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Samsung Galaxy Note 3 - The best smartphone of 2013 and 2014 (in my opinion)

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Koehler

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Discussion starter · #1 ·
So I decided to get the Galaxy Note 3.



After a few days of using it here are my thoughts:
  • The Galaxy Note 3's design is much much MUCH better than the previous Galaxy Notes. The design is sleek, attractive and virtually bezel-less. The black and white versions both look classy
  • The Snapdragon 800 and 3GB RAM combination is extremely fast even on the software loaded UI of the Galaxy Note 3. The Galaxy S4 admittedly had some lag, but the Galaxy Note 3 has virtually NO lag at all. Probably smoother than the iPhone 5.
  • USB 3.0 is excellent. Charging times have been the shortest I've seen. While most phones take 2-3 hours to charge from 0%, the Galaxy Note 3 takes about an hour.
  • The 13MP camera is much improved over the Galaxy S4. Better image and color processing and is the best smartphone video recorder. 1080p @60FPS and 4K video @30FPS is unheard of!
  • Due to the slim bezel-less design, this device doesn't feel like a phablet although the screen is HUGE.
tl;dr the technology inside the Galaxy Note 3 is next-gen compared to the other smartphones on the market. The technology in the Galaxy Note 3 won't get old any time soon. The most future-proof smartphone you can get right now.

A few disappointments:
  • Would have liked to see a 64 bit processor. But I guess current gen software can't even utilize 64 bit.
  • Would have liked to see the new Samsung ISOCELL camera technology but I guess that's more next-gen than current-gen
  • As much as Samsung claims that it is like "leather" it doesn't really feel like leather. It feels like polycarbonate but I admit that the quality is excellent. The stitching, texture and aesthetic quality of the polycarbonate looks like it was manufactured to a higher quality than the glossy plastic of the previous Galaxy Notes.
Like my previous thread: "Why I think the Galaxy Note 2 is the best smartphone until the Galaxy Note 3",

I think that the Galaxy Note 3 is the best smartphone out right now until the Galaxy Note 4. The Galaxy Note 3 will be my daily driver and I won't be replacing it anytime soon.

This is my opinion so it may differ from yours. However I think a lot of people would agree with what I'm saying.

Here are a few reviews of the Galaxy Note 3:

http://www.androidauthority.com/samsung-galaxy-note-3-review-278582/

http://www.theverge.com/2013/10/1/4787994/samsung-galaxy-note-3-review

http://www.engadget.com/2013/09/30/samsung-galaxy-note-3-review/

I also got the Galaxy Gear. It's not glitchy but I don't really see the purpose of it. The design is nice, it's got what I think is a stainless steal brace joined to a metalloid plastic type material which is then joined to the metallic frame of the watch. I don't know how to describe it in words but it's designed well. The camera is surprisingly good for such a small device. The screen is also very vibrant and clear. However don't see a whole lot of purpose for it other than aesthetics and showing off next gen technology. I will, however, commend Samsung for their excellent advertising and marketing on the Galaxy Gear. Just pure marketing genius:

My brother also got the Galaxy Note 3 and he loves it.

More photos of the Galaxy Gear:



 
Discussion starter · #3 ·
Quote:
Originally Posted by connectwise View Post

Cool, glad to hear it's working out so well for you. For many people though, it isn't the best phone for them. I'm one of them. IMO everyone has diff needs and I take issues with it.
Click to expand...
I'd say that you need to use the Galaxy Note 3 for a few days at least to fully understand why people like me love the Galaxy Note lineup so much.
tongue.gif
 
#4 ·
Well I've used the note2 for months and I know why most ppl like 2, 3 and phablets. I'm saying not everyone would consider it the best phone for them. It's certainly not the best phone for me as it doesn't fit my needs.
 
Discussion starter · #5 ·
Quote:
Originally Posted by connectwise View Post

Well I've used the note2 for months and I know why most ppl like 2, 3 and phablets. I'm saying not everyone would consider it the best phone for them. It's certainly not the best phone for me as it doesn't fit my needs.
Click to expand...
Well the Galaxy Note 2 was the first phablet I ever tried and I could not look at smaller phones after that.

I would definitely not go any bigger than the current size of the Galaxy Note series. If they increase the display size, that's great. But in terms of absolute size, if the Galaxy Note phablets were any bigger, I would not buy them.

The current size of the Galaxy Note series is a great duality of a smartphone and tablet.

Anything bigger than the Galaxy Note series would be in the tablet category.
 
Discussion starter · #7 ·
#8 ·
From your review sources.
Quote:
Originally Posted by AndroidAuthority
The optics in the Galaxy Note 3 are largely the same as those found in the Galaxy S4, with the addition of a digital Smart Stabilization that should help alleviate shaky hands and improve low light photography. The app is also very much the same, bringing pretty much all of the many features the S4 introduced. These include the Best modes like Face or Shot, Drama and Eraser modes, dual recording, and even a golf mode for all of you who want a nice dramatic shot of your swing. Picture quality is about as good as that of the S4, which is welcome.

The pictures below were taken in full Auto mode at 4:3 to ensure all 13 megapixels were utilized. Indoor shots looked detailed and nice, though they obviously had a little more grain to them. Low-light shots still suffer but the Smart Stabilization seems to improve them - you'll probably still use the flash in most of these cases.

