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If today’s rumors are to be believed it looks like Samsung is about to be the first to take the next big step in mobile computing. The company is apparently gearing up to launch the Samsung Galaxy Note 3 with a whopping 3GB of RAM. That sounds tiny in relation to computers, but in mobile technology — including most ARM-based tablets — 3GB of RAM is quite amazing.
Beyond that little nugget, we’re told to expect the phone to have a 5.99-inch display (which we’ll just round up to 6 inches for the sake of not indulging in Samsung’s .99 tactic that has become so widespread in retail pricing). For some, that is most certainly becoming too big for comfort.
I know we say it every time a bigger phone is introduced, but this time really feels like the last time — it’ll be hard for Samsung to get folks to accept a phone this big. Even with my gargantuan-sized mitts I find myself having to overstretch my fingers to use the 5.5-inch Galaxy Note 2 in one-handed fashion. I can’t pass absolute judgment until I’ve held it myself, of course, but Samsung will have to do some major engineering work to convince me. Would you buy a 6-inch phone?
[via MyDrivers]
I use my right hand and have my pinky almost be a phone holder makes one handed use on my Note II a breeze
I do the same same thing with my note 2 as well. Even with that said, there’s no way I could go any bigger. Sometimes I wish I had a smaller phone.
Very true. But I think 5.99 might be doable especially since I think some of the real estate will be from a shrunken bezel. If they do a Note III with an aluminum body, 3 gigs of Ram and an Octo Core using a F HD Amoled I don’t know how I could say no. This has been the best phone I’ve owned and I’ve ‘been around the block’ a few times haha.
EDIT: I feel you on smaller phone sometimes. I think 5 would be perfect.
I have a GS3 and I wish my phone was smaller sometimes as well. Mostly holding it one-handed for extended periods gives me cramps in my hand. It must be even worse with a Note/Note 2 :-/ I do envy the larger screen though…
I have pretty big hands. I held the Note 2 at a Tmobile store a few months back and honestly, that is the LARGEST I would want a phone. If they release something with the same size and better hardware, then I would surely purchase one. Waiting to find a few cheaper Note 2’s on CL so I can upgrade from this outdated HTC Sensation lol.
My Note2 is as big as I ever plan to go with a phone, but I will be getting a note3 because Samsung has plenty of bezel real estate they can push out display size with. You’ll have the larger screen, same case size, just with less bezel. Works for me.
Wasn’t expecting 6. Hope this doesnt pan out passing on the s4 I’m thinking killer hardware and killer software on the note 3 …………..
They must’ve really shrunk the bezel or something.
Even if I has zero bezel, I don’t see how they could squeeze another half inch out of it.
OMG…Bezel much
Actually we don’t know how much bezel that’s a s4 and note 2 by the design steps note 3 won’t have any significant bezel
Most definitely not a S4. S4 doesn’t come in titanium dawg.
This phone is a cartoon. Samsung should start focusing on a couple quality phones rather than the shotgun approach they take now. The “enhancements” on the S4 are pretty much gimmicks nobody will use. It wont take the public too long to notice they are starting down the road of sw glut but low quality builds. Experimenting on every conceivable size phone and tablet is wasting a a lot of engineering time/space/money that could be applied to real innovation.
are you a moron? Samsung is one of the few innovators in this space and you want less innovation? Go back to your iPhone if that makes you happy.
No, Im not a moron. Are you 12 years old? I dont own an iphone, Samsung makes a 5″ phone, 5.5″ phone, 6″ (planned), 7 inch tablet, 8″, 10.1 ” and planning an 11″. Gee, all they are missing is the huge 9″ demographic. I see nothing innovative in that. I have a samsung S4, and I dont find many (if any) of the new “sw features” innovative. With a new launcher and all the sw glut removed or turned off, it is decent.
I am so sick of this size war. I do not want a tablet as my phone unless the phone docks into the tablet, i.e. the Asus Padfone. This is beyond ridiculous now!
God.. I wish the Padphone came stateside…
I’d buy it!
Padfone 2 would of rocked at 500 bucks with contract.
Then don’t buy it, it’s not for you. Many other people will enjoy a phone of this size.
get an s2 then
It’s plenty of space on the front screen to implement a larger screen without increasing the size of the phone….. They just don’t want to change the look of the device at all. But I will be getting the Note 3 #NoQuestionsAsked
Hell yeah!! Waiting anxiously for this beast to launch!! I don’t really care about one or two hand usage..just want bad a** phone with bad a** specs!!!
