Samsung Galaxy Note 3 Release Date Nears: Device To Ship 32GB Option In September? Galaxy Gear Smartwatch Coming In October?

The Samsung Galaxy Note 3 appears to be close to its release date as recent reports suggest the device will ship in early September, shortly after its unveiling on Sept. 4, at the Samsung Unpacked Episode 2 event in Berlin.

SamMobile insiders recently revealed that Samsung will release the Galaxy Note 3 within week 36 (Sept. 2 to Sept. 8), while the Samsung Galaxy Gear smartwatch will release within week 40 (Sept. 30 to Oct. 6). Keep in mind that this is not a firm release date but rather the time when Galaxy Note 3 handsets will begin shipping to carriers and retailers in preparation for release. Currently, only guesses are circulating about when the Samsung Galaxy Note 3 will be available for consumers. A report from Geeky Gadgets pegs a U.K. release for later in September for the Galaxy Note 3. While the tech source is considered a reliable one, we have yet to get confirmation or specifics from Samsung about the matter. Many expect to see a primary international release followed by a U.S. release, as has been seen with previous Galaxy Note releases, but again, this is not confirmed.

AT&T Among Major Carriers?

A recent detailed leak of a list of countries that may receive the Samsung Galaxy Note 3 with either the Exynos 5 Octa 5420 or the Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 processor variants indicated that the device is already set to be released on the AT&T network, among other U.S. carriers. Considering that the report should be taken with a grain of salt, we note that it does not indicate that AT&T will be the only carrier to sell the Galaxy Note 3. Samsung primarily releases its devices on the four major U.S. networks -- AT&T, Sprint, Verizon and T-Mobile. The manufacturer also releases -- flagship devices especially -- on other smaller, regional networks once the devices are established on the market. Currently, there is no indication this release will be any different.

Many observers note that Samsung appears to be shortening the time between its device unveilings and releases to consumers. Gotta Be Mobile projects that we may see Samsung release the Galaxy Note 3 fairly quickly after its Sept. 4 debut, in order to compete with the iPhone 5S, which is expected to be unveiled on Sept. 10 and the HTC One Max, which is also expected to be announced sometime in September.

32GB model To Be New Standard?

SamMobile also claims it can now confirm that the Samsung Galaxy Note 3 will ship with a 32GB model as its main variant, probably dropping the 16GB model from its roster altogether. Consumers have hoped for a memory boost in Samsung devices, especially after the 16GB Samsung Galaxy S4 was heavily criticized for having only 9GB of space available for personal use after handsets shipped with nearly half of its storage occupied by system applications. A 32GB Samsung Galaxy Note 3 would likely have approximately 25GB available for personal use, which should be plenty of ROM for those who require a significant amount of internal storage. However, a boost in internal storage may noticeably increase the minimum price of the Galaxy Note 3.

Samsung Smartwatch To Release Second?

The Samsung Galaxy Gear smartwatch has also been circulating around the online rumor mill as of late. The device, which is Samsung’s take on the wearable tech trend that appears to be looming on the horizon, is expected to feature a 1.5GHz Exynos 4212 dual-core processor and ARM Mali-400 MP4 GPU, a 1.67-inch 320×320 AMOLED screen, a two-megapixel camera, 1GB of RAM, as well as Bluetooth and NFC connectivity. A report from Bloomberg indicates that the smartwatch will be unveiled at the Samsung Unpacked event on Sept. 4 alongside the Samsung Galaxy Note 3.

Are you expecting to see speedy shipping and a quick release for the Samsung Galaxy Note 3 and Samsung Galaxy Gear smartwatch? Let us know in the comments below.

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