Samsung Galaxy Note III – bigger, faster, more powerful. Samsung Galaxy Note III - bigger, faster, more powerful Samsung note 3 smartphones

The speed shown by Speedtest is not very high, although it differs from 3G to a greater extent. This is due to Megafon's weak LTE coverage in Moscow. In addition, high-rise buildings around the testing site may be to blame.

Battery

The new Galaxy Note 3 smartphone has a 3200 mAh lithium-ion battery. With a powerful processor and large screen, the battery charge will last a little more than a day of active use. With a gentle mode, the “plafond” can last up to two days. Of course, a lot depends on the brightness of the screen, so by making the backlight a little less, you can significantly extend battery life.

In general, the use case will not change. You will still have to charge your smartphone in the evening. Even if you use the device little and do not use it much during the day, then the next day you risk being left without a phone by lunchtime.

Price issue

The new gadget costs 34,990 rubles. It may seem that the price of the device is too high. If so, then not by much at all. Judge for yourself: it has a powerful processor, a good camera, a new design, and a ton of software chips. Essentially, this is an enlarged Galaxy S 4, and it cost only 29,990 rubles at the start. So, the price is quite reasonable for the set of hardware and software that Samsung provides us.

In addition, the situation is significantly improved by the opportunity to buy a Galaxy Note 3 at Megafon at a price of 21,990 rubles. But here everything is not so simple. Of course, there will be no mandatory 2-year contract (like AT&T and iPhone). But you will need to deposit 3,000 rubles into your account, and this is where your obligations to Samsung and Megafon end. In principle, the idea itself is good, and this is the first time I’ve seen such a model in Russia. But the lack of support from other operators is depressing. That is, if you have Beeline or MTS, then you will not buy a smartphone for less than 34,990 rubles, at least not yet.

Smartphones purchased from Megfon will be blocked for use with other operators. This also imposes restrictions on the use of a smartphone in other countries. Essentially, you won’t be able to insert a local SIM card and will have to use roaming, which is inconvenient. Information has leaked to the media that operator-locked smartphones can work with local SIM cards abroad for up to 90 days. The Russian representative office of Samsung has not yet commented on this information.

The new Samsung Galaxy Note 3 is already available for sale in official Samsung stores, as well as in Megafon brand stores. The price is for a smartphone with an Exynos processor. How much the version with LTE and Snapdragon 800 will cost is still unknown. Judging by the sales experience of the Galaxy S 4, the price for this model may be significantly higher.

Competitors

Sony Xperia Z Ultra

This flagship Sony smartphone has a record-breaking 6.4-inch Full HD display, made using proprietary TRILUMINOS Display technology. The smartphone is equipped with a quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 processor with a clock frequency of 2.2 GHz, supports the 4G LTE standard and HD voice technology.

Advantages of the phone:

Amazing device. Replaces everything that might be needed. It was important for me:
+ android, I’ve been wanting to get rid of Windows Phone for a long time
+ large screen with excellent quality of reproduction of pictures and videos.
+ loud speaker and not on the back cover, which really infuriated me in the old phone
+capacious battery
+multi-pixel high-resolution camera, including front camera
+huge phone memory and RAM
+sensitive sensor with super-sensitivity function for use with gloves
+stylus. More precisely, the S-pen, an amazing thing. I use Excel a lot, so I’ve been wanting something like this for a long time.
+LTE 4G, I don’t even know how I lived without it before.
+screenshot. Oh, my old Huawei didn’t have this.
In addition to the fact that I need a phone in this device, there are many different goodies that I am still just figuring out.

Disadvantages of the phone:

Many consider the lack of a radio to be a disadvantage. I don’t see any problems in installing the radio application from the Play Store. Installed and works great.
For me, its drawback is the location of the on/off/unlock button opposite the sound volume swing. Many people write about this here. Sometimes it was just infuriating. But it’s not difficult for me to get used to it.
The size of the phone can be considered both an advantage and a disadvantage. I’ve only been using it for a week, and I haven’t gotten used to this huge shovel yet. It is convenient in everything except carrying it in your pocket. But I’ve already noticed that as soon as I take my 4-inch Huawei, a lot of things are immediately noticeably missing.
I was also a little disappointed by the inability to remove the SD card without removing the battery. I thought that this problem was solved long ago in all modern phones.

