Samsung Galaxy Note 3: Bigger Screen, Killer Looks

The Note 3 follows the same legacy of having a large screen as its predecessors. In fact, it's one of the biggest smartphones in the market today. It uses the same plastic body as the Galaxy line-up, except that its black plate has a stitched leather look to it with a removable ribbed chrome trim around it. For a device that costs almost Rs 50,000 Samsung could have blessed the Galaxy Note 3 with better body material.

That said, Samsung has done a good job of trimming the phone's bezel to increase the screen size by 0.2 inches. So at 5.7 inches, it almost feels as if you're carrying an HDTV in your pocket! The screen is very bright, with outstanding and terrific clarity. Samsung has also upgraded the screen to full-HD resolution and feels premium overall and in comparison to Sony Xperia Z1, the display oozes quality, something that Samsung has been known for especially with its televisions.

Ergonomically, the Note 3 sits comfortably in the hands with well-balanced weight and design but one hand use is not always going to be comfortable. The thin screen bezel of Samsung Note 3 houses a 2 megapixel front-facing camera on the top; at the bottom you will see the trademark Samsung home button between two Android soft keys. Samsung has launched its Exynos Octa-core CPU model in India instead of the global Snapdragon 800 variant. According to Samsung, the Exynos variant was launched in India because of the lack of LTE connectivity that the Snapdragon model supports.

The back has a 13 megapixel rear camera and flash. There is nothing extraordinary about the camera and very much the same as on the Galaxy S4. The sides have been flattened, and sport a ribbed, faux-metal material, that makes the Note 3 slightly easier to grip than more rounded devices. There is a sensor, microphone, and 3.5 audio jack on the top; volume and power buttons on opposite sides; and a microphone micro USB 3.0 input, speaker, and S Pen receptacle on the bottom that enables one to carry the stylus easily without worrying about losing it. The big battery size does not result in feeling bulky which is a advantage with such a big device.

Performance

In terms of raw performance the Galaxy Note 3 is an equal competitor with the likes of LG G2, Sony Xperia Z1 and HTC One. On Antutu, it scored 34160, Quadrant score read 22340 and 3Dmark Ice storm score was 18700, which illustrates Note 3's graphics capability. During our battery tests, the 3200 mAh unit fared pretty well. On full brightness, medium usage of Wi-Fi, 3G for internet, gaming and music, Galaxy Note 3 lasted about 10 hours, which complements the large size battery loaded on the Note 3. To spice up things on the color aspect, the Galaxy Note 3 comes in Jet Black, Classic White, and Blush Pink options