Samsung Electronics Co. said Friday it has sold more than 30 million
Galaxy Note II smartphones in a little over a month after its launch, as
the company vies to keep its lead over rivals during the crucial
holiday quarter.
The South Korean firm, which was the world’s largest maker of
smartphones in the July-September quarter, said it took 37 days for the
oversize smartphone to reach the sales figure.
The Note II was released first in South Korea in September and in the U.S. and other countries in the following month.
Samsung’s Note category took off in the market, overcoming skepticism
about its big size making it look awkward when held close to the face.
The Note was one of the few 5-inch smartphone in the market when the
first model was unveiled last year, making some people believe it would
become a “tweener” that is neither a tablet nor a smartphone.
But phone manufacturers began to expand screen sizes this year. Even Apple released a bigger iPhone this year.
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 rake in profit for the business division
that is responsible for more than 70 percent of the company’s quarterly
sales.
The latest iteration of the Note features a screen measuring 5.5 inches diagonally and a digital pen for note-taking.
The South Korean firm is pinning its hope on the Note II and the S III
to maintain its market lead during the crucial fourth-quarter holiday
season, when a number of new gadgets are vying for attention from
consumers in the crowded market.
Research firm IDC said 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.