Samsung Galaxy Note II Phablet Sells Three Million+ In One Month+ Of Sales | Hacker News Reader

Samsung Galaxy Note II Phablet Sells Three Million+ In One Month+ Of Sales

techcrunch.com

34 pointsredDragon43 comments

While I must admit the personally I'm completely cold on phablets (to me they offer the inconvenience of the bulk of a tablet with the limitations of a phone), I know at least a couple of people who love their Galaxy Notes and those sales numbers suggest that they're not alone.

I think the interesting question is is this a sign of a significant new market segment, or is it something more niche which Samsung have just nailed with the Note but won't ever grow too much beyond it's current size (at least as a proportion of the overall market)?

I think the market is pretty confused right now. As compared to 2007 when Apple first launched its iPhone and then again when it launched the iPad.

I guess we don't really know the resolution we as human beings prefer. With Linus Torvalds asking for a new Desktop Resolution as a standard I think we would need to wait and watch for the disruption to kick in.

(Resolution is not the same as Size. Resolution = pixels per inch; size = number of inches. OK?)

The interesting thing about the Galaxy Note is that as it moves the slider between the 7" tablet and 3.5-4" smartphone sizes it hits an interesting sweet spot. It's obviously better than the regular phone at displaying text, albeit not as good as the 7" (which is roughly the same display area as an A-format paperback book -- this is not a coincidence, IMO). But it's vastly better than the 7" format at being a mobile phone: the separation of microphone (at bottom) and speaker (at top) make the 7" form factor something of a non-starter for voice calls unless a headset or speakerphone system is used. (A curved 7" tablet, mimicking the shape of a traditional phone handset, might work better as a phone, but would be far less pocketable.)

So my guess is that phablets will have a strong niche market among people who do a lot of textual/web work on the move but don't want to carry a phone and a tablet around. The real issue this opens is text input -- how to do it best when your device is uncomfortably large for one-handed use, but too cramped for two-handed -- and the pen is a relatively elegant solution to this, whatever Steve Jobs might have thought about the "scribble thing". In some ways it may make sense to view the Galaxy Note as the logical descendant of the Apple Newton (beefed up, different OS, added phone/internet functions) than of the regular Android/iOS multi-touch phone lineage.

> Resolution = pixels per inch; size = number of inches.

I tend to think the same way you do, with resolution meaning pixels per inch, which is a very important number to me. But I don't think that is how the term is commonly used.

Resolution usually means the total number of pixels in each dimension, independent of the size of those pixels. Just look at any display product spec: You'll almost always see "Display resolution 1600x900" (or whatever the numbers are) and almost never see "Display resolution 123 pixels per inch". In most cases you're left to calculate the pixels per inch on your own.

For lack of a better term, I've taken to using "density" or "pixel density" to refer to pixels per inch, or else just use DPI or PPI or spell it out.

Why pixels per inch? Why not pixels per centimeter? Isn't metric system the standard? :)

Metric is rational and a standard ... except that a good chunk of our global computer industry is dominated by American corporations, and they still run on the width of the King's Finger :)

I love mine (Note 1). It does fit in my jeans pocket just fine. It lives in there with my keys and somehow hasn't been destroyed or scratched.

And the screen is just wonderful. I've only had it a few months and I'm already thinking about whether I can justify getting a Note 2 for my, uh, business needs :)

wow! better than a tablet (i mean for biz needs) ?

That probably depends what your business needs are. I'm just starting out freelancing/contracting, so my business needs are minimal. I'm just thinking I can maybe justify a business phone (toy) out of pre-tax profits... especially if/when I start making android apps.

I don't own a tablet but the Note has replaced my netbook as casual browsing device, and it's big enough that watching movies or tv episodes on the train or plane isn't uncomfortable. Only real niggle - headphone volume output could be louder.

Phone in the same pocket as your keys!? shudder

And I haven't even got it in a protective case of any sort!

I'm a risk-loving rebel me :)

I never use cases; the last phone I've had any kind of screen damage on was ye olde Nokia E71, by dropping an open pocketknife directly on the face. Said phone is still in use.

I just got my Note 2 a few days ago. I upgraded from an S2 and can't be happier.

I find that ~95% of my phone use is for texting/email/consumption and very little actual talking. Now I also have the ability to draw on my phone, which means I can actually be somewhat productive with it... and taking personal notes in shorthand is way faster than typing. For me, this is a tablet that fits comfortably in my pocket that happens to make/receive phone calls. It's the PDA we all wish we had back in the 90's.

When you say it fits comfortably in your pocket, how physically active do you tend to be?

Personally I have small kids so spend a bunch of time running around after them, bending down to pick them up and tidy up after them and so on.

Do you think a Note is compatible with that or is the size such that it fits comfortably if you're walking around normally but much more might be a problem?

EDIT: Thanks for all the responses. Food for thought muddying my already unclear thoughts on what I want from a tablet with what I might want from a phone.

Well, to be fair, I'm 6'4" with a 36" inseam and my pants have big pockets... so I don't think that would be an issue for me (I have 2 as well). Part of my usage case, however, is that when I am home, the phone is rarely in my pocket. I tend to keep my phones on the island in the kitchen unless I'm using them.

