Hot on the heels of the Galaxy Note 2, rumors are circulating about a possible successor to Samsung's secondary flagship phone, which could blur the line between phone and tablet as never before. Once again, I have collected the most prominent (and, for entertainment, some of the most outrageous) rumors and have graded them according to their likelihood of becoming reality.

First, a guide to how I evaluate rumors:

Grade	Criteria
	Expect an announcement. All but certain.
	It's likely true. This either means independent confirmation or an extremely reliable source with a proven track record.
	Could go either way. This could mean an unconfirmed rumor that happens to fit available facts, or a company's behavior patterns.
	Take it with a spoonful of salt. A grain of salt is what you should take with rumors graded "C". Very unlikely, but theoretically possible.
	I call vaporware. Based on the available evidence, it's not gonna happen.

The Next Galaxy Note phone, called the Galaxy Note III, will be released in early 2013: C
Sources: SlashGear, International Business Times

While there are also rumors of a 7-inch tablet in the works, rumors have persisted about a Galaxy Note III being released in early 2013. While it is certainly possible that Samsung could release both phone and tablet versions of its Galaxy Note concurrently or within a short timeframe of each other, I have difficulty believing that Samsung would release new Note phone so soon after the Note II. Not only would it leave those who just bought the Galaxy Note II feeling even more cheated than they normally do in today's short life cycle for new devices, it would cannibalize further Note II sales.

Over the last two years, Samsung has released its newest Galaxy S generation during the spring/summer months and its newest Galaxy Note in the fall, and I don't expect that to change in 2013. I would not be surprised to see a new, smaller version of the Galaxy Note tablet, however. Samsung did tease a big reveal coming up at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in January, but I suspect that this will actually be an unveiling of a 7-9 inch version of the Galaxy Note tablet. That said, I encourage you to watch the video below and judge for yourselves.

The Galaxy Note III will have a 6.3-inch AMOLED display: B
Sources: The Korea Times, Tom's Hardware

Did you think 5.5 inches was already testing the limits of what a single human hand can hold? Do any of you who already have a Galaxy Note II feel at least a little embarrassed to be seen in public holding one of those beasts up against your ear when calling? You might think a 6.3-inch handset would be more of a tablet than a phone, and I wouldn't blame you. Still, it's not out of the realm of possibility - far from it, especially considering that Huawei is currently set to unveil a massive 6.1-inch "phablet" at the CES.

Furthermore, reports that Samsung is cutting production of LCD screens in favor of OLED technology fits with the company's tendency to equip its handsets with AMOLED screens. If the Galaxy Note III indeed comes in such a massive size, I think most people will either use it as a tablet or equip themselves with bluetooth handsets to handle calling duties while the device stays safely tucked out of sight. In my opinion a device of this size would do more than blur the line between phone and tablet - I believe it would cross that line completely. I also don't expect the 6.1-inch Huawei Ascend Mate to fly off the store shelves.

Little has been said about the resolution, however. Given Samsung's rumored struggles in mass producing 1080p Super AMOLED displays, I suspect that any device announced as early as January's CES would feature 720p resolution (unless the unveiling comes months in advance of release). This also lends a little weight to my speculation that any third-generation Galaxy Note phone would be released later in the year. A late 2013 release would give Samsung more time to iron out the kinks in its production lines, and Samsung would be foolish to release a 720p phone when the market will soon be flooded with 1080p LCD phones.

The Galaxy Note III will be powered by a next-generation quad-core Exynos 5440 or 5450 processor: A
Source: Samsung's Kernel Git via Tom's Hardware

Samsung's main competition in CPU chipsets comes in the form of the quad-core Snapdragon S4 Pro, which is manufactured using 28nm semiconductor technology. Though the Galaxy Note 2 came out later than the Droid DNA, it featured a 4th-generation quad-core Exynos chipset based on the ARM Cortex-A9 processor which is easily outclassed by the quad-core Snapdragon S4 Pro chipset of the DNA based on the Krait processor.

The 5th-generation Exynos chipset is based on the much more competitive ARM Cortex A-15 CPU which has already hit the market in the form of the dual-core Exynos 5250-powered Nexus 10. With that in mind, I find it extremely unlikely that Samsung will allow a successor to the Galaxy Note 2 to run on the same obsolete Exynos 4412 chipset. While the 5th-generation Exynos chipset is more competitive, it is still manufactured using a 32nm semiconductor technology like its 4412 predecessor.

The Galaxy Note III will run on Android 5.5 Key Lime Pie: F
Source: Gizbot

It won't if it's released in the first half of 2013, and even if it's released in the second half, it would run a 5.1 version of Key Lime Pie at best. Not only did Google just release Android 4.2 Jelly Bean in November, but I don't see any way that Android would go through five decimal-point releases throughout all of 2013. I suspect a typo here, meaning that the next Galaxy Note will more likely run Android 5.0 in the second half of 2013. I included this laughable rumor in this report card mainly for its entertainment value.

Furthermore, only Nexus devices are released with the absolute latest version of Android out of the box. If the Galaxy Note III runs Android 5.0 Key Lime Pie, Google will have already released this version several months prior via a new Nexus device, likely a tablet.

The same source (I bet most of you have never even heard of Gizbot) posted a rumor that pegs the rear camera at 16 megapixels and the front camera at 3 megapixels. While this is theoretically possible, the more likely scenario is a 12 or 13-megapixel rear camera and a 2-megapixel front camera. Gizbot also included a rumor indicating 3 GB of RAM for the device, which I think is more likely, given that the current top-shelf standard is 2 GB, and the competition will soon pad its spec sheets with higher RAM counts in order to stay ahead of the curve.

Other rumors include anywhere from 32 to 128 GB of storage (I suspect 16 to 32 GB for an entry-level Galaxy Note III), a 4,000 mAh battery, dimensions of 3.34 inches wide and 6.37 inches tall (8.9 mm thick), and a weight of 7.76 ounces.