Gadgetory

so the same thing always happens when a new device launches the media gets review units ahead of the official launch and we get to use them while we write our review then the press embargo lifts every outlet posts their reviews and videos at the same time writers and commenters go back and forth and it's a huge frenzy of opinion and buzz for about a day and then it all goes away I'm sure there's some follow-up coverage but after that initial blast almost no one revisits the device to see how well it's aged because we're all on to the next big thing already so let's do something about it let's take a second look at the latest in Samsung's line of epic smartphone tablet hybrids I'm Michael Fisher with PocketNow this is the Galaxy Note 3 and this is episode 28 of after the buzz we've come a long way from the first galaxy note no longer just a surprisingly successful side project the note family now represents the very best that Samsung's Android lineup has to offer in our full review back in October we called the device the most capable most powerful phablet on the market and the note 3 went on to sell over 10 million units in only two months whether that winning streak will continue as the device ages in 2014 depends on a variety of factors beginning with hardware as you can see our our AT&T provided note 3 hasn't exactly led a coddled life and it bears the scars to prove it while the look of the revised styling and materials holds up nicely this fake metal is just that fake and it shows even after a single drop on the sidewalk as Jaime Rivera noted in his durability report this is really soft plastic and it dings quite easily on the flip side though the faux leather back cover has held up beautifully over time at least on our black unit here a quick Twitter survey showed mixed results with the white cover with some folks reporting some discoloration but others saying no such thing and while it is possible to scratch the Gorilla Glass 3 up front it's not particularly easy to do so so overall we're looking at a fairly typical story on the outside while putting a case on such a mammoth phone seems almost ludicrous you might want to consider it because it's just as fragile as most modern smartphones thankfully the note 3's guts were built to last in each of its incarnations your region and personal preference govern which processor hums along under the hood but in either case you've got a lot of power there power which should have no trouble seeing you through a two-year contract even if you wait until recently to buy one that said you might want to think about investing in a spare battery the included power pack is big and it impressed us in the initial review period but over time the note threes endurance hasn't exactly measured up to the legacy of its forebears with beasts like the G flex out there three hours of screen on time per charge is no longer a class-leading metric now just to be fair we have been using almost every feature of the note 3 during our review period which included CES 2014 where the ability to swap our packs saved our butts more than once so if you're a real road warrior like us pick up a spare battery or two so you can stay juiced up even when using the note 3 to its utmost speaking of power users its you folks in part that Samsung is targeting with the note threes companions SmartWatch the polarizing Galaxy gear and we've been using it almost non-stop since ATT sent us one shortly after its release while the gear has since been updated to work with other Samsung smartphones it's particularly well suited to the note 3 that's because this is a phone big enough that you don't always want to be wrestling it from your pocket and with its latest software update the gear makes that less necessary being able to read notification snippets on the watch is quite handy and battery life improvements mean you're not charging at flight as often as you once had to is the gear still overpriced and most people would say so yes should you wait for the second iteration if you want a more polished product sure but even in its current form it's a truly useful and capable companion that adds more utility to the note 3 experience than most people give it credit for we saw some really awesome new software come out of Samsung at CES but for now that new tile like interface is confined to its tablet line our review Note 3 still runs Samsung's older UI atop Android 4.3 and well unlike a fine wine it doesn't get better with age since the note 3 launched we've seen some really lightweight really elegant enhancements elsewhere in the Android world some of it running beautifully on hardware literally hundreds of dollars cheaper than the note 3 now lightweight elegant and beautiful are not words we designed to the note 3's software and compared to the modern stuff it's starting to feel even more clunky than before really an update can't come soon enough fortunately those negatives are counterbalanced by the excellent S Pen no matter how often you use it or don't it's the best stylus in the business and the industry-leading multitasking ability which many manufacturers are now aping on their own devices but Samsung's approach is still far superior so unbalanced that day-to-day experience is probably best encapsulated by this qualifier no but is it comfortable to talk on the note 3 for extended periods no but the phone call itself is clear and both speaker modes are serviceable is it easy to snap photos with a phone as big as this no honestly it's a real challenge to keep it steady even with software stabilization but that 13 megapixel camera can capture some really nice shots given the chance well you have an easy time finding a 4k TV to do justice to the phone's ultra high def video no but the fact that you can even shoot in 4k is pretty awesome is it fun to use stock software elements like the Samsung keyboard or the browser no but the beauty of Android is you can download almost any replacement you want and the beauty of the note threes hardware is that 19 times out of 20 it'll run it just fine so after almost four months the story of the note 3 continues to be one of XS when it's not saying no but this is a phone that's really built to say yes it's a device for those who value kitchen sink inclusiveness over refined minimalism for Tim the tool man Taylor types who want more power whatever the cost and in that respect it delivers if you're one of those people with enough money to invest in the note 3 and its ecosystem you'll find a phablet more capable than there that's something we've said a lot before and it doesn't look like that's gonna change anytime soon don't forget folks this was the after the buzz re review our initial review of the Galaxy Note 3 is still available for your reading pleasure at pocketnow.com and the video is available here on our channel page and to be sure you don't miss future reviews features editorials and so on follow us on social media in the meantime drop us a like if you enjoyed the video leave us a comment down below if you have some feedback but most importantly thank you so much for watching we'll see you very soon you