nvidia's Tegra 4 does well, helping it secure the best Overall score. The Snapdragon 800-powered Note 10.1 (2014 Edition) LTE
finishes with the second-best Physics result, while Apple's iPad registers the worst Physics score among all five tablets (which is why the iPad finishes in second when the Overall
number is tabulated). Since the Physics test is CPU-bound, these results imply that the iPad's dual-core A7 likely limits performance in this particular metric.

Anomaly 2 Benchmark

Anomaly 2 is a game published by 11 bit studios and available in the Google Play store. The title's creators also publish a benchmarking tool, Anomaly 2 Benchmark, which lets you
see your device will fare in the full game.
Despite its real-world pedigree, the Anomaly 2 Benchmark is quite graphics-dependent, and the Tegra Note 7 absolutely smashes its competition in this metric. That's a bit surprising,
given that 11 bit studios has stated that while the Tegra 4-powered Nvidia Shield is a good performer, the Galaxy S4, Galaxy Note 3, and even Xperia Z1 perform better.

Nevertheless, the Note 7 finishes with almost three times the score (~700,000) of its closest competitors. In almost a dead heat, the Adreno 320-powered Nexus 7 (2013) finishes in
second place,closely followed by the Adreno 330-powered Note 10.1 (2014 Edition) LTE. The Note 10.1 Wi-Fi's Mali-T628 ends up in last place.

Basemark X 1.1

Basemark X 1.1 is a benchmarking tool by Rightware that utilizes the popular Unity game engine, allowing for device comparisons across a wide range of platforms, including Android,
iOS, and Windows Phone 8. This also has the advantage of making the benchmarks correlate well with the real-world performance of numerous games available on the market.

In Basemark X 1.1, the iPad Air dominates its competition; the Adreno 330-equipped Note 10.1 (2014 Edition) LTE follows behind by a significant margin, and the Tegra Note 7 trails
it. The Mali-T626-powered Note 10.1 (2014 Edition) Wi-Fi does fall slightly behind in the high-quality test compared to the medium measurementenough for the Nexus 7 (2013) to
surpass it.

In the Basemark X 1.1 Medium Quality On Screen test, Apple's iPad Air beats the two Galaxy Note 10.1s. In the High Quality version of this test, the Tegra Note 7 surpasses not only
the LTE Snapdragon-based Note 10.1, but even the iPad Air. Meanwhile, the Nexus 7 beats the Exynos-based Note 10.1 to reinforce how well this benchmark shows the punishing
nature of driving a high-resolution output.
In the Off Screen test, you can see that once resolution is taken out of the equation, both versions of the Galaxy Note 10.1 (2014 Edition) fall within striking distance of the
competition.

Once again, the Wi-Fi model places significantly and consistently behind the LTE model.

GFXBench 3.0

Kishonti GFXBench 3.0 is a cross-platform GPU benchmark supporting both the OpenGL ES 2.0 and OpenGL ES 3.0 standards. It comprises game-like scenarios, as well as lower-level
tests designed to measure specific subsystems. See GFXBench 3.0: A Fresh Look at Mobile Benchmarking for a complete test-by-test breakdown of this suite.

In the GFXBench 3.0 On Screen tests, we clearly see the impact of running at 2560x1600, as both Note 10.1 (2014 Edition) tablets perform pretty poorly compared to the iPad Air
and Tegra Note 7.

Both Note 10.1s make a significant rebound in the Off Screen test, once their resolution handicap is taken out of the equation. The iPad Air still manages to finish ahead of the
Mali-powered Note 10.1 (2014 Edition) Wi-Fi in the Manhattan and T-Rex tests, but is then dominated by the Snapdragon 800-powered LTE model.

In the Driver Overhead tests, we clearly see that the Wi-Fi version of the Note 10.1, powered by Samsung's own Exynos SoC, is optimized much better than the Snapdragon-based
LTE model. Meanwhile, the Fill tests show the Snapdragon 800's Adreno 330 has the most raw horsepower out of any of the assembled GPU cores.

