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Samsung Galaxy Note 3 Neo is a great phone, but not Note-worthy enough

We can't have enough of the Samsung Galaxy Note series. Packed with the right features at the right price, the series has been a hit with smartphone lovers. The newest member, Galaxy Note 3 Neo is touted to be a washed down version of Note 3. If you look inside Neo, you can't help but feel that it is just a dressed up avatar of Galaxy Note 2, except for a surprise punch packed in the phone processor. Does that justify Samsung in offering a 'been there done that' smartphone? Let's find out.

Design and build
At the first look, Galaxy 3 Neo looks and feels exactly like its predecessor, the Galaxy Note 3. Sure, Note 3 may come with a marginally bigger screen; however, with the same quasi-leather back cover and the similar button placements, Neo looks the same. The big size makes single-hand operations problematic, which is a familiar bug in Note 3 and has not been rectified in the neo version.

With a display of 720 x 1280 pixels, the Note 3 Neo offers stunning visuals on its bright Super AMOLED screen. A lush 16-M colour clarity brings out the best in HQ movies and colourful games like Candy Crush Saga or Subway Surfers.

Processor
Samsung has truly hit the home run with Neo's processor. Galaxy Note 3 Neo is the first device that runs on hexa-core Exynos 5260 chipset. The strong internal machine comprises two Cortex-A15 @ 1.7GHz and four Cortex-A7 @ 1.3GHz. Simply put, thanks to the hexacore engine, Neo is blazingly fast. The added Mali-T624 GPU delivers lagless gaming and amazing graphics on the 720p screen.

Camera
Galaxy Note 3 Neo offers a sharp 8 MP camera with LED flash and a 2 MP front camera. The camera interface is strongly inspired from Galaxy Note 3. The user-friendly interface makes adding real time effects to photos and changing camera settings a breeze. The in-camera effects comprise the usual HDR, Beauty, Motion Erase and other features which have become default in all new Samsung release now.

Neo allows the user to 1080p video recording with the option to take 8 MP photos while video is being shot. Although the video clarity is not as good as that of Note 3, Neo offers stunningly detailed video capturing.

Lack of a dedicated camera button on the body is a let-down.

Performance
Note 3 Neo doesn't come with the newest instalment of Android 4.4 KitKat, but the 4.3 Jellybean OS. This is not a disappointing feature, as the super-fast processor makes up for it. The touchscreen responds quick, smooth and accurately. The stylus pen is the same as Note 3, equipped with the same set of Air Command namely the Pen Window, S Finder, Screen Write, Scrap Booker and Action Memo. It's battery is indeed powerful and long-lasting, and comes neck-on-neck in terms of talktime, web browsing and video playback time. Tests prove it could last for a little more than three days if you do an hour of calling, an hour of web browsing and an hour of video watching each day.

Verdict
The street price of Galaxy Note 3 Neo in India may come around Rs 35,000, which is not exactly cheap, compared to other phones in the market. The question remains - why would someone pay that much and not avail a Galaxy Note 3 by putting in the extra few bucks? I suggest if you are indeed thinking of buying a Note, the Note 3 Neo would be an excuse of it. The economic variant of the Galaxy Note 3 couldn't pull the rug off the original Note 3.

Overall, apart from the impressive hexa-core processor, Samsung has failed to deliver a winner this time that will pull the crowd away from the likes of Micromax, Xolo or Sony Erricson.