Samsung Galaxy Note 3 has gone on sale recently, but is it worth the extra money? For readers who are considering buying a smartphone and narrowed their search to the Note 3 and iPhone 5 - here is a comparison.

Design and Display:

The Samsung Galaxy Note 3 is a bigger and heavier phone; it comes with 151.2 x 79.2 x 8.3 mm dimensions and weighs 168 grams. It has a massive 5.7 inches Super AMOLED capacitive touch screen, which renders 1080 x 1920 resolution.

The iPhone 5 is comparatively a smaller phone; it comes with 123.8 x 58.6 x 7.6 mm dimensions and weighs 112 grams. It has a comparatively smaller 4 inch screen, which is LED-backlit and renders 640 x 1136 pixels resolution.

Hardware and Operating System:

The Samsung Galaxy Note 3, being a more recent phone, comes with a Quad core processor. There is also a Octa core 1.9 GHz version available in Australia. It comes in 16 GB, 32 GB and 64 GB internal memory options, which is expandable by up to 64 GB using Micro SD card.

The Samsung Galaxy Note 3 comes with a massive 3 GB RAM and runs on Android 4.3 Jelly Bean, which can be upgraded to the latest version.

The iPhone 5, being a previous generation phone, comes with a Dual core 1.3 GHz processor and comes with the Apple A6 chipset. It comes in 16 GB, 32 GB and 64 GB variants; there is no expandable memory option.

The iPhone 5 comes with a 1 GB RAM and runs on the iOS 6 which can be upgraded to the recently launched iOS 7. Click here to read about the bugs and fixes of the iOS 7.

Camera:

The Samsung Galaxy Note 3 comes with a 13 MP camera with 4128 x 3096 pixels, autofocus and LED flash. The secondary camera in the phone is 2 MP. The iPhone 5 on the other hand comes with an 8 MP camera with 3264x2448 pixels, autofocus and LED flash, the secondary camera on the phone is 1.2 MP.

Price:

Perhaps the most important differentiating factor is the price. The Samsung Galaxy Note 3 is clearly the more expensive phone, the Octa core 16 GB variant is priced at around AU$879.95 and the 32 GB is around AU$899.95.

The iPhone 5, being a previous generation phone, is relatively cheaper, the 16 GB variant of the phone is priced at around AU$789.95 and the 32 GB is AU$849.95.