The cover was long peeled off but when Samsung formally let out the new Galaxy Note 8.0, what came out is an elegant-looking gadget carrying on the Note tradition that the South Korean tech giant started in 2010 - a tablet that doubles too as a smartphone.

Samsung, however, emphasised that the Note 8.0 is not a dedicated phablet. Its phone functions will not be enjoyed by everyone. U.S. consumers, for instance, will only get the Wi-Fi and the LTE version once the device hits the market on Q2 2013. The international version with 3G radio signal is the real phablet deal, this time in 8-inch screen that stretches the front face of its predecessors.

Of course, this is not the Galaxy Note 3 that Samsung is set to unleash, some reports say, in a matter of weeks or days. What we are getting is another hybrid gizmo that interestingly provides the clues on general make-up of the Note 3.

The Note 8.0 previews most of the actual powers that the Note 3 will flash and we have listed what we believe are the features that will make it to the final copy of the fresh phablet package from Samsung.

Quad-core Exynos CPU

It was long-rumoured that Samsung is deploying Exynos for the 2013 release of its flagship handsets - the Galaxy S4 and the Galaxy Note 3. The company is keeping everything under wraps to this day but with the 8-inch tablet now made public, the likelihood of the in-house Samsung CPU powering the Note 3 gets even stronger.

The mid-range Note 8 will draw its power from a 1.6GHz processing muscle that will work with 2GB of RAM. Samsung must be reserving it best CPU menu this year for the Note 3, likely allowing its money-drawer a top-notch chip that hums no less than 1.9GHz with more RAM provisions. To expect 3GB is not impossible for the premier handset.

Enhanced Premium Suite

This unique Samsung offering made its debut via the Galaxy S3 and the Galaxy Note 2. Now, Samsung bumped up everything in the Note 8.0, a move that suggests the Note 3 is getting the same treatment.

The multi-view function, which allows simultaneous work on two apps, has been expanded to accommodate more apps. This improvement will mostly likely grace the Note 3's rumoured 6.3-inch screen, boosting productivity and enjoyment to new levels.

New S-Pen capabilities

Earlier, Samsung forged closer ties with stylus expert WACOM. This early, consumers are feeling the benefits of the partnership through the remarkable new things that the S-Pen can do.

To complement its stylus' more compelling behaviour, Samsung has lined up the deployment of Awesome Note and Flipboard to the new Note environment. The former was once an iOS exclusive and mostly delivers the punch by allowing cloud-based annotation. Note 8.0 owners and likely, Note 3 owners, will enjoy this service courtesy of Samsung's agreement with the service provider that will last a year, CNET said.

Flipboard, on the other hand, takes advantage of the fresh abilities that WACOM engineers delivered with the S-Pen. "Users will have access to an S Pen-optimized version of Flipboard which enables Air View hover functionality and headline previews from the main tile page," Engadget said.

Also, some more fine-tunings now allow the S-Pen to control the Note 8.0's capacitive buttons and we should expect the Note 3 to do the same.

Readers Mode and Smart Remote

Early reviewers called these two new features as the Note 8.0's strongest appeal, which Samsung most probably would add up to the jazzed up servings of the upcoming Note 3.

Readers Mode is Samsung's optimal settings for eBook enjoyment, which the company said is also applicable on third party apps like Kindle by Amazon. This will be Galaxy mainstay starting off with the Note 8.0.

The new Samsung phablet comes with an IR blaster and this was paired with "a new remote program designed to replace the universal TV remote," BGR News said.

The service relies heavily on Samsung's collaboration with online TV program provider Peel and according to TechCrunch: "Samsung is looking to solidify itself as a force in the living room, and continuing this little trend is yet another way for Samsung to highlight the value of buying into its hardware ecosystem."

Clearly, Samsung is gunning to provide a full-packed mobile experience with the Galaxy Note 8.0 that inevitably will be extended to the Galaxy Note 3.