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Samsung Galaxy Note 3: 5 Things to Know Pre-Launch

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The Samsung Galaxy Note 2 is only a few months old in the United States but that hasn’t stopped a steady stream of Samsung Galaxy Note 3 rumors from streaming out. But which, if any, are the most important? Here, we take a look at what we think are the five most important things to know about the Samsung Galaxy Note 3 ahead of its launch later this year.

In late November, Verizon became the last U.S. carrier to unleash the new and improved Samsung Galaxy Note 2 upon consumers. The device, which was first announced in August, is he company’s follow up to the popular Samsung Galaxy Note, the original large screen smartphone that debuted amongst skepticism back in 2011 and 2012.

Read: Samsung Galaxy Note 3 Rumors: Larger Display, Thinner Design.

The Galaxy Note 3 will likely replace the Galaxy Note 2, later this year.

The Galaxy Note 3 will likely replace the Galaxy Note 2, later this year.

Despite the skepticism surrounding a smartphone with a massive display and bundled stylus, the Samsung Galaxy Note series has gone on to be a figure in the smartphone market, selling millions of devices around the world and becoming a nice compliment to Samsung’s other big name Galaxy series, the Samsung Galaxy S.

Samsung, like other smartphone manufacturers, tends to release yearly flagship smartphones. In March, we saw it announce its year Galaxy S smartphone in the form of the Galaxy S4 and sometime later this year, rumors say, it will announce a new Samsung Galaxy Note model, presumably called the Samsung Galaxy Note 3.

Rumors have been flying around about the Samsung Galaxy Note 3 and what it may or may not have on board. Rumors suggest it could have a Exynos 5 Octa processor, same as in some Galaxy S4 models, and there are whispers that it may come with a flexible, plastic and unbreakable display that could usher in a new era of smartphone display technology.

Other than that, rumors are scarce. Scarce or not, there are still some important things that we can pull from the upcoming Samsung Galaxy Note 3 launch and here are what we feel are the five most important things to know about the Galaxy Note 3 before it arrives on shelves.

Samsung Galaxy Note 2 Is Fine For Most

There are plenty of people out there looking for a new smartphone. And plenty of those people have likely zeroed in on the Samsung Galaxy Note series. Not surprising, considering we think the Galaxy Note 2 is one of the best Android smartphones on the market right now. Of course, those searching are likely going to stumble into the Samsung Galaxy Note 3 rumors and likely think about waiting. A word to the wise, not everyone needs to wait for the Galaxy Note 3 to arrive.

The Samsung Galaxy Note 2 is going to be a perfect smartphone for most consumes as it combines a speedy quad-core processor and good looking720p HD display with Android 4.1 Jelly Bean, a host of S Pen applications and a fairly slim design. It also has a removable back for an extended battery and tons of storage space thanks to an SD card slot.

For most people, this will be more than enough to handle daily tasks. And what’s more, the Galaxy Note 2 will likely be updated with new software for the months and likely years to come, meaning, it’s not going to lose its luster any time soon.

Of course, we can’t discourage everyone, especially those that are looking to get 1080p resolution and a better processor, two likely features of the Galaxy Note 3, but if the incremental Galaxy S4 is any indication, the Galaxy Note 3 isn’t going to be a drastically different phone from the Galaxy Note 2.

Galaxy Note 3 Release Won’t Be Until Late 2013

Those that need the extra fire power that the Galaxy Note 3 will likely provide – a thinner design, better resolution, and more – will be waiting quite awhile for the new phablet to arrive.

While it may not seem like it, the Galaxy Note 2 has only been on shelves in the United States since October and November, meaning it’s relatively young in the scheme of things. And thus far, there are no signs that Samsung is going to be rushing into delivering a Galaxy Note 3. And why should it? The Galaxy Note 2 is still selling well, and the Galaxy S4 will easily carry it into the second half of the year.

The Galaxy Note 3 release likely won't come early.

The Galaxy Note 3 release likely won’t come early.

 

Current rumors peg the Galaxy Note 3’s arrival for September at or before the IFA conference in Berlin which is set to kick off early in the month. Samsung has used IFA to announce its past two Galaxy Note models and it would be surprising to see if skip out this time around.

What this means is that, at the very earliest, the U.S. might see the Galaxy Note 3 arrive in late September, October or potentially even November based on past Samsung releases.

