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Samsung in 2013: expect an even bigger Note, but no 'unbreakable' Galaxy S IV

Samsung in 2013: expect an even bigger Note, but no 'unbreakable' Galaxy S IV

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How in the world do you hold a 6.3-inch phone?

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Galaxy Note II (Verizon)
Galaxy Note II (Verizon)

As reported by CNET, a rumor originating from The Korea Times this week claims that Samsung is working on a Galaxy Note III with a whopping 6.3-inch display, some eight-tenths of an inch larger than the already massive Galaxy Note II. While we don't have any information about a Galaxy Note III specifically, a trusted source recently left us with this: "At some point in the next year, and it could be very late in the year, we might fill in the largest gap in our screen size lineup." Indeed, at present, Samsung has no devices between 6 and 7 inches in either its phone or tablet lineups.

How, exactly, a normal human would hold a 6.3-inch phone is unclear. Samsung could possibly get to 5.8 inches without increasing the size of the current Galaxy Note II's body if it were able to eliminate portions of the bezel as Motorola has done with the RAZR M, but that's about it — in other words, the phone would definitely have to get bigger than it is today in order to accommodate a 6.3-inch screen.

1080p is a lock for the Galaxy S IV

Speaking of screens, various news outlets have reported this week that next year's inevitable Galaxy S IV will have an "unbreakable" display, a fruit of Samsung's longtime effort to commercialize flexible AMOLEDs. The rumor appears to originate from Nicolas Gaudois, a UBS analyst quoted by Reuters.

Don't expect such a screen on a Galaxy S model in 2013, though. "Flexible screens are still a while off," our source tells us. What you can expect, we hear, is a 1080p display — no surprise now that HTC has set off that arms race with the J Butterfly and Droid DNA.

Our source isn't yet sure when the S IV will be announced, but it definitely won't be CES and may not be MWC in late February, either — Samsung set aside its own event for the Galaxy S III this year, after all, and it was just unveiled in May. Considering its specs and popularity, Samsung may elect to wait a full 12 months before pulling the sheets off its successor.