It's official: The "Phablet" is a winner. In just a little over a month since its launch, Samsung has sold more than 3 million of its Galaxy Note II smartphones, the company announced Nov. 2.
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Samsung, the world's largest maker of smartphones, said it took only 37 days for the oversize smartphone to reach the sales figure, according to USA Today. The Note II was released first in South Korea in September and in the U.S. and other countries in the following month.
Many wondered if the fabled Samsung's Note "phablet," note-quite-a-phone, not-quite-a-tablet, could take off in the market, but the Galaxy Note II has clearly overcome the initial skepticism about its big size making it look awkward when held close to the face.
The Note was just one of the few 5-inch smartphones in the market when the first model was unveiled in 2011, leaving many to openly ponder its relevance and place in the tablet and smartphone markets.
The market for larger screen sizes proved its viability this year, as several smartphones grew their screen sizes. Even Apple, normally content to follow its own muse, released a bigger iPhone this year.
Like Apple with its iPhone, smartphone sales account for the majority of Samsung's profits. The Note series is one of the two key mobile devices from Samsung on the high-end smartphone segment, along with flagship Galaxy S III smartphone, helping Samsung make a profit responsible for more than 70 percent of the company's quarterly sales.
The latest version of the Note features a screen measuring 5.5 inches diagonally and a digital pen for note-taking.
Samsung is hoping the Note II and the S III maintain its market lead during the crucial fourth-quarter holiday season, when a number of new devices will be released - including the LG-branded Nexus 4 smartphone from Google - and will vie for attention from consumers in the crowded market.
According to research firm IDC, Samsung topped the global smartphone market in the July-September third quarter with 56.3 million sales, more than double Apple's 26.9 million iPhone sales. The two companies controlled combined 46 percent of the global smartphone market, according to IDC.
Samsung confirmed in September that its new phone would be available in the U.S. on all major carriers - Verizon Wireless, Sprint, AT&T, T-Mobile, and U.S. Cellular - by mid-November.
The Galaxy Note II features a 1.6-GHz, quad-core Exynos processor optimized for LTE networks, along with 2GB of RAM and 16GB of internal storage, and a microSD card for expandable storage up to 64GB. Add to that Google's Android 4.1.1 Jelly Bean operating system and a slight 6.3 ounces. The phone will carry a price tag starting at $299.
Verizon is accepting pre-orders for the phablet, while AT&T has already announced that the device will hits its online and brick-and-mortar shelves on Nov. 9.
Galaxy Note II specs
Network
3G: HSPA+21Mbps (HSDPA 21Mbps / HSUPA 5.76Mbps); 4G LTE: 100Mbps / 50Mbps
Processor
1.6 GHz quad-core processor
OS
Android 4.1 (Jelly Bean)
Display
140.9 mm (5.5") HD Super AMOLED (1,280 x 720)
Dimension
80.5 x 151.1 x 9.4 mm, 180g
Battery
Standard battery, Li-ion 3,100mAh
Memory
16/32/64GB User memory + 2GB (RAM), microSD slot (up to 64GB)
S Pen Optimized Features
S Pen Experience: S Note, S Planner, Email with hand-writing integration; S Pen Keeper; Quick Command, Easy Clip, Photo Note, Paper Artist; Shape Match, Formula Match
1 Step tasking / Multitasking features
Air View; Popup Note, Popup Video; Page Buddy / Tag Buddy / Word Buddy
Connectivity / Sharing Features
Bluetooth® v 4.0 (Apt-X Codec support) LE; USB 2.0 Host; WiFi 802.11 a/b/g/n (2.4 & 5 GHz), Wi-Fi HT40; Wi-Fi Direct; NFC; S Beam; Samsung AllShare Play & Control
Samsung AllShare Cast (WiFi Display); Samsung AllShare Framework
Other
Samsung TouchWiz / Samsung L!ve Panel; Samsung Kies /Samsung Kies Air; Samsung ChatOn mobile communication service; Smart Stay, Direct claa, Screen Recorder, Quick Glance; Samsung ChatOn mobile communication service; Samsung S Suggest
Camera
Main (Rear) : 8 Megapixel Auto Focus Camera with LED Flash, BSI; Sub (Front) : 1.9 Megapixel VT Camera, BSI; Best Photo, Best Face, Low light shot
Video
Codec: MPEG4, H.263, H.264, VC-1, DivX, WMV7, WMV8, WMV9, VP8; Format: 3GP(MP4), WMV(ASF), AVI, FLV, MKV, WebM; Full HD(1080p) Playback & Recording
Audio
Codec: MP3, OGG, WMA, AAC, ACC+, eAAC+, AMR(NB,WB), MIDI, WAV, AC-3, Flac; Music Player with SoundAlive; 3.5mm Ear Jack
Sensor
Accelerometer, RGB Light, Digital Compass, Proximity, Gyro, Barometer
GPS
A-GPS, Glonas
The Galaxy Note 2 is a bigger version of the Galaxy S3 smartphone. The device has the same design lines that you've seen in the company's 2012 flagship handset but at a bigger scale. The insides are also very similar to the Galaxy S3, but the Note is not just a phone, as it has plenty of tablet-like functionality. The device also comes with a stylus on board.
The Galaxy note II features a touch-screen display with 1280 x 720 resolution and 16:9 aspect ratio, 2GB of RAM, 16/32/64GB of on-board memory with support for up to 64GB microSD upgrade, 8-megapixel rear-facing camera with Auto Focus, LED flash and HD video recording, 2-megapixel front-facing camera, Bluetooth 4.0, Wi-Fi, Wi-Fi Direct, A-GPS, and Glonass support, 3,100mAh user-removable battery with faster charging, S Pen support and Android 4.1 Jelly Bean on board with TouchWiz UI on top and new S-Pen features.
The "phablet" in many ways represents a turning point in handset design. With the device colaescing qualities of books, smartphones, and tablets all into one device, it's already clearly a very unique product. Ushering in a new era of having it all: your 4G, your quad-core, and even Jelly Bean. If so, this holiday season could be quite an eventful one for Android users.
Apparently, the Samsung Galaxy Note II is slightly more powerful than the Samsung Galaxy S III when it comes to specs.