Samsung Galaxy Note 3: Release date, price, features and pictures

Samsung has just taken the wraps of its update to the Galaxy Note 2; with, yep you guessed it, the Samsung Galaxy Note 3 -  bringing a new faux leather back, slimmer profile and almost no bezel, along with a bunch of software additions. We’ve pulled together some of the best features here, but be sure to check out our upcoming hands on: Galaxy Note 3 review.

Sporting a 5.7-inch full HD display, quad-core processor and 3GB RAM, the Samsung Galaxy Note 3 is a true powerhouse, and it even runs the latest version of Android, 4.3 – though you will have to deal with that TouchWiz overlay. Samsung Galaxy Note 3: Features, OS and power The latest version of TouchWiz brings with it a number of added apps, including Air Command – which pops up an on-screen toggle to access quick settings and a memo pad, while the redesigned S-Note app brings a much more visually appealing look. Multitasking is improved as well, letting you use two apps at the same time – which works great with the massive screen. In terms of build quality, Samsung seems to have ditched the plastic, for the back at least. Replacing it with a faux-leather shell, this comes in a trio of colours – black, white and a blushing pink. There’s also a myriad of accessories and add-ons, like a number of colourful cases and an updated S-View cover. Powering this mammoth phablet is a quad-core processor, paired with 3GB of RAM and the option of 32GB or 64GB of internal storage, while the 3,200 mAh battery apparently adds an extra four hours of video playback over its predecessor. Samsung Galaxy Note 3: Galaxy Gear The Samsung Galaxy Note 3 works in tandem with the also announced Samsung Galaxy Gear. The Gear is essentially a watch, which extends the use of the phone onto your wrist. For more on the Gear, check out our fully stockedSamsung Galaxy Gear: Release, price, features and pictures piece. Samsung Galaxy Note 3: Release, price and the journey Pencilled in for a release date later this month in the UK, and sometime in October acorss the pond, we’ll be sure to have more on the device throughout the month. No prices were released by Samsung during the event, however we would assume it'll be priced to reflect its high-end nature and specs. As you can see from below, the Samsung Galaxy Note 3 has been a long time coming, churning out a huge amount of rumours along the way. Continue reading for the whole story and be sure to check out our upcoming hands on: Samsung Galaxy Note 3 review. The Samsung Galaxy Note 3 was all but confirmed the moment we saw the unveiling of the Galaxy Note 2 with the supersized smartphone proving to be such a success it was almost inevitable that Samsung would want to update it again. With the Sony Xperia Z Ultra and the Huawei Ascend Mate both now looking to steal some of Samsung's consumer share the Korean company will be looking to add new specs and features that will set it ahead of the competition. It's a year later and with the Samsung Galaxy S4 showing that the smartphone maker has no plans of slowing down it's about time for Samsung to unveil the next Galaxy Note 3 at IFA 2013. Rumours have pointed at everything from a completely new design language for the Galaxy smartphone range to the news that it may boast a mammoth 6.3-inch display making it just 0.7-inches smaller than the likes of the new Nexus 7 tablet. The Galaxy Note 3 UK release date will be September 16th Whilst we know the Galaxy Note 3 will be unveiled at a special event on the 4th, a leaked document from UK network Three has spilled the beans on the Galaxy Note 3's UK release date suggesting the smartphone will arrive on September 16th. Whilst it's important to take this with a pinch of salt the document does also show the release date of another as yet unannounced smartphone the Sony Xperia Z1. Samsung has almost completely confirmed the official launch date of the Galaxy Note 3 after it sent out press invites to a Samsung Unpacked 2013 event that's taking place just a few days before IFA on September 4th. The event rather handily reminded journalists to 'Note the date' almost immediately suggesting that Samsung would indeed be unveiling the latest update to their smartphone/tablet hybrid. There have also been rumours circulating that Samsung might also unveil the Samsung Galaxy Gear Smart Watch at the same event however with the Galaxy Gear still a haze of rumours we'll have to wait and see. Despite there being no official pricing for the Galaxy Note 3 we can estimate that it'll cost between £500-£600 if you take into account the current pricing of the Galaxy Note 2 along with its rivals. Galaxy Note 3 will have a Full-HD screen One of the largest clues to the specs of the Galaxy Note 3 actually came from Samsung at the Galaxy S4 launch when the company showcased an official gaming controller which would support sizes from 4-6.3-inches. Unfortunately this was then dashed when Samsung announced the Galaxy Mega 5.8 and Galaxy Mega 6.3 suggesting that rather than confuse their already crowded product line-up Samsung will in fact release. Instead there have been reports that the Galaxy Note 3 will feature a flexible OLED display however these reports are completely unfounded and will more than likely turn out be untrue with Samsung instead showcasing any flexible display tech it has on the upcoming Galaxy Gear Smart Watch. SamMobile have reported that the Galaxy Note 3 might actually be one of three possible designs that Samsung has been working on with the options including a design similar to the Galaxy S4, a completely redesigned version and one with a flexible screen. Whilst SamMobile are usually better than most with their rumours it still doesn't get us any closer to knowing the final design. Making things even more interesting is @techkiddy who has shown an image of what it's claiming is a Samsung Galaxy Note 3 Developer Edition sporting a completely new design to previous Galaxy smartphones. What we do know for sure is that the Galaxy Note 3 will definitely come with a Full-HD display after Samsung unwittingly revealed on its own website that not only was the Galaxy Note 3 definitely arriving but that it would also feature a 1080x1920 or higher resolution screen. It will probably come with Android 4.2 not Android 4.3  It has now become a fact of life that the moment Google unveils the latest version of Android, in this case Android 4.3, the smartphones that are launched shortly afterwards will not feature the latest version of Android. With Samsung keen to create its own version of the Android Operating System through TouchWiz it is very unlikely that the company has had time to switch the operating system over to 4.3 with most of the groundwork taking place using Android 4.2. What this means is that Samsung will likely launch the Galaxy Note 3 sporting the older version of Android but with a promise that the 4.3 OTA update will be available within the next few months. Could it be the most powerful smartphone this year.. Despite the fact that a variant of the Galaxy S4 features Samsung's ludicrously powerful Exynos 5 Octa-core processor it has been rumoured that all versions of the Galaxy Note 3 will feature the eight-core processor along with a very sustantial 3GB of RAM making it by far the most powerful smartphone to be unveiled this year. The latest news however has suggested that Samsung will replace the Exynos 5 processor with the new Snapdragon 800 processor most recently seen on the LG G2. IB Times has reported that the reasoning behind this was due to over-heating problems Samsung were having with using the Exynos 5 8-core processor, as such the company will use the Snapdragon 800 chip until a solution has been found. What appears to be more confirmed is that it'll come with a 5.99-inch screen and will sport a 13 Megapixel camera which also leads us to believe that the Galaxy Note 3 could be the first smartphone to feature Samsung's much-rumoured S Orb software which lets you take completely 360-images similar to those taken using Google's own Photo Sphere. Even more exciting is the prospect that it could be the very first smartphone to be able to record in the new ultra HD 4K format. According to the Korean Economic Daily newspaper, the tablet will feature the ability to record video in the new format, as well as capture sounds in 24-bit. One of the key differences between this years Galaxy Note and the Galaxy Note 2 could be in the amount of storage you get with a rumour suggesting that Samsung will drop the 16GB version in favour of a 32GB and 64GB Galaxy Note 3 which while being great for fans could also raise the price.