Review of samsung galaxy laptop 3 32gb. ⇡ Specifications. Information about navigation and positioning technologies supported by the device

Samsung has unveiled its third Galaxy Note, and it just got a little better going forward. Moreover, this year the Note 3 has moved forward further than the S4, it seems to me, both externally and internally. For those who are not in the know, let me remind you that it was in 2011 that I gave birth to a whole line of gadgets - shades. Before him smartphones with 4.3 ″ displays seemed large, while those with 4.7 ″ were huge. After all, then few people would have thought that after two years, an ordinary flagship will have a display with a diagonal of 5-5.3 ″!

In fact, the most severe geeks could have guessed, because they had Nokia N800, N900, etc. But they did not become widespread, because then the mobile OS did not provide the user with such a scope for work, for which a large display might be required. But the size of the display, on the contrary, caused inconvenience, because then it was very difficult, if not impossible, to make such a device compact.

Design and ergonomics

The new Samsung Galaxy Note 3 surprised everyone, because no one doubted that the display would become larger, that its resolution would increase to Full HD, that the processor would be more powerful and the camera would be better. The fact that all this can be placed in a more compact case was a surprise, but the case, I think, really surprised everyone. This is the first Note to go against the system and become non-glossy. After all, the original model only had a matte lid because the Galaxy S 2 had exactly the same lid that year. The Note 2 has the same style as the Galaxy S 3 - glossy, while the Note 3 has a leather notebook style despite the glossy Galaxy S 4.

Despite the fact that today the situation on the smartphone market is settling down, other manufacturers are also catching up, but even at the beginning of 2013 we would ask an ordinary user or even a geek which smartphone he expects the most, I think a lot of people would remember SGS4 and SGN3 ... As I said last year, it is very difficult to make not just a popular smartphone, but a truly iconic one. This is exactly what the Galaxy Note is.

This is a smartphone that has replaced two devices for many: a smartphone and a tablet, because before the release of the original model, only a tablet could boast of a 5-6 ″ screen. Today, the Galaxy Note 3 does not cause so much excitement because of its size, because although it is larger than usual flagships, it is no longer by much. It's really cool that the engineers were able to fit a larger diagonal display in a smaller body - 5.7 ″ versus 5.5 last year. The body is 1.3mm narrower and 1.1mm thinner than the Galaxy Note 2, without increasing in height. And the difference in width with the very first Note is 3 mm, which is significant. Please note that the original model had a 5.3 "display.

The body, as I said, has stepped forward a lot compared to its predecessor. It remained collapsible, retained its quality, but at the same time became much more practical and pleasant to use. The back cover is made to look like leather; there is even a thread along the edge, although not real. The designers tried to convey the design of the classic leather notebook, even the side edging, which is made in metal, has longitudinal stripes, as if it were pages. Tactile - it turned out really cool, and the idea is clear - the Galaxy Note from the first version has an S-Pen, with which you can write on the screen like on a piece of paper. But the realism of the transmitted image is not complete, if the back cover really looks like a leather one, then the whole smartphone does not in any way resemble a notebook. But overall, I liked the design a lot more than anything else in the Galaxy lineup, apart from the Galaxy S 4 Active - they both have unique designs. The practical benefit of the non-glossy back cover is obvious: it does not collect prints and does not get covered with scratches. By the way, I would not even wear a cover on the Note 3, because it will be difficult to scratch the smartphone, and if something happens, the cover can be simply replaced. Today, not every smartphone allows you to do this!

A little about the location of everything on the body of the brand new "Note". Everything is more than standard. I am glad that they did not forget about the infrared port, but the standard application allows you to control only equipment that is connected with TV, although from different vendors. That is, you can forget about air conditioners. Fortunately, in Google play there are many alternative software.

And the second feature that cannot be overlooked is microUSB 3.0, that is, the same as in external hard drives. I won't say that it looks very nice, but Samsung is not to blame here. It's just that the connector itself is even more inconvenient, and it has doubled in size. Compatibility with old cords remains, they just plug into one half of the connector. The difference is that the smartphone charges faster via microUSB 3.0. Also in the new interface, the data transfer speed has increased - up to 45 MB / s.

Everything else is standard: on the right is the lock key, on the left is the volume control, below is the microphone and speaker, next to them electronic pen S Pen, on top - a headphone jack, another microphone and an infrared port.

Under the display, as is usual for all Samsung smartphones, there are three keys: one mechanical - home, and two touch. Above it is a 2 MP front camera and all kinds of sensors.