In GFXBench 3.0's Render Quality test, the Exynos 5 Octa's Mali GPU finally finds a benchmark where it outshines not only the Snapdragon SoC, but the other competitors as well.
With 10 to 30 percent better scores, the Note 10.1 (2014 Edition) Wi-Fi beats the competition handily. Surprisingly, the Tegra Note 7 finishes in second place in Standard, but last in
High Precision. Since it's being billed as a productivity tablet, as opposed to a purely consumption-oriented device, it makes sense that the more widely available Note 10.1 (2014
Edition) Wi-Fi model uses the Exynos 5, as render quality would be more important than frame rate in most business applications. It could also speak to why the Exynos is so favored
among the no-frills entry-level ChromeOS devices, where hardcore 3D performance is practically a non-point.

9. Results: Web Benchmarks

The tests on this page are JavaScript- and HTML5-heavy selections from our Web Browser Grand Prix series. Such tests are extremely meaningful
to mobile devices because so much of the in-app content is served via the platform's native Web browser. These tests not only offer a view of
each device's Web browsing performance, but since these tasks are traditionally so CPU-dependent, browser benchmarks (especially
JavaScript-heavy tests) are a great way to measure SoC performance among devices using the same platform and browser.

In order to keep the browser version even across all Android devices, we're employing a static version of the Chromium-based Opera on that
operating system. Due to platform restrictions, Safari is the best choice for iOS-based devices, while Internet Explorer is the only game in town on
Windows RT.

Browsermark 2.0

Rightware's Browsermark 2.0 is a synthetic browsing benchmark that tests several performance metrics, including load time, CSS, DOM, HTML5 Canvas, JavaScript, and WebGL.
The Tegra Note 7's score allows it to hold a substantial lead over what is regarded as the gold standard for Web-capable tablet devices, Apple's iPad Air. It's even crazier that the Note
10.1 (2014) Wi-Fi finishes just behind it. We're taking this one with a grain of salt, however, since the Note 10.1 (2014 Edition) Wi-Fi doesn't feel nearly as smooth as the iPad Air
during browsing. The Note 10.1 (2014 Edition) LTE finishes about 150 points behind, and the Nexus 7 (2013) follows.

JSBench

Unlike most JavaScript performance benchmarks, JSBench could almost be considered real-world, since it utilizes actual snippets of JavaScript from Amazon, Google, Facebook,
Twitter, and Yahoo.

JSBench gives what is arguably the most accurate depiction of Web performance based on our experience; none of the Android tablets come even close to the iPad Air in score. With a
finishing time of 52.5 seconds, every other tablet takes at least five times longer. The Tegra Note 7 and Galaxy Note 10.1 (2014 Edition) Wi-Fi finishes in just under five minutes,
while the Snapdragon 800-based Note 10.1 (2014 Edition) LTE finishes shy of six. The older, more budget-friendly Nexus 7 finishes in slightly over eight minutes.

Peacekeeper 2.0

Peacekeeper is a synthetic JavaScript performance benchmark from Futuremark.

The results of Peacekeeper 2.0 continue to reinforce the iPad Air's dominance as the go-to Web consumption device. Samsung's Exynos-based Note 10.1 (2014 Edition) Wi-Fi holds its
own against the Tegra Note 7, while the LTE version of the Note 10.1 (2014 Edition) again falls significantly behind its Wi-Fi counterpart.

WebXPRT 2013

Principled Technologies' WebXPRT 2013 is an HTML5-based benchmark that simulates common productivity tasks that are traditionally handled by locally installed applications,
including photo editing, financial charting, and offline note-taking.

WebXPRT 2013 follows the same trend as the other tests, with the iPad finishing ahead of the Android tablets, which by and large don't even come close to matching the score of
Apple's flagship.