Comment about the phone:

I’ve been choosing a phone for 4 months now, I couldn’t decide which phone to get, ES5 or Note 3. I needed one that was practical, reliable and multi-functional, but also that its price wouldn’t be too much for my pocket. And for 20k notes the third one completely justified itself.
I was very pleased with the battery for its long service life. I picked it up at the store at noon and immediately began downloading all sorts of applications, toys, maps, wallpapers onto it, and making various settings for myself. I had it in my hands for almost the entire day, turned on with active Wi-Fi and GPS, I shot videos and called on Skype, watched videos on YouTube, and at the same time he started screaming about the discharge after midnight.
I ride the subway a lot and always have GPS on my phone to build and re-arrange routes, which usually turned off my old phone before lunch. I had to always carry a portable charger with me. With the third note the problem was solved. Now I only carry the charger occasionally. Just in case. but I have never needed it, since the third note lasts until late in the evening, and I also read or play a book before going to bed. And only when it beeps that it’s low, then I put it on charge.

Today we have a review of a smartphone that became one of the most interesting devices in 2013 - Samsung Galaxy Note 3. After all these years, is it still interesting or does it belong next to feature phones? Let's figure it out.

Note 3 was supplied with the following configuration:

• Telephone.
• Instructions.
• Removable battery. Monoblocks were a novelty back then.
• The headphones are the same as the Galaxy S3 and S4 with additional ear pads.
• Adapter cable from USB to Micro-USB. The connector here is USB 3.0. It's big and looks interesting. But the device can be charged and synchronized with a computer using a regular USB cable, so there will be no problems.
• Charger with an output current of 2 Amps.
• A bag with quite useful things - refills for S-pen.

The company clearly took care of its consumers when thinking about the packaging of the box.

Appearance

With Samsung Note 3, the company has completely revised the ergonomics of the device. Now the smartphone has become more rectangular, but the rounded corners are still left. Without them, everything would have been completely bad, since the device became a little larger. Although I lost a little weight, becoming 168 grams.

The front of the phone is no different from the previous version, but once you turn it over, the difference becomes obvious. It came as a surprise to many users that

The back cover was made to look like leather.

In fact, this is the most common plastic. It looks good. This idea will be discussed later. This design solution is an absolute plus for the appearance of the device. If you put the phone with the back cover up, you never tire of enjoying how chic it looks. Looks much better than the glossy cover, which many users didn't like. But despite its ribbed surface, prints still collect, but at the same time they are easy to erase.

If you remove the back cover, then under it you will find the battery and connectors for the SIM card and memory card, which for some unknown reason were placed one under the other. The lid closing mechanism is the same as the S4, the Note 2, and all previous Samsung devices.

On top of the device there is a 3.5 mm jack, microphone, and infrared port. On the right is the power button. On the left is the volume rocker, which is a little high. At the bottom is the main microphone, a single speaker, a connector for the S-pen (in which it is located) and a connector for charging and synchronizing with a computer (USB 3.0).

On the back cover there is a 13 MP camera module and a flash. Another interesting feature worth considering is the protruding camera module. In the year of release it looked fresh and gave a certain solidity to the appearance, but now many manufacturers are moving away from this.

After all, the protruding module has more disadvantages than advantages.

Screen

The display diagonal of Samsung Note 3 is 5.7 inches in Full HD format. Super Amolled with pentile, but here it is absolutely not noticeable. If we talk about color rendition, it is quite interesting. There are screen modes that you can change at will.

The only complaint about the display is that the white color fades a little into blue. Otherwise, there are no complaints about viewing angles, the brightness is excellent. True, it falls at critical angles. The screen, even compared to modern smartphones, now looks very good.

Processor and operating system

The Koreans took into account the mistakes of the Galaxy S4 and did not allow them into the Samsung Galaxy Note 3. The four out of the box was, in general, a damp product, which upset many users. This is not the case here. As soon as you take the gadget out of the box, it immediately begins to work very smoothly, without any “brakes”, any complaints or “slowdowns”. This is, of course, a very pleasant fact.

The device runs on Android 4.3 with a possible upgrade to 5. Now the Android version has stepped far forward to version 8.1, and Jelly Bean looks a little outdated against its background. You should forget about paying with a smartphone, double windows and other goodies.