Display

Samsung traditionally installs Super AMOLED displays in its flagship models, and the Galaxy Note 3 is no exception. The display has grown to 5.7 ″, and its resolution is up to 1920 x 1080 pixels. The pixel layout is Pen Tile, but at a pixel density of 386 per inch, it is possible to notice ghosting or individual pixels, but you need to look closely. I liked the display, the clarity is excellent, the viewing angles and contrast are also maximum. The colors, as befits Super AMOLED, are very saturated, some people like it more, I prefer soft tones. However, you can tone down the colors a little. standard means - as in all the latest models in the display settings, you can select the mode. Standard is much quieter than dynamic.

Camera

As expected, the camera on the new Galaxy Note is very good. And, as it has been for two years in a row, it is slightly better than the flagship Galaxy S model, in this case the fourth generation. In particular, the video stabilization is really good. The Note 3 has a 13MP BSI sensor with a 2.2 aperture. But, in essence, the camera is exactly the same as in the Galaxy S 4. Perhaps a little more good videos and the pictures are obtained due to the modified software.

When shooting video, you can take photos, there are many custom modes available with which you can choose best photo from a series, take a photo in motion of an object and much more. There are also custom filters.

Examples of photos and videos

Using the S Pen

If in the days of Windows Mobile the stylus was just a necessary manipulator, then its return to the era of capacitive displays was not entirely clear: why? So, the very first Galaxy Note only at the end of its life cycle was able to reveal the potential of the S Pen. Indeed, we saw a lot of innovations in working with the pen with the arrival of the new Samsung Galaxy Note 2 last year. There were so many chips using the S Pen that we shot a separate video on the functions of the pen. Also, in Note 2, the stylus itself, or the pen itself, has become much better, instead of 16 gradations of pressing, it began to support as many as 1024, and the size of the pen has increased, the pen has become much more convenient to use.

The Note 3 adds several useful innovations in working with the pen, the main of them are called up in a special menu, consisting of five items. This window is called by simply holding the button on the S-Pen while it has not yet touched the display. You kind of indicate where this menu should appear.

Here you can select active notes, cut out a fragment of the screen, take a screenshot, open a search or outline a window to launch the program in it.

Active notes allow you to recognize handwriting input and instantly use it in one of the applications: dialing, messages, etc.

Note that even the most clumsy handwriting is recognized, which means that writing down a contact is now even faster. By the way, the functional menu opens automatically even from the locked state, if you just take out the pen. So keep the number that way really fast.

The second point is cutting a fragment. This is a very useful feature that was once in one of the Android browsers. But here it is cool because it is integrated into TouchWIZ. Wherever you are, simply call this menu with the stylus, select the second item and select the area that you want to save. After that, you can add a comment or send a screenshot to a specific notebook; a separate application is allocated for this purpose. By the way, if you save a fragment from any Internet page, later you can easily go to it again.

The third button allows you to take a screenshot and immediately mark something on it. Very handy for quickly demonstrating something to someone on Twitter. Everything is clear with the search, but the last, fifth button is also interesting. It allows you to draw a window of a certain shape and size with a pen, and then place one of several applications in it, including a browser and YouTube. You can create multiple windows, minimize them, move them around the screen, maximize or close them. Everything is like on a computer!

Despite the fact that I always find such pribluda useless, at least three out of five I really liked using: a screenshot with instant editing, a screenshot of a fragment and active notes.

The S Note application has also been completely updated, which now looks like a leather notebook. Such an electronic moleskin.

BY

In addition to the chips described earlier, there are others that you can work with without a pen. For example, I liked the event aggregator, which can be invoked by clicking again on home button, or by swiping from the bottom edge of the display. You can connect here social networksincluding Twitter, news is pulled from Flipboard, and personal information is pulled from the calendar.

The regime has also changed dual screen... Now you can place two chat windows, for example, in ChatOn and drag and drop messages between windows. That is, now they are interconnected. This mode is called and hidden as before - by long pressing the back key.

It's really cool that the Galaxy Note 3 is the first smartphone on the market besides the Nexus, which comes pre-loaded with the latest OS from Google - Android 4.3 JB. On top of it is the latest TouchWIZ, which is now not only fast, but also does not seem overloaded. Samsung did the smart thing and just hid all of its apps in a separate folder initially so that all apps fit on one screen.

Specifications and autonomy

Our copy is powered by the Exynos Octa 5420 processor, which is octa-core on paper. In fact, inside there are four Cortex-A15 cores clocked at 1.9 GHz, and four Cortex-A7, 1.3 GHz, that is, the big.LITTLE ARM architecture. We see a similar solution in SGS4, and there many were dissatisfied with poor software optimization, as well as lags in the interface. It was a matter of honor for me to check how quickly the display turns on and off when you press the lock key. So - finally, very quickly, there is no such lag, which we saw earlier in S4. But somewhere out there, over the hill, a version with a Snapdragon 800 processor will also be available. I think there will be no difference in the speed of operation, at least not perceptible to the eye, but the camera in the second case will allow you to write video in 4k resolution.