But in the daylight, the Note 3 brings the same great Samsung camera quality with vibrant color reproduction and very good detail. If you liked the Galaxy S4 camera, you'll largely feel the same about the Note 3.
Click to expand...
Quote:
Originally Posted by The Verge
The Note 3 improves upon the Note II's 8-megapixel camera with the 13-megapixel sensor we first saw in the Galaxy S4. It doesn't have optical image stabilization, which is all the rage these days, but it's a very capable camera that can take great shots in a variety of situations. Like the S4, the Note 3 comes with an absurd number of shooting modes and camera gimmicks, but most people will do just fine leaving it in automatic mode. Be sure to check out our review of the Galaxy S4 for more impressions on the camera, since it's virtually the same as on the Note 3. The one thing it has over the S4 is the ability to shoot 4K video, but since most people don't have a screen that can actually display 4K video yet, you're probably better off sticking with 1080p for now (1080p is set as the default video recording setting). The 4K footage does look pretty great if you can view it, however. The Note 3's shooter won't give the iPhone 5S or Nokia Lumia 1020 a run for their money, but it's one of the better cameras in the Android world.
Click to expand...
Quote:
Originally Posted by Engadget
Samsung hasn't thrown its hat into the high-pixel-sensor ring (yet), nor does it offer proprietary tricks like Sony's "Superior auto," or Nokia's OIS. Because of that, the detail captured is a touch less than that of its more photo-focused competition. But do they have S Pens? You make your choices.

In good daylight, outdoor conditions the color balance, depth and detail all perform well. In less optimal conditions things were, well, less optimal. Those situations where there's a mixture of bright and dark subjects in the same photo (say, a room with a computer screen on) can cause problems for the sensor. Focus on the light part, and it can compensate a little too much, and darken everything else. It's less of a problem the other way around, thankfully. Similarly, shooting in generally dim conditions might first appear to give good shots when reviewed on the phone, but once uploaded, they can be prone to reasonable amounts of grain, and a touch of color washout. Overall though, definitely not above and beyond what is the norm for these conditions.
Click to expand...
Pretty much just negates your own statements about the Note 3 having the best camera out there.
 
Discussion starter · #9 ·
Quote:
Originally Posted by lacrossewacker View Post

From your review sources.

Pretty much just negates your own statements about the Note 3 having the best camera out there.
Click to expand...
You're forgetting that detail (i.e. megapixels) is only one criteria.

1. Camera image processing and 2. Camera software are equally as important.

These are two criteria where the Galaxy Note 3 beats the competition and IMO these criteria are much more important than megapixels because nobody uploads 16MP+ photos on social media. And I am no photo enthusiast.
 
#10 ·
Quote:
Originally Posted by Koehler View Post

You're forgetting that detail (i.e. megapixels) is only one criteria.

1. Camera image processing and 2. Camera software are equally as important.

These are two criteria where the Galaxy Note 3 beats the competition and IMO these criteria are much more important than megapixels because nobody uploads 16MP+ photos on social media. And I am no photo enthusiast.
Click to expand...
I'm not seeing anybody else but that one guy saying such a thing. It's weird though how the 41mp is too gimmicky bc you can't upload it to social media (though your prefered reviewer said the 5mp versions look even better - supersampled) yet you then harp on about the 4k video recording which; most people can't see anyways because of their screen resolutions and you can't upload it to anything without being stripped down to a low bit rate stream anyways.

Basically, Note 3 camera = SG4 + 4k recording ability (backed up by review after review minus 1)

Now I personally think the 4k part is great, it's just you are using a double standard to justify the note 3's 4k video recording over the nokia 1020's 41mp.
 
Discussion starter · #11 ·
Quote:
Originally Posted by lacrossewacker View Post

I'm not seeing anybody else but that one guy saying such a thing. It's weird though how the 41mp is too gimmicky bc you can't upload it to social media (though your prefered reviewer said the 5mp versions look even better - supersampled) yet you then harp on about the 4k video recording which; most people can't see anyways because of their screen resolutions and you can't upload it to anything without being stripped down to a low bit rate stream anyways.

Basically, Note 3 camera = SG4 + 4k recording ability (backed up by review after review minus 1)

Now I personally think the 4k part is great, it's just you are using a double standard to justify the note 3's 4k video recording over the nokia 1020's 41mp.
Click to expand...
At least 4K video is useful... You can zoom in and still get better-than-1080p video quality.

But with 41MP, are you really going to zoom into someone's eye? Also, what advantages does 41MP give when the image processing is rather poor?
 
#12 ·
Quote:
Originally Posted by Koehler View Post

At least 4K video is useful... You can zoom in and still get better-than-1080p video quality.

But with 41MP, are you really going to zoom into someone's eye? Also, what advantages does 41MP give when the image processing is rather poor?
Click to expand...
you think people crop videos more than imagines?

You can zoom in with the nokia 1020 5x with no loss in clarity.
 
Discussion starter · #13 ·
But again, the Nokia Lumia 1020 has poor image processing capabilities. So the fact that it can zoom in and retain sharpness does not matter in the context of photo quality.

Photo quality has 3 criteria:
1. Image processing (the most important)
2. Color reproduction
3. Resolution
 
#16 ·
Quote:
Originally Posted by Koehler View Post

But again, the Nokia Lumia 1020 has poor image processing capabilities. So the fact that it can zoom in and retain sharpness does not matter in the context of photo quality.

Photo quality has 3 criteria:
1. Image processing (the most important)
2. Color reproduction
3. Resolution
Click to expand...
1. 41 MP oversampling is not good enough for you, it produces the most detailed image in all smartphones to date (equal to 808).
2. 1020 produces saturated pictures for now, the black update makes it more natural.
3. 41 mp. Enough said.
 
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connectwise
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