All the major US websites have released their reviews of the Samsung Galaxy Note 3. I doubt many of these website spent detailed time with the device or used it exclusively as their main phone.
If you want to see a proper review, scroll back to Tuesday for the review and unboxing.
First up Samsung has introduced region sim locking with has angered many customers even though they thought they were buying sim free unlocked phones. Samsung still hasn’t completely clarified the position on this.
Next up the reviews are very conflicting although there are some consistencies. Lag was confirmed as present in all reviews. All agreed the screen was excellent. Some said battery life just managed to 8pm, others said 2 days with ease. Call quality was shocking apparently. Mind you who uses this type of phone for calls. Camera was said to be excellent in good light but due to its large size it was easy to cause blur. The Verge made the point that actually it took longer to enter tasks and data using the stylus. Other comments noted some bugs and pointless features. Overall it was the best Samsung phone.
I must admit reading the various reviews and sometimes different opinions leave me none the wiser as to whether this is a phone or phablet worth adding to my collection.
Gavin's Gadgets & Photography 
Call quality is not an issue at all. Battery life is fantastic. BGR reviewer admitted he used the Note 3 all day with a weak LTE signal. The S Pen is used for than just entering data this is why it is called a Note.
LikeLike
I will be getting one now to decide for myself. The reviews just aren’t balanced enough or even helpful. Your views are much better !
LikeLike
Gavin, looking forward to your views and especially about how to make use of features I don’t use like the camera.
LikeLike
I think any review has to be long term if it is to be of real value. Your mega review of the HTC One pretty well told me everything I wanted to know and it has turned out to be exactly what I was expecting: utterly brilliant 🙂
LikeLike
Thanks 🙂
Real life reviews do make a difference. Just can’t trust the reviews based on a weeks use. And even then it may not be using it solely.
LikeLike
And don’t forget it is these US reviewers who said that the Note 1 was a niche product even though we know the Note has sold over 30 million in just over 2 years. Many reviewers are not normal users and the majority are men while many Note buyers are probably ladies (for my unscientific survey on the London Tube system).
LikeLike
I had a quick look at the various reviews and Pocket Lint and Stuff were very positive, main point is that these are not US based. The Verge and BGR are historically Apple biased, unfortunately.
Also note there was an OTA update to fix the hand writing input bug reported by a few reviews.
LikeLike
I now have the S-View case, the original one from Samsung. This enhances the versatility of the Note 3. You can make quick notes with the cover on and see who is calling you. The case is plastic with the fake stitching like on the back cover but overall very good quality. Very expensive but don’t 3rd party imitations as they won’t have the special contacts in the back cover that are needed to invoke the s-view features.
LikeLike
Waiting for your review to decide on iPhone 5S or Note 3
LikeLike
I have decided and will reveal all soon. And why.
LikeLike