But the truth is learned in the smooth operation of the interface, games and applications, here the third Note has everything super. Of course, all games run with maximum graphics settings, mirrors are displayed in RR3.

Contents of delivery:

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

Positioning

It will not be superfluous to recall that it was in Samsung that they created the direction of phablets, 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 in the size of the screen, but in a number of characteristics - the operating time, comfort in the hand, the presence of a stylus that allowed both to write by hand and draw. By the second generation of Note, competitors had released their models, but all focused only on screen size, overlooking "minor" improvements in other areas. Practice has shown that not only size is important for users, but other characteristics as well. And if the first Note was a purely niche product that unexpectedly shot, then Samsung approached the creation of the second Note in a more meaningful way, trying to strengthen the advantages of this product. These include the S-Pen, an input technology from Wacom, for which part of this company was even bought so that competitors could not access it. At the same time, Note always had the same or slightly improved characteristics compared to the current flagship of the company, which also gave it the status of a top-end product, which Samsung did not disown, without emphasizing the uniqueness of this model and actually being outside of any lines and classifications.

Sales of the first Note reached 10 million units, from the introduction of the Note 2 to September 2013, that is, in almost a year, the second generation sold 28 million copies, JK Shin said at IFA. An excellent indicator for a model is not for everyone.

Samsung approached the creation of the third generation of the phablet with a clear understanding - to improve what worked for the Note 2, add a few chips that 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, the buyers of this product were not only geeks or those who understood the advantages of the stylus and a number of other functions. Among the buyers, the category of girls stood out separately, who keep their nose to the wind and buy products that become 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 due to new audiences.

In my opinion, Samsung felt the reaction of the market and undoubtedly wanted to increase its sales, especially since the Note category is the most interesting - this product has the largest margin in the lineup, both in relative and absolute terms. For a slightly different positioning of this device, it had to give it an external gloss, namely, add accessories from leading designers (a standard move that Samsung has long mastered), strengthen the difference with the Galaxy S4 (32 GB at least in the Note 3 versus 16 GB in the standard S4) ... It was also necessary to strengthen the difference from the S4 in terms of design, for the first time the Note differs from the current flagship in materials and the way it feels in the hand, this was a deliberate move by the company.

Marketing rhetoric aside from premium content aside, we have one of the most productive, long-lived smartphones with interesting additional features. This device, as before, will be in demand from 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 a number of functions have appeared in it, which, without understatement, can be called a breakthrough in mobile devicesah (draw charts by hand and very fast, pop-up calculator and calendar and much more). Following this audience, "mods" are instantly catching up, 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 sales of the Note 3 upwards, and there is no doubt that they will grow over the previous model.

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

Design, dimensions, controls

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

Much has been said about back cover apparatus that is embossed under the skin. There and then a lot of discussions arose about what the cover was made of - someone swore that it was made of leather, someone thought it was not. It is possible that the confusion has arisen because of the S-Cover, since all covers for this device are made of leather, they replace the back cover. But the standard plastic cover is ordinary plastic with a leather texture and even a line along the edge.

Such a cover feels good in the hand, it does not get dirty, does not 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 this is exactly the same material. Curiously, Apple also released plastic cases for the iPhone 5S, but with a leather-like feel. Looks like a trend in the top-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 device measures 151.2x79.2x8.3 mm and weighs 168 grams. For comparison, the Note 2 measures 151.1x80.5x9.4 mm and weighs 183 grams. De facto, with a larger screen diagonal, 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 very convenient, especially in one-handed operation.

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

The build quality is excellent, there are no backlashes, the parts are tightly fitted to each other. Opening the back cover, you will see an NFC antenna on it, there are also a microSD slot 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 compared to its predecessor has increased from 1280x720 to 1920x1080 pixels (16 million colors). The screen is capacitive, supports up to 10 simultaneous clicks. The screen quality is excellent, the ppi value is 386 (in first note 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 the quality of screens 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 in Note 3 the contrast of the screen is greatly increased, which is clearly noticeable when shooting with the camera, the colors on the screen are more vivid, the same applies to a number of other modes. After the Note 3 screen, it's hard to return to SGS4, the screen looks pale.