It looks beautiful… I should start saving whatever money I have to get this. :)
It better have a 4000mAh battery though…
W. T. F?
I’ll stick with a phone and my N7 for now…… Well, at least until that genetic engineering to give me Mr. Fantistic-like hands comes around…………
Yep this is my next phone. I love a big ass display. If they put 3gb of ram that will an even bigger bonus.
Totally Fake, look at the bezel. why would they go with less bezel on the S4 and more on the Note3. This is a way to early fake job that is getting way to much attention. And what about the rest of the specs? Where the hell did they come from? Seems like someone just made up some numbers and photo shopped a picture. I wish the Android community would stop bloggin the rumors and focus on the facts.
Agreed, they aren’t going to keep the design language from the last gen. The next note phone will be a scaled up version of the GS4, like a smaller note 8 (which I have and luuuuuve)
What facts? There won’t be any hard facts until after the phone is launched. Even with the S4, people weren’t sure about whether the North American processor will be octo LTE because it was never mentioned in the release. It’ll be a long and boring wait if you want only facts. Part of blogging the rumors is to stimulate what’s expected in a new product. You can bet Samsung and all other companies (Maybe not Apple) are watching rumors to give their future products some indication of direction.
This new version will be my next phone. I will retire my S3 and give it to the wifey….and I will upgrade and be happy again with my new toy (for a year).
Same here. Wifey is making do with jellybean on my last S1 hand-me-down; the S3 will be a nice bump (but not as nice a bump as the Note3 for meeeeee :))
Help me convince MY wifey to drop the 4S and take the S3 off my hands when the N3 comes out.
Jason Yuen:
If your wife doesnt look at the S3 and go “Oooooh” and make her panties wet….shes not gonna get it at all. The S3 is simply a proper phone!
Better yet, do a drop test! Drop the S3 and the iPhail. When the iPhail breaks, give her the problem free Sammy!
Getting bigger and bigger ,mem’ry storage still 16 gig. Goliath with child brain.
^ This! It’s been, what? 3+ years since phones started doing 32 and 64gb and still we get this 16gb crap!
At least you can put a 64GB mSD class-10 card, like in my Note 1. It’s a good option IMHO and when I buy the Note 3 no extra cost for the 64GB version, just swap the card. Anyway, 32GB should be the start fort a high end if it doesn’t increase the costs.
128GB microSDXC cards are expected this summer, too (which thankfully leaves some time for the initial price sprike to level off some by the time Note3 is out in the fall)
Hi! My point is, Atleast 32 gig min initial storage
for this kind of powerful Mongolian phone.
I know sd slot is a plus, but I’m talking by the phone itself.
16 gig is good 4 mid range phone.
I’m used to working with 6 inches in my hand, that won’t be a problem. *ducks*
If you know what I mean.
only 6? sux for u…
yes please
6.3 or 6.2 I would go for it , but 5.99 no go for that.
What? You want a bigger phone? Lol
I think the Nexus 7 will be a better option for you
Hell yeah! I have big enough hands , I use the note 2 with one hand 98% of the time.
Wait.. Didn’t Samsung release a 7-inch tablet recently?? What’s the point in making a 6-inch phone?
I wouldn’t mind it, as long as they kept the same dimensions of the Note 2… But… It’s going to be even bigger.
I think Samsung is the only company that can pull off releasing 20+ Android devices this year without losing profit…
http://androidspin.com/2013/04/29/galaxy-note-3-picture-debunked-samsung-apparently-has-3-prototypes-of-the-phablet/
ill buy it the day it comes out for verizon
Rumored specs maybe picture … no,http://androidspin.com/2013/04/29/galaxy-note-3-picture-debunked-samsung-apparently-has-3-prototypes-of-the-phablet/
I doubt we’ll see more than 2 gigs of RAM in tablets and phones for a while. Here’s why:
* RAM is expensive
Sure, memory chips may be cheap, but that’s not the only (or even the main) cost. Alongside the RAM itself you need extra buses, power lines, bigger memory controllers, heatsinks, blah blah blah. The RAM also takes physical space on-chip. For price-per-dollar, at least at the moment, you’re better off increasing cache sizes rather than memory sizes.
Also, don’t forget how power-hungry RAM is. Doubling the RAM capacity means doubling its power budget, which means either your battery life gets even worse, or you need bigger batteries. Combine this with a 6 inch display and you’re going to be using some serious juice. Unlike CPU cores, RAM can’t be scaled back until its used, as the linux kernel that Android uses doesn’t work that way.
