The Samsung Galaxy Note line up makes up the Samsung series of stylus phones.
Both the Galaxy Note 2 and Note 3 use the Android OS and incorporate the stylus function that allows you to draw and write more naturally than most other phones.
How exactly does the Galaxy Note 2 compare to the Galaxy Note 3? With the latter being the latest version on the Note series. Is an upgrade to the Note 3 worthwhile, or should you stick to the Note 2? There is only one way to find out.
Comparing the Note 2 to the Note 3
The Design
The Note 3 comes with a plastic rear with a leather effect finish that is 8.3mm thick and weighs 168g. On the other hand, the Note 2 comes with a plastic rear with a glossy finish that stands at 9.4mm in thickness and weighs 183g.
The Galaxy Note 3 has a larger screen compared to the Note 2, but the Note 3 is narrower and lighter in weight. When you hold and place these phones side by side, you will clearly see the variance in size and weight. However, the Note 2 and 3 are remarkably thin and lightweight when you imagine the features they come with.
Samsung has altered the design slightly with the Note 3. This is evident with the leather effect rear that has tasteful fake stitching on the sides. While the Note 3 has an easier grip, the build of this phone does not have much difference to that of the Note 2.
The Screen
The Galaxy Note 3 comes with a 1080p, super AMOLED 5.7 inch, and 386ppi screen while the Note 2 comes in a 1280 x 720 pixel super AMOLED 5.5 inch, 267ppi screen. As a tradition, each Note upgrade phone comes with a 0.2 inch increase in screen size. However, size is not the only improvement. The Note 3 also comes with a higher screen resolution. Even with the difference in resolution, the sharpness has not changed much, but both phones offer exceptional contrast and vibrant colors. They also offer the ability to customize color for a natural look on an OLED screen.
In the screen department, the Note 3 edges the Note 2, which is understandable since it is an upgrade of the Note 2.
The S-Pen
Both Note 2 and Note 3 feature a plastic pen that has a single button, push-in tip and Wacom digitizer. However, there are significant software improvements in the way the stylus pen on Note 3 works compared to that of the Note 2. However, the hardware remains the same in both phones.
Both phones make use of a lightweight, one-button plastic stylus pen that can be used to operate various features in the phone.
The Software
The Note 3 comes in an upgraded Android 4.3 with TouchWiz version while the Note 2 comes with the Android 4.1 with TouchWiz interface. The TouchWiz interface is colorful and great to look at, and it also comes packed with additional features. The newest features include IR transmitter and air gestures allowing you to use the Note 3 to control your TV. It’s a universal remote controller. The 4.3 Android OS version offers better security and also supports Bluetooth smart.
Other Features
Other features include the capacity to expand the memory on both phones. There is a difference in the camera pixels with the Note 3 coming in with higher MPs than the Note 2. There is also an improvement in RAM on the Note 3 which comes with the snapdragon 800 quad-core, 2.3GHz and 3GB RAM with Adreno 330 GPU while the Note 2 comes in quad-core, 1.6 GigaHertz CPU, with a 2 GigaByte RAM.
Pricing
The factory unlocked 16 GB Samsung Galaxy Note 2 carries a price tag of $379.99 whereas the unlocked 32 GB Samsung Galaxy Note 3 costs about $539.85.
Conclusion
The Galaxy Note 3 is a good upgrade of the Note 2 in most aspects. With a Note 3, you get more power, better resolution, a larger screen and great stylus function.
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