Galaxy Note 3 Rumors: Does Samsung Have 3 Design Prototypes For Next Flagship Phablet?

With Samsung's Galaxy S4 smartphone released and the Galaxy Tab 3 tablet unveiled, many are becoming anxious for more information about upcoming the Galaxy Note 3 phablet that still remains in the realm of rumors.

Among many recent rumors surrounding the Galaxy Note 3, the latest report suggests Samsung is developing three design prototypes for its next-generation phablet. Insiders told SamMobile that the three ideas Samsung has in mind for the Galaxy Note 3 include a design similar to the Galaxy S4, a flexible display and a completely new design whose details remain unknown.

Old Vs. New

While this rumor remains unconfirmed, it offers a number of options for the Galaxy Note 3, which could be affected by development issues, according to several reports.

Some initial design rumors for Galaxy Note 3 suggested we might see it feature a design similar to the Galaxy S4, but with a metal exterior. As the HTC One was released in mid-April with an aluminum unibody, Samsung was reportedly a bit “worried” that consumers would favor the metal device over its own, which is made of a polycarbonate material, and was opting to experiment with a metal chassis for the Galaxy Note 3. This rumor was ultimately debunked when the Galaxy S4 design that had been proposed for the Galaxy Note 3 through a leaked image turned out to be a developer’s prototype of the Galaxy S4.

Another early design rumor proposed that Samsung would debut a flexible OLED display on the Galaxy Note 3. After Samsung unveiled its flexible display technology, Samsung Youm, at the Consumer Electronics Show in January, many considered the phablet a shoo-in to feature the new component, as the Galaxy S4 had already been unveiled. However, later reports indicated that Samsung was having issues developing a quick and efficient encapsulating technique for its flexible displays in order to protect the highly sensitive OLEDs from moisture and oxygen. Samsung announced in mid-April that the production of future devices might be delayed as it worked on developing a more effective encapsulation process. As the Galaxy Note 3 was already slated for a late 2013 release, may consider the production delay could push its launch well into 2014 or later.

However, the latest rumors could indicate that a Galaxy S4-inspired design, metal exterior and flexible OLED display may all still be options for the Galaxy Note 3. Last week, a report surfaced that used the Galaxy Note 3 as an example of how Samsung’s plastic OLED display would function, helping to make it thinner, lighter and able to hold larger, more powerful batteries. The report, which was published by the OLED Association in early April, became news after Samsung’s announcement about production delays. This leads us to believe that flexible OLED displays are among the more credible rumors of the Galaxy Note 3.

Specs Speculation Continues

While most still expect to see the Galaxy Note 3 unveiled at the 2013 IFA Expo, which will take place in Berlin in September, a recent report from Chinese website Mydrivers suggests we may actually see the device release as early as June.

In addition to sharing a leaked image of a large screened device next to a Galaxy S4, Mydrivers proposes that we will see a number of hardware updates on the Galaxy Note 3, including an upgrade to 3GB of RAM at a point where most high-end devices still feature 2GB of RAM. As per the report, we may also see the Galaxy Note 3 with an Exynos 5410 Octa-core chipset that clocks in even faster than the Korean variant of the Galaxy S4. The chipset includes a quad-core Cortex A15 process0r clocking in at 2.0 GHz and a quad-core Cortex A7 processor running at 1.7 GHz. The report also expects the Galaxy Note 3 to ship with 32 GB of internal memory with micro SD card slot for further storage expansion and Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean out-of-the-box.

While those specs are impressive, many remain skeptical that the device in the image is the Galaxy Note 3 and have considered that it could be the recently unveiled 5.8-inch Galaxy Mega phablet. Especially after another recently “leaked” image thought to be the Galaxy Note 3 turned out to be the ZOPO ZP950 off-brand Android smartphone, most rumors are being taken with a grain of salt.

Will The Galaxy Note 3 Take After The Galaxy Note 2?

We may be able to make other guesses about the Galaxy Note 3 by using its processor, the Galaxy Note 2, as an example. Samsung’s 2012 flagship phablet features a 5.55-inch display, which is one reason why most expect to see an extra-large display on the Galaxy Note 3. Rumors suggest that the Galaxy Note 3 will feature a display between 5.9-inches and 5.99-inches. Additionally, the Galaxy Note 2 and Galaxy S3 smartphone favor each other in design, which further leads many to believe that the Galaxy Note 3 and Galaxy S4 will resemble each other.

For now, we can only wait. The Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 was recently unveiled and set for a May and June release despite rumors suggesting that it would also be unveiled in September at IFA.