Should Samsung Galaxy Note 3 users jump to its newer version? Here's a breakdown of the upgrades in store for those who do.

Dimensions and Weight

The Note 3 and the Note 4 are almost identical when it comes to size. The former comes in at 151.2 x 79.2 x 8.3 mm while the latter measures 153.5 x 78.6 x 8.5 mm. In terms of weight, the newer Galaxy Note is heavier by 8 grams but really, will someone take notice of the meager difference?

S Pen               

The two are shipping with the S Pen but is there any difference between the Note 3 and Note 4 version of the accessory? There is, according to GottabeMobile.

"Samsung's made some significant improvements to this year's S Pen including increased sensitivity to make the note taking experience on the Galaxy Note 4 feel more like writing on paper. More sensitivity also leads to better looking text from handwriting," said the outlet.

Also making a difference this year is the fingerprint sensor on the Note 4.

Display

Both phablets sport Super AMOLED screens of the same 5.7-inch size. However, Samsung has upped the Note 4's resolution to about 515 pixels per inch compared to the Note 3's 386 ppi. That's 1440 x 2560 pixels versus 1080 x 1920 pixels, both with Corning Gorilla Glass 3.

Camera

The latest in Samsung's Note series comes with a 16MP rear snapper, Smart Optical Image Stabilization (OIS), Fast autofocus and Live HDR. For selfies, a 3.7MP camera is provided. The Note 3 came with a 13mp back camera and a 2mp front shooter.

The Note 4 is capable of recording 2160p quality at 30 frames per second (fps) and 1080p at 60fps, the same video quality provided by the Note 3.

OS, CPU and Sensors

Last year's Galaxy Note runs on Android Jelly Bean while the Note 4 comes with KitKat (Android v4.4.4). The Android OS on the Note 3 is upgradable to Android v4.4.2.

Under the hood is Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 or Exynos 5 Octa 5420 on the Note 3 while the current-generation Galaxy Note is powered by Quad-core 2.7 GHz Krait 450 or 1.9GHz Octa Core (1.9GHz Quad + 1.3GHz Quad Core).

The same sensors available on the Note 3, Accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass, barometer, temperature, humidity and gesture, will be available on the Note 4 when it ships out Oct. 17 plus UV, heart rate and SpO2.

Battery Life

The Note 3 comes with a Li-Ion 3200 mAh battery which according to GSM Arena, provides up to 420 hours of standby time and up to 21 hours of talk time. The Note 4 is packed with a 3220 mAh battery which could last users just about the same number of hours as those holding a Note 3.

However, Sam Mobile reported that the Note 4 has received a firmware update which allegedly lengthens the battery life of the Note 4. "It brings improved stability, improvements in some features and also improves the battery life significantly," said the outlet.

Price

Now for one of the deciding factors to upgrade or not, Android Central said that the Note 4 will be available for $299.99 with a 2-year contract on US Cellular, Verizon, AT&T, Sprint and T-Mobile. Its off-contract price is $770.16.

The Note 3, on the other hand, is priced about $99 on-contract on most carriers, said GottabeMobile.

Upgrading? Let us know!