Another point is related to the color rendering of this screen - all the proprietary features typical for the flagship of the line have been preserved in the settings, in particular, the adjustment of color saturation, you can make them calm, or you can choose bright colors. But look at the comparison of the screens with the Note 2, I think you will notice that the Note 3 (in the comparison photos below) is a little more calm (not at all sure if the photos convey this difference, which is almost imperceptible).

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 a screen gaze control (SmartStay, as in SGS4 - pampering, but someone will definitely like it), but the main thing is to optimize the displayed content, as for video, and for pictures. Samsung engineers have optimized the algorithms, and now when using this engine, energy costs are significantly lower. The traditional choice of font sizes is very pleasing on a large screen diagonal.

Galaxy screen S4 for comparison

Battery

The phone uses lithium ion battery capacity of 3200 mAh (3100 mAh in the 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 the conditions of Moscow networks the device works on average for about two full days at a very high load (the difference with the second Note is not very noticeable). Fully charging the battery takes about 3 hours.

There are not so many models on the market with batteries with a capacity of more than 3000 mAh, while this is a rarity, and Note 3 looks winning, although it does not outperform Note 2. Moreover, in some modes Note 3 even loses to its brother, since the more productive platform (N9000 eight-core Exynos Octa), consumes more power. This is clearly visible when navigating the web. But on average, when using two devices, you will not see much difference, just power consumption in different 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 transmission speed is about 24 Mbps. Testing the transfer of 1 GB of the file showed a maximum speed of about 12 Mbps 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 routine.

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

The USB version is 3, the data transfer rate is about 45 Mb / s.

When connected to a PC, the simultaneous operation of USB and Bluetooth is unacceptable, the device requires turning 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 charged.

The microUSB connector also supports the MHL standard, which means that using a special cable (available from electronics stores), you can connect your phone to a 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.

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

Also, for the 802.11 n standard, the HT40 operating mode is supported, which allows you to double the Wi-Fi bandwidth (requires support from another device).

Wi-Fi Direct... A protocol that aims to replace Bluetooth or compete with its third version (it also uses Wi-Fi version n for transmission large files). In the Wi-Fi settings menu, select the Wi-Fi Direct section, the phone starts looking for devices around. We select the desired device, activate the connection on it, and voila. Now in file manager you can view files on another device and transfer them. Another option is to simply find the 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 handset has NFC technology, which can be used with various additional applications.

S Beam... A technology that allows you to transfer a file of several gigabytes to another phone in a few minutes. In fact, we see in the 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. A creatively redesigned way of using Wi-Fi Direct is much easier than using a dual-device connection, file selection, and so on.

Infrared port... It is necessary to use the phone as a control panel for various household appliances. Automatically adjusts for almost any vehicle model.

Memory, memory cards

The phone has 32 GB of internal memory (there is a 64 GB version, the latter will appear later), initially the user has access to all the space, except for 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 it is free about 2 GB. This is enough for all applications and is a kind of record for today's phones. It is curious that in my version of the device on Octa I did not observe any problems typical for SGS4 (brakes in the gallery and the like), I am sure that this is due to the expanded amount of RAM. The device turned out to be very smart.

Hardware model options

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

In Russia, initially 3G devices on Octa (N9000) will be sold, later their version with LTE will appear (the 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 Galaxy S4 in most settings and modes. I see no point in describing all the functionalities, I am sending you to the corresponding review, everything coincides there - this is simultaneous shooting with the front and main cameras, the presence of various modes.

The camera is 13 megapixel (BSI sensor), with LED flash. Once again, the 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 TVs that support viewing such a picture in the hands of the population, so far this is a function that is premature. Most products will support it in the future though. Stereo sound recording from two microphones.

Sample photos:

Here are some photos of comparison with 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. Therefore, it is probably impossible to say that they are identical with SGS4. The improvements are quite large and visible to the naked eye, this is one of the best cameras on the market.

Galaxy Note 3	Galaxy S4

Note 3 Software Features - S Pen Control

The most interesting thing about Samsung's phablet is the possibilities associated with a stylus called the S-Pen. In previous devices, many users did not use the pen, as they did not consider it convenient, important, and did not see examples of real application in software. With the release of Note 3, this situation will radically change, 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 has been dubbed a new concept that goes like this: "Smart Freedom" (Smart Freedom). The main feature is the control of the stylus without touching the screen (Air View / Air Command) and calling up the auxiliary menu with 5 quick functions. Let's take a closer look at these commands.

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 the video. A good feature that might be interesting as an analogue, albeit weaker, of Evernote. The advantage is that this feature is built into the phone.

S Finder - universal search by phone and its memory, it searches for data in all applications without exception (you can, however, set up places where nothing is worth looking for).

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

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 a 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, speak simultaneously in the IM messenger with two different friends. But the best thing is that you can copy a message from one part of the window to another.

