Samsung Upstaging iPhone 5S Intro with Smartwatch, Note 3

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Samsung will supposedly reveal the Galaxy Note III and its Galaxy Gear smartwatch on September 4.

SamMobile reports that Samsung plans to reveal its Android-powered smartwatch along with the Galaxy Note III during the UNPACKED Episode 2 pre-IFA event on September 4. This combo is expected to upstage Apple which purportedly will introduce the iPhone 5S and low-cost iPhone 5C on September 10. The Samsung smartwatch will reportedly be called the Galaxy Gear, AKA the SM-V700.

The wearable device will supposedly serve as a companion accessory for Samsung's Galaxy-class phones, and possibly feature a flexible OLED display. A patent design registered on May 31 shows a control panel at the bottom of the screen providing touch-based back and menu buttons, a possible power button, speaker and microUSB port. A microphone may be mounted just above the control panel on the right side of the screen. The watch band looks to be stainless steel by default.

The reveal is scheduled to take place just days before the start of the IFA electronics convention in Berlin which takes place September 6 to September 11. Sony is also reportedly holding its own pre-IFA event in September as well to showcase a number of products ranging from HDTVs to laptops, and possibly the company's Sony Lens G and its new flagship phone, the Sony i1 "Honami." There's speculation that Sony may even introduce the Xperia Z Ultra which is scheduled to ship in the UK just days after the conference.

As for the Samsung event, the Galaxy Note III is expected to make an appearance as previously stated, featuring a huge 5.7 inch 1080p AMOLED screen, a 13MP camera, 3 GB of RAM and supposedly Android 4.3. Samsung actually hinted to the 3 GB aspect back in July when it announced the mass production of 3 GB LPDDR3 mobile DRAM.

"With a full line-up of package dimensions, Samsung’s new ultra-slim memory solutions will enable thinner smartphone designs and allow for additional battery space," the company said. "With the increased mobile DRAM capacity, users can enjoy seamless high-quality, Full HD video playback and faster multitasking on their smartphones."

The new phone will also ostensibly have several configurations for multiple regions including the Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 chip and the Exynos 5420 chip. So far everything is merely rumor, but we expect additional information to roll out within the next several weeks, so stay tuned.

Kevin Parrish
39 Comments Comment from the forums
  • redeemer
    You cannot upstage build quality though
    Reply
  • irish_adam
    yeah cos the build quality of the Iphone is just that good
    Reply
  • HACKpatooey
    Why worry about build quality when you can simply 'optimize' your products with S-Benchmark Booster™ and hire students to take potshots at the competition?
    Reply
  • irish_adam
    What would you make it out of? glass? metal? neither of these are as light and durable as plastic. i'll take a plastic phone anyday, then i dont have a heart attack everytime i drop it, knock it or scratch it. My galaxy S1 last me over 2 years of abuse and it still works and looks great to this day (even if i do now own a note 2).
    Reply
  • HACKpatooey
    Why worry about build quality when you can simply 'optimize' your products with S-Benchmark Booster™ and hire students to take potshots at the competition?
    Reply
  • Nexus52085
    11354767 said:
    You cannot upstage build quality though

    Yeah, Apple has GREAT build quality... :sarcastic: Maybe they can fix the problem with the lock button on their next phone. Broke on me twice in less than two years.
    Reply
  • waynewarrior78
    I own the S4 and it's build quality is far from poor. In fact, it feels like every other phone on the market. I do not understand where this "poor quality plastic" idea came from, because it is far from the truth. I have held the Iphone 5, Nexus 4, and HTC One, and I will gladly take my S4 with removable battery / SD card over a closed phone that feels identical in my hand.
    Reply
  • ikyung
    11355349 said:
    I own the S4 and it's build quality is far from poor. In fact, it feels like every other phone on the market. I do not understand where this "poor quality plastic" idea came from, because it is far from the truth. I have held the Iphone 5, Nexus 4, and HTC One, and I will gladly take my S4 with removable battery / SD card over a closed phone that feels identical in my hand.
    It's because people don't understand basic material composition. They still think it's the 70s and don't understand how mature plastic engineering became in the last couple decades. They just assume aluminum and glass is infinitely better but don't take into account the actual product of what those materials are used for. Then again, with all the whining, Samsung introduced their Aluminum prototype phone about a month ago and it does look pretty sexy. Also, heard they are working on a new compound for a new type of material that has the flex/shock absorption of plastic/rubber with the feel and look of metallic composition.

    What has Apple been doing? Oh yeah, working on their smart TV that is about 3 years too late. All the while, Samsung pumping out 256GB+ 3D Flash memory for mobile devices.
    Reply
  • kenyee
    You guys forget why the back is plastic.....REMOVEABLE BATTERY AND MICROSD CARD!
    And you can swap in a wireless Qi charging back. Or a bigger battery.

    It's not just plastic for the sake of plastic...how many removable metal back phones are there? Near zero if not zero :-P
    Reply
  • jdog2076
    Aside from the points already made above - who gives a crap what the phone is made out of if it's going to live in a case anyway? (Which it should.) I've heard far too many people tout the superior build quality of their phone when the whole thing is shrouded in a (gasp) plastic shell.
    Reply