Best Samsung Galaxy Note 4 apps: great free and paid apps
Google Play picks that will play nice with the S-Pen, big display and beasty specs
1/24
Autodesk Sketchbook
Aside from writing, the other obvious use for the S-Pen on the Galaxy Note 4 is drawing. There are plenty of sketch friendly apps available on Google Play, but our current top pick is Autodesk Sketchbook. Brushes and pencils look great, with realistic movement and the S-Pen makes drawing really fun. Syncing with Dropbox makes sure all your works of art are safe, even if you switch devices.
Free | Download Autodesk Sketchbook here
2/24
Swiftkey
The best alternative keyboard for Android, Swype is great on the large screen of the Galaxy Note 4. You can use either your finger, or the stylus, and it'll connect with your social networks and pick up words it knows you use often. Multiple themes are available and you can really customise the experience.
Free | Download Swiftkey here
3/24
S-Pen Toolbox
This nifty app gives more power to your S-Pen. Once the app is set up, every time the stylus is removed the screen will pop into life and open up a pre-selected app or action. In its stock version, the S-Pen simply opens a small pop-up, but this expands that functionality further, giving you control over what action happens. For instance, if you always open a drawing app, like Sketchbook, when you remove the S-Pen, you can set that to be the default action.
Free | Download S-Pen Toolbox here
4/24
Lecture Notes
Designed specially for stylus toting devices, Lecture Notes is great for students, letting you easily jot down info without having to work on a keyboard. It feels pretty natural too, combining notes with doodles and it's instantly better than typing down notes. All your notes are organised too, so they're easily searchable and it'll back them up and keep them safe
£2.57 | Download Lecture Notes here
5/24
Significant signature capture
Made specifically with stylus wielding devices in mind, this clever app lets you input and save a unique signature and then use it to safely sign documents. It doesn't stop there though, you can also add scans of other ID cards like your passport and driving license, storing them in a handy locker. Plus it's free and there's no adverts.
6/24
JotterPad X
A simple, highly functional and well designed word processing app that turns the Note 3 into a much more productive smartphone. Dropbox integration makes for easy syncing between multiple devices, auto-save lets you quickly go back if mistakes are made and there's even a handy built-in dictionary.
Free | Download JotterPad X
7/24
Smart Connect
Originally an app just for Sony's Xperia phones, Smart Connect is now more widely available, bringing with it some handy features for your Note 3. For instance, it can be set so that when you pop in your headphones it can open up Spotify, turn up the volume and start playing a song. Another useful addtion in the nightime mode, which can turn off your notifications when you plug your phone in for a nightly charge.
Free | Download Smart Connect
8/24
500px
The Samsung Galaxy Note 3's gorgeous, pixel dense display is perfect for swiping through and gazing upon awesome images and the best app for this is 500px. Packed with tonnes of high-res snaps ranging from wildlife to transport and portraits, with more being added all the time, this app just gets better with time.
Free | Download 500px
9/24
Tidy
One of the killer features on the Note 3 is the impressive camera on the back and categorising all those snaps is made much easier thanks to Tidy. This nifty app can quickly create albums, combine similar photos and pretty much take all the pain out of sorting through your hundreds of holiday pictures.
Free | Download Tidy
10/24
Yahoo Weather
Yahoo has done a great job with the latest update to their Android weather app, equipping it with a swish new look and a bunch of handy features. Pictures from Flickr pop-up depending on your location, you can set-up weather alerts and it runs fantastically well. Probably our favourite weather app on Google Play
Free | Download Yahoo Weather
11/24
Apex Launcher
It's fair to say that Samsung's TouchWiz isn't the prettiest way of navigating Android – with its bright colours and simple icons; it can look a bit childish. Apex Launcher gives you much more freedom, allowing you to replace TouchWiz with something that much more resembles the stock version of Android found on the Nexus 4. You can customise your icons, decide how many apps can fit onto one page and even alter the system colours.