A strange feature of MultiVision - you can transfer one picture to several devices, by combining several devices, you make one big screen. I doubt very much that anyone needs it. But suddenly?

As you can see, the main features of Note 3 in the software are connected 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, this is Air Gesture, that is, control using gestures over front camera... I see no point in describing all these possibilities again, you can read about them in the SGS4 review.

It seems that for Samsung itself, the success of the very first smartphone in the Note line was unexpected. In fact giving rise to new class devices - tablet phones - the Korean corporation quickly learned that instead of one Cash cow in the form of Galaxy S, it is quite possible to produce two flagship models.

Now every year from the manufacturer is equally expected not only "escu", but also a new Note. It just so happened that it is from the latter that innovations are expected, be it the material of the case, the display, or the capabilities of the complete pen. The Note 3 was expected to have a fresh design, a metallic finish, a larger Full HD screen, unusual "Chips" S Pen. Some expectations were justified, others remained expectations.

It's time to take a closer look at one of the most exciting Android smartphones of the year. Of course, let's not forget to compare it with last year's predecessor.

Design

Let's face it - everyone is tired of the ubiquitous glossy plastic Galaxy. A few months before the Note 3 was announced, there were hopeful rumors that the Koreans would finally decide that enough was enough and would make a device in a radically new design with a mandatory metal case.

In fact, we saw nothing fundamentally new at the IFA in Berlin. The Note 3 is entirely in. Compared to the device, it has become noticeably stricter, all four corners are no longer so playfully rounded. But the leitmotif during the announcement of the device was a completely different feature.

Samsung Galaxy Note 2 and Note 3

"Wow, leather cover!" - approximately in this vein were the first messages of the visitors of the exhibition in Berlin. A Samsung spokesman did not hesitate to talk from the stage about the use of eco-friendly materials and leather trim. To hell with it, with metal, since we have almost Vertu in front of us, only technologically a hundred times more perfect.

Doubts about the natural origin of the back panel material appeared immediately: it is impossible to produce such a mass product with an expensive finish. In addition, do not forget about the practicality and attacks of the ubiquitous defenders of flora and fauna. And the seam in the photographs looked too even.

Why play around - "Leather" the cover is the most plastic. But let's face it, imitation is good. The surface is moderately soft and "Warm", the drawing is pleasant, in terms of tactile sensations - beyond praise. Looks like not the cheapest panel trim in some car. In general, we liked this performance, but psychologically you feel discomfort from the realization of the imitation and the bravura statements made during the announcement.

If this moment does not bother you, then you will surely like the pseudo leather plastic cover. In general, it is extremely difficult to leave dirty marks on it, unlike glossy or even matte plastic, and the material does not wipe off like real leather. In general, it is practical, convenient, but with a slight flair of deception.

By the way, imitation is inherent in Note 3. In addition to leather, the smartphone is still trying to copy metal. Under it, the ends are made of silver plastic, sprinkled with longitudinal stripes.

What is surprising is the size of the device. Despite the larger screen diagonal compared to its predecessor, the Note 3 has managed to become more compact and lighter. The length (151 mm) remains the same, but the width of the device has decreased by a millimeter, to 79 mm. It also lost more than 1 mm in thickness - 8.3 mm versus 9.4 for Note 2. The weight has decreased slightly, by ten grams, but still for such a densely packed giant this is a noticeable achievement. The reduction in size with a larger display was achieved thanks to the narrowing of the frame separating the screen from the edges of the smartphone. Just a couple of millimeters more, and we can talk about the edge-to-edge matrix.

There are only two hardware buttons. The power button is located on the right side and fits exactly under the thumb of the right hand. On the left side there is a volume rocker. It is not very convenient to use it due to the rather large width of the device. There is also a complaint about the power button: in our copy it stuck from time to time and did not respond to pressing with a finger. I had to bring her to her senses by pressing with a fingernail from different sides.

The stylus is securely fixed in a special compartment at the bottom. A not very loud external speaker is located nearby, which, moreover, can often be covered by hand. There is also a microphone and an unusual dual microUSB 3.0 connector. It can be used as with a regular microUSB cable, and with a special, wider, with the function of accelerated charging.

The Note 3 has an optional noise-canceling microphone, infrared sensor, and a top-mounted 3.5mm audio jack. And the device is literally packed with different sensors. In addition to the usual proximity, light and gyroscope sensors, there is a barometer, temperature, humidity and magnetic field sensors.

S Pen, spare nibs and tweezers

In terms of convenience, the model is in no way inferior to its predecessor and even surpasses it due to the lighter thickness and the cover that does not slip out of the hands. For a tablet, ergonomics are at a high level. Let's add here another excellent (apart from the aforementioned embarrassment with the on / off button) assembly.

