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Samsung Galaxy Note 3: What's changed?
Another IFA, another Galaxy Note -- that's how it goes, ever since Samsung launched its first version of the phablet two years ago in Berlin. The company's latest S-Pen-wielding handset is upon us, with a bevy of hardware and software updates as expected. Does this year's device bring some game-changing tweaks, or is the Note 3 more of an incremental refresh of its predecessor? Jump past the break for a full spec-by-spec comparison of the two super-phones. Follow all of our IFA 2013 coverage by heading to our event hub!
Samsung Galaxy Note 3 makes official debut with 5.7-inch 1080p screen and faux-leather back, available September 25th
Samsung's annual IFA presser is typically its Galaxy Note coming-out party and this year is no different. JK Shin, the Korean company's President and CEO, has just announced the line's latest addition: the Galaxy Note 3. With a renewed emphasis on how it feels in hand, Samsung has built this Note with a faux-leather back, which should go a long way towards silencing critics of the company's former plastic-reliant ways. It also comes pre-loaded with Knox, the company's secure BYOD solution, support for super-fast LTE Category 4, runs Android 4.3 and touts integration with the just announced Galaxy Gear smartwatch. The new Galaxy Note 3 stretches past the dimensions of its predecessor with a 5.7-inch Super AMOLED screen (vs 5.5-inches), 2.3GHz Snapdragon 800 or 1.9GHz Exynos Octa CPU, 3GB RAM, weighs 168 grams and comes in three distinct colors -- one of which is pink (!). On the inside, the Note 3's been imbued with a 3,200mAh cell -- hopefully, that's enough juice to carry on the line's phenomenal battery life. The rear camera is of the 13-megapixel variety and packs optical image stabilization for HD video recording. As for its release date, Shin did confirm that it will ship in 32GB and 64GB versions globally beginning on September 25th, and in October for the US and Japan. Follow all of our IFA 2013 coverage by heading to our event hub!
Samsung Galaxy Note 3 reportedly landing on Three UK September 16th, Sony Xperia Z1 coming September 24th
The two most anticipated smartphones of next week's IFA show, the Samsung Galaxy Note 3 and Sony Xperia Z1, haven't been officially announced, but neither manufacturer has made any secret of their existence. So, we aren't at all surprised to see that the two devices are starting to become common knowledge amongst the employees at various carriers. An anonymous tipster who claims to work for Three UK has sent us images of an internal doc which shows when the carrier will begin selling the pair of devices, with the Note 3 arriving on the 16th of September and the Z1 following on the 24th. Even if this is accurate, we still can't be sure Three will be the first to launch them -- nor can we account for any potential delays -- but it's at least a solid indicator that the phones will arrive sooner rather than later. We don't have much longer to wait before we find out, but it's something to chew on over the weekend. [Thanks, Anonymous]
Samsung Galaxy Note III camera rumored to pack 4K video capture, high-quality audio playback
What are you going to add to a smartphone series that's already gone big-screen, already has a stylus and already offers up a decent battery life? According to the Korea Economic Daily, Samsung believes adding a heavy-duty camera upgrade to 4K should do the trick. The news site's source (identified as an "industry official" rather than a Samsung employee), says the Galaxy Note III, which is likely to make its debut at IFA 2013, will be able to record video in Ultra High Definition. It's a significant pixel boost from the 1080p video capture available to last year's Galaxy Note II. The company is likely hoping that offering up an opportunity to record in 4K will mean those smartphone owners are then more likely to upgrade their TV sets (to a Ultra HD Samsung model, naturally) to make the most of their crisp video content. Alongside a new camera, the same source reckons that audio quality will be bumped up to 24-bit, like LG's G2 and a step above the 16-bit audio tech in Samsung's existing Galaxy phones. No word on the previous notion of three differently-sized models and as the source material has gone through the Google Translate grinder, things aren't as clear as we'd have hoped. However, the Korea Economic Daily has past form when it comes to Samsung news. Next week, we're sure to hear all the finer details and we're taking bets on which company will be the first to claim "world's first".
Samsung 'Unpacked Episode 2' scheduled for September 4th in Berlin
The second installment of Samsung's 2013 "Unpacked" event series is scheduled for the first Wednesday in September, just before the annual IFA consumer electronics show kicks off in Berlin. As the sketched invite above confirms, the Galaxy Note III will undoubtedly be the star of this show, which is set to begin at 7PM local time (1PM ET) on September 4th. We'll of course be there to cover the festivities live from the German capital, and Samsung's promised to provide a YouTube livestream feed that you can follow along with as well.
Samsung Galaxy S 4 Game Pad supports 6.3-inch devices, raises eyebrows
We noticed that Samsung's planned Game Pad accessory has an expanding clamp designed to accommodate screen sizes larger than the 5-inch Galaxy S 4 being used as its showcase, but it wasn't clear just how far it would go. Now that there's an official accessory page on the GS4's microsite, Samsung is unusually specific about the limit: 6.3 inches. That's an odd choice of display dimension, as it's bigger than the 5.5-inch Galaxy Note II and smaller than the 7-inch Galaxy Tab line. Samsung could just be hedging its bets, so we wouldn't make too many presumptions. It's often wise to give yourself a little headroom. However, a 6.3-inch screen would dovetail with unconfirmed Korea Times rumors that the next-generation Galaxy Note phone would use a similar size and give the 6.1-inch Ascend Mate a run for its money. We won't be convinced until we can see such a device for ourselves -- for all we know, it could be an extra-tiny version of a future Galaxy Tab.
