First cut: Samsung Galaxy Note 3 Neo

It is a stripped down version of the Galaxy Note 3 but is priced very close to the same.

Samsung has just released another Note series phablet, called as Note 3 Neo. It is priced at around Rs 40,000 and will be made available in the Indian market by end of this month.

At the Samsung Forum 2014 in Bali we spent some time with the device and here is our first impression about Samsung Note 3 Neo that has a 5.5 inch HD display against the 5.7 inch full HD touchscreen of Note 3. Besides, the Note 3 Neo has 2 GB RAM, 8 megapixel rear camera and a 3100 mAh battery.

Design

Samsung Galaxy Note 3 Neo is slightly smaller as compared to Note 3 that makes it comparatively easier to handle and carry. Like Note 3, the new handset also has a faux leather rear panel. The rear panel looks good and provides a good grip. Like in other Note devices, it too has a S Pen stylus and a groove that holds it. The sides of Note 3 Neo are barricaded with metal strip for extra protection and enhanced looks. It has a removable back panel that gives access to removable battery, SIM slots and micro SD card slot.

In a nutshell, I would like to say that the Note 3 Neo design is just a replica of old Note 3 but it anyway looks quite decent.

Display

Samsung Note 3 Neo's 5.5 inch display has 720x1280 pixels resolution. At the price at which it has been launched, the display output quality is not upto the mark. The pictures look pixilated and colours are not that vibrant either.

Interface

Samsung Note 3 Neo is powered by the Android 4.3 Jelly Bean operating system and comes loaded with Samsung's TouchWiz Nature UX on top of it.

Note 3 comes with the S Pen. The moment you take out the S Pen, a notification comes up at the top telling you what to do. You can switch off this feature to save battery. The S Pen in Note 3 Neo comes with Air Commands - action memo, scrap booker, screen writer, S finder, and pen window - similar to Note 3. Action memo allows you to quickly open the memo page to note down something while the scrap booker lets you capture a page and write anything on that. Another great utility of the S Pen is its handwriting option; just use the S Pen to write on an entry area in your natural style; no need to use the on-screen keyboard.

There are features like smart stay, smart rotation, smart pause, and smart scroll as well, all of which work fine.