Display

The novelty has received a 5.7-inch Super AMOLED display. Compared to its predecessor, the difference in size is small, less than 0.2 inches. But the Note 3 has finally stepped into Full HD - the number of pixels per inch is almost one and a half times higher than that of the Note 2 (386 versus 267 ppi)! The image is now very clear with no hint of "Teeth", which are visible only when the screen is unnaturally approaching the eyes.

Instead of an RGB matrix, as in the Note 2, PenTile is used again. Some users say they can tell the difference, but we didn't see it. And here "Branded" the peculiarity in the form of a greenish tint of white when the device was tilted remained. At this point, you have to put up with it and not pay attention to it, or look for a competitive tablet with IPS. From our point of view, there is nothing terrible - the shade does not affect the perception of information, and it is unlikely that someone will often look at the display at a large angle.

You can still select a screen mode by dimming "Poisonous" the colorfulness of Super AMOLED. For example, modes "Movie" and "Professional photography" bring the picture quality closer to what the best samples of IPS matrices can show. At the same time, the contrast remains at the highest level, and the black color does not disappoint with its purple essence.

The quality of the Note 3's screen is very similar to the Galaxy S4. It also has Gorilla Glass 3, glove capability, high brightness, Full HD ... It's still a great display. Not the best anymore, since there is a Galaxy S4 with its 441 ppi, but one of the highest quality.

Camera, sound

The photo module is another legacy of the Galaxy S4. The 13MP camera is still good and has the same feature set. This time, we did not experiment and took all the photos in automatic mode... The smartphone always chose the most suitable settings, there was no desire to reshoot something.

Below you can watch two videos shot in Full HD resolution. One of them clearly demonstrates an attempt by electronics to stabilize the video sequence while driving along a road with pits and potholes. In general, it is better to shoot videos in calm conditions with non-shaking hands.

We love the Note 3's camera. This is still the best Android smartphone manufacturers have to offer.

The sound, in contrast to the camera, did not impress us. Through external speakers, it is quite loud, but somehow flat and inexpressive. Very far away. In the headphones, the device also has nothing to surprise the sophisticated music lover with - frankly there is not enough low frequencies.

Functionality, stylus

Any Galaxy Note is Galaxy S plus stylus functionality. We will not dwell on the features that are repeated in the Galaxy S4 again. You can read the corresponding review here. Let's dwell on the new "Chips" a tablet phone that got it as an OS latest Android 4.3.

As soon as the user takes out the S Pen, a radial menu with five commands appears on the screen. It can also be called up at any time by pressing a button on the stylus. At the same time, it is not necessary to touch the screen with the pen - the touchscreen recognizes the S Pen already at a distance of about a centimeter from the screen. By the way, the smartphone is compatible with the previous generation Note stylus.

The "Active Note" function not only allows you to quickly make the necessary mark on a virtual sheet of paper, but also binds it to some action. For example, the system can compare handwritten text with a contact database in the phone book, search the Internet. You can also write email address or designate a new contact.

With option "Save Fragment" you can save any elements from the current page. It is enough to circle a part of the screen, and the phone will determine the active areas, highlight them and offer to save them to "Scrapbook"... Not only the image is saved, but also the video and links.

"Screenshot" is the most useless function. A screenshot with the ability to leave a handwritten mark on it can be taken much faster using a combination of the power and "Home".

S Finder lets you find anything in any application. Of course there is support handwriting, and the data you are looking for can be sorted by creation date, file type, etc. Not a very popular function, but if everything is cluttered, everything can be useful.

"Open in window"... Most interesting "chip"... By clicking on the rightmost button in the radial menu, draw a square of any size on the screen. After that, a list of those applications that you can launch in the second window appears. Such programs include calculator, YouTube client, browser, clock, contacts, etc.

Among other innovations, it is worth mentioning the mode of operation with two active windows. Now you can open two identical applications. Moreover, all content can be transferred from one screen to another.

S Note has undergone large-scale modernization. Thanks to synchronization with Cloudy services, you can work with files through several devices. You can select a separate section of the image and save only it.

The Note 3 model supports Samsung's proprietary KNOX service. It is a user data protection solution that runs applications in a special isolated container that is inaccessible to malware. Judging by the description, the system is very serious, it uses an encryption algorithm with a 256-bit key, etc. Even a screenshot is not allowed.