All of the Web benchmarks place the LTE model far behind the Wi-Fi model of the Note 10.1 (2014 Edition). It should be noted that both systems were tested on the same Wi-Fi
network, and both used the same copy of Opera 19. We can't say for sure why this is occurring (particularly since the Snapdragon 800 consistently beats the Exynos 5 Octa in nearly
every other performance metric), but it yet again lends some insight as to why the Exynos is so popular among makers of ChromeOS devices, where Web browsing over a Wi-Fi
connection is essentially the paramount performance consideration.

10. Brightness, Black Level, Contrast Ratio, And Gamma

Brightness

Brightness (also known as white level) measurements are taken by recording the luminance output of each device displaying a full white pattern,
with the device's brightness slider set to both minimum and maximum values.
Both Samsung tablets offer excellent minimum brightness levels and respectable maximums. The Nexus 7 (2013) shows the widest range, with a respectable lower level and the
brightest display of the five units when set to max.

In order to make device comparison possible, the rest of our display measurements, along with our battery testing, are performed with the screen set to a standardized white level of
200 nits.

Black Level

Our black level measurement is the luminance output of a full black pattern after the luminance output of full white has been standardized to 200 nits. It's important to note that
AMOLED displays will always measure a black level of zero, since their pixels simply turn off to render black.

Traditionally, Samsung's AMOLED-equipped devices dominate in this benchmark, as AMOLED displays have, indisputably, the best black levels. In this test, the Nexus 7 (2013) does
very well, followed by the iPad Air's Retina display. The Tegra Note 7 and both models of the Galaxy Note 10.1 (2014 Edition) dont do quite as well.

Contrast Ratio

Contrast ratio is the difference between a full white pattern and a full black pattern. Due to their zero reading on the black level tests, AMOLED displays are said to have an infinite
contrast ratio.
If there is another test where we would have loved to see one of Samsung's renowned AMOLED displays, it would be this one. In this case, the Nexus 7 shows the best contrast ratio,
followed closely by Apple's iPad Air. Both the Wi-Fi and LTE variants of the Galaxy Note 10.1 (2014 Edition) finish with relatively disappointing results compared to the competition and
Samsung's own AMOLED-based devices.

Gamma

A gamma curve of 2.2 is what we optimally want to see. The reason for this is that images captured in the sRGB color space are encoded in a gamma of about 1/2.2. A gamma curve
of 2.2 allows the resulting images to be viewed at the ideal brightness and contrast.

In gamma testing, the iPad Air comes out on top with a score closest to the ideal value of 2.2. The Nexus 7 (2013) and Galaxy Note 10.1 (2014 Edition) Wi-Fi come close as well.
EVGA's Tegra Note 7 is off a bit, while the Galaxy Note 10.1 (2014 Edition) LTE is further away from the mark. While this might seem odd, considering that the LTE and the Wi-Fi
models share the same screen, we know that LCD panels, even of the same make and model, vary from one unit to the next. This is an excellent example of that in practice.

Color Temperature

Color temperature is a measurement in Kelvin, which is used to describe how warm or cool a given display is. Ideally, as long as you're not viewing your device in direct sunlight,
this should be in the 6500 range. Higher color temperatures result in a cool, bluish hue, while lower temperatures deliver a warm or reddish tone.

In color temperature measurements, the Note 10.1 (2014 Edition) Wi-Fi come very close to 6500, followed closely by the LTE version, at around 6650. The iPad Air follows in third
place. Out of the five tablets tested, these three are the most balanced. The Nexus 7 (2013) and Tegra Note 7 both fall a bit on the colder side, though not enough for their displays
to be considered poor.
Color Gamut

Our volume measurements are compared against both the sRGB and AdobeRGB color gamuts. A reading of 100 percent on sRGB and 72 percent on AdobeRGB is the optimal reading
for viewing the vast majority of digital consumer content. A lower reading is typically accompanied by an overly red or yellow image, and a higher reading is usually too blue/green.

