Samsung's rumoured Galaxy Note 3 Neo could be the first hexa-core phone

Samsung's rumoured Galaxy Note 3 Neo could be the first hexa-core smartie
Half Note 2, Half Note 3? The Note 3 Neo could be along the way

Samsung's been popping out Pro devices like a rain-soaked silicon Mogwi this week, but the company be about to switch focus to its second tier options, judging by alleged leaked internal documents.

GSM Arena claims to have gotten its hands on Samsung literature showing full specs for the rumoured Samsung Galaxy Note 3 Neo, with one particularly interesting nuance.

According to the documents the scaled back Note 3 Neo will contain a 1.7GHz dual-core and a 1.3GHz quad-core processor. If true, it'd make the as-yet-unofficial device, the "industry's first" hexa-core phone.

As with the grown-up version of the Galaxy Note 3, the processor would appear to be built on the ARM-based big.LITTLE tech, with the tasks split between the more and less powerful cores to boost efficiency.

Note 2 with more cores?

As far as other specs are concerned, the leaked documents peg the Note 3 Neo with a 5.5-inch 720p AMOLED screen, similar to the one nestling within 2012's Samsung Galaxy Note 2 handset.

That's not where the similarities end, the literature also suggests the device will have 2GB of RAM, an 8-megapixel camera, and a 3,100 mAh battery.

The Note 3 Neo will borrow the faux-leather rear casing from its namesake, as well as the Android 4.3 operating system, Bluetooth 4.0 connectivity, and HSPA+ 42mbps.

If the documents turn out to be genuine, we wouldn't be at all surprised to see this handset arrive at Mobile World Congress next month, where the Galaxy S5 handset is also rumoured to be making its bow.

Chris Smith

A technology journalist, writer and videographer of many magazines and websites including T3, Gadget Magazine and TechRadar.com. He specializes in applications for smartphones, tablets and handheld devices, with bylines also at The Guardian, WIRED, Trusted Reviews and Wareable. Chris is also the podcast host for The Liverpool Way. As well as tech and football, Chris is a pop-punk fan and enjoys the art of wrasslin'.