A news feed similar to BlinkFeed from HTC Sense 5 has been implemented in an original way. Here you can also specify what should be broadcast to the main screen. It can be news from online media, the list of which cannot be edited (you can only select the country from which you want to receive the newsletter. Belarus is not among them). In addition, here you can display messages from social networks, as well as personal data such as photos, S Note data, SMS, etc. All information is displayed in full screen. Unlike BlinkFeed, it does not occupy a separate desktop, but is invoked by swiping across the screen from bottom to top.

Unfortunately, contactless smartphone control is still more like short-term entertainment. At first it’s funny to flip through the photos by waving your hand over the screen, but soon the “game” gets boring - the sensor does not always correctly recognize the movement of the hand and can scroll backward instead of forward. In addition, the hand quickly gets tired.

The analogue of Siri has not yet been developed. The system recognizes words well, but is unable to answer questions. She knows several obvious commands ( "What's your name?", "What time is it now?" etc.), to which it can issue pre-prepared messages. If we move away from the triviality a little aside, problems begin: at best, you will be asked in broken Russian to “look for the answer on the Internet”. Probably, the developers perfectly understood the primitiveness of the system, since they taught how to adequately answer questions related to its stupidity.

While testing the smartphone, we encountered some nasty bugs several times. Once the Note 3 froze for 10-15 seconds, but returned to work safely. In two cases, a device without apparent reasons disconnected and went into an endless reboot. The problems are probably software, so Samsung is likely to fix them in the next update.

Performance and battery life

The Korean company continued the practice of releasing different modifications of the same smartphone model for different regions. The Note 3 is on sale in Belarus, which, like the Galaxy S4, is based on the Korean Exynos 5 Octa chip. This is a modified processor, which also consists of two blocks, each of which carries "On board" four cores each.

When performing non-resource-intensive tasks, a bundle of four Cortex-A7 cores is used. While launching something "Heavy" and demanding, instead of them, two pairs of Cortex-A15 cores come into play, the clock frequency of which has grown by 100 MHz compared to the Galaxy S4, to 1.9 GHz.

Instead of PowerVR SGX544MP3, the Mali-T628MP6 chip is responsible for the graphics performance, the performance of which is twice as high as that of its brother. In addition, Note 3 received a record amount of RAM - just 3 GB. It would seem that with such power, a smartphone should easily grind any tasks, but not everything is so simple.

The novelty really easily copes with games of any complexity, but it sometimes slows down in built-in applications and a "heavy" proprietary interface, overgrown with a huge number of necessary and useless "frills", decorations and functions. This is most often noticeable when working with a stylus and when browsing voluminous Internet pages that start to render slowly.

On the one hand, all these delays are not critical, you quickly get used to them. Moreover, it cannot be said that they are ubiquitous. And yet, in a phone costing over $ 1000 to see even the slightest brakes in the interface is a little strange. As for the comparison with the Note 2, we did not see much difference in performance. Of course, if we talk about real applications, and not about "parrots" in benchmarks.

If the smartphone is heavily loaded, a slight heat is felt in the camera area. There is no need to worry about this, since you do not feel any discomfort. In addition, with the vertical orientation of the device, your hand is unlikely to reach there at all.

Power consumption also remained at the level of a 2012 tablet, which is great. A year ago, we praised the Note 2 for its long battery life. The hero of today's review did not fail either. In the mode of non-stop video playback with Full HD resolution, with maximum brightness, wireless modules turned off, various sensors and “optimizers” the device lasted 7 and a half hours - just 20 minutes less than its predecessor.

With the merciless daily use, when we took hundreds of photos, shot videos, launched benchmarks and other applications, surfed the Internet, etc., the Note 3 lasted more than two days. If desired, it is quite possible to make it work for four days, if you do not abuse the frequent launch of games. We add that the battery capacity with a reduced body thickness increased from 3100 to 3200 mAh.

During review Note 2, we noted an issue with prolonged charging of the device. Samsung solved this problem: from the network alternating current The Note 3 charges in a standard 2 hours. Thanks to the new cable, USB charging is also faster. Compatibility with standard microUSB laces, by the way, remains, so there is no need to worry about a possible cable replacement.

Note that the device received 32 GB of internal memory and a microSD slot with support for cards up to 64 GB. The result is almost 100 GB of space - more than enough for any mobile "Garbage dumps".

conclusions

The Galaxy Note 3 is definitely better than its predecessor. Yes, this is generally one of the most crammed with all sorts of functions Android smartphone. And yet, if last year's Note 2 caused delight, the new product rather left an aftertaste of indifference. We have seen almost all of this in others. samsung models, and the innovations are not so significant to draw attention to them.

