How Much Better Is The Galaxy Note 3 Compared To The Galaxy Note 2
The Samsung Galaxy Note 3 was unveiled during a Samsung press conference at IFA Berlin on September 4 and it was released on September 25; the third Galaxy Note is a phablet, just like all entries in the Galaxy Note line, and it is the most successful phablet on the market. Phablets are smartphones with very large displays (nearing tablet displays in size) and as we said, the niche market for phablets is currently dominated by the Samsung Galaxy Note 3.
Samsung’s latest phablet managed to sell 5 million units in just a single month of availability and it recently reached the 10 million units milestone, being the fastest selling Galaxy Note to date. Galaxy Note 3’s performance is even more remarkable if you consider the fact that it was not available in a few very big markets (such as the United States and Japan) until well into October; selling 5 million units before it even reached the U.S. market is a clear sign that the third Galaxy Note was huge in oversea markets. Also, the Samsung Galaxy Note 3 was very well received by critics and consumers. This is what we think of the Galaxy Note 3, after almost three months of availability.
Improvements Over The Galaxy Note 2
The Samsung Galaxy Note 3’s hardware is vastly improved from Galaxy Note 2’s specs. Probably the most obvious difference is that while having approximately the same width as the Galaxy Note 2, the third Galaxy Note comes with a 5.7 inch non PenTile Super AMOLED display capable of a full High Definition resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels and a 386 pixels per inch density. Galaxy Note 3’s display is 0.2 inches bigger than Galaxy Note 2’s 5.5 inch 1280 × 720 High Definition Super AMOLED display. The third Galaxy Note’s display also features better depth and brightness thanks to the diamond pixel RGBG PenTile display structure of its display. All in all, when it comes to visuals the Samsung Galaxy Note 3 features a lot of improvements over the second Galaxy Note; due to the higher pixels per inch density, individual pixels cannot be distinguished and small details are more noticeable on the Galaxy Note 3’s display.
The Samsung Galaxy Note 3 is also powered by the latest System on Chip from Qualcomm, the Qualcomm Snapdragon 800. Its quad core LTE CPU is clocked at 2.3 GHz; some Galaxy Note 3 versions are equipped with an Exynos 5420 octa core 3G CPU clocked at 1.9 GHz; both the Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 and the Exynos 5420 CPUs are more powerful than Galaxy Note 2’s Exynos 4 quad core CPU clocked at 1.6 GHz. The latest phablet in the Galaxy Note line is also equipped with 3 GB of RAM (while the second Galaxy Note only has 2 Gb of RAM) and an Adreno 330 GPU. It is also equipped with a replaceable battery of 3,200 mAh; the Galaxy Note 2 on the other hand was released with a 3,100 mAh battery.
When it comes to storage capacity, the Samsung Galaxy Note 3 comes in two models: one with 32 GB of internal storage and one with 64 GB of internal storage; it is also equipped with a microSD card slot that supports cards up to 64 GB. The Samsung Galaxy Note 2 also comes in two models, though they are a downgrade from the third Galaxy Note: one with 16 GB of internal storage and one with 32GB and 64 GB of internal storage. The standard model for the second Galaxy Note was the one with 16 GB of internal storage, while the standard model for the current Galaxy Note 3 is the one with 32 GB of internal storage.
A newer generation CPU and more RAM means that the Samsung Galaxy Note 3 performs better in apps and games; not to mention screen handling and multitasking are a lot more smoother than on the Galaxy Note 2, with almost no lag. The third Galaxy Note comes with Android 4.3 Jelly Bean out of the box, with Samsung’s TouchWiz interface over Google’s mobile operating system, while the second Galaxy Note debuted Android 4.1 Jelly Bean, an earlier version of Jelly Bean.
The Galaxy Note line has always emphasized cameras and photography. Just like the other Samsung flagship released this year, the Galaxy S4, the third Galaxy Note too features a 13 MP rear camera sensor that allows users to record videos in Full High Definition resolution (1080p) at 60 frames per second and also capture videos at 4K resolution at 30 frames per second; the Galaxy Note 3 also features a 1.9 MP front camera sensor. The Samsung Galaxy Note 2 was released with an 8 MP rear camera and a 1.9 MP front camera. Pictures captured with Galaxy Note 3’s camera feature increased sharpness and detail. However, Galaxy Note 3’s camera still doesn’t perform well enough in low light environments, even though it has a lot more megapixels than the Galaxy Note 2 camera sensor.