There are two versions of Samsung Note 3: with Exynos Octa processor and Mali T 628 accelerator, and with Quallcom Snapdragon 800 and Adreno 330 accelerator. Both processors are quite powerful and there will be no performance problems in everyday tasks. You will be able to play on it, but only on very simple games. But if you choose between them, then it is worth remembering that the Exynos Octa does not have any LTE at all, that is, it only has 3g.

What pleasantly distinguishes this smartphone from others so far is that, despite its release in 2013, it has 3 GB of RAM and 32 GB of internal memory. Plus, a memory card is also supported.

The battery here is also not so bad at 3200 mAh. Of course, there is no talk of fast charging. The battery itself is not small, but it is also small - a kind of strong average. It boasts 11 hours of Full HD video playback at maximum brightness. Two days in active mode for the Samsung Galaxy Note 3 is not a problem. This is not just a plus, but it’s why you can buy this smartphone.

Camera

The camera is practically no different from the Galaxy S4. Nothing has changed in its interface. The developers just added a new “Golf” mode, which allows you to take a photo of your shot. The mode is, frankly, useless. It is not clear why it could be useful in life. The quality of photos is also not much different from the Galaxy S4. By today's standards, they are clearly not a fountain, but they are not downright bad either.

If you take the version with Quallcom Snapdragon 800, you will be able to record video in 4K format, that is, Ultra HD 30 fps. The Exynos Octa cannot do this. Here lies another difference between the characteristics of different versions of Note 3.

"Chips"

All of them in this phone are connected to the S-pen, the main trump card of the Note 3. We bring the stylus to the screen, press a special button, and a menu of 5 items appears:

• Active note. Here you can write down any number, or erase something using a special eraser. After recording, a menu appears where you can immediately call this number, save it to contacts, write SMS or e-mail. You can even put a geotag. In general, the list is quite extensive. Everything is recognized without any errors, unless, of course, the handwriting is more or less normal. You can also put this note in any corner of the screen.
• Cut out a fragment. This is more likely to be useful when working with a browser. We select a fragment and the device takes a screenshot of the selected area. Moreover, it copies all the text that is in the picture. And at the same time - without errors.
• Screenshot. It is very convenient to do them using a stylus.
• S-Finder. This is not an easy search engine inside a smartphone on the Internet. Here you can see what was “downloaded” to the device over the last, for example, 30 days, what pages were visited in the browser, and what was drawn in S-Note. You can also mark notes with a special icon and then find them using it.

• Open in a window. The point is that a fragment is selected, and a menu immediately opens listing applications, ranging from a calculator to a browser. And, for example, the browser is already opening in this window. You can change its size. This is a full-fledged dual-window mode of two windows, where you choose the size and location of the second window yourself.

There is another interesting feature - small display mode, that is, the screen becomes smaller and you can use the gadget with one hand. The size can be adjusted or rearranged to a convenient location. At the same time, all functionality is preserved.

S-Note has changed a bit. These changes are already visible from the interface, which looks a little different. Now you can choose any background (the choice is quite large), write by hand or by text input. There is a special button that turns your drawings into text or numbers. There is also an “Insert” button, that is, you can transfer text from another note. You can choose from two modes: pen only or pen and finger.

Results

The Samsung Galaxy Note 3 is an interesting phone even by modern standards. Yes, it has an outdated processor, but if you don't need to play games, then this does not become critical. Unfortunately, updating to at least version 6 or 7 of Android is impossible, but there are some features, for example, with two windows. The main advantage and feature is the stylus. It works great here.

Should I take Note 3 or not? The device has its timeless advantages, such as its appearance and the stylus, but you won’t be able to escape the disadvantages either. Here the choice is yours.

Video

Good day, our dear regular readers! After a six-month break in our reviews, the time has come to analyze all the new products in the world of Samsung gadgets and conduct a detailed review of them. Probably the most significant event that has happened recently is the release of the new flagship from Samsung - the Samsung Galaxy Note 3. My publication, which opens a new season of reviews of devices from Samsung, will be devoted to a review of this gadget.

Surely you have already seen a lot of video reviews in different languages ​​of this gadget, but we will review the Samsung Galaxy Note 3 in Russian, describing all the most interesting things that others practically do not talk about. Since we are already talking about video reviews, it is worth noting that they have become somewhat boring and monotonous: perhaps this is due to the boring models of Samsung gadgets, or I have lost interest, but I am full of energy, after the hot summer, and I am exploring this model with curiosity.

