With all the tech talk and rumours focusing on Samsung’s Galaxy S4 smartphone, we could be forgiven for forgetting that the Korean company has another blockbuster device on the market in the shape of the Galaxy Note 2. When all the dust settles and the Galaxy S4 is launched we will all turn our attention to the Note 3, and will want to know everything about the new handset, which will be coming this year.
We thought we would get in early and bring you some info on what we already know about the Galaxy Note 3. The Galaxy Note range (including 2011’s original Note) has redefined smartphones in many ways. The large screen and form factor has made the “phablet” market viable, where phones that are big enough to be used as tablets but small enough to be pocket smartphones are popular. So much so that Sony and LG are releasing phablet devices as flagship handsets.
So what do we think we know already about Samsung’s Galaxy Note 3? Firstly Samsung is likely to stick to a yearly cycle for Note releases. The Note 2 launched in September 2012, so we fully expect the Korean company to roll out the Note 3 around the same time this year, so expect it to land late Q2 or early Q3. This later release will also allow it to compete with the iPhone 5 S, and the upcoming Sony Xperia Z and LG Optimus Pro G.
In terms of specs, we would not be surprised to see Samsung’s new octo-core Exynos 5 Octa chipset that was revealed at CES in January used for the Note 3. This processor outpaces both the iPad 4 and iPhone 5, at least in tests, and we fully expect to see it in the Galaxy Note 3.
Sony’s Xperia Z and the Optimus Pro G from LG will both pack 13-megapixel cameras, and we can predict that Samsung will at least match that with the Note 3, although we would not be shocked to see them better it. Another thing we can definitely expect to see is a full HD screen, while slimming down the Note 2 will also be in order.