Since the two versions of the Galaxy Note 10.1 (2014 Edition) have the same LCD TFT display, we aren't surprised to see that both tablets measure essentially the same. The iPad
and Nexus 7 (2013) are a few percentage points closer to their ideal targets, while the Tegra Note 7 leaves a bit to be desired. Both variants of the Note 10.1 (2014 Edition) fall
somewhere in between.

This is another test where the Note 10.1's use of TFT, as opposed to Samsung's hallmark AMOLED, sets this tablet apart from the rest of the company's offerings. Typically, the
AMOLED's nearly full-AdobeRGB gamut volume is a potential liability, since most digital content is made for sRGB. Unfortunately, the Note 10.1's TFT isn't right on the money either,
and its less-than-sRGB gamut may be a shock to those coming from the company's AMOLED devices, as sub-sRGB gamuts typically appear too red/yellow, while the volume on 100%
AdobeRGB devices appear too blue/green.

11. Results: Battery Life

Sporting a hefty 8220 mAh batterya significant 1000+ mAh upgrade over previous Galaxy Note/Tab 10.1 offeringson paper, the Note 10.1
2014 should perform solidly in our battery life tests. Based on personal use, though, which includes two synced Gmail accounts, some light
gaming, lots of browsing, and some YouTube viewing, I can say that the Note 10.1 2014 easily lasts a day and a half to two days.

Let's see how our battery benchmarks rate the Note 10.1 2014 compared with other popular devices.

Basemark OS II

The Basemark OS II battery test scores are derived by repeatedly running the devices until enough data has been collected to determine the drain rate of the device.

Apple's iPad Air scores the best by a slight margin, followed by the two Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 (2014 Edition) tablets. Surprisingly, the LTE version does better than the Wi-Fi
version in this test. Since we know they have the same battery and display, we suspect the difference comes down to Qualcomm's SoC versus Samsung's. It should be noted that the
LTE model had cellular data disabled for testing, and the cellular component of the Snapdragon 800 would add to the LTE model's power usage. An active LTE connection would likely
reverse the scores.
BatteryXPRT 2014

BatteryXPRT 2014 is a specialized battery testing application for Android devices that provides users with an "expected" Lifetime score, as well as an overall Performance score. The
test has two variations: Network-Connected and Airplane Mode.

At the time of this testing, the stable version of BatteryXPRT 2014 had not yet been released, so these scores are taken from the final Community Preview.

In BatteryXPRT 2014, we get a demonstration of the Snapdragon 800's power efficiency versus the Exynos 5 Octa, with a whopping 16+ hours on the Snapdragon 800 version versus
15+ hours on the Exynos model.

In terms of performance, the Wi-Fi Note 10.1 does much better than its LTE counterpart, also beating the rest of the competition.

GFXBench 3.0

GFXBench's battery test measures battery life and performance stability by logging frame and battery discharge rate as the on-screen T-Rex test runs for 30 consecutive iterations.
The results are given in two scores: estimated battery life in minutes, and the number of frames rendered on the slowest test run (to gauge if a device is throttling). Both tests are
run at the device's 50-percent brightness level in the free Community Edition, while the paid Corporate Edition can be set to 0 percent, 25 percent, 75 percent, 100 percent, or
whatever the device's native slider is set to. We very specifically calibrate all units to 200 nits before doing any battery testing.
On GFXBench 3.0, the Note 10.1 (2014 Edition) LTE does slightly better than the Wi-Fi model in terms of battery performance, but neither model show any sign of throttling, as the
lowest scores of the 30-iteration run match the single-run scores.

The Snapdragon 800 is a good performer when it comes to battery efficiency, while the big.LITTLE configuration of the Exynos 5 Octa isn't far behind. With that said, all of the
Android-based tablets fall short of the iPad Air's exemplary performance.

12. Galaxy Note 10.1 (2014) Wi-Fi Or LTE?

In a world where Apple's iPad is the dominant force, the tablet space is evolving differently than the smartphone market, despite similar origins.
For the Note 10.1 2014, Samsung clearly puts forward a compelling alternative. Whether it's the insanely beautiful 2560x1600 display, S Pen
functionality, dual stereo speakers, or other TouchWiz features like Multi Window, there is plenty to sway potential buyers away from the Apple
camp.

