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NOTE: This is an review from zdnet and might be a little big article. I have edited the article suitably but still its a long story. Please spare a few minutes to read it. Also if you are on a slower connection please wait till all images are loaded, as it might take some time to load all 50 images.
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Summary: With the highest specs on an Android phone, one of the largest displays with S Pen support, and enhanced Samsung software we see Samsung continue to improve on a fantastic device with the size staying about the same
Hardware
Samsung was able to squeeze in a larger display measuring 5.7 inches, was 5.5 inches, diagonally while actually reducing the width by 1.3 mm. While the removable back panel, available in black or white, is still made of rather thin plastic, the outside has an almost leather feel to it. It feels sticky to your hand and helps with the grip. There is fake stitching around the edges too, giving it a classy look.
You can buy the Note 3 with 32GB or 64GB internal memory and both come with a microSD card slot for further memory expansion. You can also pop out the 3,200 mAh battery if you need the Note 3 on the road and when your capacity degrades over time. The Note 3 is a device that should last you for a couple of years.
The Super AMOLED display is fantastic, as expected, with colors popping off of the display and blacks looking dark as night. You will still find the center physical button below the display with two backlit capacitive areas, one on either side of the button.
The volume button is on the upper left side, embedded in the plastic grooved metal looking frame of the Note 3. The audio jack, a microphone, and the IR port are found on the top while the right side houses the traditional Samsung power button and a microphone opening down low.
The Note 3 comes with a USB 3.0 cable, but don't worry, you can still connect your existing microUSB cable to the right side of the new elongated port opening. The mono speaker is also found on the bottom of the Note 3.
At the right edge of the bottom is the opening of the S Pen silo. The S Pen has been redesigned to fit in either way and is a bit longer than the one found on the Note II.
The 13 megapixel camera is found centered near the top of the back with a LED flash positioned below it. The 2 megapixel front facing camera is located in the top right corner of the front.
Most of the improvements to the Note 3 hardware are found internally with the fast Snapdragon 800 processor, 3GB of RAM (this is awesome!), higher resolution camera, 3,200 mAh battery, and more.
Software
In addition to the improved hardware specifications, Samsung significantly improved the S Pen functionality. Samsung's new Air Command controller that appears when you slide the S Pen out of the silo.
With Air Command you can choose to launch Action Memo, Scrapbooker, Screen Write, S Finder, and Pen Window with a single tap of the S Pen.
Action Memo lets you use handwritten text on the display to then initiate actions. These actions include placing a phone call, opening a contact, sending a text message, sending an email, opening the web browser, mapping a location, and creating a task.
With the Scrapbooker selector turned on you can capture content from your device (web pages, images, YouTube videos, music, videos, and more) and organize it into different collections. These can have tags and other meta data to help you use this information in the future.
After selecting Screen Write from Air Command, the display you are on is captured as a screen shot. You then have a number of editing tools available along the top of the screen. These include pen types, line thickness, pen color, an eraser, cropping tool, and sharing tool.
There are other S Pen functions, such as the ability to draw around areas on your display while pressing in on the S Pen button to capture this part of your display for future use, using the S Pen as an alternative to your finger for navigation, and using the S Pen with the improved S Note application that offers more templates, syncing with Evernote, and a slick Easy Chart function that may work out pretty well for engineers.
In addition to the S Pen improvements, the Note 3 is loaded with Android 4.3. Since the TouchWiz UI is installed too, you likely won't find many differences in the overall UI and experiences of Android.
The Note 3 is currently the only device that works with the Galaxy Gear.
Usage and experiences
The Note 3 is a large device, but that is exactly what it is designed to be. For a data centric user, it offers the perfect experience for productivity, media, social networking, and browsing needs. Even with very heavy usage, Note 3 was able to go more than a day.
