Review Samsung Galaxy Note 3 SM-N9005 Smartphone

As is always the case with Galaxy range smartphones, the Note 3 is made from plastics. At first glance, the rear cover looks like it has been made from leather (it even comes with fake stitching!), but this is not the case. The sides look like aluminum, but they, too, are made from silver-colored polycarbonate. Still, the Note 3 feels and looks like a sturdy premium device. The weight is a nice surprise, too - 168 grams (5.9 ounces) is not too shabby for a 5.7-inch device. The Note 3 could have been thinner as it is 0.4 mm thicker than the Galaxy S4. The Note 3 is also as tall as its predecessor at 151.2 mm (~6 inches) while being slightly narrower (79.2 mm vs. 80.5 mm) (~3.1 vs. 3.2 inches).

Overall, no huge surprises here - at least not if one has touched a Galaxy-branded smartphone before.

Communication & GPS 

The Galaxy Note 3 ships with more than enough communication modules. The Wi-Fi wireless for accessing the web at home or at the office supports all current standards (802.11 ac/b/g/n, thus including dual-band mode), provided the router does so, too. Maximum LTE speeds of 150 Mbit/s via numerous frequency bands (800/850/900/1800/2100/2600 MHz) are possible. In addition to the standard 3.5mm audio jack, Bluetooth 4.0 for establishing low-energy wireless connections to a number of end devices is on board as well. Naturally, a Samsung flagship smartphone nowadays cannot ship without NFC support for the emerging near-field communications standard. Handily, the Galaxy Note 3 is also able to double as a universal remote control (for TVs and other multimedia devices) due to its optical infrared port on top of the smartphone. During our tests, all wireless modems worked flawlessly at all times, without any unexpected connection interruptions. Reception and transmission quality were constantly high.

The Galaxy Note 3 comes with an aGPS module (including GLONASS). In order to test the quality of this module, we are comparing its precision to that of a full-blown outdoor navigation system made by Garmin during a real-life bicycle ride. Unfortunately, both modules could have worked better. Close to the crossing, some deviations from the actual route can be noted, but things got even less precise once we entered the forest patch. Such an imprecision in terms of locating the exact route also leads to wrong results in terms of the overall distance we rode. The GPS module used in the Apple iPhone 5C is definitely better.

Its 5.7-inch display turns the Galaxy Note 3 into one of the largest smartphones on the market right now, even though it feels rather compact next to some especially huge phablets such as the Sony Xperia Z Ultra. The newest Galaxy Note variant stays true to the current trend towards ever-larger smartphone screens, adding 0.15 inches to its already challenging (in terms of handling) predecessor. To be fair, the concept seems to work out. In addition, Samsung has actually managed to slim down the chassis when compared to the Galaxy Note 2, both in terms of thickness and width. The display has seen another (unsurprising) upgrade, too, now sporting the same Full HD resolution as its smaller sibling, the Galaxy S4.

The average display brightness is 342.2 cd/m² as measured with X-Rite i1Pro 2 is quite good. Its brightness homogeneity? Not so much, as its 81% is not as great as the superb 95% of the Samsung Galaxy S4. As a Super AMOLED display is used, blacks are almost perfectly dark, leading to a basically infinite contrast ratio - which strongly enhances the readability of all screen contents under direct sunlight.

The Galaxy Note 3 offers more than enough performance for almost everything that can be thrown at it. The 5.7-inch device is powered by Qualcomm's Snapdragon 800, as are its competitors made by LG and Sony. The MSM8974 quad-core SoC is based on the ARMv7 instruction set, being manufactured via a 28-nm process. Each core is clocked at 2.3 GHz, allowing the chip to play QFHD videos (Quad Full HD, 3840x2160 pixels). An unprecedented amount of 3 GB of LPDDR3-RAM (800 MHz) is more than the already lush 2 GB used in the LG G2 or the Sony Xperia Z Ultra. In addition, the Note 3 is the first smartphone to make use of a USB 3.0 port. Not only does this increase the data transfer rate when copying files onto the internal storage, but it also allows (in theory) for quicker charging via the USB ports of a PC, increasing the 500 mA current which can be carried via a USB 2.0 data cable to up to 900 mA.

As we had already seen with other smartphones shipping with the same SoC, the performance levels achievable with the Snapdragon 800 are enormous, clearly beating most every other SoC in almost all benchmarks. Even though we might already be able to make an educated guess at the performance of the Samsung Galaxy Note 3, our test device will still have to prove itself during a number of "experiments", starting with synthetic benchmarks such as "GFXBench 2.7". Both the Sony Xperia Z Ultra and the LG G2 were able to reach slightly more than 20 fps, but the Note 3 is even 10% faster. Similar results can be obtained when different benchmarks are run, almost routinely beating the Galaxy S4 by around 40% while basically always staying ahead of both the LG G2 and the Sony Xperia Z Ultra - although both devices use the same SoC.

Those who have always been fond of the Note series will definitely already have cast an eye at Samsung's newest flagship - and rightfully so, as the Galaxy Note 3 is more than just an ordinary successor to the Galaxy Note II. Staying true to the trend of ever-larger smartphone screen sizes, the display of the Note 3 has grown as well; albeit in moderation, (the device is actually smaller and lighter than its predecessor, partially thanks to smaller bezels). Qualcomm's ultra-fast Snapdragon 800 and 3 GB of RAM speak for themselves. Even during real-life usage, the smartphone barely ever breaks a sweat, remaining extremely fast and responsive. Another big pro is the Note 3's absurdly phenomenal battery life. The camera module is the same as the one used in the older Galaxy S4, but neither Samsung nor our reviewers feel much need for change in this regard. While we did not really take to the S-Pen (not using it much at all), it is surely an attractive feature with a number of useful application scenarios for those who need it.

Samsung pretty much nailed it with the Galaxy Note 3, creating a formidable smartphone. It is no bargain, currently retailing for around 650 Euros (~$891), but this is still considerably less than the 799 Euros (~$1095) the 32 GB variant of the iPhone 5S costs. For those who are in need of an even larger device, the 6.44-inch Sony Xperia Z Ultra (approx. 600 Euros/~$822) might do the trick. The 5.2-inch LG G2, on the other hand, might be a great "smaller" alternative at 480 Euros (~$658).