On paper, the Exynos 5 Octa 5420 should be an absolute beast, but we experienced more than our fair share of odd hiccups while navigating the TouchWiz interface. While we don't
believe this is indicative of the hardware's capabilities, it's a little concerning since Android is mature enough that mid-range phones like the Moto G run the operating system more
smoothly. Rather, we suspect the performance issues come from a combination of a 2560x1600 resolution and Samsung's much-maligned TouchWiz interface. Despite random frame
drops, the Note 10.1 is still quite capable in Web browsing, gaming, media consumption, multitasking, and S Pen utilization.

When it comes to our benchmark suite, including raw CPU, GPU, and battery performance, we have to give the edge to the Snapdragon 800-equipped Note 10.1 (2014 Edition) LTE. It
consistently has good, if not better, performance than the Exynos 5 Octa-equipped Wi-Fi model.

But is that enough to warrant a price premium and the service fees related to an LTE subscription? That's entirely situational, and probably more tied to your need for Internet access
away from hotspots than the performance of any given SoC. You'll pay for the LTE model if you want a cellular modem. You won't pay more for it just to get Qualcomm's more
capable architecture. If Wi-Fi support is as fancy as you get, then the Exynos-based model will be your natural choice.

Fortunately, Web-oriented benchmarks are a boon for the Wi-Fi version of the Note 10.1 (2014 Edition); it outperforms the LTE version in just about every test. However, both models
still fall behind the iPad Air almost universally, reinforcing the idea that there is plenty of room to improve the responsiveness of Android-based tablet. We've seen Intel do a lot of
work on this front, and we're eager to see how the company's engineering resources might go into user experience improvements now that it's involved in more Android-based
hardware.

Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 (2014) Wi-Fi

PROS: Lightweight, Multi-Window Mode, Screen Resolution, S Pen

CONS: Bloatware, Responsiveness, Speed

VERDICT : The Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 (2014 Edition) is a professional-oriented, lightweight, 10-inch
Android tablet, but its vast screen resolution and Samsung-branded gimmicks prove too much for its processor to
keep up with.

Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 (2014) LTE

PROS: Multi-Window Mode, Screen Resolution, S Pen, Weight

CONS: Bloatware, Price, Responsiveness, Speed, Updates

VERDICT : Although it has more powerful hardware than the Wi-Fi model, the Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 (2014
Edition) LTE's over-sized screen resolution, slow updates, and poor software optimization really show through in
the user experience.

Displays on both Note 10.1 models are the same, so the results are fairly close with small variations attributed to physically different panels. The luxurious QHD screen is very good,
and is probably a selling point for anyone interested in purchasing the Galaxy Note.

Overall, major wins include the great display and improved S Pen integration. The stereo speakers and overall build quality could use some work, though. We'd like to see front-facing
speakers and more premium materials (or better finishes for polycarbonate). Finally, aspects that definitely need improvement are software optimization and the reduction of
bloatware. This should be addressed similar to the way HTC streamlined the latest versions of Sense UI, and possibly by leveraging the Samsung App Store for those who want extra
software.

The only thing really stopping us from recommending the Note 10.1 2014 over the iPad Air, or even Google's Nexus 10, is the higher cost of $550. Apple has the iPad Air selling for
$500 and the aging Nexus 10 is priced at just $400. Both are arguably better values. Not to mention, odd performance hiccups shouldn't be happening at this point in the tablet
game.

Apple iPad Air Google Nexus 10

If you're looking for the best overall tablet in the $500 to $600 price range, the Note 10.1 (2014 Edition) is a tough sell. And unless the S Pen functionality really entices you to try the
Note line, the situation probably won't change until Samsung irons out its software's performance kinks or blows us away with innovative, must-have features we haven't experienced
yet.

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