Samsung unveils its next flagship phablet, the Galaxy Note 3

The king of phablets has just gotten even better. Samsung on Wednesday took the wraps off the Galaxy Note 3, its newest oversized smartphone that Samsung says is lighter and slimmer than previous Notes while featuring a 5.7-inch display, a 2.3GHz Snapdragon 800 processor, 3GB of RAM and Android 4.3 Jelly Bean. The new device will launch on September 25th in more than 140 countries around the world.

The new Note will also ship with Samsung’s Knox security suite designed to help companies integrate Galaxy devices into their IT networks. Additionally, Samsung says that it has redesigned its S-Pen stylus to be the “key” to the Note 3 user experience. Samsung has also redesigned the back panel of the Note and has given it a faux-leather finish that comes in three different colors and replaces the company’s standard plastic.

Although some reviewers ridiculed Samsung when it came out with its original Galaxy Note back in early 2012, the device quickly became a big seller for the company and sent rival manufacturers scrambling to release their own phones featuring displays of 5 inches or larger. Samsung further upped its game with the Galaxy Note II that came out last fall by refining the original Note’s rougher edges and by delivering a top-notch display that put copycat phablets to shame.

With the Galaxy Note 3, Samsung is pushing expectations for what phablets should deliver to a new level and leaked benchmarks suggest that this device might be the best-performing Samsung smartphone to date.

UPDATE: Be sure to check out our preview of the Galaxy Note 3.

Samsung’s press release follows below.

Design the Story of your Life with Samsung GALAXY Note 3

Enhanced S Pen features and larger screen optimized for multitasking provide a delightful mobile experience that brings passions to life 

Berlin, Germany – September 4, 2013 – Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. today introduced GALAXY Note 3, the latest update to the Note product line. The new Samsung GALAXY Note 3 adds delight to daily tasks and infuses innovative features that help consumers tell the story of their lives. Samsung GALAXY Note 3 delivers a larger and better screen for the best viewing experience and more powerful multitasking, and introduces significant S Pen improvements that make everyday life easier and faster.

GALAXY Note 3 makes your everyday life amazing

“We introduced the original GALAXY Note in 2011 and launched a whole new smart device category. The undeniable success of the GALAXY Note strengthened our conviction that consumers want higher quality features for smart devices and they want those new features to make their lives better,” said JK Shin, CEO and President of IT & Mobile Division at Samsung Electronics. “Samsung GALAXY Note 3 is a powerful, original approach that enables users to tell the stories of their lives through dynamic and seamless expressions of their passions across work, play and life experiences. With a simple click of the S Pen button, users can unlock opportunities for self-expression, features that transform everyday activities into extraordinary events and access to new experiences delivered to them on Note 3’s larger screen.”

Samsung GALAXY Note 3 comes with a wider (5.7inch) full HD Super AMOLED display, yet slimmer (8.3mm) and lighter (168g) hardware design, and more powerful and longer lasting (3,200mAh) battery. Also, equipped with a 13 megapixel rear camera with Smart Stabilization and high CRI LED flash, Samsung GALAXY Note 3 enables users to crisply capture every visual story in their lives, even in low light and active situations. Samsung GALAXY Note 3 offers the latest LTE technologies – CAT4 Carrier Aggregation and supports the greatest number of multiple frequencies. Incorporating the industry’s largest 3GB RAM, the GALAXY Note 3 also provides faster and more powerful performance.

Balancing GALAXY Note 3’s strength with artistic design

In addition to meaningful technological advancements, Samsung GALAXY Note 3 delivers a new premium look and feel. Expanding on the modern Samsung GALAXY design approach, Samsung GALAXY Note 3 adds a soft and textured-touch back cover and delicate stitching. It also features a serration pattern on the side of the device that evokes a connection to the timeless and enduring strengths of classic notebooks and planners. Samsung GALAXY Note 3 will be available in Jet Black, Classic White and Blush Pink. In order to encourage its customers to express their personality and taste, Samsung will also offer exchangeable back covers in dozens of additional colors at launch.

Click S Pen to make life easier, faster and more exciting

The new S Pen reinvents and modernizes the classic note-taking experience by providing the ability to accomplish everyday tasks with just one click. The advanced S Pen is designed to be fully functional as a communication driver between the phone and the user by creating essential input and control features. It plays an integral role in how users interface with the device, making all daily routines easier.

A simple click of the S Pen button while hovering over the screen introduces users to Air Command, a palette of five powerful features that truly make tasks easier and faster. With the Air Command feature, there is no need to toggle between screens, memorize commands or look up different menus. The Air Command feature provides access to the following key functions:

• Action Memo allows users to handwrite a note, and automatically execute a function or convert that handwritten

   information into formatted content. Action Memo can instantly initiate a call, add to contacts,

   look up an address on a map, search the web, save a task to a to-do list, and more

• Scrapbook enables users to organize or track down content and information from various sources

   including the web, YouTube and Gallery in one place so that users can easily look back at collected content

   all at once. When consumers save content for future use, Scrapbook also collects source material

   or URLs allowing them to easily refer back to the original source.

