Samsung Galaxy Note 4 vs. Samsung Galaxy Note 3 – Specifications, Features And Price Review

The long-awaited Samsung Galaxy Note 4 has been unveiled at the IFA 2014, while the predecessor Galaxy Note 3 was released in Sept. 2013. Readers who are interested in upgrading their Galaxy Note 3 to the latest Samsung Galaxy Note 4 should check out this specifications, features and price showdown.

Display, Exterior And Size

Both the devices come with the same 5.7-inch Super AMOLED display. Nonetheless, the screen resolutions and the pixel densities of the Galaxy Note 4 and the Galaxy Note 3 are (1,440 x 2,560 pixels and 515 ppi) and (1,080 x 1,920 pixels and 386 ppi) respectively.

Going by the frontal image comparison, both the devices are nearly identical, mainly because they share the same design philosophy that is synonymous with Samsung devices. Nevertheless, the Galaxy Note 4 comes with a metallic frame surrounding the plastic sides/corners of the handset, giving it the much-loved premium look than the predecessor, noted by Phone Arena.

When it comes to the screen, the Galaxy Note 4 features razor sharp display and much-thinner bezels unlike the Galaxy Note 3. Despite this, there is not much difference in the display when looked from a distance. However, when the phone is closer, users can witness the superiority of the Galaxy Note 4 in the form of no pixilation of any kind. Even though both the devices share the same screen size, the killer QHD resolution, pixel strength and the intricate display details make the Galaxy Note 4 stand out, says Phone Arena.

The thickness and weight of the Samsung Galaxy Note 3 are 0.33-inch and 168 g respectively. The Galaxy Note 4, on the other hand, shares the same thickness range with its predecessor, however it weighs 176 g.

Hardware, Software And Memory

The Samsung Galaxy Note 4 trumps the Galaxy Note 3 fair and square in this department. The Galaxy Note 4 is powered by a killer quad-core (Qualcomm Snapdragon 805) Krait 450 processor, clocked at 2.7 GHz. The Galaxy Note 3, on the other hand, is powered by a relatively inferior quad-core (Qualcomm Snapdragon 800) Krait 400 processor, clocked at 2.3 GHz. Despite this, both the devices are backed by 3 GB of RAM.

Like the predecessor, the latest Note 4 also offers more than one processor choice based on the region of release. And this time around, the superior octa-core (Exynos 5433) processor will be on board, while the Note 3 carries an octa-core (Exynos 5420) chipset. However, there is no information available to ascertain when and where this variant will be made available.

Moreover, the latest Note 4 runs on Android 4.4.4 (KitKat) OS, whereas the predecessor runs on Android 4.3 (Jelly Bean) OS, which is upgradable to Android 4.4.2 (KitKat) OS. Moreover, both the devices use TouchWiz UI on top of Android OS.

When it comes to memory, the predecessor offers 16 GB, 32 GB and 64 GB of in-built storage options, while the successor provides 32 GB of internal storage. Furthermore, both the handsets support microSD card for expansion up to 64 GB.

Camera And Battery

The Samsung Galaxy Note 4 sports a superior 16 MP ISOCELL rear-facing camera unit with LED flash, whereas the Galaxy Note 3 sports a good 13 MP primary unit with LED flash. In addition, the Galaxy Note 3 and the Galaxy Note 4 house 2 MP and 3.7 MP front-facing shooters respectively.

Moreover, the Galaxy Note 4 comes with the much-loved optical image stabilization (OIS) as an improvement from the predecessor. In addition, the latest device comes equipped with 1080p/4K video recording capability, image re-focusing and editing support.

Nevertheless, there is not much difference in the battery specifications. The Galaxy Note 3 houses a powerful Li-Ion 3200 mAh battery unit, whereas the Samsung Galaxy Note 4 features a similar 3220 mAh battery unit.

Misc

1. Dropbox is now offering 50 GB of free cloud storage (Duration: 2 years) for Galaxy Note 4 buyers.

2. The Galaxy Note 4 is water and dust resistant. Specifically, the handset can survive 30 minutes of underwater (with 1.5 meters depth) sojourn.

3. There is no dearth of weather-related sensors in both the Samsung handsets. However, the Galaxy Note 4 comes with UV, heart-rate, SpO2 and enhanced gesture-based sensors.

4. The distinguishing factor of the Galaxy Note 4 is its improved S-Pen stylus. The stylus is housed perfectly in the slot provided in the phablet's body. The Note 4's S-Pen stylus blends seamlessly to provide natural writing experience to the users, when compared to the Note 3.

5. Also, the Galaxy Note 4 boasts the much-loved fingerprint scanner for unlocking the phablet and also for making payments, while the Galaxy Note 3 doesn't.

6. There is no difference in the connectivity. Other than supporting the standard connectivity options, the Samsung devices support NFC and Infrared port.

7. Also, both the devices support micro-SIM.

8. The Samsung Galaxy Note 4 comes in white, gold, pink and black, while the Galaxy Note 3 comes in black, white, pink, merlot red, rose gold black and rose gold white shades.

9. Interestingly, the Galaxy Note 4 can charge from 0% to 50% in 30 minutes, while the Galaxy Note 3 takes 55 minutes to hit 50% mark, according to Phone Arena.

Price

Reportedly, the Samsung Galaxy Note 4 (32 GB) will be priced at a whopping €799. However, when it come the U.S. the device's price will be between $799 and $849, says GSM Arena. Nonetheless, the price details and release date pertaining to different regions have not been confirmed by Samsung thus far. The Samsung Galaxy Note 3 (16 GB, 4G LTE) model, meanwhile, can be purchased for AU$569.95 (Qualcomm processor onboard) andUS$639.99 (Exynos processor onboard).

Also Read

1. iPhone 6 Release Date And Specs Roundup: Dimensions of 4.7-inch And 5.5-inch Models Plus Mobile Payment/Resolution Revealed - [Read]

2. $245 HTC Desire 510 To Feature Qualcomm's First 64-bit Capable Processor, 4G LTE Support, 2100-mAh Battery And More - [Read]

3. Moto G2 (At $214) vs. Moto G - Early Specifications And Price Comparison- [Read]