Samsung Galaxy Note 3 (2013)

Disappointed – I wanted to move away from Apple because of the way they lock you into their brand. However, I'm finding the same thing with Samsung. Some apps (like twitter) stop working because it seems Google wants you to force you to log into everything with a Google+ account (which I don't want to do). It's also full on apps I don't want or need that take… Read more

up too much space. Other than that it was a pretty good phone until I made the fatal error of upgrading the operating system. Internet browser keeps freezing and can't scroll through more than 4 windows. GPS signal very dicey. Sometimes will work and sometimes will drop out every couple of minutes, despite strong signal, making the MAPS app often useless. It also keeps dropping my wireless internet connection at home even though signal is 5 bars. Looks this has been a long standing issue for Note users and Samsung's doing nothing to fix it. Tried to take it back to JB Hi-Fi and was told that they wont replace and they have to send it away and I'll be without it for 6-8 weeks. Who can be without a phone for that long in this day and age? Very disappointed with both Samsung and JB Hi-Fi service to be honest. I really wanted to like this phone, but it's just OK. Wouldn't purchase Samsung again.

Great long term smartphone – I bought this phone outright a year an a half ago from JB-Hifi at a reasonable $$ after getting discount acc. Its been the best mobile phone I've tortured to date, beating HTC, Motorola, Apple, phones I've owned. Usually I go through one every 12 month cycle since my first Nokia CDMA in the 90's (LCD screen and no camera erk), often renewing due… Read more

to niggly hardware problems; I don't abuse them, though are well used after a year. This is the first Samsung ever bought and so very happy I did, seriously looking towards the next Note model after Note 4.

Good

Functions are great, onboard stylus is a beaut, screen size just right, feel and build 8/10. The battery life is variable according to how its used (apps and widgets); I had near 2 days out of a battery when new and avg about 1.5 now its over a year old. Biggest battery killer I've found is often the network attached, Telstra is often my first, but in Melbourne I've been happily sitting with Optus 4G.

Avg

Software updates are slow even with the unlocked phone, disappointed that Samsung Australia has seen fit to end Note3 with 4.4.2 ICS, not 5.0 as other countries have got. Tougher than expected, has been defying gravity for a while (I look after my tech) until recently, had a few drops and without a case. Damage been limited to the chrome-like (read plastic chrome) bezel on three corners and one in the middle of the bezel without effect other than cosmetic, so not going to fix. Last drop seen the bottom corner screen crack, testament to the heavy duty glass screen.

Bad

Compass/GPS suck. Simple. Never been a reliable compass reading since new, GPS often drops out (software and apps don't help) in the best of places where no interference is (clear sky, no power/tram lines, no trees). Big processor and GPU means lots of heat when rogue apps suck power; I've seen a battery last less than half a day in a couple of cases of nasty app choice.

Overall the phone is my favourite and has sold me on Samsungs build enough to look for another one after this. Would recommend it to anyone who needs a multifunction smartphone that fits in the middle between the normal size and a tablet. Might see its life out with a hacked version of 5.0 just for fun...

Could be currently the best phablet on the market – Being a driving instructor the majority of my clients are young people adept at communicating with SMS and I send a large number of text messages daily – texting is a far better means of communication than phone calls for someone out in a car all day, either behind the wheel or supervising a learner. I look for phones that I think will be… Read more

good at SMS and emails, something that my Blackberry Bold with its good physical keyboard and push-email system excelled at.

After the Bold was dropped onto a hard floor once too many times, I chose the Note 3 hoping that the large screen and stylus would make up for the absence of a physical keyboard (I find on-screen

keyboards hard to use),.

I also needed the large screen to display a clutch demonstrator application.

* Screen:

is very sharp & clear, I don’t watch videos but it can run 1080p video in full resolution for those who don’t mind viewing on a tiny screen compared to TV.

Brightness and contrast is OK for reading in sunlight although full-on tropical sun is a problem.

The large size makes it good for handwritten shopping lists for example, and enlarged font sizes still allow a reasonable amount of characters per screen, in fact it is the large screen which attracted me to this

phone initially.

* Battery:

After a day of phone & messaging use with occasional GPS I still have over 50% left but I always charge it overnight as I did with my other phones.

