Samsung Galaxy Note 3

There are a numbered few launch events in the year to count down the days to, and Samsung's Notes have long booked themselves a prominent spot on the list.
Samsung were the first to cross a line many thought would never be crossed. Of course, an onslaught of phablets was to inevitably follow - but not as soon perhaps as Samsung themselves must've thought. The original Galaxy Note was a shocker back in 2011 with a Super AMOLED HD display of the then whopping 5.3" diagonal.
Whether it was shock, surprise or disbelief, the competition didn't bother with a retaliation plan. Oh well, now everyone wants in on the phablet game, and there are even gadgets lately that have Note-killer written all across a bigger screen, better camera or a waterproof body.

Samsung Galaxy Note 3 official images
But it may as well be Samsung's turn to act like they're not impressed. The Galaxy Note 3 made its scheduled splash at IFA, boasting a bigger display of more than double the resolution, the latest processing muscle, the groundbreaking 3GB of RAM, and all that within a tighter, thinner body.

Samsung Galaxy Note 3 at a glance

• General: Quad-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE, penta-band UMTS/HSPA, 100 Mbps LTE
• Form factor: Stylus-enabled phablet
• Dimensions: 151.2 x 79.2 x 8.3 mm, 168g
• Display: 5.7" 16M-color 1080p (386ppi) Super AMOLED capacitive touchscreen
• Chipset, N9005 LTE model: Qualcomm MSM8974 Snapdragon 800, 2.3GHz quad-core Krait 400, Adreno 330 GPU
• Chipset, N9000 HSPA model: Exynos 5 Octa 5420, 1.9GHz quad-core Cortex-A15 + 1.3Ghz quad-core Cortex-A7, ARM Mali-T628 MP6 GPU
• RAM: 3GB of RAM
• OS: Android 4.3 Jelly Bean
• Camera: 13MP camera; 2MP front-facing camera
• Video camera: 2160p@30fps, 1080p@60/30fps, 720p@120fps video capture
• Memory: 32GB of inbuilt storage, microSD card slot, up to 64GB
• Connectivity: Wi-Fi a/b/g/n/ac, Wi-Fi hotspot, Bluetooth 4.0, microUSB 3.0 port with backwards compatibility with microUSB 2.0, GPS receiver with A-GPS, 3.5mm audio jack, NFC
• Battery: 3,200mAh battery
• Misc: S-Pen support, S Note, Scrapbook, Action Memo, Air Commands software to take advantage of S Pen

Samsung didn't step out of their comfort zone in terms of screen size - and this has been stretched beyond belief by competitors rushing to make up for lost time. Instead of going for the latest in imaging and waterproofing, focus is on what the Note is all about - bringing the smartphone experience on a bigger canvas, and a pen to make good use thereof. This time the Note isn't only about scribbling over screenshots and taking memos.
Once the S Pen is pulled out, the Air Command appears on screen to give you options to draw and doodle around, but also place apps (more than one) on parts of the screen while you're browsing the app drawer, homescreen, browser, etc. The S Pen is now a genuine multitasking tool.

Samsung Galaxy Note 3 at HQ

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Samsung Galaxy Note 3

There are a numbered few launch events in the year to count down the days to, and Samsung's Notes have long booked themselves a prominent spot on the list.
Samsung were the first to cross a line many thought would never be crossed. Of course, an onslaught of phablets was to inevitably follow - but not as soon perhaps as Samsung themselves must've thought. The original Galaxy Note was a shocker back in 2011 with a Super AMOLED HD display of the then whopping 5.3" diagonal.
Whether it was shock, surprise or disbelief, the competition didn't bother with a retaliation plan. Oh well, now everyone wants in on the phablet game, and there are even gadgets lately that have Note-killer written all across a bigger screen, better camera or a waterproof body.

Samsung Galaxy Note 3 official images
But it may as well be Samsung's turn to act like they're not impressed. The Galaxy Note 3 made its scheduled splash at IFA, boasting a bigger display of more than double the resolution, the latest processing muscle, the groundbreaking 3GB of RAM, and all that within a tighter, thinner body.