Free | Download Apex Launcher
12/24
GTasks
The Samsung Galaxy Note 3 is designed with the look of a real notebook in mind – so what better way to use the device than to take down those all important scribbles with it. GTasks not only lets you take notes, but it also lets you set reminders, create to-do lists and it will even integrate with your Google Calendar.
Free | Download GTasks
13/24
BBC iPlayer
The display on the Samsung Galaxy Note 3 is great – bright and crisp and awesome for watching video. Along with accessing all your favourite BBC programmes while you're connected to Wi-Fi, you can now download them for offline enjoyment. This is pretty useful if you don't want to eat into your monthly data allowance.
Free | Download BBC iPlayer
14/24
Real Racing 3
Another great way to show off the large display on the Note 3, Real Racing has beautiful graphics and smooth gameplay. The 3GB of RAM ensures everything is lag free, though you will have to contend with annoying badgering to top-up your energy through in-app purchases.
Free | Download Real Racing 3
15/24
Timely
Make your morning wake –up calls a bit more enjoyable (well…) with this beautifully designed and easy to use alarm app. A gesture-based interface makes setting the alarm a breeze and the swirling, colourful backgrounds look great on the large 5.7-inch screen of the Note 3.
Free | Download Timely
16/24
Papyrus
This hand-writing recognition app is a great way to get some real use out of the Galaxy Note 3's S-Pen, by ditching the keyboard and letting you write just like you would on a piece of real paper. It's great for jotting down a quick shopping list, or doing a little bit of doodling when you get bored.
Free | Download Papyrus
17/24
Monkey Write: Learn Chinese
Winner of the Samsung Galaxy Note S-Pen App challenge, master every stroke of the Chinese alphabet and make a game of it so it doesn't feel so much like learning. You can look back at stroke formation via canvas animation, find out the meaning of each character and get graded after each successful (not so successful) practice session.
Price: Free | Download Monkey Write: Learn Chinese Android app
18/24
Sketcher Lite
One of the easiest ways to flex your artistic talents on the Note 10.1, choose from eleven brushes which include a simple pencil and a more professional sketching style with a large palette of colours to dabble with. You can save progress to a SD card and send or share your best efforts via Bluetooth, email, Dropbox and other S-Pen applications like S-Note.
Price: Free | Download Sketcher Lite Android app
19/24
Maze Racer
Literally a game about drawing your way to the finish line, safely guide the S-Pen through a series of mazes which require the steadiest hand skills because if you venture outside of the course, you are heading right back to the beginning. Extra levels are available if you are willing to part with some cash.
Price: Free | Download Maze Racer Android app
20/24
DigiBlog
Like the digital equivalent of a sketchbook, Digiblog tracks your location via GPS and let's you add video, photos, speech, audio and notes to pages each day. It should be an app to come in handy when you are need of some creative inspiration.
Price: Free | Download DigiBlog Android app
21/24
FlipaClip
Turn flipbook movie maker with the app that let's you make the animated flicks frame by frame. Pick how many frames per second you want to use, and with the S-Pen draw more accurate pictures to bring to life. Share to Facebook and YouTube and hope for some Likes and the odd positive comment or two.
Price: Free | Download FlipaClip Android app
22/24
Map Note
To make annotations on a map on the Galaxy Note 10.1 you'll need to go through the hassle of taking a screenshot and editing, but with Map Note you can draw directions straight on live satellite view Google Maps and then share them over email or Facebook so now satnav issues can be the only reason to be late.
Price: Free | Download Map Note Android app
23/24
MyScript Calculator
Working out mathematical scribbles in literally seconds, simply write the problem on the screen and it will be converted and calculated with via the hand recognition software in real-time. If you've made a mistake, simply erase it from the formula and carry on like you never made the error the first place.
Price: Free | Download MyScript Calculator Android app
24/24
PlayCall
Ditch the clipboard and draw up winning plays and systems for football, basketball, tennis or baseball. All tactics scrawled on the templates can be saved and shared to the rest of the team, just don't let it get into the hands of the opposition..
Price: Free | Download PlayCall Android app
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