UPDATED 13:19 EDT / SEPTEMBER 05 2013

NEWS

Galaxy Note III vs. All The Other Phablets

Samsung has unveiled the Galaxy Gear, its first entry in the wearable tech market, the 2014 version of the Galaxy Note 10.1, and the Galaxy Note III.

So what’s new with the Note III?  Is it as impressive as the Note II or could it be even better? Check out how Samsung’s latest and greatest phablet compares to the other popular phablets that were recently unveiled.

Design:

 

Samsung Galaxy Note III:  It’s bigger but slimmer with a new back cover.  Contrary to most Galaxy devices, the Noe III features a matte leather removable back cover, but the sides of the device is still plastic though it may look like it’s made of metal.  Though the leather makes it look more sophisticated, the presence of the stitches removes some of the elegance.

Samsung Galaxy MEGA: Special polycarbonate body, slim bezel, wide display

Samsung Galaxy Note II: Special polycarbonate body, slim bezel, wide display

Sony Xperia Z Ultra: The front and back are made of tempered glass, creating a seamless surface with the OptiContrast panel housed in an innovative solid metal frame which looks stunning from any angle. It features the same acclaimed OmniBalance design as Xperia Z and Tablet Z. The Xperia Z Ultra is available in a choice of black, white or purple colour finishes.

LG Optimus G Pro: Smooth metallic highlights done with Laser Cut Contour and a unibody with a clean finish

HTC Butterfly S: Glossy plastic shell that comes in grey, white and red.

Dimensions:

 

Galaxy Note III: Height 151.2 x Width 79.2 x Depth 8.3mm, Weight 168 grams

Galaxy MEGA: 167.6 x 88.0 x 8.0mm, 199g

Galaxy Note II: 151.1 x 80.5 x 9.4 mm, 182.5g

Xperia Z Ultra: 179.4 x 92.2 x 6.5, 212g

Optimus G Pro: 150.2 x 76.1 x 9.4 mm, 172 g

Butterfly S: 144.5 x 70.5 x 10.6mm, 160g

Display:

Galaxy Note III: 5.7inch (144.3mm)  Full HD Super AMOLED (1920 x 1080)

Galaxy MEGA: 16cm(6.3) HD Super Clear LCD

Galaxy Note II: 140.9 mm (5.5″) HD Super AMOLED (1,280 x 720)

Xperia Z Ultra: 6.4” Full HD TRILUMINOS™ Display for mobile powered by X-Reality™ for mobile engine for the ultimate big screen entertainment experience

Optimus G Pro: True Full HD IPS LCD capacitive touchscreen, 16M colors, 1080 x 1920 pixels, 5.5 inches (~401 ppi pixel density), multitouch

Butterfly S: 5.0 inch Full HD 1080p, 440PPI, Corning® Gorilla®Glass 3

Processor:

 

Galaxy Note III: LTE – 2.3 GHz Quad-Core Processor, 3G – 1.9 GHz Octa Core  Processor ( A15 1.9 GHz + A7 1.3 GHz)

Galaxy MEGA: 1.7GHz Dual Core

Galaxy Note II: 1.6 GHz quad-core processor

Xperia Z Ultra: Qualcomm® Snapdragon™ 800 processor with 2.2 GHz quad-core CPUs and 4G LTE for fast performance

Optimus G Pro: Qualcomm® Snapdragon™ 600 Processor with 1.7Ghz Quad-Core CPUs

Butterfly S: Qualcomm® Snapdragon™ 600, quad-core, 1.9GHz

Memory:

 

Galaxy Note III: 32/ 64 GB User memory + microSD slot (up to 64GB), 3GB RAM

Galaxy MEGA: 16GB, microSD upgradable to up to 64GB, 1.5GB RAM

Galaxy Note II: 16/32/64GB User memory, microSD slot (up to 64GB), 2GB RAM

Xperia Z Ultra: 16GB storage, microSD card slot up to 64GB, 2GB RAM

Optimus G Pro: 32 GB, upgradable with 64GB microSD, 2GB RAM

Butterfly S: 16GB, upgradable with up to 64GB micorSD, 2GB RAM

 Camera:

Galaxy Note III: 13MP rear camera with BSI Sensor, Auto Focus camera with Smart Stabilization, LED Flash(High CRI), and Zero Shutter Lag; 2MP front camera with BSI sensor with Smart Stabilization, Full HD recording @30fps.  Features: Dual Camera – Dual Shot / Dual Recording/ Dual Video Call; Recording – UHD 30fps, Smooth motion (FHD 60fps), Slow motion (HD 120fps); and Camera Modes – Drama Shot, Sound & Shot, Animated Photo, Eraser, Best Photo, Best Face, Beauty Face, HDR (High Dynamic Range), Panorama, Sports, Golf, Surround shot, Live effect.