Having GPS and WiFi turned off unless needed and restricting internet access helps battery life.

* Phone:

Phone calls are clear and I haven’t had any drop outs.

It feels a bit weird holding up such a large slab to the ear but I use a Bluetooth headset most of the time, my current favourite is the Jabra Supreme with a short microphone boom.

* SMS and text input:

My clumsy thumbs find even the large on-screen keyboard a pain so I use the stylus for text.

I downloaded the free SwiftKey keyboard, it gets to know your often-used words & phrases and can often correctly predict a word before you type the first letter – if you don’t mind your application sorting

through your messages that is (you can disable it from doing this but then it doesn’t predict as well).

Like most accessory keyboards though it will automatically replace a word with its own version, you have to keep an eye on it as you type.

For example, I had a student called Sweetha with a fierce-looking father, after sending her a couple of texts I realised too late that it had substituted her name with “Sweetheart” (gulp).

The Note 3 has a blue message notification LED which is welcome, although the Blackberry Bold’s notification LED system is superior.

I now use handwriting input with the stylus quite often, being an “older person” I find handwriting more natural than typing and the Note’s recognition accuracy is good, better than my old Note 1.

I would like a larger writing area though, even in landscape mode.

* Email:

I still miss BlackBerry’s excellent push-email service but emailing is usable.

* Contact lists:

The Android OS does a good job of storing, retrieving and displaying contacts, although I would prefer it customisable so that unimportant attributes don’t clutter the screen.

I can accumulate hundreds of contacts at a time and need to synch them with my PC’s Outlook contacts, and this is where the phone (perhaps Android in general?) doesn’t perform well.

My BlackBerries had inbuilt fast, simple and reliable synching with MS Outlook through a USB cable, but I need to download apps to synch the Note 3 and so far I haven’t found one that works reliably

over a USB cable (if they actually work at all).

I prefer USB because I don’t like to use “cloud” in an effort to minimise internet usage.

* Apps:

The only apps I currently use are SwiftKey for texting, Clutch Demonstrator for teaching, and a calculator app - though most would find the included calculator is OK.

If you use the phone as an entertainment unit, Google Play has a lot of Android apps to choose from.

* The downsides of a touch screen and easy-press buttons:

The Note 3 does fit into my shirt pocket, it’s slim and lightweight (the large size might be a problem for some) but like all touch-screen phones, having it jiggle around in a pocket or picking it up with a finger on

the screen can cause problems.

Even if I put it into sleep mode, the phone sometimes wakes and triggers off unwanted procedures such as changing a setting, calling someone, or even sending a text (it once sent “I am beautiful” to one of my

male students without me knowing).

I wish smart-phone designers would include a slide switch to disable the touch screen when carrying it around, but still allow calls to be answered.

This probably won’t happen; these phones seemed to be designed by super-intelligent geeks with little knowledge about business users and the real world.

* Purchase cost:

The Note 3 is not cheap, you need to be rich or really want to have this particular phone to be happy about producing the $$’s required to buy it; I paid for mine with some reluctance.

* Running costs (user beware!):

It seems that the designers assume that every smart-phone user will access the internet a lot and have a plan with cheap gigabytes available.

Every now & then the phone notifies that some applications can be upgraded; I try to ignore this as I have a low megabyte plan with Telstra to reduce costs.

My old Note 1, without my permission (perhaps triggered off while jiggling in my shirt pocket) downloaded an upgrade to the Android operating system and increased my phone bill by $600, something I want

to never happen again!!!!

Virtually all applications insist on internet access, with many of them I’m not sure if it is really needed – and if there is a simple way to deny internet access to applications, I haven’t found it yet.

It’s also galling that Google’s beloved Android OS dumps a lot of unwanted apps in the phone; occasionally they accidentally trigger and go onto the internet, adding to my data usage.

* Overall:

The Note 3 doesn't lag a bit like my Note 1 did, it feels "snappy" to use.

It’s not as good a “business phone” like my BlackBerry Bold’s were, and ignoring the disadvantages of touch screens noted above, I would still recommend it to someone looking for a “phablet” (larger than a phone, smaller than a tablet), especially for entertainment. Large screen, stylus, fast Touch-screen phones need careful handling.

