86 SHARES Share Tweet

It’s no secret anymore Samsung is eyeing the further expansion of its Galaxy Note product catalog with a low-cost “Lite” version of the 5.7-inch GNote 3.

What’s still very much up in the air is when exactly will this low to mid-end phablet hit the ground running. Also, how many downgrades are we looking at and how serious will they alter Note 3’s “mojo”?

Well, Korean online publication ET News may have a few answers, though it’s not particularly keen on sharing them with specifics just yet. What it’s ready to “confirm” is Note 3 Lite production is underway, with a manufacturing pace set to speed up come February.

More exactly, Samsung is allegedly planning to have 500K units all done by the end of January, with triple that amount produced the following month alone. Translation: something’s going to happen with the Note 3 Lite in February.

Specifically, it’s to formally debut, provided this intel is right, ahead of or during MWC 2014 in Barcelona, Spain, and a commercial launch may go down as soon as the expo is over.

Also assuming ET News’ confidential sources know what they’re talking about, the Note 3 Lite is to find a spot under the entry-level Android sun. Not mid-range, not entry to mid-end, full-on entry-level. Sounds fishy?

I’d say, and it could badly hurt Galaxy Note line’s brand image. So far, devices part of the family have always been considered top-of-the-line, so adding a low-ender in the mix might make them all look bad.

And for what? 30% of Note 3 total sales, insiders claim, hence a little over three million units in the first two months. Not worth it, Samsung, so you’d better think long and hard before rolling out the purported 5.7-incher with, say, qHD resolution, dual-core power and 1 GB RAM.

Sources: G for Games, ET News