I got my Note 3 to replace my Note 2 (when its screen colours suddenly & irretrievably reversed) and rejected other phones for these reasons:
(1) the big screen: "only" by one inch? You're surely kidding, 1" can make a big difference to certain users, especially to me. I'm a driving instructor out in one of 2 available training cars, swapping between them several times a day. Most of the communication between myself & my mostly-teenaged clients is via SMS, I often have to pull over to the side of the road to read my phone info (SMS and missed calls), the bigger the screen, the more info I can quickly get without resorting to small fonts. The big screen allows me to show clients the "clutch demonstrator" app without resorting to a tablet or notebook.
(2) The S-Pen! I use SwiftKey which has a very thumb-friendly keyboard, but my 64-year-old-thumbs make for a lot of errors and slow input. I love the the handwritten entry feature, I have a fairly neat writing style so I find it is remarkably accurate. It wouldn't work as well wthout the S-Pen or with a smaller screen. I often have the need to scribble qick notes while in the car too, again the S-Pen comes to the fore.
Z2 quality is better? I haven't used the Z2 but if you're talking about build quality, yes the Note is plasticky and the rear cover seems flimsy but it still seems robust to me. I don't care if the case is plastic or diamond-encrusted platinum, as long as it works. And the battery cover's thin design means less bulk, the cover works quite well when snapped into place.
I'm not too concerned with my phone's camera quality as I always carry a Nikon digital camera with me for "serious" photos.
I chose the Note 3 because of the way i intended to use it, but that doesn't mean I disrespect any of my personal rejects.
Adam, pick the phone that works best for YOU.
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