Samsung Galaxy Note 3 review

 

Being the world’s largest smartphone brand is no easy job. Just ask Samsung. Not only does it have to ensure it is present across product categories and price points but also innovate continuously and look for new experiences or risk becoming tomorrow’s Nokia or BlackBerry. Things get murkier when general consensus reckons that Samsung is not a trend creator but a follower, especially those set by Apple. That always leaves holes for a rival, that might not even exist today on a global scale, to suddenly spring up and catch Samsung by surprise.

But it would be unfair of me to say Samsung does not innovate. Its “hit anything against the wall and see what sticks” attitude have had mixed results. The most recent ones like the Galaxy Gear smartwatch and the Galaxy Round smartphone with a curved display have been the butt of many jokes, but so was the first generation Galaxy Note, which was launched in late-2011 and most critics dismissed it (yours truly included) as being too big and unwieldy to use as a phone. Many were also bewildered for Samsung introducing stylus input, which was famously proclaimed dead by Steve Jobs when he unveiled the first iPhone in 2007. Many thought that Samsung was taking a step back with the Galaxy Note. Proving all critics wrong, Samsung has sold close to 40 million Galaxy Notes since then, which is massive, especially for what many consider to be a niche device.
The Galaxy Note 3 continues the tradition of having an even bigger display than its predecessor, which now translates into 5.7-inches of full HD awesomeness. Its predecessor, the Galaxy Note II was in my books the best Android smartphone at the time of its launch. Can the Galaxy Note 3 be the same?