Regarding connectivity, both the Galaxy Note 3 and the Galaxy Note 2 support about the same protocols, that is almost everything from 3G and 4G LTE to WiFi, DLNA, Bluetooth, HSPA+, NFC and MHL. The main differences are represented by the fact that the second Galaxy Note only runs single band WiFi (a/b/g/n/ac) and does not come with NFC, while the third Galaxy Note runs dual band WiFi (a/b/g/n) and also comes with NFC.
Exclusive Features
Galaxy Note phablets come with lots of high end specs and features. The TouchWiz user interface includes a few exclusive features, most of them aimed at multitasking, but the main star is the Air Command feature, which provides shortcuts to pen oriented features such as Action Memos, Screen Write, Pen Window, the search tool S Finder, and Scrapbook. The new S-Pen is much improved, allowing users to navigate their Galaxy Note 3 phablet using dot, circle and box motions.
Action Memo lets users write notes and then turn them into functions (for example you can write a phone number and saving it to contacts, or writing words and putting them in a text), Screen Write transforms your home screen into a writing canvas, Pen Window allows users to access different app shortcuts that can be viewd over other open apps (in a small window), S Finder lets users search things in their phablet and Scrapbook lets users save their videos, pictures, web pages etc. into “scrapbooks” that can be later accessed.
With each new generation of Galaxy Note phablets, analysts are wondering whether or not its features are actually useful or just gimmicks. However, Galaxy Note 3’s features actually make the phablet easier to use, making it a really “smart” phone. Pen Window and Action Memo are very useful, but the others too are useful, depending on the user and what he needs most. Saving a webpage, having access to a quick search function or easily writing a note are all feature that many users will certainly find useful.
Design and Ease Of Use
While Samsung’s flagship devices are widely criticized for the use of plastic instead of metal, the Samsung Galaxy Note 3 is a step in the right direction as the South Korean company offers a premium look and feel for its latest phablet, despite the polycarbonate exterior. The Galaxy Note 3 has a faux metallic bezel and a faux leather rear cover that is very smooth and soft, giving the phablet a grip which means you won’t risk dropping it. While it is plastic, the faux leather rear cover does a very good job as it almost looks real, giving the device a premium look and feel. It looks similar to a leather bound notebook, which the South Korean company made sure to mention in its marketing for the third generation Galaxy Note.
However, due to its large display the Galaxy Note 3 is not the first choice for many customers when deciding on buying a new smartphone. After all the phablet market is a niche market. Besides, even those that like phablets may think the Galaxy Note 3 is a bit too large for a smartphone and too wide to be used with a single hand. By comparison, the Samsung Galaxy S4 seems very small. The Samsung Galaxy Note 3 comes with a few apps that let users shrink and move their screen for ease of use. In the end it depends on personal taste, as some users like larger devices while others would rather buy a smaller device.
Battery Life And Charging
The third entry in the Galaxy Note line features extraordinary battery life. If you don’t use it extensively it can last entire days before it needs a recharge. Battery life is similar to that of another Samsung flagship, the Galaxy S4; however we must mention that data was always on. While we did not make any tests regarding battery life, there are observations from general use – based on our observations if you only charge your Galaxy Note 3 in the morning, it will last you the whole day and night. This would give you about 19 hours of use each day if you don’t use it in excess.
We did test the standby battery life though and left on standby the Galaxy Note 3 doesn’t need a recharge for seven days, with data left on. In standby (or with light use), the Galaxy Note 3 lasts over six days from full charge to the yellow warning. Another aspect that we tested was Galaxy Note 3’s charging time. The Samsung Galaxy Note 3 comes with the new USB 3.0 port; this is important as the USB 3.0 port provides up to 900 mA current while USB 2.0 ports provides only 500 mA. This means that the USB 3.0 port offers faster transfer and charging speeds. We charged the Samsung Galaxy Note 3 in bit more than two and half hours from fully discharged to a fully charged battery.
