Big is set to get bigger
With the Samsung Galaxy S4 now out of the
way the door has been thrown open for the
Korean firm's other high-end smartphone to get
a reboot in the form of the Samsung Galaxy
Note 3.
Rumours are beginning to circulate about
Samsung's next super-sized handset, suggesting
it's going to get even bigger - even though the
Samsung Galaxy Note 2 raised eyebrows with its
larger size.
We're constantly on the look out for Galaxy
Note 3 news and you'll be able to find all the
latest right here. You lucky things.
Announcement and release date
In terms of a Samsung Galaxy Note 3 release
date the trail is pretty cold at the moment with
"later this year" all we have to go on for now.
If previous iterations of the handset are
anything to go by we can expect Samsung to
uncover the third generation Galaxy Note
smartphone towards the end of August, in the
run up to IFA 2013 in Berlin.
This would mean that the Galaxy Note 3 would
probably hit stores around October if previous
cycles are maintained - but given the Samsung
Galaxy S4 emerged earlier this year, could the
same trick be repeated for the Note 3?
More than a pretty penny in price
You can expect the Samsung Galaxy Note 3 to
carry a hefty price tag, probably in line with the
Galaxy S4 - making it more expensive than its
Chinese rivals the ZTE Grand Memo and the
Huawei Ascend Mate.
The Note 3 will probably set you back at least
£550 (around $800/AU$770) give or take, plus
there will be regional variances too.
Does the screen need to get bigger?
Although exact specs are still unknown the
general consensus seems to suggest that the
Samsung Galaxy Note 3 will sport an even
bigger screen than its 5.5-inch predecessor.
Early reports pointed towards a whopping 6.3-
inch display , which would see the handset dwarf
the 6.1-inch Ascend Mate and 5.7-inch Grand
Memo.
More recently though sources have claimed that
the Galaxy Note 3 could actually pack a slightly
more modest 5.9-inch AMOLED screen.
However Samsung may have let the cat out of
the bag on its own website after listing a
smartphone accessory as being compatible with
screens from "4- to 6.3-inches", potentially
hinting at a massive display bump for the Note
3.
Screen size, then, remains a mystery but that's
not the only quandary we have regarding the
display on the Galaxy Note 3. Oh no, there are
now reports suggesting it will be the first phone
to sport a flexible OLED display .
Samsung did show off such a display at CES
2013 - although it wasn't part of a phone at the
time and we reckon there's still some way to go
before it's ready to hit our handsets, but it
certainly gives us food for thought.
Update: We are hearing a lot about the
" Samsung Galaxy Mega" range, with leaks
suggesting a 5.8-inch and 6.3-inch device may
be on the cards.
Could this be Samsung replacing the Note range,
or adding more feathers to its super-sized cap?
The operating system conundrum
We can be pretty sure that the Samsung Galaxy
Note 3 will roll up running Google's Android
platform, but which particular version that will
be is not so black and white.
Android 5.0 Key Lime Pie is expected to be
announced at Google's I/O event in May ,
potentially alongside the Nexus 5 - which would
put the Note 3 in the running to also launch
with the latest version of the software.
However if history has taught us anything it's
that assuming is for fools - as we've seen
numerous handsets launched with older
versions of Android - but the Note 2 was one of
the first handsets from Samsung to launch with
Jelly Bean, so perhaps a Key Lime Pie device
isn't so unlikely.
Specs
The big screen won't be the only feature
Samsung will want to shout about though, as
you can expect the Galaxy Note 3 to be packing
some serious tech under the hood.
Check out Samsung's Your Mobile Life to
discover loads more about the infinite
possibilities of the GALAXY Note II
It could be another industry leading handset
(the Note 2 was the most powerful smartphone
when it launched) with reports suggestinmake will
follow in the footsteps of the Galaxy S4 with a
ridiculous octo-core chip.
As this device will fall into Samsung's "Note"
family you can expect the fabled S-Pen to make
another appearance here as it looks to rub
shoulders with the Galaxy Note 8.0 and Galaxy
Note 10.1 .
Update: According to Android Geeks a software
engineer has spilled the beans on the S Orb
camera feature which is apparently destined to
debut on the Galaxy Note 3, after reports earlier
this year suggested it would arrive on the Galaxy
S4.
http://m.techradar.com/news/phone-and-communications/mobile-phones/samsung-galaxy-note-3-release-date-news-and-rumours-1138556