Pros and Cons
Pros
Fantastic display with comfortable size
Useful S Pen enhancements
Good camera quality and excellent software
Super fast performance
Excellent battery life
Replaceable battery and microSD card expansion
Cons
Exchange client folder access is limited
Bit overloaded with apps and utilities
Pricing and availability
The Samsung Galaxy Note 3 will be available from carriers in the US for a contract price between $300 and $350. The full price looks to be around $700.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Summary: With the highest specs on an Android phone, one of the largest displays with S Pen support, and enhanced Samsung software we see Samsung continue to improve on a fantastic device with the size staying about the same
Hardware
Samsung was able to squeeze in a larger display measuring 5.7 inches, was 5.5 inches, diagonally while actually reducing the width by 1.3 mm. While the removable back panel, available in black or white, is still made of rather thin plastic, the outside has an almost leather feel to it. It feels sticky to your hand and helps with the grip. There is fake stitching around the edges too, giving it a classy look.
You can buy the Note 3 with 32GB or 64GB internal memory and both come with a microSD card slot for further memory expansion. You can also pop out the 3,200 mAh battery if you need the Note 3 on the road and when your capacity degrades over time. The Note 3 is a device that should last you for a couple of years.
The Super AMOLED display is fantastic, as expected, with colors popping off of the display and blacks looking dark as night. You will still find the center physical button below the display with two backlit capacitive areas, one on either side of the button.
The volume button is on the upper left side, embedded in the plastic grooved metal looking frame of the Note 3. The audio jack, a microphone, and the IR port are found on the top while the right side houses the traditional Samsung power button and a microphone opening down low.
The Note 3 comes with a USB 3.0 cable, but don't worry, you can still connect your existing microUSB cable to the right side of the new elongated port opening. The mono speaker is also found on the bottom of the Note 3.
At the right edge of the bottom is the opening of the S Pen silo. The S Pen has been redesigned to fit in either way and is a bit longer than the one found on the Note II.
The 13 megapixel camera is found centered near the top of the back with a LED flash positioned below it. The 2 megapixel front facing camera is located in the top right corner of the front.
Most of the improvements to the Note 3 hardware are found internally with the fast Snapdragon 800 processor, 3GB of RAM (this is awesome!), higher resolution camera, 3,200 mAh battery, and more.
Software
In addition to the improved hardware specifications, Samsung significantly improved the S Pen functionality. Samsung's new Air Command controller that appears when you slide the S Pen out of the silo.
With Air Command you can choose to launch Action Memo, Scrapbooker, Screen Write, S Finder, and Pen Window with a single tap of the S Pen.
Action Memo lets you use handwritten text on the display to then initiate actions. These actions include placing a phone call, opening a contact, sending a text message, sending an email, opening the web browser, mapping a location, and creating a task.
With the Scrapbooker selector turned on you can capture content from your device (web pages, images, YouTube videos, music, videos, and more) and organize it into different collections. These can have tags and other meta data to help you use this information in the future.
After selecting Screen Write from Air Command, the display you are on is captured as a screen shot. You then have a number of editing tools available along the top of the screen. These include pen types, line thickness, pen color, an eraser, cropping tool, and sharing tool.
There are other S Pen functions, such as the ability to draw around areas on your display while pressing in on the S Pen button to capture this part of your display for future use, using the S Pen as an alternative to your finger for navigation, and using the S Pen with the improved S Note application that offers more templates, syncing with Evernote, and a slick Easy Chart function that may work out pretty well for engineers.
In addition to the S Pen improvements, the Note 3 is loaded with Android 4.3. Since the TouchWiz UI is installed too, you likely won't find many differences in the overall UI and experiences of Android.
The Note 3 is currently the only device that works with the Galaxy Gear.
Usage and experiences
The Note 3 is a large device, but that is exactly what it is designed to be. For a data centric user, it offers the perfect experience for productivity, media, social networking, and browsing needs. Even with very heavy usage, Note 3 was able to go more than a day.
Pros and Cons
Pros
Fantastic display with comfortable size
Useful S Pen enhancements
Good camera quality and excellent software
Super fast performance
Excellent battery life
Replaceable battery and microSD card expansion
Cons
Exchange client folder access is limited
Bit overloaded with apps and utilities
Pricing and availability
The Samsung Galaxy Note 3 will be available from carriers in the US for a contract price between $300 and $350. The full price looks to be around $700.