The Samsung Galaxy S4 uses the older generation USB 2.0 port but when it comes to charge times, there aren’t many differences between them; the Galaxy S4 also charges in about less than two hours from fully discharged to a fully charged battery. However we have to consider the fact that the Samsung Galaxy Note 3 has a much larger battery (with a capacity of 3,200 mAh) than the Samsung Galaxy S4 which has a battery with a capacity of 2,600 mAh. By comparison, the Galaxy Note 2 also feature a USB 2.0 port but its charge time is about three hours from fully discharged to a fully charged battery. The latest Galaxy Note has a larger battery but a newer generation USB port which helps tremendously with charging speed. Considering the fact that many users complained about the long charge times of the Galaxy Note 2, the Galaxy Note 3 seems better in this respect; even though it has a larger battery than the second Galaxy Note, the latest phablet from Samsung has shorter charging times thanks to upgraded technology.
Camera
Galaxy Note 3’s 13 MP rear camera is very similar to the one the Galaxy S4 uses. While pre release rumors suggested the third Galaxy Note would feature optical image stabilization (OIS), in the end those rumors proved to be wrong as the phablet was not launched with OIS. However, an improvement can be seen from Galaxy S4’s camera as Galaxy Note 3’s camera is better taking clear images even with an unsteady hand. When it comes to image quality both Galaxy Note 3’s and Galaxy S4’s rear cameras offer the same quality, though it must be mentioned that pictures captures with Galaxy Note 3’s camera seem to be soft around some edges, an effect not seen in pictures captured with Galaxy S4’s rear camera.
As mentioned above, even though it does not feature optical image stabilization, Galaxy Note 3’s camera allows users to take a good picture even if they aren’t standing completely still, which is a major advantage over Galaxy Note 2 and Galaxy S4’s cameras. Galaxy S4’s rear camera however capture better details than Galaxy Note 3’s rear camera. That is especially noticeable when zooming as Galaxy Note 3’s camera tends to blur photos a bit, while Galaxy S4’s camera offers sharper detail.
Price and Availability
The Samsung Galaxy Note 3 is available on all major carriers: AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, U.S. Cellular and Verizon; the phablet can also be purchased at retailers such as Dell, Amazon and Wirefly. Since it is a premium device, its price reflects that. The Samsung Galaxy Note 2 has a price tag of $300 with a two year contract or $700 off contract; the price is of course different from carrier to carrier.
Verizon sells the third Galaxy Note for $299.99 with a 2 year contract and for $699.99 off contract. U.S. Cellular has the Galaxy Note 3 available for $299.99 on contract. AT&T sells Samsung’s latest phablet for $299.99 with a two year contract and for $549.99 with one year contract. You can also buy the third Galaxy Note from AT&T in 20 monthly payments of $35 via the AT&T Next program or you can pay the full price: $724.99. Sprint sells the Galaxy Note 3 for $349.99 on contract and for $699.99 off contract. T-Mobile has the third Galaxy Note for $199.99 upfront with 24 monthly payments of $21 under T-Mobile’s UNcarrier plan, or you can buy it for $703.99.
While the price seems a bit high, keep in mind that Samsung’s new flagship, besides being a premium device, also comes with a few high end specs and features that contribute to its expensive price tag. More RAM and internal storage are two factors that increased Samsung Galaxy Note 3’s price. It is also worth mentioning that even with the price increase, Galaxy Note 3’s price is actually very similar to that of the second generation Galaxy Note during its launch.
Conclusion
The Samsung Galaxy Note 3 is a high end phablet worth its price. Not only does it feature better high end specs than the majority of smartphone on the market, but it also includes features that are actually useful and make using the phablet a lot easier. However, despite the high end specs and features, for some people the size of the phablet is a big negative. Another factor that may stop consumers form purchasing the Samsung Galaxy Note 3 is its high price, especially since the smartphone market offers smaller devices with similar specs for less money. The Samsung Galaxy Note 3 is aimed at a niche market and it is for those that appreciate it for what it is. It is a niche device that won’t appeal to everybody; instead, those that like smartphones with large display will certainly buy one. We would love to hear your thoughts on the Samsung Galaxy Note 3, so leave us a message in the dedicated section below.
