Samsung Galaxy Note 3 rumor roundup

Michael Josh Villanueva

This is AI generated summarization, which may have errors. For context, always refer to the full article.

Samsung gears up to launch the Galaxy Note 3 smartphone. Find out what the new phablet will be like.

MANILA, Philippines – Smartphones these days come in a wide variety of sizes. 

Korea-based Samsung’s current Galaxy lineup features smartphones with display sizes that range from 4.3 all the way to 6.3 inches.

Phone

     Size

Galaxy S4 mini          

     4.3 inches

Galaxy Win

     4.7 inches

Galaxy S4

     5 inches

Galaxy Note II

     5.5 inches

Galaxy Mega

     5.8 inches

Galaxy Mega

     6.3 inches

 

Right in the middle of this smartphone lineup is the phone and tablet combo the Galaxy Note II. While admittedly its size is an acquired taste – those looking for a bigger screen for watching videos and surfing the Internet will enjoy the extra screen real estate the phone offers. The Note II is the only Galaxy smartphone that bundles a stylus Samsung calls the S-Pen, and sources say that prior to the launch of the S4, the Note II was almost as popular as the Galaxy S3 in the Philippines. 

This week Samsung is set to unveil the Note II’s successor at its Unpacked Episode 2 event in Berlin, Germany. The Galaxy Note 3, as many expect it to be called, will be Samsung’s last major smartphone release this year. 

What will the phone be like? 

If rumors are to be believed (and in the case of Samsung releases this year – they’re pretty much always on the dot) the Note will go through some interesting changes. Here’s a roundup of everything we’ve heard so far… 

SCREEN/DISPLAY SIZE:

SMALLER BEZEL: The Galaxy Note 3 is reported to sport a larger display but will retain its form factor thanks to a smaller 2.2mm bezel according to this image from e-tradesupply.com

The Note 3 will have a slightly larger screen than its predecessor but almost the same form factor thanks to a smaller bezel.  

We expect the device to come with a 5.68-inch screen but expect Samsung to market it as a 5.7-inch smartphone. It is worth noting however that back in May, the Korea Times, quoting a Samsung Exec said the phone would be 5.9 inches.  

Whatever the case it is almost certain the Note 3 will get an resolution upgrade and come with a Full HD display like the Galaxy S4 did earlier this year. Over the weekend Twitter user @evleaks, notable for reliable tech rumors tweeted what it claims is the default wallpaper that will come with the Note 3.   

PROCESSING POWER:

Like the Galaxy S4 it is reported the Note 3 will come in two variants depending on the region where the phone is sold. This includes a 1.8GHz octa-core Exynos processor and another quad-core variant. The version of the S4 that is sold in the Philippines is the quad-core LTE version. Expect the Note 3 to follow suit. 

What’s interesting is a report that says the phone will come with 3GB of RAM which to-date has yet to happen on any smartphone. This is highly possible since back in July Samsung announced it was producing low-power 3GB DDR-RAM modules. The phone is expected to ship in 16GB, 32GB and 64GB variants. 

CAMERA

While last year’s Note did not receive as good a camera as the then-flagship Galaxy S3. This year’s Note 3 might end up with a camera better than the S4. It is reported that the phone will come with the same 13 megapixel lens camera found on the S4 but with optical image stabilization and 3x optical zoom. The S4 outscored the HTC One, the iPhone 5 and the Nokia Lumia 925 in our smartphone battle so we’d be very excited if the Note 3 did indeed get this upgrade. However it made more sense if we saw these new features in the Galaxy S5 first before we saw it on another model in its lineup.

BATTERY

Among Samsung’s current lineup of Galaxy Smartphones the Note 2 has one of the most superior batteries at 3100mAh. Only the 6.3-inch Galaxy Mega has a higher capacity 3200mAh battery, the same one which most probably will find its way to the Note 3.  Phone Arena speculates that the phone will have a 3450mAh battery.

 

BODY & DESIGN

LOOKS. Artist rendering of the Samsung Galaxy Note 3 posted on Spigen.com 

Leaked front panels of the device, and a rendering posted on Spiegen.com hint that the Note 3’s design won’t deviate much from Samsung’s existing Galaxy lineup. While there are talks about Samsung using another material for its smartphones, (i’ve heard carbon fiber or aluminum), it doesn’t look like that will make its way to the Note 3. Expect the same plastic finish seen on previous smartphones released by Samsung this year.

Rappler will be in Berlin to cover the Note 3’s launch. For more details bookmark our live blog.  – Rappler.com

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