Score: 10/10 (Outstanding)
Pros No more hyperglaze, improved S Pen, beautiful 5.7-inch 1080p display, Snapdragon 800 chip and 3GB of RAM result in incredible performance, 13MP camera takes gorgeous photos, intuitive software. | Cons Somewhat disappointing battery life, display might be a bit large for some users. |
2013 has been quite a year for giant smartphones. With handsets such as the Samsung Galaxy Mega, Sony Xperia Z Ultra, and Nokia Lumia 1520, we've seen smartphone screen sizes that have shrunk the boundary between phone and tablet more than ever before. Out of all the phablets that have been released this year, the most popular one is, without a doubt, the Samsung Galaxy Note 3. The Note 3 was unveiled at IFA in Berlin back in September, and is probably one of the best smartphones released in all of 2013. With a 5.7-inch 1080p FHD Super AMOLED display, Snapdragon 800 quad-core processor, 3GB of RAM, a 13MP camera and more, the Note 3 has a ton going for it. Is the Note 3 a worthy successor to last year's ultra-popular Galaxy Note II? Find out in our full review!
Design/Build Quality
From a design standpoint, the Galaxy Note 3 is quite different from the Galaxy Note 2. In fact, the Note 3's design is different from all of Samsung's previous Galaxy-line of devices. Rather than going for the same hyperglaze plastic that's been infamously present on all of Samsung's smartphones and tablets since day one, the Note 3 uses a faux leather design on its backside. The back is still technically constructed out of plastic, but has a a leather look and feel to it, complete with faux-stitched trimming around its border. Personally, I really like the change of design in the Note 3. The back may not feel as luxurious as other high-end smartphones, but it is most definitely a step up from the hyperglaze plastic that we've seen on the Galaxy S4, Note 2, S III, etc.
Another big design element that the Note 3 has going for it is S Pen. First introduced with the original Galaxy Note back in 2011, the S Pen is Samsung's very popular stylus that is easily one of the best on the market. The S Pen has been a joy to use for me in past experiences with devices in Samsung's Note line, and it has seen some improvements with the release of the Galaxy Note 3. One of those improvements is the fact that the S Pen now works with the capacitive Back and Menu buttons on the bottom of the Note 3. This feature was first introduced with the Galaxy Note 8.0, but is the first time we've seen this feature on a Galaxy Note smartphone. The second improvement is that the S Pen is not limited to going into its holder in the Note 3 in just one specific way. The S Pen can not be inserted into the phone in two ways, and makes storing it much easier than before. (Find out more about the S Pen's actual functions in the Software portion of our review)
Hardware
One of the Note 3's most "notable" features (just one of the many puns you can expect throughout this review) is its 5.7-inch 1920 x 1080p FHD Super AMOLED display. 1080p screen resolutions are no stranger to smartphones anymore, but the screen quality on the Note 3 is exceptionally stunning. With 386 pixels per inch and the deep blacks and high contrast of the Super AMOLED technology, the Note 3's display is absolutely gorgeous, and easily one of the best we have yet to see.
Another "noteworthy" feature of the Galaxy Note 3 is its performance. The Note 3 is packing in a 2.3GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 CPU along with a whopping 3GB of RAM (a first for a smartphone in the US). In normal day-to-day use, as well as intense gaming and other heavy usage, the Note 3 never slows down. There is the occasional hiccup every now and then, but the phone always felt like a raging beast. If you're looking for a phone that feels like a raging beast, the Note 3 is definitely worth checking out.
Another aspect of the Note 3 that is wroth "taking note of" is its optics. The Note 3 is housing in a 13MP camera on the back with LED flash, as well as a 2MP shooter on the front. As expected from a high-end Samsung smartphone, the Galaxy Note 3 takes gorgeous photos. Colors are bright and accurate, digital noise is rarely present, and low-light photos look great. If you don't take our word for it, just take a glance at the pictures above that were taken with the Note 3. Spoiler: They're quite pretty.
Call quality and data speeds on the Note 3 were both great. Even with its ginormous size, the Note 3 is still able to deliver solid call quality on both ends, which is a nice surprise from other large-sized phablets. The model of the Note 3 that I reviewed is was on Verizon Wireless, and provided me with rock solid 4G LTE download and upload speeds.
Call quality and data speeds on the Note 3 were both great. Even with its ginormous size, the Note 3 is still able to deliver solid call quality on both ends, which is a nice surprise from other large-sized phablets. The model of the Note 3 that I reviewed is was on Verizon Wireless, and provided me with rock solid 4G LTE download and upload speeds.
In regards to the battery life with the Galaxy Note 3, I was always able to get through a full day's use before having to look for my charger. With heavy texting, moderate camera usage, light phone calling, heavy application usage, and moderate gaming, the Note 3 never had an issue with powering through a solid day's use. So, why is this listed as a con? Because I was expecting more out of the Note 3's battery. Sure, getting through a full day is great, but I wanted to be able to end a day with around 40% still remaining, considering amazing internals found in the Note 3. Unfortunately, that's something I was never able to accomplish. I understand it's a pretty small thing to complain about, but it's still something that stuck out to me in my time with the phone.
Software
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Out of the box, the Samsung Galaxy Note 3 is running Android 4.3 Jelly Bean with Samsung's TouchWiz user-interface layered over it. Although it's no secret that I prefer the look and feel of stock Android, I've grown quite fond of TouchWiz over my time of use with it. All of the software goodies from the Galaxy S4, such as Smart Stay, Smart Watch, S Health, S Voice, S Translate, Group Play, Smart Scroll, and more all make their way over to the Galaxy Note 3. Despite the insanely long laundry list of features, all of them work surprisingly well. Some are rather gimmicky, such as a Smart Watch and Smart Scroll, but others, such as S Health and Smart Stay, are much more practical and useful. Even if you don't end up taking advantage of all of these features, it's still cool to be able to show your iPhone-loving friend that you can have a YouTube video pause just by looking away from the screen. And, at the very least, it's a true testament to Android's unrivaled power and flexibility.
The Galaxy Note 3 also offers a list of additional software features that take true advantage of Samsung's S Pen. When you hover the S Pen above the screen of the Note 3 and press the S Pen's only physical button, a semicircle will pop up on the screen with the title of "Air Command". In this semicircle, you have access to Action Memo, Scrap Booker, Screen Write, S Finder, and Pen Window.
Final Verdict
As you can see, the Galaxy Note 3 is one helluva smartphone. The large screen and laundry list of software features may be a turn off for some, but I'm assuming that most of you out there like both of those things in your smartphones. If you're looking for a phone with a solid design, beautiful display, cray fast processing speeds, awesome camera, and intuitive software, then the Note 3 is absolutely worth checking out.
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