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Reviewed: Samsung Galaxy Note 3

The Samsung Galaxy Note 3 is a big deal in the smartphone world and not just because it has a giant 5.7 inch full HD display. Recent reports suggest that sales of phablets, a category which Samsung created with the original Galaxy Note, have overtaken the combined sales of tablets and laptops in the Asia/Pacific region. In fact Samsung sold more than 30 million Galaxy Note 2s in the 12 months after it released, so when the Galaxy Note 3 was released we were excited to see if Samsung could produce another winner.

Design

Rounded corners and clad in an aluminium-style (read: plastic) wrapping ensure that the Note 3 is immediately recognisable a Samsung Galaxy device. Although, there is one exception: the back of the Note 3 is now clad in a leather-like finish (even more faux premium materials), where other Galaxy devices get the plastic-fantastic treatment. This finish can be had locally in both Jet Black and Classic White. Personally I prefer the black, it manages to look less fake than the white and will probably be more resilient to dirt over time.

As with the Galaxy S4, Samsung managed to cram a larger display into the Note 3 while still managing to slim it down, compared to its predecessor. Main differences here are a 5.7 inch, full HD screen, while the Note II only had a a 5.5 inch 720P display and weighed 15g more. The bezels have been shrunk down to obscurity to accommodate the larger display, but the end result is that the Note 3 feels much better in hand than the Note II did.

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Performance

There are two versions of the Note 3 to consider. The first is the regular 3G version, powered by Samsung’s Exynos 5 Octa SoC (System-on-a-Chip processor). The second is the Qualcomm Snapdragon 800-powered LTE version. Both of these are available in South Africa.

The Galaxy Note 3 is also the first phone to use a Micro-USB 3.0 connector instead of Micro-USB 2. When connected to a Windows PC equipped with USB 3.0 it’s possible to pick USB 3.0 as a connection option, allowing for faster data transfer to the Note 3 (although it will default back to USB 2 speeds if not utilised for 10 minutes). This does have to be selected manually, though, which is a bit of a hassle.Both are also great at running everything from Facebook and Twitter to browsing multiple tabs in Chrome and handling intensive mobile gaming. While the colour of the device is personal preference, choosing which version of the Note 3 you want is less so. All things considered, the LTE version with the Snapdragon 800 is the one to have. Considering most consumers who get the phone will more than likely have it for the next 2 years, having LTE is far more beneficial than a trick processor. Besides, the Snapdragon 800 processor in the LTE version is faster than the Exynos 5, and with the latest versions of Android it is just as power-efficient.

Software

The Note 3 runs on the latest version of Android (4.3 Jelly Bean) and comes with Samsung’s familiar layer of software customisations called TouchWiz. A rather welcome new addition to TouchWiz is a search bar in the settings menu so that you no longer have to spend time searching for where one of the many additional Samsung features is buried.

The Note 3 also has some additional software features to go with its most famous accessory, the S Pen. Unsheathing the S Pen from its well at the bottom of the Note 3 will automatically launch Air Command (you can also push the S Pen’s button twice) and the circular menu will give you access to the S Pen’s software features namely Action Memo, Scrapbook, S Finder, Pen Window and Screen Write.

The star of the show here is Action Memo, writing a name and a phone number can be immediately be turned into a new contact. Writing down and address gives the option to navigate to it using your favourite mapping software. It’s also possible to create a task list on the fly.

Samsung made a big fuss about the Note 3 being the first device that could run two instances of the same application at once. Although running two apps simultaneously is impressive, we only found three applications that use this feature on the Note 3: ChatOn, Google Hangouts, and Youtube. Chat applications like WeChat and WhatsApp, which we expected to work, refused to play along. Disappointing, but hardly a deal breaker. Hopefully more applications are coded to take advantage of this.

Display

The Note 3’s display is a typical example of Samsung’s Super AMOLED technology, it has outrageously bright greens and oranges, often appearing oversaturated beyond normal levels. But it’s still a beautiful display that’s pleasant to use. The pixel density of 386ppi is a far cry from the 441ppi on the Galaxy S4, but I struggled to notice any sort of drop in quality between the two devices side by side. It suffers a bit in direct sunlight, but because of the ability to set the brightness to roughtly that of a small sun it can usually power through to remain usable.

Camera

The camera has been upgraded from an 8Mp unit in the previous generation to a 13Mp one in the Note 3. It has Samsung’s array of shooting modes that the Galaxy range inherited from the Galaxy Camera, which will leave some users a bit overwhelmed but they should still be happy with the snaps that the standard mode of the camera can produce. An interesting difference between the LTE and 3G versions of the Note 3 is that the LTE version can record Ultra HD 4K (3840X2160) resolution video whereas the 3G version is stuck at 1080P (1920X1080). This shouldn’t make a difference to many buyers when considering that UHD TVs – the only devices to properly display 4K – cost in the region of R300 000, at the moment.

Battery Life

The Note 3 comes equipped with a 3 200mAh battery, the largest we’ve ever had in a phone, here at htxt.africa. (The Motorola Razr Maxx did have a larger battery at 3 300mAh but alas we weren’t around in 2012 to test one). Understandably the Note needs a lot of juice to power the larger-than-average display it has, and surprisingly the battery seemed to keep the phablet going for much longer than expected.

After taking the phone off of charge in the afternoon then using Waze for satellite navigation, tweet up a storm, watching some YouTube  videos, and using Instagram-ing, enough battery life remained to use the phone for most of the next day. This included making calls, answering emails, and reading news – all of which left the battery with 5% remaining after 21 hours without a charge. Normally I kill my S4 battery in this manner by around 11h00 every day which illustrates the Note 3’s impressive stamina.

Conclusion

Confession: I’ve never liked phablets. They’ve always felt bulky and uninspired, but the Note 3 has changed my opinion. Once you get past the cheap build quality that it shares with the rest of the Samsung stable, you begin to appreciate the way that Samsung has managed to cram so much into so little. The Note 3 is big, but not unwieldy. It has a bevy of features that are marketing gimmicks – they do nothing for me, but at the same time it has some really interesting ones that add serious value. When you add in the improved Accidental Damage from Handling warranty that Samsung announced, it’s almost impossible not to recommend it to someone in the market for a large screened Android device. The Note 3 is a winner.

Design 4/5
Performance 5/5
Battery life 5/5
Value for Money 4/5
Display 5/5
Interface 4/5

Overall 4/5

Detail

Price: R9 000

Display: 5.7-inch 1080 X 1920 Super AMOLED

Processor:

N9000 3G version – Samsung Exynos 5 Octa Quad-core 1.9 GHz A15 & quad-core 1.3 GHz A7

N9005 LTE version – 2.3 GHz Quad Core Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 (MSM8974)
Memory: 
3GB RAM
Storage: 16/32/64GB (Expandable with microSD card up to 64GB)
Camera:
 13-megapixel rear, 2-megapixel front (4k Video capability on N9005 model)
Networking: LTE, 3G, Bluetooth 4.0 LE, 802.11ac wireless
Sensors: Accelerometer, gyroscope, proximity, barometer, temperature, humidity

 

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