Samsung officially confirmed today that the Galaxy Gear Smartwatch and the Galaxy Note 3 will both be launching on September 4 at the IFA Consumer Electronics Fair in Berlin.
In an interview with the Korean Times Younghee Lee, executive vice president of Samsung's mobile business, commented on the existence of both products and their release dates. According to the report, the phablet-sized smartphone will be the first to offer 4K (3,840x2, 160-pixel) video capture. The device will also offer 24-bit/192KHz music playback, a step above the 16-bit audio found in previous generations, according to CNET.
Meanwhile the Ultra HD video provides high-quality sound. As the tech blog points out, going forward it isn't clear exactly what functionality these features will have. The Galaxy Note 3 can't conceivably carry the storage space for that many high quality videos. In addition, what exactly will be the plan for these videos since 4K TV sets are still a long way away from being the mainstream choice for people's living rooms.
The biggest appeal of the Galaxy Note series is its size. The Note 3 is expected to come with a 5.7-inch display capable of being pocket friendly while still having a large enough screen to do the best video and photo editing and utilize the S Pen for all of its precision functionalities. On top of that, the Note 3 will be joining the Galaxy family of smartphones, the widely successful family that is rivaling most of the mobile market, especially Apple Inc.
According to leaked images, the Galaxy Note 3 will have the same display size as the Note 2 but will come as more of a square design versus the rounded edges of its predecessor. In addition, it is expected to shrink from 9.3mm to 8.0mm in thickness. Right now it's unclear which features are real and which are the stuff of rumors, but all questions will be answered on September 4.
