| Phone | Plan | Minutes | Data | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Unlimited Minutes + Unlimited Texts | Unlimited 4G/5G LTE Data (may be slowed during network congestion) | $ 65 /mo + $30 Upfront Get Plan |
| General Info | |
|---|---|
| Manufacturer | Samsung |
| Technology | CDMA/GSM |
| Data Type | 4G |
| Device Type | Smartphone |
| Operating System | Android |
| Physical Specifications | |
| Height | 5.95 Inches |
| Thickness | 0.33 Inches |
| Weight | 5.93 Ounces |
| Keyboard | Touch Only |
| Phone Form | Open-Faced |
| Display Specifications | |
| Display Size | 5.70 Inches |
| Touchscreen Size | 5.70 Inches |
| Audio/Video Specifications | |
| Front Camera | 2.00 Megapixels |
| Rear Camera | 13.00 Megapixels |
| Video | HD |
| Hearing Aid Compatibility | M3/T3 |
| Battery Specifications | |
| Standby Time | 288 Hours |
| Talk Time | 900 Minutes |
| Battery Type | 3200 mAh |
| Memory Specifications | |
| Internal Memory | 32.00 GB |
| Expandable Memory | 64.00 GB |
The war between smartphones is far from over, but Samsung has its reasons for being hailed as the market leader in the world of smartphones and tablets. But that was only the beginning. Cutting-edge innovation that is oft regarded as the benchmark of technological success was quick to shift the battling arena into an era of new devices that merged the capabilities of the smartphone with the functionalities of a tablet. Soon was born the phablet, a futuristic device born of fusion. Once again, it’s Samsung that introduced one of the most sophisticated and compelling line, the Samsung Galaxy Note 3, which gives some serious challenge to its competitors.
With capabilities in hardware and design similar to the ever-popular Samsung Galaxy S4, the Note 3 goes even a step further and comes with a powerful Samsung Exynos 5 Octa SoC or Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 processor. Its 5.7-inch 1080 pixel Super AMOLED display gives you reasons to remain hooked to the device. Other features include a 13-megapixel camera and the S-Pen.
Samsung gave a decent, above-average design to its Galaxy S4, which was acceptable and functional, but clearly lacked the charisma that its competitors had. The Galaxy Note 3 addresses this matter, without compromising Samsung’s unique brand look and feel.
The Note 3 is relatively larger than its previous versions, but you get used to the size. It fits comfortably well into pockets without restricting movement. It’s not easy to use a 5.7-inch device single-handedly but you practice it with time.
Though the Note 3 is 0.2 inch larger in size compared to its predecessor Note II, it still offers a sleeker look and is even 1.1mm slimmer and 12 grams lighter, significantly enhancing its usability. The bezel reduction around the display offers visual improvements as well.
The downside is the use of low-quality material for the back panel of the device. While it’s relatively better than the slippery back surface of the Note II, it still lacks personality. While the back panel offers a good grip of the device, Samsung gives it a leather look that is clearly fake, rendering the device similar to a low-end Chinese smartphone.
Likewise, the plastic edges are designed as metal lookalikes. A close inspection of the metal rim will reveal that it’s actually plastic. While the company can choose to use plastic, it’s the fake personification that is spoiling the look. In fact, it can even hit back at the company as a practice aimed at deceiving its customers.
The Note 3 front panel has an impressive 5.7-inch AMOLED display along with fine bezel. The speaker grill and vision sensors are located next to the front face camera and notification light. The bottom side of the front panel has the home, menu and the back buttons.
Many other smartphones configure the back and menu buttons in the opposite direction. If you switch from any such device to the Note 3, it may take a little while for you to get used to the button orientation. If anything, it will be simpler for you to use the back button the way it is positioned in the Note 3.
The border on the left hand side hosts the volume button while the top edge has the standard headphone jack and an infrared LED. The power button is on the right border, making it simpler to find and press. The microUSB 3.0 port is given on the bottom panel. This port is larger than its predecessor, the microUSB 2.0 port, but still accommodates the conventional cables. At the bottom left, you will find the built-in speaker grill and the stylus port for holding the S-Pen.
The S-Pen comes in the same plastic material that is used in the manufacture of Note 3. It’s a very handy device with the function button easily accessible by the user.
Galaxy Note 3 has a removable back cover that reveals the microSD card slot, SIM card slot and the removable phone battery. The removable phone battery has its uses, but there are certain downsides as well. A removable battery consumes more space, thereby yielding lesser battery life than what would have been possible otherwise.
The Samsung Galaxy Note 3 gives an impressive display with its 5.7-inch FHD Super AMOLED display panel that gives 89.6 sq. cm of extra screen space compared to a standard 5.0-inch display phone, giving users a very valid reason to select this device. While the actual size hasn’t increased in the same ratio, the Note 3 gives a 7 % increase in terms of screen size compared to the Note 2.
The hi-def 1920 x 1080 display has become more of an industry standard for modern smartphones. With a pixel density of 386 PPI, a user tell separate pixels apart. The high pixel density yields very high-resolution video, image and text.
In terms of quality, the display has deteriorated slightly compared to Note 2. The predecessor had a Super AMOLED display with S-stripe subpixel matrix whereas the Note 3 has reverted to PenTile matrix. However, it still doesn’t spoil the user experience.
Compared to LCD display, if there is something that is especially distinctive about the AMOLED screen, it would have to be the contrast ratio. Note 3 is capable of handling black in a stunning way. On the other hand, white color isn’t one of Note 3’s strengths. Brightness is above-average compared to its competitors.
Users are allowed to select any of the four screen modes from the settings menu: Standard, Dynamic, Movie and Professional Photo. The standard setting, “adapt,” is a feature that chooses the mode for you depending on the conditions. Every mode has its own benefits, but in a mode like “Movie,” the overall phone display appears very unpleasant to the eye.
Samsung smartphones typically come in very heavy skins. While some of the software is useful, the rest of it is pretty much scrap. You would want to sift through every app that comes pre-fitted in your phone and sort things out.
The custom TouchWiz skin is the default skin for Note 3. It’s an old skin that has been used by Samsung with quite a number of product lines now, and perhaps the brand should consider something more crispy and up-to-date. The home screen offers a default 4x4 grid.
Visit the Settings menu of Note 3 to have a quick look at the system capabilities. Data network and airplane mode are also accessible from the Settings.
Samsung includes motion controls into the Note 3 series. It’s a feature that doesn’t seem to be required as pressing the pause button is a convenient way of sending the command. The detection features are configured to commands that are difficult for the eyes to give.
Some of the new features include long-pressing the back button to access multi-window apps. This mode allows you to run two applications simultaneously. However, very few apps are supported in this mode.
The S-Pen neatly slides into the stylus port given on the bottom panel. The device only operates with a Note 3. By tapping the S-Pen button, you will get a popup on the screen, which gives five options when tapped: Action Memo, Scrapbooker, S Finder, Pen Window and Screen Write. These are very interesting features that help you make the most out of your device.
Action Memo helps you create your personal memos. Scrapbooker allows you to draw items. S Finder is a search tool. Screen Write is a feature that came in Note 2 as well. It allows you to write on the screen.
Samsung Note 3 offers a powerful 13-megapixel Sony Exmor RS IMX135 camera featuring a 31mm (effective) f/2.2 lens module and 1.12 μm pixels. Due to lack of optical image stabilization, the quality of images captured in low-light areas is affected. The camera results are stunning in well-lit areas and reasonably good in areas with lesser lighting.
It offers a larger battery than the Note 2 and battery performance is also satisfactory. The processors used in making the Note 3 are known to be especially battery-efficient.