Samsung Galaxy Note 3 at a glance

• General: Quad-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE, penta-band UMTS/HSPA, 100 Mbps LTE
• Form factor: Stylus-enabled phablet
• Dimensions: 151.2 x 79.2 x 8.3 mm, 168g
• Display: 5.7" 16M-color 1080p (386ppi) Super AMOLED capacitive touchscreen
• Chipset, N9005 LTE model: Qualcomm MSM8974 Snapdragon 800, 2.3GHz quad-core Krait 400, Adreno 330 GPU
• Chipset, N9000 HSPA model: Exynos 5 Octa 5420, 1.9GHz quad-core Cortex-A15 + 1.3Ghz quad-core Cortex-A7, ARM Mali-T628 MP6 GPU
• RAM: 3GB of RAM
• OS: Android 4.3 Jelly Bean
• Camera: 13MP camera; 2MP front-facing camera
• Video camera: 2160p@30fps, 1080p@60/30fps, 720p@120fps video capture
• Memory: 32GB of inbuilt storage, microSD card slot, up to 64GB
• Connectivity: Wi-Fi a/b/g/n/ac, Wi-Fi hotspot, Bluetooth 4.0, microUSB 3.0 port with backwards compatibility with microUSB 2.0, GPS receiver with A-GPS, 3.5mm audio jack, NFC
• Battery: 3,200mAh battery
• Misc: S-Pen support, S Note, Scrapbook, Action Memo, Air Commands software to take advantage of S Pen

Samsung didn't step out of their comfort zone in terms of screen size - and this has been stretched beyond belief by competitors rushing to make up for lost time. Instead of going for the latest in imaging and waterproofing, focus is on what the Note is all about - bringing the smartphone experience on a bigger canvas, and a pen to make good use thereof. This time the Note isn't only about scribbling over screenshots and taking memos.
Once the S Pen is pulled out, the Air Command appears on screen to give you options to draw and doodle around, but also place apps (more than one) on parts of the screen while you're browsing the app drawer, homescreen, browser, etc. The S Pen is now a genuine multitasking tool.

Samsung Galaxy Note 3 at HQ

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Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 full review

Lightweight, agile and simply affordable, seven-inchers did, at one point, seem capable of pushing ten-inch Android tablets out of business. Even Samsung, with its device-for-every-taste approach had to admit defeat. The Koreans all but threw in the towel with the Galaxy Tab line, consciously relegating it to the midrange.
The Notes are a different breed though - one we can't see Samsung giving up on any time soon. Of course, it's always the phablet enjoying most of the spotlight and the Note 3 has already had several occasions to emphatically prove that it deserved every bit of it.
But the ten-point-one that follows closely could turn out to be the even more impressive device in terms of the scope and depth of upgrades it brings to the table.

Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 2014 Edition official pictures
The new Galaxy Note 10.1 2014 Edition comes in three different flavors sharing a quite similar design to the Galaxy Note 3 phablet. There is a Wi-Fi-only version and a 3G-enabled model, both powered by Samsung's own Exynos 5 Octa chipset, as well as an LTE-capable tablet with Qualcomm's latest Snapdragon 800 chipset ticking inside.
The one we're reviewing is the Exynos 5 version and here goes the spec sheet.

Key features

• 10.1" 16M-color Super Clear PLS capacitive touchscreen of 2560 x 1600 px resolution
• Quad-core 1.5 GHz Cortex-A15 & quad-core 1.3 GHz Cortex-A7, Mali-T628MP6 GPU; Exynos 5420 chipset
• 3GB of RAM
• Android OS v4.3 Jelly Bean with TouchWiz UX UI
• S Pen input and great software backend
• One of a kind split-screen multitasking and pop-up mini apps
• Quad-band GPRS/EDGE/HSPA and hexa-band LTE connectivity cat.4
• Voice calls (on 3G and LTE models only)
• 16/32/64 GB of built-in memory
• 8 MP autofocus camera, 3264x2448 pixels, geotagging
• 1080p video recording @60fps (LTE model) / 1080p video recording @30fps (Wi-Fi and 3G models)
• 2MP front-facing camera; 1080p videos
• Side-mounted stereo speakers
• Wi-Fi 802.11 ac/a/b/g/n Wi-Fi Direct, dual-band, Wi-Fi hotspot
• Stereo Bluetooth v4.0
• HDMI TV-out (adapter required), USB host (adapter required)
• microSD card slot
• Standard 3.5 mm audio jack
• Infrared port
• GPS with A-GPS support; GLONASS, digital compass
• 1080p XviD/MKV video support with subtitles
• Accelerometer, three-axis Gyroscope sensor
• Polaris Office 5 document editor preinstalled
• 8,220 mAh Li-Po battery