As you know, Samsung Galaxy Note 3 is a successor to Samsung Galaxy Note 2, which I dubbed the “shovel” in the last post. Well, no matter how tolerant and correct I may be, this nickname, which is in everyone’s vocabulary, is pronounced involuntarily. Will we see something new in the Samsung Galaxy Note 3 or will there be an upgrade of the “classic model” as always!? I myself already want to know about this, so let’s start reviewing the gadget.

Unboxing Samsung Galaxy Note 3

Holding the box with Samsung Galaxy Note 3 in my hand, I already suspect that it will be a “giant” again. A few words should be said about the box itself; as per the new established Samsung trend, it is made of environmentally friendly materials, even from recyclable materials, that is, recycled household waste. It’s somehow difficult to think and talk about environmental friendliness when this environmentally friendly packaging was made several hundred kilometers from Fokushima... No, well, these are undoubtedly good intentions that should be welcomed, but they don’t make flagship packaging like this, to be honest, it reminds me of toilet packaging paper, even the “poor man’s iPhone” is put in a beautiful box. Well, okay, we see the box only during the post-purchase period and until we remove the device from there.

So, we open our “eco” packaging and behold... - “Shovel!” This is exactly the same second reaction I have to the next model of the Samsung Galaxy Note 3. Looking ahead, I’ll say that I don’t see any innovations on the front, but the back cover really surprised me, but more on that a little later, first I’ll tell you about the gadget’s configuration.

EquipmentSamsungGalaxyNote 3

Under the phone in the box there is an instruction manual, also made of the same paper as the packaging. There are quite a lot of instructions, just in case. The package contains headphones with a 3.5 jack and a set of spare ear pads for them. The package also includes a DATA cable with a new connector and a charger. Separately, it is worth mentioning an innovation: stylus refills. That's all: in principle, the necessary set for comfortable work with the device is included.

Samsung Galaxy Note 3 design

There is no particular difference from the front, or rather there is none at all, either with the second version of Note or with its other brothers. The phone is made of plastic, which is carefully made up every time. The side edging of the smartphone is made, as always, to look like metal, but again it’s plastic. As was already prematurely mentioned above, there is an innovation on the back panel of the phone; it is made to look like leather, but it is again the same plastic, although it is quite pleasant to the touch. As the authors of this innovation admitted, they tried to emphasize the similarity of the gadget with a notebook; whether this is true or not - each user will determine for himself. Nevertheless, I liked the lid, it is pleasant to the touch, and most importantly, most likely, it will not be scratched - this is a significant advantage.

This back panel comes in three color options: black, white and pink. On the left, on the side panel, there is a volume rocker, and on the right is the power button. At the bottom of the device there is a connector for connecting a DATA cable, as well as a microphone and speaker. A stylus called the S Pen is also inserted at the bottom. On top there is a 3.5 headphone jack, as well as a microphone hole and an infrared port. The back cover houses the camera and flash. At the top of the front there is a speaker, sensors and a camera, at the bottom there are 3 standard keys for Samsung gadgets.

In general, the design, although not particularly new, is still pleasant. The gadget fits comfortably in the hand, despite its large size, but its controls are a separate issue.

Specifications of Samsung Galaxy Note 3

Now let's find out the device parameters:

Network: GSM/ GPRS/ EDGE, operating in the 850/900/1800/1900 MHz bands, 3G and LTE are also available.

Operating system: Android 4.3, with built-in Nature UX interface.

Processor: 4-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 (MSM8974) clocked at 2.26 GHz, Adreno 330 graphics, LTE or 8-core Samsung Exynos Octa 5420 (4 cores clocked at 1.9 GHz, four with 1 .3 GHz), ARM Mali-T628 MP6 graphics.

Physical memory: 3 GB.

Built-in memory: 32 GB + microSD (up to 64 GB).

Display: 5.7-inch, Full HD Super AMOLED with a resolution of 1920 x 1080.

Camera: main - 13 megapixels with autofocus and smart stabilization, LED flash; front camera - 2 MP with smart stabilization.

Video recording: 30 fps, Smooth motion (FHD 60fps), Slow motion (HD 120fps).

Connections: Wi-Fi operates in 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac (HT80), GPS and GLONASS geolocation services, Bluetooth 4.0, IR LED (remote control).

