Samsung on Wednesday revealed the long-awaited Galaxy Note 3, and while many of the details were already known, it still managed to pack in a surprise or two. The Galaxy Note 3 is Samsung’s thinnest, lightest “phablet” yet, with a faux-leather back cover and a redesigned S Pen.
The Galaxy Note 3 has a 5.7-inch, 1080p display, up from 5.5 inches on the Galaxy Note 2. And despite the larger screen, Samsung has actually managed to maintain the same width of the Galaxy Note 2, while making it lighter and thinner.
Despite the reduced footprint, Samsung has managed to pack more power into the Note than ever before. The phone is powered by a 2.3GHz quad-core processor and features a whopping 3GB or RAM. It also packs in 13-megapixel camera and a 3,200mAh battery. The phone will come in 32GB and 64GB versions, along with a microSD card slot for expanded storage.
One of the most interesting changes is the phone’s new, faux-leather design. With the stitched, patterned leather look, this is a big step away from Samsung’s traditional plastic finishes. And the S Pen has seen a lot of improvement, most notably the ability to click it and initiate Air Command, which brings up five different available functions.
Samsung is planning to launch the Note 3 in 149 countries on September 25, and worldwide in October. In the U.S. the phone will be available on AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, Verizon and U.S. Cellular. Pricing has not yet been announced.
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