A great phone – This phone has lasted forever for me apart from the battery, which is easy to replace anyway. It has a great screen, fast hardware and a nice stylus. It is a great device to watch movies and entertain with the large screen and strong speakers. It is still in the same condition as I bought it in and is still going strong!  Show details

Excellent phone – Got it on contract upon release. Still works perfectly. I'll simply endorse what other reviewers has stated & add this: The phone is not outdated - it will still do all the essentials. However, if you are getting a newer phone due to contract renewal or otherwise, consider putting it aside as a universal remote (It has an IR sensor, newer phones… Read more

do not.). You end up with a superb instrument which is chalk & cheese when compared to the cheap rubbish you get with your TV or other appliance.

I have it for a while now and is working perfectly well – I have my samsung galaxy note 3 for a while now and it's still working perfectly fine. The battery it's good and last long. The phone has a lot of data space it self. The note pad and electronic pan works, never had issues with it. My SGn3 makes really good video/photo quality. I love it and I'm very happy with my purchase :)!  Show details

Not too bad! Not too Good! – I picked this phone up in March when I recontracted with Optus. It has some great features and a lot of internal storage (32GB) but I find it to be slow quite a lot as it Crashes and Lags. The back camera is alright but struggles in low light situations. the front facing camera is pretty good compared to other phones. The screen is great, it's big… Read more

and clear. The speaker is alright but nothing compared to my old HTC. battery isn't that great; even in power saving mode it drains quickly and needs charging every night.

Great proformance bad design – My note 3 works great and have not had problems with it such as gliching etc but the only problem I do have with the phone is the size and design, I thought I liked my phones bigger and the style of it but i am regretful now as its not practical for my day to day activities from the phone being to large to fix properly in my pocket or a place to… Read more

store it in my car, also I'm a thumb person when messaging this phone is no good for that due to screen size so pen works for that

It's a phone you could drop a lot because of design so would consider a case for this one.

Good phone...build quality?? – Have gone from a lifetime of iPhone...3G - 5s.Bought this for the wife.1 week later she doesn't like and wants the iPhone 6.I said ok I will use.I done mind it,has some great apps and huge screen which is great.Is easy to use,love being able to remove battery/sim/memory card and is not all that different to use compared to iPhone.What it lacks is… Read more

the build quality of the iPhone.I have the Samsung in an otter box defender WITH a tempered glass screen protector.I have dropped TWICE and not from a great height (ie,hip height)and not on its face.I look at this morning and the camera lens has a crack right through it.Really,I guess if you buy cheap plastic toy phone you get what you pay for.I don't mean toy as in operating system,but the body.Disappointing after dropping iPhone by accident multiple times without an issue.Ih and sometimes the fancy 16 megapixel camera sucks compared to the iPhone.Hence the phone is just"OK"

Still one of the best phones – This phone is still just as good as the new flagships but better. the battery can be replaced and all the components are held in with screws and can be replaced individually. The pen that comes with it is really good and acurate and the screen is crisp. the camera can actually be upgraded in software to record 4k 60f. Show details

Great phone - bad GPS – I have owned 3 of these. The GPS stopped working on the first and second ones, and dropped in and out on the third phone. Other than that the phone was good. With the first phone, after 2 years was noticeably slowing down. I accidentally dropped it in a pool. Luckily it was still under an awesome warranty I had purchased & I was able to get a… Read more

brand new replacement. Then I dropped it a few months later and broke the screen. I was able to buy another second hand for cheaper than the cost of a screen replacement, this time I used an awesome case to protect it but that couldn't save it from my wife sitting on a chair and phone was under the chair leg. I have given it a poor rating for the unreliable GPS. I have owned a few budget smartphones and the GPS always worked fine, so there's really no excuse for an expensive smartphone to have these GPS problems.