Galaxy MEGA: 8MP AF w/Flash + 1.9MP

Galaxy Note II: 8 MP rear camera with Auto Focus and LED Flash, BSI; 1.9MP front VT Camera, BSI, Best Photo, Best Face, Low light shot

Xperia Z Ultra: 8 megapixel camera with “Exmor RS for mobile” sensor and HDR for videos and photos, 2MP front-facing camera with FullHD video capture

Optimus G Pro: rear camera – 13 MP, autofocus, LED flash, front camera –  2.1 MP, 1080p@30fps, geo-tagging, face detection, image stabilization, Smart Shutter, Time Catch Shot, Cheese Shutter, Live Effects,

Butterfly S: HTC UltraPixel Camera, BSI sensor, Pixel size 2.0 µm, Sensor size 1/3″, Dedicated HTC ImageChip 2, F2.0 aperture and 28 mm lens, Smart Flash – Five levels of flash automatically set by distance to subject, 2.1 MP front camera with wide angle lens and HDR capability, 1080p Full HD video recording with HDR Video, HTC Zoe with Sequence Shot, Always Smile and Object Removal, Gallery with Video Highlights and HTC Share, Continuous shooting and VideoPic, Slow motion video recording with variable speed playback

 Battery Life:

 

Galaxy Note III: Standard battery, Li-ion 3,200 mAh

Galaxy MEGA: removable 3200mAh battery

Galaxy Note II: Standard battery, Li-ion 3,100mAh; Up to 15 hours and 30 minutes talk time, Up to 24 days of standby time

Xperia Z Ultra: 3,000mAh

Optimus G Pro:  Li-Po 3140 mAh battery

Butterfly S:  rechargeable Li-polymer battery, 3200 mAh; Talk time – Up to 25 hours for WCDMA, Up to 29 hours for GSM, Standby time – Up to 659 hours for WCDMA, Up to 544 hours for GSM

 Connectors:

 

Galaxy Note III: microUSB, 3.5mm ear jack

Galaxy MEGA: Micro USB, 3.5mm ear-jack

Galaxy Note II: USB 2.0 Host, 3.5mm Ear Jack

Xperia Z Ultra: standard microUSB port with MHL and USB host, 3.5mm jack

Optimus G Pro: 3.5mm jack, micro USB

Butterfly S: 3.5 mm stereo audio jack, micro-USB 2.0

 Wireless:

 

 Galaxy Note III: WiFi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac (HT80), NFC,  Bluetooth v 4.0 (LE), IR LED (Remote Control), MHL 2.0

Galaxy MEGA: BT 4.0 LE, Wi-Fi a/b/g/n/ac,NFC(UICC, eSE)

Galaxy Note II: Bluetooth® v 4.0 (Apt-X Codec support) LE, WiFi 802.11 a/b/g/n (2.4 & 5 GHz), Wi-Fi HT40, Wi-Fi Direct, NFC, S Beam, Samsung AllShare Play & Control, Samsung AllShare Cast (WiFi Display), Mirroring & Extention, Samsung AllShare Framework

Xperia Z Ultra: Wi-Fi a/b/g/n, Wi-Fi hotspot, Bluetooth 4.0, NFC

Optimus G Pro: 4G LTE, GPRS, EDGE, Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n, dual-band, Wi-Fi Direct, DLNA, Wi-Fi hotspot, Bluetooth 4.0, NFC, Infrared port,

Butterfly S: NFC capable, Compliant with Bluetooth 4.0, Bluetooth 4.0 with aptX enabled, Wi-Fi – IEEE 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, DLNA for wirelessly streaming media from the phone to a compatible TV or computer, Miracast wireless display standard, Support consumer infrared remote control

 GPS:

 

 Galaxy Note III: GPS / GLONASS

Galaxy MEGA: A-GPS + GLONASS

Galaxy Note II: A-GPS, Glonass

Xperia Z Ultra: GPS receiver with A-GPS

Optimus G Pro: S-GPS For Enhanced Location Accuracy

Butterfly S: GPS/AGPS + GLONASS, Digital compass

 Operating System:

 

Galaxy Note III: Android 4.3 (Jelly Bean)

Galaxy MEGA: Android 4.2 Jelly Bean

Galaxy Note II: Android 4.1 Jelly Bean

Xperia Z Ultra: Android 4.2 Jelly Bean

Optimus G Pro: Android 4.1.2 Jelly Bean

Butterfly S: Android with HTC Sense, HTC BlinkFeed

 Sensors:

 

Galaxy Note III: Gesture, Accelerometer, Geo-magnetic, Gyroscope, RGB, Proximity, Barometer, Temperature & Humidity, Hall Sensor

Galaxy MEGA: accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass and ambient light sensors

Galaxy Note II: Accelerometer, RGB Light, Digital Compass, Proximity, Gyro, Barometer

Xperia Z Ultra: No information yet

Optimus G Pro: Accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass

Butterfly S: Gyro sensor, Accelerometer, Proximity sensor, Ambient light sensor

 Video:

 

Galaxy Note III: Codec: H.264, MPEG-4, H.263, VC-1, WMV7, WMV8, Sorenson Spark, MP43, VP8, HEVCm Recording & Playback: Full HD (1080p), UHD (may differ by market)