• The Screen Write feature captures the full screen image of the current page on the device and allows

   users to write comments or additional information onto the captured image.

• S Finder allows users to expansively search for content on their device regardless of the type. By putting

   in keywords or filters such as date, location, and content type, users can search related documents, events,

   communication threads, and even the Help page – all in one place. In addition, users can also

   search for hand-written content in their Notes and memo applications, as well as symbols and formulas.

• Pen Window allows users to use the S Pen not only for drawing sketches or writing notes, but now also

   for opening a small application window for a true multitasking experience. Simply by drawing a window

   of any size, anywhere on the screen, users can easily and quickly open another application window

   such as YouTube, calculator or Browser without pausing current activity on the screen.

For more advanced note-taking, the new S Note presents a comprehensive solution that enables consumers to easily write, organize, edit and browse notes with a user-friendly interface and the Easy Chart feature. The new S Note can also be synced with Evernote or a Samsung account and be enabled for accessing and viewing from different devices. Furthermore, when a user wants only a certain part of an image to be taken from the web or Note 3 content, the advanced new Easy Clip feature allows them to roughly draw around the desired image and then it converts that content into a more precisely cropped image.

Larger Note screen delivers enriched viewing experience and enables you to do more

The Samsung GALAXY Note 3 delivers a larger screen and the increased size is matched with powerful improvements that allow users to fully utilize the additional screen space. The 5.7-inch Full HD Super AMOLED screen provides a stunning and defined video viewing experience for watching Full HD content, distinct clarity for reading and an elegant canvas for content creation.

My Magazine provides a personalized news, social media, entertainment and in-the-moment content experience. Developed through a partnership with Flipboard, it offers an integrated content consuming experience in a modern and dynamic magazine-style layout.

The GALAXY Note 3 enables enhanced multitasking capabilities that allow users to fully utilize the larger screen.

• With the new Multi Window, users can toggle seamlessly between applications without closing the window

   or opening a new page, allowing for enhanced productivity and collaboration across programs.

   Consumers can also run one application in two windows at the same time. For instance,

   users can read the news in one browser while conducting a web search in another, or send an instant message

   through ChatON to a friend while reading a message from another friend.

• In addition, using Drag and Drop mode within the new Multi Window, users can easily drag and drop

   content such as a text or image from one window to the other in  an instant.

• Pen Window from Air Command further enhances multitasking experience by allowing consumers to draw

   a window on the screen and launching popular applications while continuing current tasks on the GALAXY Note 3.

An improvement to Group Play, video sharing, is now available. Originally introduced along with the GALAXY S4, Group Play allows users to play the same music, to play games together, and to share documents. It now enables consumers to share videos and play content together with their friends simultaneously. Users can also connect up to five devices alongside each other to create a “big screen” viewing experience.

Samsung KNOX & Find My Mobile

The new GALAXY Note 3 comes with enhanced privacy and security protection provided by Samsung KNOX. Users can activate Samsung KNOX with ease which allows them to run and store security-sensitive applications and data inside a protected execution environment called “container.” The security inside the container is strengthened by system-level protection of Samsung KNOX against malware and phishing attacks as well as hacking attempts on physical devices when devices are stolen or lost. For instance, important personal pictures or video can be stored in the container with no worries for data leakage due to hacking. In addition, users may choose to store enterprise applications and data such as corporate email, contacts and calendar and allow the IT department to manage the container through EAS (Exchange ActiveSync Server). These features make the GALAXY Note 3 an ideal device for BYOD (Bring-Your-Own-Device to work)

Furthermore, the GALAXY Note 3 is equipped with an improved Find My Mobile feature that allows users to disable the phone when it is stolen or lost. With the enhanced user authentication, the technology prevents stolen mobile phones from being reset to factory settings, and allows users to remotely track or erase the data from their lost or stolen mobile phones.

GALAXY Gear, the smart companion for GALAXY Note 3

Simultaneously announced with Samsung GALAXY Note 3, GALAXY Gear is a new concept device that allows users to live life in the moment while staying connected. GALAXY Gear will notify users and give them quick previews of incoming texts, emails and more coming from GALAXY Note 3. It will provide a range of other valuable features and commands that extend the GALAXY Note 3 experience. When an incoming message requires more than a quick glance, users can simply pick up their Samsung GALAXY devices and the Smart Relay feature will instantly reveal the full content on the screen. Together, GALAXY Note 3 and GALAXY Gear extend Samsung’s efforts to provide users with the opportunity to design their lives, to express their passions and to make everyday life more easy and enjoyable.

Available in 32GB or 64GB internal storage along with an additional microSD card slot, the Samsung GALAXY Note 3 and GALAXY Gear are set to launch starting from September 25 in more than 140 countries around the world. The Samsung GALAXY Note 3 will also be available in the U.S. later this year on AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, Verizon Wireless and U.S. Cellular.

The GALAXY Note 3 will be on display at the Samsung booth # 20 at IFA 2013, September 6 through September 11, 2013. Full details, video content and product images are available at www.samsungmobilepress.com  or m.samsungifa.com.