Samsung Galaxy Note ships 1 million units

By Joe Svetlik on 30 December 2011, 3:00pm

An oddity. That's how we described the Samsung Galaxy Note back when we reviewed it in November. And it's fair enough: with a 5.3-inch screen, it sits halfway between a phone and a tablet. It's thin ice territory, as some have failed before when they've strayed so far from the standard product classifications.

But it seems the Galaxy Note is doing quite nicely thank you very much, as it's shipped a million handsets worldwide since going on sale in November. Big numbers for a big phone.

Samsung made the announcement on its Flickr page, possibly while a fanfare of trumpets played in the background. The numbers are all the more impressive when you consider the Note isn't even on sale in the US yet, though Samsung is about to rectify that, announcing it'll be flogging it Stateside next year. Expect even better figures then.

The Note is also due for an upgrade to Android Ice Cream Sandwich in the first three months of next year (along with the Galaxy S2, Galaxy R, and all three sizes of the Galaxy Tab), making it an even more tempting prospect.

It just goes to show, we suppose, that plenty of people do want a halfway house between a smart phone and a tablet -- if it's done right. A Samsung official said in a statement, "One million global shipping of Galaxy Note means it has well positioned itself as a market creator."

The Note is due to get its own robotastic dock in February next year, which will let you rotate it to landscape or portrait mode. More accessories are also expected.

Could this be the start of something? Will we all soon be carrying around huge handsets? Let us know if you think big phones will be big in 2012 over on our Facebook page, or in the comments below.

Comments 11

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anonymous 30 December, 2011 15:53

While this is an impressive achievement, there's a big difference between 'sold' and 'shipped'

anonymous 30 December, 2011 18:42

The fact is you only have to look at 2011 and one can already see that bigger devices are preferred. I remember when I first saw HTC's HD2 it was so big and now 4.3 inches does not even register as bid in my eyes.

I think that the Note will catch on and sell even better. The main thing that a lot of people do not understand is that a brilliant idea that is poorly executed can make for a mediocre or rubbish product. The Dell Streak is a good example. I can not understand how Dell could think of launching such a product with an old OS that did not even support Adobe Flash.

Apple really get this idea and now Samsung is learning too they are making much less mistakes with their Galaxy range and now people are really anticipating SG3 including myself.

anonymous 31 December, 2011 02:10

@anonymous 30 December, 2011 18:42
Are you insane ?
"make for a mediocre or rubbish product. The Dell Streak is a good example"

Yes Dell was launching 1.6 , but with promise of Froyo. And they kept it! And Dell Srteak is not "mediocre or rubbish product" , but perfect hardware at the time- even now. PERFECT
Well Dell Streak did not sell well tanks to of many "iExperts"-sites, like chet, and poor marketing..
But Dell Srtreak was braking the ice.
GNote made it even better, but the path was made. And Samsung knows how to deal with "iExperts" :) Same way as Apple deal with them, and they to be happy:)

ace9988 1 January, 2012 00:47

yeh....from what the past has shown samsung doesn't seem to know to differentiate between sold and shipped, but if it's sold then good on them for recognizing that people like this sorta thing and making it unique (unlike dell's attempt which was JUST a confused identity of a slab)

AppleRocks16 1 January, 2012 13:26

In fact, the note did not sell 1 million, it shipped one million....

I even read a lot of other articles and they said that one million were shipped, not sold.

CNET : you need to get your facts right before publishing an article....

anonymous 1 January, 2012 17:45

Regarding sold or shipped: - my galaxy note was purchased in December after going to over 5 stores that had no stock. So, the shipped tag seems to be redundant.

Katie Collins 3 January, 2012 10:25

Thanks for your comments - we've adjusted the story to reflect that it relates to units shipped rather than units sold.

anonymous 4 January, 2012 22:14

My Note was my seventh Android device (I need them for work!), and definitely the best so far.

1280x800 pixel screen, 1080p video camera, dual 1.4GHz ARM A9 with NEON co pro. Even a pen.

The Acid test is that my 5 and 3 year old prefer it to all the other tablets and phones.

anonymous 4 January, 2012 22:20

PS - I almost forgot to mention. The resolution matches a tablet. But it crucially fits in my shirt pocket so I can carry it around with me like a phone - without having to take it specially like a tablet.

anonymous 19 January, 2012 03:51

Hello,
This is really interesting take on the concept. I never thought of it that way. I came across this site recently which I think it will be a great use of new ideas and information. Thanks a lot.