Sensors: Gesture sensor, position sensor, accelerometer, digital compass, temperature and humidity sensor, gyroscope and barometer.

Battery: removable Li-ion, 3200 mAh.

Dimensions: 151.2×79.2×8.3 mm, weight 168g.

General impressions about the device

Despite the large size of the device, the gadget is quite good. The large and high-quality screen fascinates as always, the animation and features of Android as always tempt. However, it is somewhat inconvenient to operate the device while holding it with one hand, especially to quickly answer a call - you need to train yourself to transfer it to your hand.

It is worth noting that the stylus is easy to use, the response is very good, it is especially convenient to draw with it. It will be convenient for those with large fingers to work with the stylus.

The performance of the gadget is, of course, fantastic: there was not a single slowdown when playing HD movies or the latest powerful games. Playing and watching movies on a smartphone is very convenient, again due to the large screen, as well as high resolution and high-quality color reproduction.

To summarize, I want to speak positively about Samsung’s innovation and recommend it to everyone who wants to buy it! Until the next reviews!

Contents of delivery:

• Telephone
• Battery 3200 mAh Li-Ion
• Charger with USB cable
• Wired stereo headset
• Instructions

Positioning

It would not be amiss to recall that it was Samsung that created the phablet line, despite the fact that such models appeared before the first Note. But only Note became successful, and the reason was not only and not so much the size of the screen, but a number of characteristics - operating time, comfort in the hand, the presence of a stylus that allowed both handwriting and drawing. By the second generation of Note, competitors released their models, but everyone focused only on screen size, missing out on “minor” improvements in other areas. Practice has shown that not only size is important for users, but also other characteristics. And if the first Note was a purely niche product that unexpectedly took off, then Samsung approached the creation of the second Note more meaningfully, trying to strengthen the winning sides of this product. These include the S-Pen stylus, input technology from Wacom, for which part of this company was even purchased so that competitors could not gain access to it. At the same time, the Note always had the same or slightly improved characteristics compared to the company’s current flagship, which also gave it the status of a top product, which Samsung did not disavow, without emphasizing the uniqueness of this model and its actual location outside of any lines and classifications.

Sales of the first Note reached 10 million units, from the moment the Note 2 was introduced until September 2013, that is, in almost a year, the second generation sold 28 million copies, JK Shin spoke about this at IFA. An excellent indicator for a model that is not for everyone.

Samsung approached the creation of the third generation of the phablet with a clear understanding - to improve what worked for Note 2, add a few features that will show the novelty of the product, and at the same time try to bring the model to the mass market for the first time. We can say that Note2 almost managed to win the sympathy of a wide audience; not only geeks or those who understood the advantages of the stylus and a number of other functions became buyers of this product. Among the buyers, there was a category of girls who kept their nose to the wind and purchased products that became fashionable. The percentage of such buyers was relatively low, but they are an indicator that by the next generation a qualitative leap may occur and sales will expand to new audiences.

In my opinion, Samsung felt the market reaction and, of course, wanted to increase its sales, especially since the Note category is the most interesting - this product has the highest margin in the line, both in relative and absolute terms. To position this device a little differently, it had to be given an external gloss, namely, add accessories from leading designers (a standard move that Samsung has mastered long ago), strengthen the difference with the Galaxy S4 (32 GB minimum in Note 3 versus 16 GB in the standard S4) . Strengthening the difference from the S4 was also necessary in terms of design, for the first time the Note differs from the current flagship in materials and how it feels in the hand, this was a conscious move by the company.

If we put aside the marketing rhetoric that talks about premium materials, then we have one of the most productive, long-lasting smartphones with interesting additional features. This device, as before, will be in demand among geeks, as well as those who often write by hand or draw; there are simply no alternatives to Note. But together with Note 3, we can say that many business users can look towards this device; for them, it has a number of functions that, without understatement, can be called a breakthrough on mobile devices (we draw graphs by hand and very quickly, a pop-up calculator and calendar and much more). Following this audience, “fashionistas” immediately follow, those who choose an expensive device that is in demand among businessmen. In my opinion, it is these two closely related groups of consumers that will push Note 3 sales upward, and there is no doubt that they will increase compared to the previous model.

It is curious that the most innovative device on the market, as well as in the Samsung line, is not the current flagship at all, but the Note 3. Moreover, the screen size here is a conscious advantage, from which many functions flow.

