Samsung’s Galaxy Note 3 has been on store shelves for a few months now, but because it’s a pretty high-end piece of kit, the device still carries a fairly high price tag at many retailers. It appears that Samsung may have a plan to give more folks a taste of the Note 3 experience without the Note 3 price, though, as a newly-leaked batch of documents has shown that the company may be prepping a “Lite” version of its latest flagship.
Documents posted by GSMArena claim to have details on a new device referred to as the “Samsung Galaxy Note 3 Neo.” According to the leaked spec sheet, the Note 3 Neo will be a mashup of the Note 2 and Note 3, offering many of the same specs as last year’s note but a design and software experience that’s more Note 3-like. The Note 3 Neo is said to include a 5.55-inch HD Super AMOLED display, 8-megapixel rear and 1.9-megapixel front cameras, 2GB RAM and a 3100mAh battery, all of which are just like the Note 2.
While the Note 2 and Note 3 Neo are fairly similar spec-wise, one big difference between the two phones are their processors. While the Note 2 packs a 1.6GHz quad-core chip, the Note 3 Neo is said to include a “hexacore” processor that’s a combination of 1.7GHz dual-core and 1.3GHz quad-core chipsets. The Note 3 Neo is also said to take a few software and design goodies from the regular Note 3, such as its faux leather backside and Advanced Multi-Window functionality.
The Note 2 and Note 3 Neo may share many of the same features, but with an upgraded processor and new, slimmer body, the Note 3 Neo could be a nice compromise for folks that don’t want last year’s model but can’t purchase a Note 3 for one reason or another. Of course, that’s assuming that all of this Note 3 Neo stuff is the real deal. The good news is that Mobile World Congress is coming up fast, and with its placement between Samsung’s usual Galaxy Note and Galaxy S flagship announcements, MWC could be a nice place for the company to unveil the Note 3 Neo.
An image posted to the @SamMobiles Twitter account claims to show the Galaxy Note 3 Neo (SM-N750/755) hanging out in the wild next to its Note 3 sibling. The Note 3 Neo, which is the unit on the left in the above image, is obviously a hair shorter than the regular Note 3 that we all know. Outside of that one small difference, though, the two units look fairly similar, sporting the same rounded corners and pill-shaped home buttons.
The Galaxy Note 3 Neo is rumored to be a sort of mashup of the regular Note 2 and Note 3 models. If the aforementioned specs leak is to be believed, the Note 3 Neo will feature a 5.5-inch 720p display and 8-megapixel camera, just like the Note 2, as well as a hexa-core processor that includes 1.7GHz dual-core and 1.3GHz quad-core chips. The Note 3 is expected to contribute its software features to the Neo, including a “advanced” Multi-Window feature and Air Command.
Availability details on the Note 3 Neo are still pretty light, but it seems likely that the device will be positioned as an affordable option for folks that want a Galaxy Note 3 experience but can’t or don’t want to buy the flagship device. Meanwhile, a launch could take place sometime in the next month or two, especially when you remember that Mobile World Congress is going down at the end of February.
Stay tuned for more updates!