Moral of the story: Those that are hoping for an early release should start tempering expectations now.

Could Be Larger than Galaxy Note 2

The Galaxy Note 3 could have a larger display than the Galaxy Note 2 even.

The Galaxy Note 3 could have a larger display than the Galaxy Note 2 even.

Another thing that potential Samsung Galaxy Note 3 buyers should know ahead of launch is that there is a potential for the Samsung Galaxy Note 3 to exceed the sizes of the previous models.

The original Galaxy Note came with a 5.3-inch display which Samsung increased to 5.5-inches with the Galaxy Note 2. It did, however, manage to keep the Galaxy Note 2 slim, even while increasing the size of the display.

That said, there are signs that Samsung is not content with the current size of the display and could be increasing it to a size as large as 5.9-inches or perhaps even bigger. We still expect the device to be slim and lightweight but it could be that it becomes even more monstrous than before. After all, Samsung will need to separate it from the 5-inch display that is now on the Galaxy S4 which is bigger than the 4.8-inch display that was on the Galaxy S3.

So for those that might be thinking the Galaxy Note 2 screen or size is too big, expect the Galaxy Note 3 to feature something a little bigger, something that could definitely be a detriment, especially for those with smaller hands.

Slew of Carriers

One good thing to know about the Samsung Galaxy Note 3 is that it will more than likely find a home on a slew of carriers in the U.S. and abroad. Samsung has seen great success with its devices and that’s attractive to carriers around the world.

Past Galaxy Note models have become available on the five largest carriers in the U.S. – AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, U.S. Cellular and Verizon – and we expect the same to happen with the Samsung Galaxy Note 3.

Expect a ton of Galaxy Note 3 carriers.

Expect a ton of Galaxy Note 3 carriers.

Carriers have both pros and cons in categories like network speeds, reliability, coverage so it’s essential that consumers have this kind of a choice. Many devices do not.

Slow Updates

The last thing that consumers should know about the Samsung Galaxy Note 3, pre-launch, is that the smartphone is not the quickest when it comes to getting updates. In fact, the Galaxy Note series has been perpetually slow to major Android updates, a prime example being the AT&T Galaxy Note which has been months behind other Galaxy Note models when it comes to updates.

The Galaxy Note 2, despite arriving around the same time as Android 4.2, is still sitting on Android 4.1 Jelly Bean, something that has frustrated owners.

Don't believe the latest rumor that Android 5.0 is delayed.

Major Galaxy Note updates are notoriously slow in the U.S.

While we don’t know the exact reason for the slow updates, other than that U.S. carriers are slow, we imagine that the large display and the fact that the Galaxy Note series is loaded with unique S Pen apps might be to blame. The larger display and the extra software likely means more testing, especially when it comes to the S Pen.

Of course, things could change, but this is a sacrifice that future Galaxy Note 3 owners might have to make when purchasing the phablet.

3 Comments

3 Comments

  1. Suzanne

    04/26/2013 at 1:51 am

    Could we have an exxlusive and rich purple colour this time . Tq

  2. Mike Carlson

    04/27/2013 at 2:37 am

    Flexible plastic screen, that’s unbreakable, well sounds amazing, but there are always positives and negatives to everything, meaning it will scratch more easily, and 720p on a bigger screen, no thank you. I don’t drop my phones so I don’t care about that. When it comes to thickness I hate these thin phones. Make them thicker, make them stronger, and put in bigger battery, it also feels better in hand than something that’s as thin as a piece of paper. Those are my 2 cents. Let’s not forget better materials and looks like iPhone, or htc one.

  3. stunxklpapuwf

    04/27/2013 at 7:45 pm

    I hear what you are saying as a phone the note 3, won’t be that much better than the note 2. But as a phablet, with twice the pixels, 3 times the graphics gaming power, it makes a lot of sense on a 2 year contract. If your fiber to the node landline WiFi, hybrid fiber coax, 4G are going to pour the full high definition movies in, big high resolution games. Well $400 on contract might be hard to resist, a car costs 50 times that and lasts only 3 times as long. A house costs a thousand times that and lasts only 8 times as long. Your actually going to notice the difference more with your phablet, 3D TV, 8 core games machine. Than you are with your car or house for a fraction of the price.

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