Design, dimensions, control elements

Samsung, when introducing the Note 3, mentioned that they surveyed users and found out that in addition to technical characteristics, they were extremely interested in the quality of materials, they would like to receive a premium quality product. Considering that the Note line is positioned in this segment, the company tried to do this trick. Firstly, for the first time they moved away from the same design language as the flagship; if the Note 2 was similar to the Galaxy S3, then the Note 3 is more reminiscent of the Galaxy S2 than the Galaxy S4.

Much has been said about the back cover of the device, which is embossed like leather. A lot of discussion immediately arose about what the lid was made of - some swore that it was leather, others believed that it was not. It is possible that the confusion arose due to the S-Cover, since all covers for this device are made of leather and have a replacement back cover. But the standard plastic cover is ordinary plastic with a leather texture and even stitching along the edge.

This cover feels good in your hand, it does not get dirty or wear out. But from the point of view of material, the difference with the previous model is only in the absence of gloss and varnish; it is more practical. But it's exactly the same material. Interestingly, Apple also released cases for the iPhone 5S made of plastic, but with a leather-like feel. Looks like a trend in the high-end device market.

The device is available in three basic colors – white, black and pink. Don't ask why the color pink appeared, I don't know.

But with the help of covers you can choose almost any color - there are many of them, and they are very bright, for every taste.

The size of the device is 151.2x79.2x8.3 mm, weight - 168 grams. For comparison, the Note 2 measures 151.1x80.5x9.4 mm and weighs 183 grams. De facto, with a larger screen diagonal and a more capacious battery, the model has become smaller. It fits well in the hand and is quite comfortable. Another thing is that for women this device may still not be entirely convenient, especially when operating with one hand.

The layout of the device is traditional: there is a mechanical key on the front panel, and two touch ones around it. Above the screen you can see the front camera, as well as a proximity and light sensor. On the left side there is a paired volume key, on the right side there is an on/off button. At the top end there is a 3.5 jack for headphones or a headset, and there are also microphones at two ends. The main camera is located on the back surface, next to it is an LED flash. Finally, at the bottom end there is a standard microUSB connector, and you can also see a socket for the S-Pen stylus. The difference in the socket from the previous model is that the stylus can be inserted on either side; this now does not play any role.

The build quality of the device is excellent, there are no backlashes, the parts fit tightly together. Opening the back cover, you will see an NFC antenna on it; there is also a microSD connector and a slot for a microSIM card inside.

Comparison with Samsung Galaxy Note 2

Comparison with Samsung Galaxy Mega 6.3

Comparison with Samsung Galaxy Mega 5.8

Comparison with Samsung Galaxy S4

Display

The screen has a diagonal of 5.7 inches, is made using Super AMOLED technology, the resolution has increased from 1280x720 to 1920x1080 pixels (16 million colors) compared to its predecessor. The screen is capacitive and supports up to 10 simultaneous clicks. The screen quality is excellent, the ppi value is 386 (in the first Note there is ppi 285, with a resolution of 1280x800 pixels, and a diagonal of 5.3 inches, in the second, with a diagonal of 5.5 inches, 265 ppi).

In my opinion, the race in screen quality has come to its logical conclusion; the diagonal may grow, but the picture quality remains almost unchanged (parameters that the user does not see, for example, power consumption, may differ). But the Note 3 has greatly increased the screen contrast, which is clearly noticeable when shooting with the camera, the colors on the screen are more vibrant, and the same applies to a number of other modes. After the Note 3 screen, it’s hard to return to the SGS4; the screen looks pale.

Another point is related to the color rendering of this screen - in the settings, all the proprietary features characteristic of the flagships of the line are preserved, in particular, adjusting the color saturation; you can make them calm, or you can choose bright colors. But look at the screen comparison with the Note 2, I think you'll notice that the Note 3 (in the comparison photos below) is a little quieter (I'm not at all sure the photos convey this difference, which is almost invisible).

The screen fades in the sun, but remains readable; the screen size and the ability to set the brightness to automatic adjustment make the device interesting. In general, in terms of technical capabilities, this model is one of the most advanced on the market - there is control of the screen with your eyes (SmartStay, as in SGS4 - pampering, but someone will definitely like it), but the main thing is the optimization of the displayed content, as for video, same for pictures. Samsung engineers have optimized the algorithms, and now when using this engine, energy costs are significantly less. The traditional choice of font sizes is very pleasing on a large screen diagonal.