So, it’s not as cheap as all that, and you don’t want to add more RAM until you can really use it, which you can’t, because of……….
* 32-bit processors
Remember how desktops and servers only started having lots of RAM when 64-bit processors became popular? That’s because 32-bit processors can only have 4 GB of address space. That has to include all the RAM you want to access, plus any memory-mapped buffers for accessing other hardware and storage (of which Android has plenty). By the time you count everything, it effectively limits you to accessing about 2.5GB of RAM anyway (give or take).
Now, with LPAE (the ARM equivalent of Intel’s PAE) you can make that a per-process limit rather than a whole-system limit. That is, you could have 8 GB of RAM in your device, and each process could use up to 2.5GB of it. But that’s not as useful for a phone as it is for a server, because of………
* Single-tasking
Unlike other mobile OSes (looking at you, Apple), Android lets apps run background services in their own process, but realistically, they’re not going to be doing memory-intensive operations. You don’t need 2 GB of RAM to sync your email and contacts, and for more intensive background operations, the trend has been to put them in “The Cloud” ™, letting big servers handle the heavy lifting and just sending the results to your screen. If you think of a smartphone and tablet as just a thin client connected to Internet services, there’s no way we even need 1 GB of RAM. RAM demands have only grown past that because of increasing screen resolutions and the need to supply large textures to games. Resolutions won’t be increasing beyond 1080p for a while, as there’s no real benefit.
Now, I mentioned the potential for multitasking, but it’s a tiny minority of users that would ever be swapping between two memory-hungry apps on a tablet or phone. Nobody runs two memory-hungry, texture rich games at the same time. This may be something that changes if manufacturers start bringing Android to desktops or more powerful portables, but right now RAM is not the only thing stopping people using their devices that way. Even if you are multitasking, you have………..
* Fast non-volatile memory
Android devices have an extra advantage that means they don’t need as much RAM as desktops or servers: fast non-volatile storage. Using flash memory as swap is actually pretty fast, especially when it’s internal memory (so the system integrator can tune everything for its latency and bandwidth) rather than an arbitrary SD card.
Android already lets apps pack up their GUI state into special storage before they go away into the background. This lets background processes take up less memory, and provides a path for Android to move that state to non-volatile memory. I’d expect to see this mechanism used a lot more cleverly in software to make the most of the RAM you already have, before manufacturers start pushing the 32-bit limit.
There’s no reason Android devices can’t have more memory than the 2 gigs we have in high-end devices today, but adding more isn’t just a question of going to Fry’s Electronics and buying a stick of DDR4. At the same time, most users won’t see any benefit from the extra memory; the way Android devices are used and the way Android apps are written would have to drastically change before they would.
They sell these phones for $600. RAM cost them what, $10?
You obviously missed the whole top of my post. The RAM chip itself is cheap, yes. But the cost to implement it is not. If a 2 gig RAM chip and a 4 gig RAM chip cost the same to produce, physically, you might think the cost of the phone would be identical, regardless of which chip was used. You’d be incorrect. The pipelines and busses necessary to address 4 gigs of RAM is double the requirement to address 2 gigs of RAM, on the mainboard itself. This requires engineering effort at the R&D phase, costing more there, and also costs more to put on the board at production time. It is not simply “swap out the chip”.
Samsung can fit a 6″ screen in the same Note 2 body… I am waiting for it.
Stop whining about the size. I have had the note 2 since the day it came out and have absolutely no problems with the size. I will gladly get the note 3 with a 6″ or 6.3″ screen. I could never go back to a smaller screen now.The I phone 5 seems like a tiny little screen. Bigger the better.
Nope, gonna whine about it. 6″ is a tablet, not a phone.
The bigger the better, here, here!!!!!
Agreed. my note 2 feels like it could grow in size without hindering handling. Amazing that 5.5 sometimes feels a bit too small…
I would welcome the bump in Ram and other specs but the Note 2 IMO is the largest phone needed. After that you might as well just carry around a small tablet. Increase the Horse Power but keep the Note the same size, it would be a huge seller. The Android users would go nuts over it, I sure would.
PS I refuse to buy any Smartphone with only 16gb of internal memory. That is just a joke. I waited for the SGS4 and I will not buy it, I have the SGS3 with 32gb of int memory and a 64gb sd card, Any top of the line Smartphone needs a minimum of 32gb of int memory with sd card or 64gb of int memory if there is no sd card support. Anything less isn’t a top of the line smartphone. A few apps and some new games and there goes all your int memory. Carriers better wake the fu– up, I refuse to buy junk.
whoa to big for my taste
Heeeeeck no!
