PHABLET: The new Samsung Galaxy Note II phone-cum-tablet device on display at the IFA consumer electronics fair in Berlin. - Reuters
SEOUL: Samsung Electronics Co unveiled the second generation of its Galaxy Note phone-cum-tablet at Europe's biggest electronics show in Berlin.
The Galaxy Note phablet is Samsung's second most popular smartphone after its flagship Galaxy S.
It features a thinner and slightly bigger 5.5in screen, powerful quad-core processor, the latest version of Google's Android operating system called Jellybean, and improved stylus function.
It's the latest product to illustrate Samsung's attempts to make bold design changes as it comes increasingly under pressure to differentiate its line-up from the iPhone, whose simple and large touchscreen-based design revolutionised the mobile industry and is still considered the gold standard of design.
Samsung is also working to introduce smartphones with bendable screens later this year as it seeks to cement its lead in the US$200bil-plus (RM600bil-plus) global smartphone market and challenge Apple, which is expected to launch its new iPhone on Sept 12.
The new Note comes just three months after Samsung released the third generation of its Galaxy S smartphone, which has already sold more than 10 million, and succeeds the original 5.3in Note, which was introduced in late-October and was a surprise hit, selling more than 10 million within nine months.
Other firms that offer so-called phablets include LG Electronics and HTC. ABI Research has predicted phablet shipments could reach 208 million by 2015.
Unlike Apple, Samsung depends on various line-ups, offering a range of models in different sizes and with different software, and keeps its product cycle shorter. - Reuters