Fresh off a legal battle with Apple, Samsung is announcing a new version of the Galaxy Note, an offbeat, oversized smartphone that's become a surprise hit.
Samsung, the world's largest maker of phones, is revealing the Galaxy Note II at a trade show in Berlin. The 5.5-inch (14-centimeter) screen is narrower but longer than on the first version. The processor is faster, and the software has been further adapted for the included stylus—the phone's signature feature.
While Apple has been releasing a new smartphone model each year, Samsung makes several to target different types of customers. That includes low-end phones for price-conscious customers. As a result, Samsung has been selling more smartphones than Apple this year.
The Note runs on Google's Android operating system but isn't among the phones that Apple is asking a judge to ban from the U.S., after a jury in California ruled last week that some of Samsung's Android phones violated Apple patents. The jury awarded Apple $1 billion in damages in a high-profile case that could force Samsung and other Android phone makers to rethink their designs.
The Note is designed to work well with a stylus for jotting notes and drawing on a screen, while styluses for other devices tend to be an afterthought. The Note's large screen also makes the phone more like a tablet and more suitable for playing games and consuming content. Samsung started selling a tablet version of the Note this month.
Samsung Electronics Co. says it has shipped 10 million first-generation Galaxy Note smartphone in one year.
Samsung says the new phone will go on sale in Europe and Asia in October. It did not say when it would launch with a U.S. carrier.
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