Back in 2011, Samsung took a chance and released a device of a new format - Galaxy Note. At that time, Apple set the fashion for smart phones, and a screen size of 4.2 inches was the standard. Of course, against this background, 5.3 inches Note looked pretty impressive. Contrary to the forecasts of critics, the device didn’t just fail, the users liked the new format, and the model was sold in huge numbers around the world. Since then, the company annually updates the lineup, and one of its representatives is Samsung Note 3, an overview of which is brought to your attention.
Design and ergonomics
Each new generation of the Galaxy Note family has obvious improvements. The third model received not only improved technical characteristics, but also underwent changes in appearance. Most of the front panel was taken up by a huge 5.7-inch display. It is noteworthy that the case size has not practically changed, and an increase in the screen area was made possible by reducing the thickness of the frames by 1.5 mm.
The design of the Samsung Note 3 back cover became a matter of debate: the new design received a wide variety of reviews, from enthusiastic to frankly hostile. The “back” of the device looks like it is made of a piece of leather stitched around the edges. Of course, taking the “Note” in your hands, you will never confuse plastic with leather, but the design looks stylish and interesting in the photographs. The complete illusion of a “notebook” helps to create a chrome edging made of plastic with a corrugated texture.
In general, the appearance of the device has become more stringent - Samsung Note 3 is easy to imagine in the hand of a businessman or on the table during negotiations.
Those who do not like the cover made of “young polycarbonate leather” can easily replace it with another one or buy a case for Samsung Note 3 with any design you like.
Connectors, interfaces and their placement
On the front panel there is a display, speaker, sensors, a front camera, an indicator and a mechanical Home key - the proprietary “chip” of all Galaxy series models, as well as touch buttons “Menu” and “Back”.
Under the back cover are hidden micro-SD and micro-SIM connectors, a removable battery with a capacity of 3200 mA / h. On the rear panel, you can also find a 13 MP camera and a flash LED.
On the top there is an infrared port (a novelty that has won the love of many users), a microphone and a headphone jack, and on the bottom there is a microUSB connector, an external speaker, another microphone and an S-Pen.
Communication
Of course, the Samsung Note 3 phone is crammed with all kinds of communication modules and sensors: light, proximity, pressure, temperature, humidity sensors, accelerometer / gyroscope and magnetometer; wireless module that provides wi-fi 802.11a / b / g / n / ac and bluetooth 4.0; not without GPS and GLONASS chips, there is an NFC-module. Work in LTE networks is possible only on the modification of the phone with Qualcomm Snapdragon 800, Samsung Exynos 5 Octa's proprietary chip, alas, does not support such a function.
Display and picture quality
So, the physical size of the display, as we have already found out, has grown from 5.55 inches on Note 2 to 5.7 inches on Samsung Note 3. Resolution has also increased - from regular HD (1280 x 720) to Full HD - 1920 x 1080, the density is now 386 dpi, so the picture looks very smooth, like on paper, and you won’t be able to distinguish pixels if you wish.
The Super Amoled matrix with PenTile technology (how many copies were broken in discussing its advantages and disadvantages!) Looks great, no color ghosting is observed, the picture is contrasting and juicy. Speaking of juiciness. The saturation of colors can be adjusted by choosing the color profile of the display in the settings: if you need more natural colors, you should choose the mode "Professional Photography" or "Movie".
The display is equipped with all the "chips" necessary for the flagship: a polarizing filter, an oleophobic coating, an airless layer is used. It is pleasant to use it: the image remains legible and in bright light, touches are recognized accurately (you can work with gloves on), prints are collected to a minimum and are easily removed. Of course, multitouch up to 10 simultaneous touches is supported.
Camera
Samsung Note 3 camera has been significantly improved both from a technical point of view, and in the software part. The 13-megapixel sensor of the main camera has an aperture of f / 2.2, the capabilities of the front camera are more modest - only 2 megapixels. However, the front camera is needed only for talking on Skype and for a selfie photo, and it copes with these tasks perfectly.
There are many shooting modes and interesting effects.
In general, we can say that photographs have become brighter and sharper than the previous generation, and the image is more natural. The camera began to cope better with shooting in low light conditions, although, of course, in this case, there is still a high probability of digital noise.
Using the main camera, you can shoot video in Full HD 30 frames / sec, which is saved in mp4 format. A minute of video takes about 130-140 Mb.
By the way, the fact that the "younger brother" of the model - Samsung Galaxy Note 3 Neo - is interesting is that the camera remains 8 megapixel, as in Note 2.
S-Pen
S-Pen is a “trick” that makes people fall in love with Note once and for all. In the third generation, the pen became even more functional, a number of possibilities and scenarios for using S-Pen when working with a smartphone were developed.
For example, how do you like the “Open in window” function: do you draw a rectangle of any size, and you are offered the choice of launching an application within it? And support for working in two windows at once? And the “Active note”, with which you can attach a note to an action, for example, write a phone and start its search in contacts? You can list the features and advantages of the Samsung Note 3 pen for a long time, the review of which can be done endlessly, but you undoubtedly have a general idea.
And, of course, drawing enthusiasts and professional artists prefer the Galaxy Note series phones precisely because of the stylus.
Proprietary preinstalled software
As befits every flagship device, Samsung Note 3 is simply crammed with all kinds of proprietary software. Perhaps the most useful programs can be called WatchON for using SGN3 as a universal remote for technology (an infrared port was not installed for beauty) and S Health, which can work with different devices and collect statistics on your sleep, activity, calorie consumption, etc. .
Results: for whom and why
So what do we have in the end? The top-end device with a giant screen, which has collected almost all possible interfaces and communications, is a sort of “harvester” among smartphones. And, of course, do not forget about the S-Pen.
Of course, first of all, the flagship of 2013 will appeal to geeks and amateurs to tinker with the device itself - a variety of interfaces and a large screen of excellent quality contribute to this.
SGN3 will also be appreciated by those who use the phone more for reading books, surfing and other smart functions than for making calls: nevertheless, its dimensions are rather large, and with one hand, despite all the software tricks, it’s not very convenient to operate a smartphone, but From small female handles, the device does strive to constantly slip out. But the Internet pages and applications for reading books look gorgeous, and watching videos from the big screen is much more pleasant.
And, of course, the Galaxy Note 3 will appeal to artists and just a lover of drawing - S-Pen makes it possible to make a quick sketch anywhere, anytime. A boring lecture? A long queue? Bung? Take out your phone and draw! And no pieces of paper that are then so easy to lose. In addition, the picture is easy to share on social networks (and not only - the “send” list includes sending by mail, dropbox, etc.) in just a second.
In general, the device turned out to be interesting and functional, so it will surely find its buyer.