The year 2014 is perhaps the year for phablets. We have the Samsung Galaxy Note 3 and the Nokia Lumia 1520 in our midst to prove it. Although there are other phone-tablet hybrids out there such as the Sony Xperia Z Ultra, Samsung Galaxy Mega 6.3, and other flagship phablets from other companies, for this review, we'd like to put the Galaxy Note 3 and the Lumia 1520 in a head-to-head match to find out which of these lean, mean, super-sized smartphones could be the perfect daily driver for you.
Samsung Galaxy Note 3 over Nokia Lumia 1520
On the get go you will notice right away that the Samsung Galaxy Note 3 has one thing that makes it more interesting than Nokia's phablet device, and that is its S-Pen stylus which is backed with software feats and a number of nifty tricks. In fact, it is the only phablet device that comes with a stylus, except of course its predecessors from the Galaxy Note series.
Putting them side by side, you will notice that the Samsung Galaxy Note 3 sports a notable compact design despite its huge 5.7-inch screen. And its size gives it the edge of being lighter at 168 grams compared to the Lumia 1520, which weighs at 209 grams.
In terms of chipset, processor and RAM, the Samsung Galaxy Note 3 takes the lead with its chipset clocked at 2.3 GHz as opposed to Nokia's phablet which is clocked at 2.2 GHz. Understandably though the Windows phone OS does not demand higher chipset so you won't notice any difference on their performance. However, we'd like to commend Samsung for incorporating 3GB of RAM to its newest Galaxy Note entry contrary to Nokia's 2GB on its phablet device.
For the adventurous techie addicts, the Samsung Galaxy Note 3 will be your perfect partner since it comes with temperature and humidity sensors out of the box. No need to download and install third-party apps for these purposes.
Finally, if you are the type who want to use your phone as a remote control then Samsung's latest phablet is still the better choice. It comes with an IR port for remote control functionality, so you can pretty much flaunt your device whenever you want to control another device or appliance for that matter.
Nokia Lumia 1520 over Samsung Galaxy Note 3
Nokia is obviously eager to join the phablet revolution; hence, launching a 6-inch smartphone device didn't come as a surprise to many Nokia fans. And if you are after a super-sized smartphone other than the Galaxy Note 3's 5.7" display, then the Nokia Lumia 1520 might be the perfect device for you. Housing a 6-inch screen is no joke for this device especially that the display is unmatched by other devices out there. Viewing angles are absolutely stunning.
There is no denying that the Finnish company is also trying its best to incorporate very competitive cameras to its devices. The Nokia Lumia 1520 comes with a superb 20MP shooter that is way better than the Galaxy Note 3's 13MP shooter. What's more is that Nokia has also added certain tweaking options and feats for its camera app similar to Samsung's latest flagship device.
Although Samsung did a good job in putting sensors into its device, Nokia took an extra mile in packing offline maps and voice-guided technology to its first phablet offering. And based on what we have seen so far, Nokia maps is unmatched when it comes to giving precise directions.
Last but not the least, if you are looking for a powerful device that can go for hours with just a single full charge, the Nokia Lumia 1520 is the better daily driver between the two. In fact according to GSMarena's battery test/endurance test, the Lumia 1520 is capable of lasting for up to 107 hours while the Samsung Galaxy Note 3 can last for up to 75 hours only.
This article is copyrighted by Travelers Today, the travel news leader
