Hands on with the Galaxy Note 3, Galaxy Gear and 2014 Note 10.1

Samsung recently launched the Galaxy Gear smartwatch (sorry, “wearable tech” companion), Note 10.1 2014 Edition and its new flagship phablet, the Note 3 in South Africa. We go hands-on with all of them.

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Galaxy Gear – R4599 (US$450)

Let’s begin with the oddest duck of the lineup, the Gear. First off, the Gear is not an ugly device. It’s actually very fetching and comes in a wide range of Samsung-loving colours. Greens, pinks, blues, it’s eye-catching. The Gear has wrist strap that can be unclasped, but is simple enough to be slipped over the wrist and clicked into place. A 1.9MP camera (which takes some crisp shots on the 1.63″ screen) is located just under the strap and via the almost HTC-like interface, is a breeze to use. It’s just a bit creepy, in theory. Spying on people is fairly easy, luckily the “click” of the camera can’t be disabled, so people know if you’re creeping them.

The Gear is not as daft as you thought it was, it’s just a bit too expensive at R4 500 (US$450). I mean, who is it exactly aimed at? It must be paired (via Bluetooth 4.0) with a compatible Galaxy device to work which drives the cost of the devices to well over R10 000, just to have a working smartwatch. Regardless, I think it’s a device that if it could stand alone from a smartphone (and was R2 000 cheaper) would be a sure bet. The Gear is very fast (800Mhz) and even with rapid app switching, it never slowed down. There’s only 4GB memory, but there won’t be a torrent of apps for this one.

Browsing content is natural (definitely easier than the Sony Smartwatch) and browsing the net, checking emails and making phone calls was super simple. Overall I’m surprised as to how well Samsung has performed with its take on the smartwatch, I’m just not convinced that anyone should buy it. If you need further convincing, Michelle has her take here.

Galaxy Note 3 – R8999 (US$899)

Here’s the contender. The Note 3 has one of the best displays I’ve ever seen, period. A 5.7″, 1920×1080 screen at 386PPI blew my mind. I was like Alice, tumbling down the rabbit hole into a world of pure colour. It’s that startling.

The Note 3 has specs that would make a laptop blush, and it’s damn noticeable in everything it does. The 3GB RAM makes a notable difference and I’m not sure if it was because this was a demo model or not, but the Note 3 scrolled smoother than butter (it runs Android 4.3). The highlight of course, is the S-Pen and Samsung’s still forcing this down our throat. It’s not much better than before and seems to function just as well as the S-Pen from the Note II, so above average.

What I liked about the S-Pen where the air gestures, which when activated (with a hover and click of one button on the side of the S-Pen) opens up a radial with a few quick note taking functions. It pushes you directly to the apps that make the most sense, with the S-Pen of course. The Note III of course, wants us to make use of its stylus, but I’m still not convinced. Millions will love it though.

The Note III is enormous, but very light indeed. It’s only 168g but feels like a slip of paper in the hand. Really, this is one of the lightest tablet-phones I’ve ever used and could potentially knock the iPad Mini down a notch or two. It’s very well-designed, with an almost edge-to-edge screen that performs better with touch than stylus.

The 13MP camera quality is also markedly different and while it can’t beat the S4 Zoom, not even by a longshot, the test photos I took barely slowed down the system at all, and looked incredibly sharp on the screen.

There’s a lot more to the Note III, such as exclusive apps geared towards the S-Pen. Outside of this, it’s fairly stock Samsung Android with little to differentiate it from the Note II, outside of the reality-beating display and some exclusive apps. Is it worth dropping R8 999 for this best Note yet? We’ll let you know after the full review. But early tests shows that the Note III is an incremental upgrade and little else. Looks the business though.

Galaxy Note 10.1 2014 Edition – US$549 (SA price TBC)

“iPad beater” is the word that comes to mind when the Note 10.1 2014 Edition boots up. The new Note 10.1 has a similar screen to the Note III, but is upscaled to a 2560 x 1600 at 299PPI to make space for the extra real estate the Note 10.1 presents. Again, it looks as crisp as fresh lettuce. Everything looks Retina-like, even beating Apple at its own game (latest iPad is 2048 x 1526 at 264). It’s also light as feather, comparatively as the new Note 10.1 weighs 525g.

Again, and as it is with the Note III, it’s all about the S-Pen which is a lot bigger than the one that comes with Samsung’s flagship smartphone. Matter of fact, the Note 10.1 has a lot in common with the Note III. It has 3GB RAM, a 2.3Ghz CPU, internal memory up to 64GB and more (with a MicroSD card), LTE, an S-Pen, you see what I’m getting at?

The difference of course is that it’s a bloody huge tablet. While 7″ tablets may be the rage, the Note 10.1 bucks the trend with an enormous display packed inside an impossibly thin 7.9mm bezel. It’s a handsome tablet but I hated the physical home button which ruined the slick look of the Note 10.1. Also, the word “Samsung” is rather cheaply splashed on top of the Note 10.1 and further contributes to a cheaper look overall. Do we really need the product name plastered right on front — is Samsung that self-conscious?

Android 4.3 is the OS of choice and it’s fairly stock, save for loads of S-Pen specific apps that I tinkered around with. Basic Samsung apps like S-Planner work way better with the S-Pen, while others make no difference at all. Overall, the S-Pen works miles better on the Note 10.1 than it does on the Note III. It’s all about available landscape. Bigger is better.

But for my money, I believe that the Note 10.1 is a better buy and it’s considerably cheaper (based on the US$599 price). It may end up costing more in South Africa, but that’s the nature of the beast.

Get em while they’re hot

All these devices (save for the Note 10.1 which is “coming soon”) are on sale now in South Africa from various mobile phone outlets. Samsung seems to be over-confident with its lineup though. I’ve seen all the Notes over the years and each new version gets updates that seem to simply tick the boxes and move forward. It’s never anything revolutionary, so maybe this is why it’s decided to release a watch this year. As much as every company wants us to embrace second-screen technology (especially Microsoft), I’m not yet convinced that the Galaxy Gear is ready for the big time. There needs to be a second-gen, possibly even a third-gen of the watch before it’ll gauge any interest with users.

It’s far too expensive, it is bulky despite Samsung advertising it on the slender wrists of women models, and it won’t work without it being tethered to a phone. A thinner, cheaper, more independent Galaxy Gear 3 but then again I could be wildly wrong and the Gear could be a smash hit. I await Samsung’s upcoming quarterly report with anticipation.