Check out our review of the Samsung Galaxy Note 3 phablet.
It’s almost certain the forthcoming Galaxy Note 3 will be among the most powerful smartphones available when it hits the shops, but with great power comes great…price, and while that’s fine for some countries, it does restrict Samsung’s ability to sell the Note 3 in emerging markets, where cheaper devices tend to be more popular. So, what’s it to do?
The latest rumor, reported by Korean news site ET News, says Samsung is planning a cut down version of the Note 3, which it will sell at a lower price. How will Samsung hobble the Note 3 to achieve this? If the story is correct, instead of the Super AMOLED panel a simple LCD may be used, while the 13-megapixel camera expected to be fitted to the regular Note 3, will be replaced by an 8-megapixel camera instead.
Think of it as a Note 3 Lite, and you’re almost there, but will these two changes be enough to make the phone more affordable? Perhaps not, but by changing the processor and lowering the RAM may help. After all, the Note 2 runs perfectly with the Exynos 4 Quad, which Samsung could use an alternative to the rumored Snapdragon 800. Get rid of the Snapdragon 800, and the possibility of 4K resolution video recording is also removed.
It all sounds reasonable, except the Galaxy Mega 5.8 seems to fit the bill well enough already. It has a 5.8-inch screen, a dual-core processor, and an 8-megapixel camera, all of which means the price is sensible. However, we should never underestimate Samsung’s love of releasing many different versions of its most popular phones.
The Galaxy Note 3 is all set to be revealed on September 4, and you can read all about the many rumors surrounding the phone here, plus don’t forget about the Galaxy Gear smartwatch, which has also been confirmed to launch alongside the Note 3 on the day.