Main disadvantages

• No NFC
• No DivX and AC3 codec support
• Air view works with S-Pen only, no thumb support
• Notification area not optimized for the large screen

The latest in processing power is not a bragging right - more a necessity really - considering there are more than a handful of potential competitors powered by either Snapdragon 800 or Tegra 4. And not Androids only, the likes of the Lumia 2520 and the Surface too. The iPad Air certainly doesn't come underpowered either.
But the choice of chipset(s) isn't the only lesson learned from the previous Note 10.1. This time around, the screen resolution too is at the top of what's currently available in the tablet segment. Samsung have also thrown in a massive 8220mAh battery in a body that's more compact, slimmer and weighing less than the predecessor's. The 2014 Edition Note 10.1 couldn't have hoped for a better start and the praise the Note 3 is getting will put even more wind in its sails.

Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 2014 Edition at ours

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Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 full review

Lightweight, agile and simply affordable, seven-inchers did, at one point, seem capable of pushing ten-inch Android tablets out of business. Even Samsung, with its device-for-every-taste approach had to admit defeat. The Koreans all but threw in the towel with the Galaxy Tab line, consciously relegating it to the midrange.
The Notes are a different breed though - one we can't see Samsung giving up on any time soon. Of course, it's always the phablet enjoying most of the spotlight and the Note 3 has already had several occasions to emphatically prove that it deserved every bit of it.
But the ten-point-one that follows closely could turn out to be the even more impressive device in terms of the scope and depth of upgrades it brings to the table.

Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 2014 Edition official pictures
The new Galaxy Note 10.1 2014 Edition comes in three different flavors sharing a quite similar design to the Galaxy Note 3 phablet. There is a Wi-Fi-only version and a 3G-enabled model, both powered by Samsung's own Exynos 5 Octa chipset, as well as an LTE-capable tablet with Qualcomm's latest Snapdragon 800 chipset ticking inside.
The one we're reviewing is the Exynos 5 version and here goes the spec sheet.

Key features

• 10.1" 16M-color Super Clear PLS capacitive touchscreen of 2560 x 1600 px resolution
• Quad-core 1.5 GHz Cortex-A15 & quad-core 1.3 GHz Cortex-A7, Mali-T628MP6 GPU; Exynos 5420 chipset
• 3GB of RAM
• Android OS v4.3 Jelly Bean with TouchWiz UX UI
• S Pen input and great software backend
• One of a kind split-screen multitasking and pop-up mini apps
• Quad-band GPRS/EDGE/HSPA and hexa-band LTE connectivity cat.4
• Voice calls (on 3G and LTE models only)
• 16/32/64 GB of built-in memory
• 8 MP autofocus camera, 3264x2448 pixels, geotagging
• 1080p video recording @60fps (LTE model) / 1080p video recording @30fps (Wi-Fi and 3G models)
• 2MP front-facing camera; 1080p videos
• Side-mounted stereo speakers
• Wi-Fi 802.11 ac/a/b/g/n Wi-Fi Direct, dual-band, Wi-Fi hotspot
• Stereo Bluetooth v4.0
• HDMI TV-out (adapter required), USB host (adapter required)
• microSD card slot
• Standard 3.5 mm audio jack
• Infrared port
• GPS with A-GPS support; GLONASS, digital compass
• 1080p XviD/MKV video support with subtitles
• Accelerometer, three-axis Gyroscope sensor
• Polaris Office 5 document editor preinstalled
• 8,220 mAh Li-Po battery

Main disadvantages

• No NFC
• No DivX and AC3 codec support
• Air view works with S-Pen only, no thumb support
• Notification area not optimized for the large screen

The latest in processing power is not a bragging right - more a necessity really - considering there are more than a handful of potential competitors powered by either Snapdragon 800 or Tegra 4. And not Androids only, the likes of the Lumia 2520 and the Surface too. The iPad Air certainly doesn't come underpowered either.
But the choice of chipset(s) isn't the only lesson learned from the previous Note 10.1. This time around, the screen resolution too is at the top of what's currently available in the tablet segment. Samsung have also thrown in a massive 8220mAh battery in a body that's more compact, slimmer and weighing less than the predecessor's. The 2014 Edition Note 10.1 couldn't have hoped for a better start and the praise the Note 3 is getting will put even more wind in its sails.

Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 2014 Edition at ours

Read More