Bigger, better, faster and lighter

A FUN TO use and powerful smart phone with a very large screen and superb full HD, resolution, Samsung Galaxy Note 3 boasts several improvements over its predecessor Note 2, which was already a very impressive smart phone.

For starters, the Note 3 uses faster processor and faster graphic processor and has more working memory and storage. Note 3’s display is larger though the size of its body remains more or less the same at 151.2 x 79.2 x 8.3 mm, and it also manages to be thinner and lighter, weighing in at just 168 grammes. Its S Pen stylus and stylus functions have been improved and new features added. Its camera also has higher resolution (13 megapixel compared to the Note 2’s 8 MP resolution) and now includes similar fun functions to those found in the Samsung Galaxy S4.

Note 3, which has been upgraded to run on the Android 4.3 operating system, is powered by 1.9 GHz octa-core processor compared to 1.6 GHz quad-core processor of Note 2. It now has 3 gigabytes of RAM or working memory, uses faster DDR3 RAM (the Note 2 has 2 GB of RAM) and boasts double the onboard storage with 32 GB.

The Note 3 has a 5.7-inch Super AMOLED screen with 1080 x 1920 pixel resolution with 386 pixel per inch depth, compared to 5.5-inch Super AMOLED with 720 x 1280 (257 ppi) resolution of Note 2.

Another nice improvement is the USB port. The Note 3 uses micro USB 3.0, which offers a much faster connection than the Note 2 and most other smart phones currently on the market now.

And Note 3 uses the latest Wi-Fi connection technology or Wi-Fi ac, which has a peak bandwidth of 1,300 megabits per second. It also has an infrared port so it can be used as a universal remote control. Just use the Samsung WatchOn app to provide a universal remote control function to the phone.

Note 3 is available in Jet Black and Classic White. I tested the black version, which looks elegant with its Lux leather back cover and silver edge around the screen.

The test found underscored the phone’s excellent performance. The touch screen was very responsive and applications ran fast without hiccups thanks, one assumes, to its fast 3 GB RAM and eight-core processor.

It supports both 850 MHz and 900 MHz HSPA 3G connections and I tested it on TrueMove H’s 850 MHz HSPA+ network.

During the test, applications were downloaded and installed fast. I captured photos and uploaded them to my Facebook wall and Instagram account at speed, and updated Facebook and checked my Foursquare without problem.

I enjoyed the smart phone’s quality camera with fun shooting modes. Its lens has f/2.2 aperture and the camera uses BSI (backside illuminated) image sensor, meaning that I could capture the attractive lights of Paradise Park shopping mall with its Auto mode.

It has several fun modes that are used in the Galaxy S4, including Drama shot, Eraser shot, and Best face shot.

Our female staff were particularly enamoured of the Beauty face mode, which lightened faces to make them look younger.

The Drama mode is fun to use. It takes a series of photos of a subject in action, jumping for example, and combines them to create an image that shows the trail of the movement.

Best face fires five shots and lets you select the best individual pose for the subjects then merges the images into a single shot.

The Eraser mode allows you to erase movements of some moving subjects in the background.

One of the beauties of Note series is the MultiWindow capability. On the left side of the screen is a MultiWindow panel that can slide out allowing you to select apps that will be run on two top-bottom windows. For example, you can open the Facebook window together with the Gmail window using MultiWindow mode.

Now the MultiWindow function has been improved. When using MultiWindow applications, you can tap the circle between the application windows to switch locations between the two apps. You can also share items between the two apps by dragging an item from one window to another.

The new S Pen stylus makes using the Note 3 a whole lot of fun.

When you slide out the S Pen from its slot, Note 3 automatically recognises the movement and turn on the touch screen (if it’s off) and then launches the Air Command menu. The Air Command Menu can also be activated by pressing the S Pen button while holding the S Pen over the screen.

The Air Command displays five useful functions: Action Memo, Scrapbooker, Screen Write, S Finder and Pen Window.

The Action Memo is really fun. You jot down something, like a phone number or a contact name, then draw to select the number to make a call or add the number to your contact list or even send an SMS message to the number.

The Screen Write function lets you easily capture the screenshot, which is saved in the Screenshots folder of the Gallery. When the screen is captured, you can draw, write or crop the screenshot as well.

The Pen Window lets you draw an area on the screen and then a list of applications will pop up. You can then select an application, which will run in the selected area. The applications include Calculator, Clock, YouTube, Phone, Contacts, and Internet browser.

The Scrapbooker is an app for creating your digital scrapbook with content from web pages, videos, photos and more. For example, while viewing a web page, you can press the S Pen button and draw a line around an area to select it. The S Finder lets you search for a wide variety of items on Note 3, including emails, documents, images, music, and applications.

Like S4, Note 3 also has Air Gesture capability. For example, when the screen is turned off, you can move your hand above the sensor to view notifications, missed calls, new messages, time and date, etc. And when a call comes in, you can move your hand to the left and then to the right across the sensor to answer the call.

Note 3 has a large capacity battery of 3,200 mAh that allows you to survive a day per charge. Samsung Galaxy Note 3 has a suggested retail price of Bt23,500.

 

 

Network: 3G (HSPA+ 42Mbps): 850 / 900 / 1900 / 2100 MHz

 

Processor: 1.9 GHz Octa-Core Processor 

 

Display: 5.7inch Full HD Super AMOLED (1920 x 1080)

 

OS: Android 4.3 (Jelly Bean)

 

Storage: 32 GB User memory microSD slot (up to 64GB)

 

RAM: 3 GB DDR3

 

Camera: Main (Rear): 13 Mega-pixel BSI Sensor, Sub (Front): 2 Mega-pixel BSI sensor with Smart Stabilisation

 

Video: Recording & Playback: Full HD (1080p)

 

Video Codec: H.264, MPEG-4, H.263, VC-1, WMV7, WMV8, Sorenson Spark, MP43, VP8, HEVC (720p HD)

 

Audio Codec: MP3, AAC/AAC+/eAAC+, WMA, AMR-NB/WB, Vorbis

 

Connectivity: WiFi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac (HT80), GPS / GLONASS, NFC, Bluetooth v 4.0 (LE), IR LED (Remote Control), -MHL 2.0

 

Battery: Standard battery, Li-ion 3,200 mAh

 

Dimension: 151.2 x 79.2 x 8.3mm

 

Weight: 168g