Overall review of the Galaxy note 3 – I have been using it over four years well since I purchased it. It has NFC which is easier for me to buy stuff at shops that has android pay. However, the camera quality has not been as good as I expected. I always had to carry a digital camera seperately. Otherwise, It has been good and I am happy with it!  Show details

Excellent phone – Samsung note 3 has been the best mobile phone by that i have had c thebpleasure of owning. It lets me do all that i wish to do. Has a good size screen Its clear n easy to use. Has a good size memory. N video calling is awsum to keep incontact with my grand children  Show details

Best mobIle I've had – Great camera awesome to play music. The apps are easy. So user friendly. Having an android allows you to share photos, music so easy. The graphics are very good and it is awesome that you can adjust the size of the fonts easy. Would highly recommended this mobile. It's just a shame it is discontinued now.  Show details

Still a great phone – though this phone is quite outdated, it still runs very well. the display and performance is buttery smooth but my only gripe with this phone is the bad battery life. overall this phone still runs exceptionally well for its age and and the camera is average. Would recommend for a budget phone if you can cope with the battery.  Show details

Excellent phone – Best phone I ever had, i have used iPhone 3,3g,4 5 6s but this one is still THE BEST. Phone wide screen octa core 3GB RAM etc are optimized to give you best output. My little one loves it. Now i'm trying to find the phone with similar specs with good review ( hard to get one). Thnx Samsung  Show details

Great Phone - Don't Upgrade – These are great phones if you like a big screen. Great for watching sport or races. If you upgrade to a Note 5 or 7 you won't be able to change your battery or insert a memory card. I can get a new Battery for a Note 3 on Ebay for $12 (genuine). Batteries tend to ware out in about 3 years so it's pretty important. All in all a really good phone.… Read more

I have checked out the specs for a new Note 5 and there is no point in upgrading.

That's my opinion.

Awesome – Best phone i have ever owned, so good it's now over 2 years old and I don't want to upgrade. In fact if I upgrade I will have lesser phone... with less memory(currently 96Gb). I use it for work, traveling to work(as the screen size is big enough to watch movies/series and books). Battery life is good, but whilst on Wifi and Bluetooth it does drop rapidly(to be expected).

Very happy with phones and fast delivery – Very happy with phones and fast delivery, a beautiful phone for the money, love my Samsung's, we had a great run with our original galaxy notes, they lasted about 4 years, so im keen to see how these ones go [galaxy note 3] they are a lot more powerful and easier to use than the old ones. so far so good!!

Great phone – Size to my favour, where i do not have to select very small button on screen. Fast and not lagging. It has a lot of functions on the phone. Its stylus/pen has multiple special functionalities which other model cannot compete. Good work for Samsung. Comparable with an iPhone and definitely my best phone so far~

Best phone I've ever had, and the S-pen is great too – The big screen is a plus, and once you get used to it, it's hard to go back to a smaller screen. The S-pen is also quite handy, great for taking quick notes or sketching ideas. My previous phones used to show down with heavy use, but I've had this for about 18 months and there's no sign of showing down yet.

Fantastic phone! – I've had this phone for about 8 months now and it has never missed a beat. I love the big, clear screen, the stylus, how snappy it is and how easy it is to use. I find myself reaching for this instead of my tablet and laptop now! The only negative I can think of is the battery life but that might be due to the fact that I can hardly put it down!

You Had me at Hello! – Will never go back to iphone, I'm hooked. Seriously have alot of fights with my husband now who is an iphone lover. I don't get it - try this phone - even just a few times, you will never go back.

Awesome business phone – This is the ultimate work phone, use of stylus or swipe text on email is amazingly fast and accurate. The battery life leaves a lot to be desired but ability to view 2 apps such as gmail and YouTube simultaneously is much appreciated. As far as smart phones for work are concerned, the note series by Samsung is the best.

WOW coming from iPhone I will never go back – OMG coming from a iphone to samsung was a whole new world but once you have experienced it you never want to go back, like any samsung product its top of its class I had a small problem only to find out its covered for 2 years clean swap or immediate fix - awesome customer solutions and service top products amazed

Changed my life! – The first smart phone I have owned and I was skeptical. Didn't take me long to be as addicted as everyone else with the technology, ease of use, big screen, access to a world of apps. Amazing! A long way from my first phone using morse code on a party line! Recommend to all, particularly older generation who might have trouble with sight or holding fingers steady when hitting 'keys'. Feeling very connected.