Galaxy S4 screen comparison

Battery

The phone uses a 3200 mAh lithium-ion battery (3100 mAh in Galaxy Note 2). According to the manufacturer, the battery can provide up to 16 hours of talk time and up to 890 hours of standby time (3G mode). In Moscow networks, the device works on average for about two full days under very high load (the difference with the second Note is not very noticeable). The time to fully charge the battery is about 3 hours.

There are not many models on the market that have batteries with a capacity of more than 3000 mAh, while this is rare, and the Note 3 looks advantageous, although it does not outperform the Note 2. Moreover, in some modes the Note 3 even loses to its brother, since it has a more powerful platform (N9000 eight-core Exynos Octa processor), consumes more power. This is clearly visible when navigating the web. But on average, when using two devices, you will not see much of a difference, it’s just that the power consumption in various functions is different.

USB, Bluetooth, communication capabilities

Bluetooth. Bluetooth version 4.0 (LE). When transferring files to other devices that support this technology, Wi-Fi 802.11 n is used, and the theoretical transfer speed is about 24 Mbit/s. Testing the transfer of a 1 GB file showed a maximum speed of about 12 Mbit/s within three meters between devices.

The model supports various profiles, in particular Headset, Handsfree, Serial Port, Dial Up Networking, File Transfer, Object Push, Basic Printing, SIM Access, A2DP. Working with headsets does not raise any questions, everything is ordinary.

USB connection. In Android 4, for some reason, they abandoned the USB Mass Storage mode, leaving only MTP (there is also a PTP mode).

USB version – 3, data transfer speed – about 45 Mb/s.

When connecting to a PC, simultaneous operation of USB and Bluetooth is unacceptable; the device requires you to turn off Bluetooth regardless of the current state (whether there is a connection and transmission or not), this is extremely inconvenient. When connected via USB, the device is recharged.

The microUSB connector also supports the MHL standard, which means that using a special cable (available at electronics stores), you can connect the phone to the TV (to the HDMI output). In fact, the standard describes the ability to connect via microUSB to HDMI. This solution looks preferable to a separate miniHDMI connector on the case.

For GSM networks, EDGE class 12 is provided.

WiFi. The 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac standard is supported, the operation wizard is similar to that for Bluetooth. You can remember selected networks and automatically connect to them. It is possible to set up a connection to the router in one touch; to do this, you need to press a key on the router, and also activate a similar button in the device menu (WPA SecureEasySetup). Among the additional options, it is worth noting the setup wizard; it appears when the signal is weak or disappearing. You can also set up Wi-Fi on a schedule.

802.11n also supports HT40 mode, which doubles Wi-Fi throughput (requires support from another device).

Wi-Fi Direct. A protocol that is intended to replace Bluetooth or begin to compete with its third version (which also uses Wi-Fi version n to transfer large files). In the Wi-Fi settings menu, select the Wi-Fi Direct section, the phone begins to search for devices around. We select the desired device, activate the connection on it, and voila. Now in the file manager you can view files on another device, as well as transfer them. Another option is to simply find devices connected to your router and transfer the necessary files to them; this can be done from the gallery or other sections of the phone. The main thing is that the device supports Wi-Fi Direct.

NFC. The device has NFC technology, it can be used with various additional applications.

S Beam. A technology that allows you to transfer a file of several gigabytes in size to another phone in a few minutes. In fact, we see in S Beam a combination of two technologies - NFC and Wi-Fi Direct. The first technology is used to bring up and authorize phones, but the second is already used to transfer the files themselves. The creatively redesigned way to use Wi-Fi Direct is much simpler than using a connection on two devices, selecting files and so on.

IR port. Necessary for using the phone as a remote control for various household appliances. Automatically configures for almost any model of equipment.

Memory, memory cards

The phone has 32 GB of internal memory (there is a 64 GB version, the latter will appear later), initially all the space is available to the user except 2.9 GB used by the system. Memory cards up to 64 GB are also supported.

The amount of RAM is 3 GB, after downloading about 2 GB is free. This is enough for all applications and is something of a record for today's phones. It’s curious that in my version of the device on Octa I did not observe any problems characteristic of SGS4 (brakes in the gallery and the like), I’m sure that this is due to the expanded amount of RAM. The device turned out to be very fast.

