Samsung kicked off IFA announcements with the unveiling of its Galaxy Note 3. The company said the device would be available around the world starting September 25. However, it didn't get specific with release dates for individual markets. Luckily, individual carriers are a little less secretive.
AT&T is planning to ship the phone on October 1, while T-Mobile is shipping the Note 3 one day later, on October 2. T-Mobile is charging $199.99 up front based on a two-year agreement with $21 monthly payments. AT&T is charging $299 on contract (again, two years), or $725 outright. Verizon is promising shipping by October 10 with the same on-contract/off-contract pricing as AT&T, while Sprint has yet to talk pricing and availability.
The Galaxy Note 3 packs a 5.7-inch full HD Super AMOLED display, a slimmer (8.3mm) and lighter (168g) hardware design compared to the Note 2, and more powerful and longer lasting (3,200mAh) battery. Processor of choice depends on either LTE or 3G markets. The LTE market gets quad core running at 2.3 GHz while the 3G variant will have an octa core (A15 1.9 GHz + A7 1.3 GHz). The camera is a 13-megapixel affair with stabilization and high CRI LED flash. Matching the Note 3's bigger size is the increase of RAM up to 3 GB. The Note 3 will come in Jet Black, Classic White and Blush Pink, plus a myriad of color accessory options.
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