Samsung Galaxy Note 3 and Galaxy Gear pre-orders start today

While global sales will start from next week, Samsung has announced that its new Galaxy Note 3 will be available in Australia from October 3 for $999, but pre-sales will start from 2pm today.

Along with a whole heap of S Pen, Multi Task and other software feature updates, the handset comes packing the latest version of Jelly Bean, Android 4.3 and a 5.7-inch Full HD Super AMOLED screen with a resolution of 1920 x 1080.

Coming in either pink, black or white with a leather-like back, it also sports a 3200mAh battery, 3GB of RAM, 13MP camera with UHD recording capabilities and a front-facing 2MP camera that can record Full HD at 30fps

It also looks like Aussies will be missing out on the octa-core variant, with Samsung confirming just the 2.3GHz quad-core 4G model with Category 4 LTE capabilities for Australia.

We also won't be getting the 16GB model, with only the 32GB internal storage variant (which is expandable up to 64GB through an microSD card) making its way Down Under.

Sammy dons new Gear

The Samsung Galaxy Gear smartwatch will be available for pre-sale today as well, and will be on sale with the Note 3 from October 3 for $369.

As it runs Android 4.3, it will only be compatible with the Note 3 at first, but Samsung confirmed that the Galaxy Gear will also be compatible with the Galaxy S4, Galaxy S3 and Galaxy Note 2 by the end of the year - which means OS upgrades are coming for these devices by the end of the year too.

The Gear will come in six colours, sporting a 1.9MP camera for photos and videos, a Super AMOLED screen with a 320 x 320 resolution and an 800MHz processor.

The device pairs up with the Note 3 using Bluetooth and can be used beyond just checking emails and messages by also allowing you to make phone calls, but it only has a battery life up to 25 hours.

Other nifty features include voice control for hands-free calls, Voice Memo that converts speech into text, a handy Find My Device app, a pedometer that pairs up with the S Health app, and an auto lock feature that locks your phone if you move the watch more than 1.5m away.

You can pre-order the Note 3 and Galaxy Gear at Samsung Experience Stores in Sydney and Melbourne. The Note 3 will be available for pre-order from Optus and Vodafone today, while Virgin Mobile will have pre-orders beginning September 26.

Vodafone is offering the Galaxy Note 3 and Galaxy Gear in bundled plans, and while Telstra has previously confirmed that it will have both the Galaxy Gear and Note 3 once it is available in Australia, there is no news on bundling yet.

• Why not check out our hands-on with the Galaxy Gear and our first look of the Galaxy Note 3?