While many rivals have moved to smartphones with larger displays, Samsung’s Galaxy Note “phablets” remain the favorites. Although similar at first glance, the Galaxy Note 3 sports a slightly larger 5.7-inch (1920 x 1080 resolution) Full HD Super AMOLED display in a chassis that hasn’t grown any wider. The rear is a new faux-leather instead of a cheap-feeling plastic, too.

However, the big changes are, of course, internal. The Galaxy Note 3 has a 2.3GHz quad-core processor (1.9GHz octa-core processor for international models), 32GB or 64GB of internal storage (expandable via microSD), 3GB of RAM, a 3,200mAh battery, 13-megapixel rear camera that can shoot 4K-resolution video and a 2-megapixel front HD camera. Audio playback is also improved with 24 bit “Ultra High Quality Audio” support. The Galaxy Note 3 runs on Android 4.3 with Samsung’s TouchWiz UI skin.

As always, Samsung’s smartphones are chock full of its own custom features, including Air Command, Smart Scroll, and S Voice, to name a few. This being a Galaxy Note, Samsung’s also added enhanced multitasking functions with use of the S Pen stylus.

The Samsung Galaxy Note 3 will arrive on five U.S. carriers — AT&T, T-Mobile, Sprint, Verizon and U.S. Cellular — in October for for $299 with a two-year contract. It will be available in three colors: white, black and pink. New S View covers (see below) also have larger window cutouts to display more notifications. The Galaxy Note 3 is also compatible with Samsung’s newly announced Galaxy Gear smartwatch.

Price: $299 (with two-year contract)
Source: Samsung