The Galaxy Note is one of the more iconic phones that we've seen released over the past few years. Although the 5.3-inch device was the largest screen we've seen here in the U.S. back in 2011, the same can't be said now as we've seen devices that have stretched up to 6.3-inches and have surpassed what initially made the Galaxy Note such a big deal in the first place. Nonetheless, the Galaxy Note line continues to push forward as the Galaxy Note II graduated up to a 5.5-inch screen, followed by the Galaxy Note 3 which features a 5.7-inch display.
But the sheer size of the Galaxy Note isn't the only thing that made it popular. Something that I still find somewhat of a surprise, the other defining feature of the Galaxy Note is the inclusion of a stylus, or rather a more reformed stylus dubbed the S Pen. The S Pen is able to provide a whole slew of features tailored to its use on the Galaxy Note, and is easily accessible from its own dock nestled snugly in the corner of the device.
The S Pen is, in my opinion, rather intuitive to use. While at first I thought I wouldn't want to use the S Pen on my own Galaxy Note 8 tablet for anything other than sketches and artwork, I've found that I use the S Pen for most of my use with the tablet. I only noticed this recently as I decided to actually get my money's worth out of the Galaxy Note and use it for more than just sketching. Through my general use of the device, I do find that I have my S Pen in hand, ready to go when I need to open an app, scroll a page or click on a link.
That's when I realized that I really missed having a stylus for my phone. And I don't mean just a stylus that you carry around with you - we all know what happens when you go with that method. Your stylus probably isn't going to last for long. The design of most other styluses have aren't as convenient or small as the S Pen is, not to mention a lot less functional. It just won't do. I want the S Pen, but I want it in a smaller, more comfortable package to hold. I want a Galaxy Note Mini.
I've questioned a couple of times now why other companies don't employ the use of a stylus anymore. It's not that the use for them isn't needed anymore; I do understand that touchscreens are now more responsive and styluses aren't always needed, but to have a couple of extra models on the market that use that same method of including a special slot for the stylus right on the phone doesn't seem like it would be that hard to include. As it seems, though, most manufacturers don't seem interested in bringing the included stylus back.
And that's why I'm counting on Samsung to get something like a Samsung Galaxy Note Mini on the market. Although I like the Galaxy Note and what it has to offer, I'm just not all that ready to dive in to owning such a large phone. I couldn't even hang on to a 5-inch Galaxy S4, so I assume that going any bigger would be a very unwise idea for me. Plus, with the recent surge of including a "mini" version of flagship devices alongside the original, I feel like the Galaxy Note could actually benefit from something like this. Of course, that's going to cost some of the specs that also help make the Galaxy Note so popular among the more tech-savvy crowd, but I feel like such a device would be a good "mini" addition.
Readers, what are your thoughts on a Galaxy Note mini device? Would you want to buy a smaller Galaxy Note, or do you think it only works with a phablet-sized device? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!
Image via Gizmodo, Phones Review
