Cheaper Galaxy Note 3 Neo With ‘Hexa-Core’ CPU Detailed In Leaked Specs Sheet

By Killian Bell

We first heard speculation surrounding a cheaper Galaxy Note 3 “Lite” back in December, and it was claimed that the handset would make its debut during the first quarter of this year. Now a leaked specifications sheet has revealed everything there is to know about the device, which will actually be called the Galaxy Note 3 Neo.

But rather than a scaled back version of the Galaxy Note 3, the device seems more of an upgraded Galaxy Note 2, and it’ll be the world’s first smartphone with a “Hexa-Core” processor, which combines a dual-core and a quad-core CPU.



The information was obtained by GSMArena — which also revealed leaked details about the Galaxy Grand Neo on Wednesday — by way of a leaked product positioning document intended for Samsung employees only. It details the Galaxy Note 3 Neo’s specifications, and how it falls into the Galaxy Note lineup between the second- and third-generation devices.

So, here’s what the device will offer:

5.55-inch HD sAMOLED display

Android 4.3 Jelly Bean

1.7GHz dual-core + 1.3GHz quad-core processors

2GB of RAM

16GB of internal storage

microSD card slot

8-megapixel rear-facing camera

1.9-megapixel front-facing camera

3,100mAh battery

Wi-Fi a/b/g/n/ac

Bluetooth 4.0

HSPA+

So, the Galaxy Grand Neo’s display is the same size as the Galaxy Note 2’s, and its RAM, internal storage, cameras, and battery capacity are the same, too. The main differences are that Hexa-Core processor, and the introduction of new TouchWiz features like Air Command, Air Gesture, and Adapt Display — which the Galaxy Note 3 is capable of but the Galaxy Note 2 is not.

It’ll be interesting to see how that Hexa-Core processor compares to the quad-core Snapdragon 800 processor in the Galaxy Note 3, and why Samsung decided to combine two processors inside one smartphone. It seems like this would be more expensive than just using one quad-core chip, which is odd considering the Galaxy Note Neo is supposed to be a cheaper device.

We don’t know what the Galaxy Grand Neo will look like yet — there are no images of it inside the leaked paperwork — but we do know it’ll have the same faux leather back as the Galaxy Note 3, and it’ll be thinner than the Galaxy Note 2. The device is expected to make its debut at Mobile World Congress 2014 next month.