Samsung's Galaxy Note was a game-changer when it launched (September 2011) and the Korean company are gearing up to announce the third device in the range , the Galaxy Note 3. They are expected to unveil the phablet at this years IFA 2013, which begins on September 6th in Berlin. We've already reported on a number of rumours about the phablet - somewhere between a phone and a tablet - so what can we expect when Samsung unveil the Galaxy Note 3?
With each iteration the Galaxy Note's display has got bigger and the same is expected with the Note 3. It's rumoured to have a whopping 6 inch touch-screen - the Note 2 had a 5.5 inch display - bringing it even closer to the size of the smallest tablets (7 inches).
Excitingly, we've also heard that the Note 3's display will be flexible. The new plastic OLED technology will reduce the weight and thickness of the screen - without compromising on durability. One downside of its inclusion could be a reduction in screen resolution - with 1080p UBP displays currently proving difficult to produce.
Samsung's flagship devices - including the Note & S-ranges - have often been criticised for their plastic-designs. So far the manufacturer has stuck to its gun - even with the recent Galaxy S4 - and we see no reason why they'd change their policy with the Note 3.
The Galaxy Note 3 is likely to adopt a similar design to Samsung's recently launched smartphone. They'll be keen to keep the size down to a minimum to accommodate the new larger display - they can achieve this by reducing the bezel, while the plastic OLED screen would naturally reduce the weight of the phablet. We can only hope the phablet ends up as beautiful as the concept design posted above - which was submitted to Concept-phones.
The Galaxy S4 launched Samsung's Exynos 5 octa-core processor - although it wasn't included in the UK model. We're hopeful - and somewhat confident - that the Note 3 will include the new 8 core-processor , which delivers cutting-edge performance and minimises power consumption.
At the back of our mind we know it's still possible that Samsung havn't quite resolved the issues with the new chip. If that's the case then we'd - yet again- have to settle for a quad-core chip. Either way the processor will be backed up by 2GB and a next-gen graphics chip.
Fresh rumours, reported by SamMobile, suggest that the Note 3 will include a 13 mega-pixel snapper - identical to the one present on the Galaxy S4. A leaked image purportedly taken on the Note 3 also surfaced - which we've posted for you to checkout below. The image isn't the best quality and has no doubt been compressed before being posted online - but the accompanying technical camera data seems pretty legit to us.
Android Key Lime Pie should have been unveiled by the time the Note 3 lands - and therefore we're hopeful it'll come with pre-loaded with the next version of Android. Its sure to come with Samsung's S-Pen interface which could interact with Samsung's new hovering Air Gesture feature. Eye-Scroll and Eye Pause - introduced on the Galaxy S4 - also look set to feature enabling you to control the tablet with your eyes.
The Galaxy Note 3 will be unveiled on September 6th and will go on sale at the end of November - if previous releases are anything to go by. We expect prices to start at around £550, which should get you the 32GB 4G-enabled model.