Model hardware options

The model is available in two versions: the first and most widespread, with which this device appears in most markets, is Snapdragon 800 (clock frequency of a quad-core processor from Qualcomm up to 2.3 GHz, Adreno 330 graphics coprocessor). At the same time, the Exynos 5420 Octa is built on the big.LITTLE ARM architecture and uses two quad-core processors (a total of eight cores), one processor based on Cortex A7 architecture (frequency of each core up to 1.3 GHz), one processor based on Cortex-A15 (frequency up to 1.9 GHz ). The graphics coprocessor in this case is PowerVR SGX 544MP3 533 MHz.

In Russia, initially 3G devices based on Octa (N9000) will be sold, later their version with LTE will appear (version for Europe on Snapdragon - N9005). A dual SIM version (N9002) will also be available. Below in the benchmarks you can see the performance of the LTE device, which is typical for such models.

Camera

Almost exactly the same as the one used in the Galaxy S4, with regard to most settings and modes. I don’t see any point in describing all the functional possibilities, so I’ll refer you to the corresponding review, everything is the same there - simultaneous shooting with the front and main cameras, the presence of various modes.

13-megapixel camera (BSI sensor), with LED flash. Once again, automatic detection of lighting conditions has been improved; there are no other differences, except for video recording in 4K (2160p). In this case, the stream is 47 mbps, 29 frames per second. Considering that there are almost no TV sets that support viewing such a picture in the hands of the population, this is a function that is premature. Although in the future most products will support it. Stereo sound recording comes from two microphones.

Sample photos:

Here are a few comparison photos with the Galaxy S4 (all settings are automatic). The Note 3's camera has a wider angle, colors come out brighter, and details are a little better defined. Therefore, it is probably impossible to say that they are identical to SGS4. The improvements are quite large and noticeable to the naked eye, this is one of the best cameras on the market.

Galaxy Note 3	Galaxy S4

Note 3 software features - control using the S-Pen

The most interesting thing about Samsung's phablet is the capabilities associated with the stylus, which is called the S-Pen. In previous devices, many users did not use the stylus because they did not consider it convenient or important, and did not see examples of real use in software. With the release of Note 3, this situation will change radically, since the software update is aimed at making it convenient for you to do many things not only with your hands, but also with a stylus.

The S-Pen update was called a new concept, which sounds like this: “Smart Freedom”. The main feature is to control the stylus without touching the screen (Air View/Air Command) and call up an auxiliary menu with 5 quick functions. Let's look at these commands in detail.

IN S Action Now all notes are recognized, they can be linked to actions, so you enter an entry to call someone, the phone recognizes this and adds it to the calendar or makes it possible to call from the phone book at the right time. The function is not very popular and amazing, perhaps the most useless of all.

Scrapbook- an application that allows you to save text, pictures, and so on from the screen, you circle the desired piece of the page and then select a category. Everything is saved in one place, including videos. A good function that may be interesting as an analog, albeit weaker, of Evernote. The advantage is that this feature is built into the phone.

S Finder– universal search on the phone and its memory, searches for data in all applications without exception (you can, however, set up places where you don’t need to look for anything).

Pen Window– you draw a square on the screen, and a window of the size you drew appears, containing application icons. In fact, this is a pop-up window that may be needed when you are working somewhere and want, for example, to calculate something in a calculator. It hangs above the main window and can be closed at any time. Comfortable.

The S Note application has been updated, it has synchronization with Evernote (!), a fairly convenient interface for working with notes, you can see several pages, which is extremely convenient compared to the current version. I highly recommend watching the video about this application to share my delight - one of the most interesting programs on the phone.

In Multi Window, you can now open the same application in two parts of the window, for example, talk simultaneously in IM with two different friends. But the best feature is that you can copy a message from one part of the window to another.

A strange MultiVision function - you can transfer one picture to several devices, combining several devices, you will make one large screen. I very much doubt that anyone needs this. But suddenly?

As you can see, the main features of the Note 3 are in the software and are associated with the use of the stylus, and in this product it looks very convenient, and you get used to using it literally in a matter of days. In addition, the device has all the functions that we saw in the SGS4, for example, Air Gesture, that is, control using gestures above the front camera. I don’t see any point in describing all these features again; you can read about them in the SGS4 review.