The next BIG bang: Samsung Galaxy Note II

If Apple doesn’t get their act together and introduce a phone with a much bigger screen than the measly 3.5-inch display, they’re going to lose a customer. To the shock and awe of my friends and colleagues, I’ll likely abandon iOS for Android if the iPhone 5 isn’t seriously supped up. The iPhone 4S, while extraordinarily durable and solid, feels as if it’s stuck in 2010.

In the end of August, Samsung is supposedly unveiling the next big innovation. I don’t mean this rhetorically; rumors claim Samsung has a 5.5-inch second-generation Galaxy Note II in the works. Now, that’s a big phone. Beyond the screen, other specifications look promising, including a quad-core Tegra3 processor, 2 GB of RAM, and LTE, of course.

Tragic Flaw

Will the Note II suffer the same tragic flaw as other Samsung, HTC, and, well, any other smartphone manufacturer? Probably. The major flaw in all non-iPhone handsets is durability, sturdiness, and build quality. After owning both an iPhone 4 and iPhone 4S, Apple products feel solid. Any time I see plastic on a phone, I want to vomit. Plastic is old school…nobody should be using it on a premium device anymore.

There are a few decent Android handsets out there, but all of them use lightweight, flimsy materials, including plastic. You don’t have the same premium feel with carbon fiber or other non-metal goods. Critics claim the iPhone 4/4S is “fragile,” which is a load of crock. When properly encased, the iPhone is nearly indestructible. And it still feels solid – it doesn’t “give in” when touched, even after two years of daily abuse. I highly doubt an Android phone could last two years.

When a Phone Becomes a Tablet

Those who say 5.5-inches is entering tablet territory is off their marbles. A tablet, in my definition, is a 10-inch slate. These so-called 7-inch “tablets” are eReaders and media consumption devices. As good as the Nexus 7 is, I wouldn’t call it a tablet in the traditional sense. There’s no denying the Galaxy Note II would have a massive screen, but that’s a huge plus, literally.

Consider how much you physically hold your phone to your head – no Bluetooth headset, no headphones. The number will surprise you. A phone is an extension of our virtual selves… we’re texting, sexting, YouTube’ing and emailing more than we’re blabbering. And wouldn’t it be nice to do those things on a 5-inch display, rather than 3.5-inch, outdated screen?

Granted, at nearly 6-inches, it may look odd while talking on the phone. But no less odd than taking a picture with your iPad. Who does that, seriously? But it’s substantially smaller than a 7-inch eReader, so you won’t be publicly ridiculed for using it.

Smartphone Bliss

Combine the durability and overall solidness of the iPhone with the Galaxy Note II, and you have smartphone Utopia. The original Samsung Galaxy Note proves there’s a market, but the question remains: can Samsung deliver? We’ll have to wait until the end of August to find out, which is when Samsung is expected to make such announcements.