Samsung has always been one company which takes out phablets at every InternatioanaleFunkAusstellung (IFA) in Berlin and this one was no different. Samsung Galaxy Note 3 was unveiled on September 4th. It went up for pre-order sales on September 18th.
Several people have been comparing it with the previous version, Samsung Galaxy Note 2. How does it compare it with Note 2, and what is different in Note 3? The salient and new features of Galaxy Note 3 are listed below.
Design and Display
Samsung Galaxy Note 3 has a body with the dimensions 5.95 x 3.12 x 0.33 inches, which when compared with Note 2 is just slightly smaller (by ~0.3 inches), and is also considerably lighter at 168 g. Note 2 was 180g.
Despite these differences, the screen size in Note 3 is 5.7 inches, 0.2 inches more than what we got in Note 2. Pixel density is higher in the former (386ppi) than in the latter (267ppi).
Frankly, Note 3 is more convenient to hold than the previous version since it is lesser in height. Samsung pared down the bezels on the top and bottom to make this possible. The back cover of the phone contains a matte-leather finish, as opposed to the Note 2’s glossy plastic, and has stitches around the corners, ensuring that it does not leave any fingerprints of the users. Fancy covers for those who don’t take a liking to the back design are available as well.
Screen type shows some variation in the models too. Note 2 came with an HD Super AMOLED screen, while it’s grand successor has a Full HD Super AMOLED screen, thus promising better quality.
Hardware
Galaxy Note 3 runs on the 2.3GHz quad-core Snapdragon800 chipset. It can also run using the 1.9GHz octa-core ExynosSoC, depending on the region of operation. A 3GB RAM is available in the Note 3, and an internal memory of either 32 or 64GB is present. The device functions on a 3200 mAh Li-Ion battery.
This is definitely an upgrade from Note 2, where the 1.6GHz quad-core processor was employed. It contains a RAM of 2GB, with internal memory options of 16, 32 and 64GB. Battery power was slightly lesser as well, since they were using a 3100 mAh Li-Ion battery.
Software
The software showcases another difference between the two versions. Note 3 runs on the Android 4.3 JellyBean Operating System. A special feature present in the device is the S-pen. Once it is removed from its ‘hiding place’, it stimulates the Air Command feature. This is a semi-circular menu which comes up and provides you with some quick options, that is:
- Action Memo- Lets you highlight a section of your notes and an action menu related to the highlighted part pops up, allowing you quick access to primary phone function.
- Scrapbook Lets you collect information, categorize it and save it on the metadata.
- S Finder Note 3’s new search capability
- Pen Windows Lets you select an option so it can draw a rectangle on the screen, allowing one to move an icon around on the phone.
Note 2 was quite different from this on various accounts. Firstly, it ran on the Android 4.1 JellyBean Operating System and, most importantly, does not come with the S-Pen.
Camera
Samsung Galaxy Note 3 has a 13MP camera with Smart Stabilization, autofocus and LED flash. Other features present are dual shot, simultaneous video and image recording, touch focus, face and smile detection, panorama and HDR. Other than this, it has a 2MP front facing camera which can be used conveniently for video chatting. Also, the primary camera can record UHD resolutions at 30fps and Full HD image at 60fps.
Note 2 had a mere 8MP camera with a front facing camera of 1.9MP. Video capture is available with 1080 pixels.
From the above discussions, it is clear that Samsung Note 3 emerges as a clear winner when compared to its predecessor. Although pre orders have started flowing in, phone is yet to hit the Indian markets. But, knowing the general response for Samsung phablets, we can safely say it shall not be a fruitless venture.