Samsung Galaxy Note 3 Release Date Set for Q3

The Samsung Galaxy Note 3 has been in the spotlight for quite some time as a spate of rumours concerning the smartphone's expected specifications and features have surfaced online. Samsung faces stiff competition from its rival Apple's iPhone 5S as the South Korean company seeks to regain its market share.

According to DigiTimes, the upcoming Galaxy S4 Mini and the Note 3 are expected to release in Q3 this year, while rumour mills suggest that the next-gen phablet will release in two variants (one will reportedly be based on the Galaxy S4 Exynos 5 Octa and the other on the S4 I9505 Snapdragon 600 variant) and take on the Apple iPhone 5S. As Apple is speculated to release its low-cost iPhone and the successor to iPhone 5 during the June-August time frame, Samsung is also expected to unleash its next-gen phablet (phone and tablet hybrid) around the same time.

It is widely speculated that the Galaxy Note 3 might indeed see the light of day a week ahead of the IFA 2013 event in Berlin. In other words, it could be launched at a special unpacked event between 1 and 5 September.

In line with earlier speculation, the Note 3 is expected to ship with 2GB of RAM, regular connectivity options including LTE, latest Wi-Fi standards, NFC, IR blaster, Bluetooth 4.0 and microUSB 2.0. In addition, it will offer three storage variants: 16, 32 and 64GB, which are further expandable up to 64GB via microSD slot.

The Note 3 is expected to run Android 4.3 Jelly Bean with TouchWiz Nature UX out of the box, assuming that Google will unveil its next Android iteration in June and if the earlier report of the device spotted running the latest Jelly Bean iteration in AntTuTu benchmark turns true.

Nevertheless, any slight delay in the development work of the company's new user interface could actually push back its release, and pave the way for dated Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean onboard, like the famed Galaxy S4.

If the past is any indicator, Samsung will continue to follow a distinct pattern with its smartphone display sizes and camera image sensors during subsequent product upgrades. For instance, the Galaxy Note features a display size of 5.3in, which is 0.2in smaller than its successor Note 2 (5.5in); and going by this theory the Note 3 is expected to ship with a 5.7in screen.

On the contrary, various rumours suggest it will carry a 5.9in Super AMOLED display. Despite the contradiction, all sources point to a common display resolution: 1080 x 1920 pixels.

On the camera front, the Note series has invariably included the same camera unit of the Galaxy S series. For instance, the Galaxy Note included the same eight mega-pixel camera of the S2, while the Note 2 mimics the camera unit of the Galaxy S3. Based on the camera upgrade pattern, the next-generation Note 3 is expected to ship with a power-packed 13 mega-pixel camera with image stabilisation technology that is found on the Galaxy S4.

In related news, Samsung is expected to unveil one or more major Galaxy products at its highly anticipated premiere to be held on 20 June in the UK. The event is scheduled to begin at 19:00 hrs local time at the Earls Court Exhibition Centre, Warwick Road, London.

Given Samsung's secrecy over its product releases, one or more Galaxy smartphones could surely see the light of day at the upcoming event. The invite for the event merely says "Galaxy and ATIV", which could mean that the highly anticipated Samsung ATIV smart PC along with another Galaxy product could be on the cards. The rumour needs to be taken with a pinch of salt, as the exact release date for the Note 3 is still mere speculation.