It's a shame that, technically, one of the most advanced mobile devices still shamefully slows down in embedded programs. One could close our eyes to this, if not for the high cost. Price is the main sticking point for Note 3. Paying more than $ 1000 for plastic imitation leather? We are waiting for a decrease in cost by a third. In the meantime, if you really need a stylus, it is better to pay attention to the Note 2 or take a closer look at the Galaxy S4.

Advantages:

high-quality screen;
great camera;
the sometimes useful S Pen.

Disadvantages:

a lot of unnecessary software "ruffles";
offensive for such braking power;
price.
Sourse of information:

Phone advantages:

Awesome apparatus. Replaces everything that may be needed. It was important for me:
+ android, has long wanted to get rid of Windows
+ large screen with excellent picture and video quality.
+ loud speaker and not on the back cover, which infuriated me terribly in an old phone
+ capacious battery
+ high-resolution multi-pixel camera, including front
+ huge phone memory and RAM
+ sensitive sensor with super-sensitive function for use with gloves
+ stylus. More precisely S-pen, awesome thing. I use a lot of Excel, so I wanted such a thing for a long time.
+ LTE 4G, I don't even know how I used to live without it.
+ screenshot. Oh, my old huavei didn't have this.
In addition to what I need in the phone, this device has many different goodies, which I still only understand.

Disadvantages of the phone:

Many attribute the lack of radio to disadvantages. I do not see any problems in installing the radio application from the playmarket. Installed and works fine.
For me, its disadvantage is the location of the on / off / unlock button opposite the volume swing. Here many write about it. Sometimes it just pissed me off. But I’m not hard to adjust.
The size of the phone can be attributed to both advantages and disadvantages. I've only been using it for a week, and I haven't gotten used to this huge shovel yet. It is comfortable in everything except to be worn in your pocket. But I already noticed that as soon as I take my 4-inch huavei, a lot is immediately noticeably missing.
Also a little upset by the lack of the ability to remove the escort card without removing the battery. I thought that this problem was solved a long time ago in all modern phones.

A comment about the phone:

I had been choosing a phone for 4 months already, I could not decide which phone to take, es5 or note 3. I needed one that was practical, reliable and multifunctional, but also so that its price would not be too expensive. And for 20k notes the third one fully justified itself.
The battery made me very happy with its long working life. I picked it up at the store at noon and immediately started downloading all sorts of applications, toys, maps, wallpapers to it, making various settings for myself. He was in my hands almost all day, turned on with active Wi-Fi and GPS, I filmed videos and called on Skype, watched videos on YouTube, and at the same time he started to knock about discharge after midnight.
I travel a lot by subway and always have GPS on my phone to build and rebuild routes, which usually knocked out my old phone until lunchtime. I always had to carry a portable charger with me. With the third note, the problem was solved. Now I only wear a charger occasionally. Just in case. but I never needed it, since the third note survives until late in the evening, moreover, I also read or play a book before going to bed. And only when it beeps that it is discharged, then I put it on charge.

The speed shown by Speedtest is not very high, although it differs from 3G in a big way. This is due to the weak LTE coverage of Megafon in Moscow. Additionally, high-rise buildings around the test site may be to blame.

Battery

In the new galaxy smartphone The Note 3 comes with a 3200mAh Li-Ion battery. With a powerful processor and a large screen, the battery will last for a little more than a day of active use. With a sparing mode, the "plafond" can last up to two days. Of course, a lot depends on the brightness of the screen, therefore, by making the backlight slightly less, you can significantly extend the battery life.

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

Issue price

Worth new gadget 34,990 rubles. It may seem that the price of the device is overpriced. If so, not much at all. Judge for yourself: there is a powerful processor, a good camera, new design, and software chips in bulk. In fact, this is an enlarged Galaxy S 4, and it cost only 29,990 rubles at the start. So, the price is quite adequate 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 in the Megafon salon at a price of 21,990 rubles. But here, too, everything is not so simple. Of course, there will be no binding contract for 2 years (like AT&T and iPhone). But you will need to deposit 3,000 rubles, 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 won't buy a smartphone for less than 34,990 rubles, at least not yet.

Smartphones purchased at Megfon will be locked for use with other operators. This also imposes restrictions on the use of the smartphone in other countries. In fact, it will not be possible to insert a local SIM card and will have to use roaming, which is inconvenient. Information has leaked to the media that smartphones blocked by the operator 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 branded 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. Based on experience galaxy sales S 4, the price for this model can be significantly higher.

Competitors

Sony Xperia Z Ultra

This flagship sony smartphone has a record large Full HD display with a diagonal of 6.4 inches, made using proprietary TRILUMINOS Display technology. The smartphone is equipped with quad core Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 2.2GHz, supports 4G LTE and HD voice technology.