The Samsung Galaxy Note 3, the upcoming successor to the Galaxy Note 2 - the massive smartphone/tablet hybrid (phablet) - will boast a huge 5.9-inch screen, nearly half an inch larger than the 5.5-inch screen on the Note 2, according to new rumors.
"Samsung is working on introducing a new phablet using a 5.9-inch organic light-emitting diode (OLED) screen,'' said an anonymous Samsung official to the Korea Times.
"He said the new handset will be powered by the in-house Exynos octa-core chipset to meet consumer demand for faster data processing and downloading speeds. But it's unlikely that the company will use flexible display technology as its display-making affiliate -- Samsung Display -- is having difficulty coping with demand."
The Exynos 5 will likely feature prominently in at least some versions of the imminent Samsung Galaxy S IV smartphone, which will be unveiled in a huge launch event in Times Square on Mar. 14.
The move in the industry lately has been toward larger and larger screens, which can display more of a web page or book, play high-definition video and can function as small tablets in a pinch.
"Even if these kinds of sizes -- from 5-inch to 6-inch -- are stretching the limits of traditional pockets, well-made phablets using bezel-less technology have been warmly received," said one of Samsung's parts supplies to the Korea Times. "Users prefer bigger phones and they use them more often. Samsung will be more focused on larger phone."
The Galaxy Note 2 is by far the most popular phablet in the United States, though new offerings from competitors like the LG Optimus G Pro will attempt to topple the Note after their release this year.
No word on the official release date for the Galaxy Note 3, but it should be out sometime in the second half of 2013.
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