GALAXY NOTE 3 COULD BE SWITCHING TO METAL CHASIS COMPETING WITH THE HTC ONE

GALAXY NOTE 3

Samsung is reportedly planning to house its upcoming Galaxy Note 3 in a metal chassis, following concerns that a plastic construction will leave it struggling to compete with the unibody aluminium HTC One.

Previous Samsung smartphones have used polycarbonate plastic for much of their casing - the material is cheap, impact-resistant and lightweight. Others in the market, however, have opted for more premium materials: the rear of the Nexus 4 and iPhone 5 are both constructed from glass, while the HTC One has an aluminium unibody construction. While this makes the devices heavier than if plastic was used, it also makes them feel nicer in the hand.

That is reportedly giving Samsung cause for concern. According to SamMobile, Samsung is worried that its use of plastic will mean it struggles to compete with rivals that use metal or glass for the casing - with the result that the company is looking to change its design, starting with the upcoming Galaxy Note 3.

Designed to sit somewhere between a smartphone and a tablet - giving it the somewhat awkward moniker of 'phablet' - the Galaxy Note 3 is to be the company's latest pen-driven large-format smartphone. Unlike previous models, however, SamMobile claims the Galaxy Note 3 will be built with a more premium feel - meaning a metal casing, likely aluminium, is a near-certainty.

The same source who confirmed a metal casing for the Galaxy Note 3 to SamMobile also revealed other details of the upcoming device, some of which fly in the face of previously leaked specifications: the device will apparently include a 6in Full HD 1,080x1,920 AMOLED display, a 13 megapixel rear-facing camera and the company's Exynos 5 Octa eight-core mobile processor. The source also claimed that the Galaxy S4, Samsung's latest smartphone, was also designed as a metal-bodied premium model, but the design was switched back to plastic at the last minute due to construction issues that would have delayed the launch - much as experienced by HTC with its aluminium One handset.

Samsung has yet to confirm that the Galaxy Note 3 is even being produced, and has refused to confirm or deny claims that the handset - when released - would switch away from plastic for its body.