Samsung Galaxy Note 3 Revealed: Release Date, Specs, Features, and Surprises

The Samsung Galaxy Note 3 has finally been revealed at Samsung Unpacked 2013: Episode 2 before the IFA 2013 Berlin show begins. The unveiling comes with a few surprises.

Samsung unveiled the Galaxy Note 3 with a lot of tuxedoed-chamber orchestra pomp and circumstance on Wednesday, Sept. 4, showing off the South Korean company's newest flagship phablet to replace the Galaxy Note 2 and accompany the Galaxy S4 in its reign over all of Android land.

President and CEO of Samsung Mobile J.K. Shin launched the new Galaxy Note 3 at the Berlin event saying, "Today we cross a new boundary," touting the new device as warmer, slimmer, lighter and more powerful.

Some of the details revealed at the big Berlin event about the Samsung Galaxy Note 3 were spot on with rumors that had swirled online for months.

Surprises

But first, the announcements that surprised everyone.

The Galaxy Note 3 unveiling was almost all about the new S Pen. It is getting a makeover, adding much more functionality for the Galaxy Note 3: "The S Pen is now the key" that unlocks everything for the Note 3, said Samsung.

A button on the S Pen can bring up "Air Command" floating menu on the Galaxy Note 3, giving users access to smart "action memos," screen writing, scrap booking, the S Finder, or pen window (a smart app launcher), from any part of the screen or any app.

Some of the new functions of the S Pen can really save some time. Saving (i.e., copy and paste) via the scrap booking app can be done by circling any content on the screen that you want to save with the S Pen. "It collects whatever you want and organizes it" for easy viewing and use later, according to Samsung. The S Note app has been upgraded to make organizing notes easier on the Galaxy Note 3 and between devices.  Another new, previously-unknown feature is called "My Magazine," which is basically Samsung's version of Flipboard.

The second big surprise was that the Galaxy Note 3 will indeed have 4K video capability on some models. Maybe it's not a fingerprint scanner, as some had expected, but it's an impressive hardware spec.

Finally, The Galaxy Note 3 has been designed with a semi-retro look, which Samsung says will add "warmth" to the feel of the Galaxy Note 3. The back cover of the Galaxy Note 3 looks like an old stitched notebook cover, which comes in Jet Black, Classic White, and Blush Pink. There are also several S View cover colors and designs, which seems to take a page from the Moto X's many different options.

Display

The Samsung Galaxy Note 3, as expected, boasts a larger display than its predecessor. Coming in at 5.7-inches, the Samsung Galaxy Note 3 has a larger display than the Note 2, while not bulking up the total size of the device. In fact, the new Galaxy Note 3 is slimmer and lighter, overall, than the Galaxy Note 2, at 8.3mm and 168 grams. The display's resolution, as expected, comes in at Full HD 1920 x 1080p resolution.

Speed

The biggest thing of "note" for the new Samsung phablet is its 3GB of RAM. This was also rumored before the big reveal, as it makes the Galaxy Note 3 the first mobile device of its kind to pack that much RAM to assist its processor. The Galaxy Note 3's processor, as of now, is the quad core Qualcomm Snapdragon 800, clocked at 2.3GHz. A Samsung-made Octa-core Exynos 5420, clocked at 1.8GHz, will be coming to U.S. and Japanese models later.

Camera

The Samsung Galaxy Note 3 has a 13-megapixel camera, which was rumored to have Optical Image Stabilization. The Note 3 was revealed to have a 13-megapixel camera with a High CRI LED flash for low-light environments and a "smart stabilizer," which wasn't explicitly called OIS. A front-facing camera is also on the device, coming in at 1.9-megapixels. But probably the best part of the camera is that, on some models, you can shoot 4K video.

Storage

The Samsung Galaxy Note 3 will come in 32GB or 64GB models, with a microSD card slot that can carry more media storage. The 16GB model was rumored to have been dropped from the lineup, as a brand new phablet in 2013 really needs more storage from the start.

Battery

A 3,200 mAh battery will provide plenty of power for the Galaxy Note 3, as Samsung claims it gets up to 13 hours watching 1080p video - almost long enough to watch the Lord of the Rings Extended Edition trilogy.

Release Date

Rumors of a quick release date have hit the web in recent weeks, with some saying that the new Galaxy Note 3 would start shipping as soon as a couple weeks from now. Samsung has confirmed that, saying that 149 countries will get a release date of Sept. 25. In the U.S. and Japan, the Galaxy Note 3 is coming in October.

Other Details

Android 4.3 Jelly Bean is slated to be the first operating system for the device when it ships, but expect the new Android 4.4 KitKat to be an early update for the Galaxy Note 3, as soon as Samsung layers the TouchWiz UI on top of it. The Galaxy Note 3 also has a new security feature built in, called "Samsung Knox," which promises to provide Galaxy Note 3 owners a level of privacy, making it optimal for BYOD to work. Finally, the Galaxy Note 3 was also revealed to have ultra high quality audio (UHQA) capability.