Ready to Note?
As expected, Samsung unveiled Wednesday its new Galaxy Note smartphone, the latest big-screened flagship from the Korean tech giant. What we didn't anticipate, however, was a fantastic new accessory that users of the phablet will be able to take advantage of starting this fall: the Gear VR.
The Virtual Reality headset (sold separately) will work exclusively with the Note 4, giving users the utmost visual experience one could ask for from their smartphone. The immersive display is similar to the Oculus Rift - but is powered by a phone instead of a computer, giving users wireless freedom that only aids the experience, according to Wired.
Samsung has reportedly signed a deal with Oculus to make games and movies for the Gear VR that users will be able to purchase through the Oculus store.
Although Samsung did not offer up the full specs details for the Note 4 Wednesday, the phablet certainly looks like it's going to be a legitimate competitor the rumored 5.5-inch iPhone 6. The Note 4 features a 5.7-inch AMOLED display with Quad HD (2,560 x 1,440) resolution (518 ppi), S Pen, runs on Android 4.4 KitKat and packs a 16-megapixel main camera with Optical Image Stabilization (OIS), eight-times digital zoom and what Samsung says is its own version of HDR image compositing. The device also packs a 3.7-megapixel front-facing camera and a F1.9 aperture for improved shooting in low-light conditions.
The device comes with a 3,220mAh battery aided by a "Rapid Charging" feature that can jack up the battery 50 percent in 30 minutes and the same "Ultra Power Saving" mode offered in the Galaxy S5 and Galaxy Tab S. A microSD card slot offers for an additional 64GB of storage.
Samsung also announced that it will be available with a 2.7GHz quad-core CPU, although they did not specify, and dual quad-core CPUs. Design-wise, Samsung has equipped the Note 4 with a metal frame and faux-leather back.
No pricing details for the device were announced, but it will release on all four major US carriers this October.