Fantastic Phone, I Love It, Dropped So Many Times and It Still Works Perfect! – I love my Samsung Galaxy Note 3 because I dropped it almost 100 times or more, sometimes on hard concrete but it still works perfect! But it is getting a bit slow lately, and battery does not last a day nowadays, I have only used 1 year only. So, battery is the real problem but otherwise, camera and everything else is so good.

Love this phone – I travel a lot, usually on the train and I fly for work once every few weeks. The screen size and portability of this phone is supercool, and saves me having to carry around a phone and a tablet, as well as all the hassle that goes along with having to keep two devices charged. Movies, TED talks and Youtube look awesome on its screen. I never… Read more

use the pen and when I have tried it still appears to lag a bit but thats my only gripe! large screen, crisp images, snappy applications the Pen - i dont get it.

Love love love it!!! – I love this phone so much, the large screen is perfect for checking emails & using internet. After first day of using it I was used to the larger size,its like a mini tablet.Internet speed is fast & the picture quality is great.Camera takes nice photos & I use the s-pen for taking notes which is really handy for work.I charge phone every night as… Read more

I am constantly on it all day (totally addicted to it actually). The Samsung apps are great & after owning two cheaper Samsung's previous to this, I was hesitant in spending so much, but now I think the money was well spent upgrading to this beauty. I also took out extra 2 years warranty at Harvey Norman. The larger size, s-pen,camera, its my own personal organizer So far nothing!

The best of both worlds – I can't find anything about this phone that I don't like. I wanted a tablet and a phone but I didn't want to pay for extra data on a tablet and the screen was too small to read on my phone. The screen is a good size to read and navigate around and the stylus pen is an excellent addition. The camera is 13 mp and takes lovely photos. Phone comes… Read more

with 32g storage and I can add a micro SD card if I want but I haven't needed to do far. The battery lasts all day and doesn't take to long to recharge. I have had this phone for 5 months and no problems to date. Every day I'm discovering new features. I could rave on all day but to keep it short,

I have the best of both worlds. This is a Fabulous Phablet. Good screen size, easy navigating around the phone. Reliable. Long lasting battery.

Very good! ! quick response! – Shipping was quick and fast response for my questions. Note3 is very satisfactory than my expectation. Big display and quality of display is outstanding. S pen also works well and amazing experience so far. Very useful for quick memo anywhere. Samsung Apps quility also very good and I love it.

White 32GB 4G LTE Samsung Galaxy Note 3 phone + smart cover – Love this phone. People always comment on how big it is and then a minute later start playing with it and are easily impressed by the excellent graphics and it's ease of use - pictures come out amazing, it is easy to read, easy to sms with. I love the s-pen and there are so many wonderful apps on the Samsung Store. I have never been an iphone… Read more

fan - hate them and hate the monopoly. Samsung is extremely innovative, is way ahead of the game with their technology and I love their products. Before this I owned the Galaxy S2 which was okay and suited me well but with this phone I love the larger screen and can do so much more with the phone. Super fast internet speeds no matter where I go. Never had an issue and I owned it since Christmas. Got it unlocked. Very happy with this phone.

Stay away – My experience with Galaxy note 3 was nothing but a nightmare. Bad reception, could not send SMS, Email, had conflicting software in the phone, tried to reset so many times, Samsung services center tried to fix but nothing happened. I went back galaxy s4 and the phones calls are no problems, the reception on the phone is much better,and the only thing missing is the the stylus. Size and pen Software, reception.

Great product – My son is very happy with his new phone. He can access the browser and facebook. It is just like a mini pc and handy to have with him all of the time. Now that he has this smartphone, he wouldn't be without it. Only problem is it takes a long time to charge Very useful Takes a long time to recharge battery

Best on the market – Great use ability. I have large hands and texting is a breeze, which is a lot more than what I can say for i - product. Being a Nokia fan previously I was also very impressed with the range of service and also the battery life, especially in high country rural areas. The standard apps from Samsung are great, the shortcuts are great and the speed… Read more

of the Internet especially when you use Google Chrome is fantastic. Not a bad thing to say cos it actually does still fit in my pockets too! Battery life, service range, use ability, reliable, size