Is Samsung working on a 7-inch Galaxy Note? Suspicious specs appear in benchmark results

Benchmark results and specifications for what could be another Galaxy Note device have surfaced online.

The tech community is still raving about Samsung’s Galaxy Note 2, but the Korea-based manufacturer may already be working on another device in the Galaxy Note line. This isn’t the first Galaxy Note “3” rumor to pop up in recent weeks, but what’s interesting about this new discovery is that it hints that a Galaxy Note “7” could be in the works.

If you thought 5.5-inches was a large leap for the Note series, Samsung may be developing a 7-inch version of its acclaimed device. Of course, it’s important to keep in mind that none of this information has been confirmed, but a recent result in GLBenchmark’s database has sparked suspicion.

The results that appeared this week are for a device labeled Samsung GT-N5100. Interestingly enough, the specs revealed in the benchmarks contain what appears to be a 1.6GHz Exynos 4412 processor, which is the quad-core Exynos processor found in the current generation Galaxy Note 2. Little is known about this unannounced device, but according to the benchmarks, its display will come with a resolution of 1,280 x 800 pixels.

We don’t know for sure that this is a new Galaxy Note tablet, but these specifications do seem to point in that direction. The screen resolution matches that of Samsung’s Galaxy Note 10.1, further indicating that this rumored tablet could be a welcome addition to the Galaxy Note family.

It’s also worth noting that the purported slate will ship with Android 4.1.2 Jelly Bean right out of the box. It also appears to have the codename kona3g, which hints that this mystery device could come with cellular service as well.

This isn’t the first time we’ve heard rumors about an upcoming Galaxy Note release. Korean news source the Korea Times reported earlier this month that a new 6.3-inch “phablet” would debut in 2013. It’s likely that this rumored device is separate from the other speculated 7-inch device mentioned above. Samsung could be following in the footsteps of Google’s Galaxy Nexus line by offering devices in different sizes within the same brand. This would provide Google lovers with yet another 7-inch alterative to rival the Nexus 7.

However, until Samsung or Google decides to make an official announcement, this information remains categorized as rumor. Who knows when we’ll see anything new in the Galaxy Note family, but it may be a bit too early to see a 6.3-inch or 7-inch device at CES in Las Vegas next month.