Galaxy MEGA: MPEG4, H.263, H.264, VC-1, VP8Recording/ Playback : 1080p@30fps

Galaxy Note II: Codec – MPEG4, H.263, H.264, VC-1, DivX, WMV7, WMV8, WMV9, VP8; supported format: 3GP(MP4), WMV(ASF), AVI, FLV, MKV, WebM; Full HD(1080p) Playback & Recording

Xperia Z Ultra: No information yet

Optimus G Pro: Touch Lock, Dolby® Mobile, and Resume Play Function; supports DivX®, WMV, MP4, 3GP, and 3G2 Formats

Butterfly S: Playback – .3gp, .3g2, .mp4, .wmv (Windows Media Video 9), .avi (MP4 ASP and MP3), Recording – .mp4

Audio:

 

Galaxy Note III: Codec: MP3, AAC/AAC+/eAAC+, WMA, AMR-NB/WB, Vorbis, FLAC, WAV, Ultra High Quality Audio (~192KHz, 24 bit) support

Galaxy MEGA: FM Radio, MP3, OGG, AAC, AAC+, eAAC+, WMA,AMR-NB/WB, FLAC, PCM, MID, IMY

Galaxy Note II: Codec – MP3, OGG, WMA, AAC, ACC+, eAAC+, AMR(NB,WB), MIDI, WAV, AC-3, Flac, Music Player with SoundAlive

Xperia Z Ultra: No information yet

Optimus G Pro:  Supports AAC, AAC+, eACC+, AMR, MP3, MIDI, WAV, WMA Formats

Butterfly S: HTC BoomSound, Dual frontal stereo speakers with built-in amplifiers, Studio-quality sound with Beats Audio, Sense Voice, Playback – .aac, .amr, .ogg, .m4a, .mid, .mp3, .wav, .wma (Windows Media Audio 9), Recording – .amr

 SIM Card:

 

Galaxy Note III: Micro SIM

Galaxy MEGA: micro SIM

Galaxy Note II: micro SIM

Xperia Z Ultra: micro SIM

Optimus G Pro: Micro SIM

Butterfly S: microSIM

 Pen/Stylus:

 

Galaxy Note III: Modified S Pen which features Air Command – Action Memo, Scrapbook, Screen Write, S Finder, Pen Window

Galaxy MEGA: NONE

Galaxy Note II: S Pen Experience, S Note, S Planner, Email with hand-writing integration, S Pen Keeper, Quick Command, Easy Clip, Photo Note, Paper Artist, Shape Match, Formula Match

Xperia Z Ultra: Supports use of pencil and selected stylus or pen (capacitive stylus or metal pen with tip diameter over 1mm) but does not ship with one included

Optimus G Pro: NONE

Butterfly S: NONE

 Additional Features:

 

Galaxy Note III: Group Play which allows you to share music, photos, videos, documents and even play games; Story Album, S Translator, Smart features such as Smart Scroll, Smart Pause, Air Gesture and Air View, ChatON, WatchON, S Voice, S Health, Samsung Adapt Display, Samsung Adapt Sound, auto adjust touch sensitivity which means you can use it even when you’re wearing gloves, Samsung Link, screen mirroring, Safety Assistance, Samsung KNOX, and other features that would help you accomplishing tasks faster.

Galaxy MEGA: Samsung Apps, Samsung WatchONS Travel, Story Album, Kies(Windows & Mac), Kies air

Galaxy Note II: Air View, Popup Note, Popup Video, Page Buddy / Tag Buddy / Word Buddy, Samsung TouchWiz / Samsung L!ve Panel, Samsung Kies /Samsung Kies Air, Samsung ChatOn mobile communication service, Smart Stay, Direct claa, Screen Recorder, Quick Glance, Samsung ChatOn mobile communication service. Samsung S Suggest.  It also has an Enterprise solution that includes On Device Encryption (H/W), Microsoft Exchange ActiveSync, VPN(F5, Cisco, Juniper), MDM(Sybase Afaria, MobileIron, SOTI, Airwatch), CCX, and VMware MVP.

Xperia Z Ultra: super responsive screen with handwriting recognition, easy-toggle keyboard, Battery STAMINA Mode, “WALKMAN”, Album and Movies media applications, an impressive rating of IP55 and IP58 which makes it both dust resistant and waterproof

Optimus G Pro: Quick Memo, Live Zooming, Screen Zooming, Message Wallpaper, Icon personalizer, Application Link, Dual Screen, QSLIDE

Butterfly S: BlinkFeed, BoomSound, Zoe, Video Highlights

And the best phablet is…

 

Because of the smart features and enhanced S Pen features, the Galaxy Note III seems to be the all-round best phablet in this roundup.  Add to these features the sleeker body that makes it more comfortable to hold, and it’s advantages are numerous.

Unfortunately, having a leather back cover may not be the wisest move.  Though dirt on black leather is barely noticeable, white leather can get damaged and worn quite easily.  lus, leather is not the ideal material to use for something that is exposed to various temperatures and humidities, since it can easily crack.  Leather can be easily slashed ans when you have sweaty palms, the leather can be a bit sticky over time and even smell.


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