HORY SHET YES
SMDH…
3gb of ram is awesome, 6″ display is ridiculous. That’s a tablet, I don’t care how you spin it. 5″ is my limit, anything above that won’t be coming home with me.
I bought my note 2 off swappa last week to replace my aging galaxy nexus. I adore the screen size and most importantly the battery life. I havent had reason to pick up my Nexus 7 since.
This phone can definitely perform the functions of a phone as well as be used for entertainment like a tablet.
That said, if the SGN3 ends up being only slightly larger while improving on screen resolution and adding even more impressive battery life, i’ll absolutely buy it and pass my SGN2 to my girlfriend.
And heres to hoping the metal chassis rumors prove true!
5.5 is good but im guessing my next phone im gonna slim down to a 5 or 4 inch and millimeter haha. i cant picture a 6in in my pockets. but i am having so much fun with the note 2
I thought it was obvious with the inclusion of the stylus that it is not intended for one handed use I mean really you thought you would be able to stretch your thumb across a 5.5 diagonal screen 0.0?
If they release it, I will buy!
I’ll take a 10 inch phone, just make sure it comes with a back pack
I’m sold.
my note 2 seams normal now
GODDAMN!!! Sammy isn’t playing with these hoes anymore…Galaxy Note III my next phone..Now what to do with my Galaxy Note II….Hmmmm…..
i love note 1 and note 2. i love big screens. but i really do wonder if 6″ is gonna be a tad bit too big for me. i’d wish that Samsung could improve on some other things instead, like 1080p (should be on Note 3), more RAM (should also be on Note 3), minimum 32GB, better connectivity (to TV, etc), and still make the phone last at least 20 hours on heavy usage.
Most plastic and bloatware crap from Samsung..thats great.
Good luck to you all when Samsung releases a Note 3 with only 16gb of storage and bloatware takes up 9gb…Look at GS3…8.5gb left for the user.
nice troll…
I can picture myself with this device since majority of the time, I’m using my ‘phone’ for stuff other than making actual phone calls
Ok, just go back couple years ago and a phone with 4″ screen would be “too big”… now go back 20 years and remind that people used to think those early years Motorola were incredibly small and mobile. Is just funny. Lots of people just lack of looking at the whole picture. What has Samsung written on the GS4 screen for its official pics? LIFE COMPANION. Spot on. Our smartphones are an extension of ourselves, they are our firs… second brain. And it is nice to have a big brain. We do everything on our smartphones so why not do it comfortably? Im absolutely sure that 2 years from now all smartphones will have at least 5” screens. If not more. I believe that the tablet frenzy will also stop and people will realize that they are not necessary once u have a big screen smartphone (asus has gotten that before everyone else). Of course tablets are great for kids while they are still not old enough to have a phone, or for biz use or maybe for reading, but thats it. Soon everyone will have a big screen smartphone and nobody will dare go back go the 3, 4 inches.
Snartphone of 2013
I was hoping for a 6.3″/6.5″ (which would be my ideal “ultimate” size) but 6″ with 3GB RAM is a definite BUY for me!!
(will upgrade from a Note II, of course)
I love my Note 2, wouldn’t mind adding half an inch, but it’s getting pretty close to the max manageable size. One thing that annoys me is this 16GB business. I’m not sure if 32GB Note 2 exists, but forget about finding it in Canada.
Granted you can add memory via microsd, but you can’t install on that space. Once you have several very large games like NFS, Nova, Wild Blood, it goes fast!
If you are rooted this might be of interest to you.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2036796
hell no.
There’s actually enough space on the current Note 2 to accommodate a 6 inch screen, if the bezel is eliminated.
Brb , gotta go and get a head start on sowing bigger pockets into my pants, I’m buying the GN3!
Phandroid needs to differentiate between screen size and form factors, as long as bezel’s are decreasing and screen sizes are increasing then the form factors are remaing the same. As far as a 6inch phone or 6inch tablet is concerned, I think Huawei and Samsung are moving in an interesting direction regardless of whether or not it can be classified as phone, tablet or phablet because the dimensions are smaller than a 7inch tablet so the thumbs can conjoin in the middle of the screen and make traditional typing easier and it’s more comfortable to hold up to your head for phone calls and to palm in your left hand and touch the screen with your right hand.