At work, I do a fair amount of bending/squatting as a computer tech and I haven't had to shift it around at all. It's thin enough that it doesn't seem to get in the way.

I first ran into the Note when it was only in South Korea. Everybody who owned one was significantly active: a construction site manager, an architect with a kid (who used it extensively for site sketches), a mother of 2, a couple college kids, a salesman with extensive travel requirements...not to mention that the best way of getting around in Seoul is pretty much on foot and public transport.

I will say that most of them also carried around a pre-charged second battery since finding charge points can be a problem when out and about in a big city (without holing up at a coffee shop (if you can find a plug) for an hour).

They all loved it, and one of their friends with an S3 was planning on "upgrading" to it. It was a little big for small pockets, but was perfectly fine holding and using it if you can get over the requirement of only using one hand to operate a phone (I haven't used one hand ever, even with my old flipphones back in the day).

It did look a little funky being used as a phone, but when lots of people have one it tends to look more normal.

The main issue with pockets is thickness, and the Note is as thin as any other smartphone. I usually carry it in my jacket or coat pocket, although it does fit comfortably in slim-fit jeans.

I'd say if you wear tight jeans and bend down a lot it's a bit risky. But otherwise fine. Pop into a phone shop and see!

I think the sales of these and similar phones suggest a combination of two things that Apple may have underestimated:

Bigger screens are better

A lot of people want the biggest/most powerful phone that they can comfortably afford, use and cary around. Higher end androids have been growing in average screen size from the starting point set by the iphone.

Diversity = Choice = Good

Among those people who want big phones, there is diversity in pocket size, hand size, purse size & willingness to carry things around. Look at the other stuff they take with them. A lot of women carry around a big purse, for example. It might have 3-4 things bigger than a note in there that go everywhere. I choose a wallet for slimness. My mother's is a good 10X bigger than mine. If you carry around a wallet the size of a brick, a galaxy note is not an issue. When I wear a jacket, I can comfortably take a nexus 7 or kindle with me everywhere.

By committing to a single model Apple gains a lot. But, they also need to target a low common denominator for size. I wouldn't be surprised to see an iPhone 3', 4', 5' at some point.

Bigger screens are better is a stretch. This is selling less than either the iPhone or the S3 both of which have smaller screens.

While someone somewhere will buy a phone with pretty much any screen size you can name, there are going to be demand peaks around certain sizes. Where those are will take a few years with more choice to become clear, but the fact that the S3 out sells the Note (both well reviewed, similarly functional, same manufacturer so otherwise pretty comparable) suggests pretty strongly that demand for "phone" sizes is still greater than "phablet" sizes.

And I think Apple get that choice is good - the iPad Mini is a very direct representation of that, ditto the fact that there are now three different iPhones. They're not throwing out phones the way Samsung are because there are other trade offs in doing that, but I think they get that not everyone wants the same thing.

Well, these phones haven't had the hype machine of either of those two behind them, which can manipulate demand to some extent.

Either way it seems that there is significant demand here, even if it's not at the same level as the 4.x inch devices.

The few people who have bought it have quickly gotten over the embarrassment that prevents the rest of us from buying it, and love the Note. And they claim they can never go back.

I believe that given that 95%+ of what we use a smart phone for these days benefits from a larger screen with higher resolution [not to mention increased input choices], moving to the largest screen possible [while maintaining a 24hr battery cycle, and being able to put it in a pocket] is inevitable.

Low budget users will settle for smaller phones with same features. High budget users will go for the largest phone they can hold.

All this changes with Google Glass, or a holographic projection system :)

I find larger form factor's are better when your using your phone as a tablet, but I don't like using larger form factors when making calls. It's easy to solve that problem with a Bluetooth headset, but I prefer having a small phone and a tablet.

That said, 300+ PPI makes a huge difference for cellphones.

My GF has a Note I, she has the sims game on it. When she whips out the Note and fires up the sims in gorgeous 3D her girly friends all drool. It is a fantastic bit of kit that fits in baggy trouser pockets fine, or in a handbag. She puts that and her kindle sandwiched together in a little purse thing. Personally I find the text a little bit small on it.

Can we please stop using the term phablet before it catches on and actually becomes a thing? It hurts my eyes just to read it. There must be better words for this form factor.

Tabphlet? Like a leaflet ?

Archos used to call them PMPs (Portable Media Players) when it sold them.

I think that's a good description, distinguishing them from larger more capable devices.

Unfortunately the logical pronounciation of that is "pimp".

That seems to miss that most people aren't using them for media consumption but for note taking (really must get the "can't use tablet type devices for creation" memo out to them, so many people not understanding that).

Phone pads?

Or how about just call them what they are - smartphones. Is the half inch screen size difference between a Note and an S3 really cause for a new class of device?

But it's just so phabulous!

In Kuala Lumpur Samsung had ads calling it a phablet.

As someone who doesn't want to buy the Note, but intends to buy a 2nd generation Galaxy Note 10" tablet next year, this makes me happy because they will get more 3rd party support for their S-pen. However, I still wish I could buy a Nexus 10 tablet that would work with an active Wacom pen by default, and I don't think that's possible right now - is it?

I know Google introduced the active pen API's in Android 4.0, but I'm not sure what that means exactly. If I buy a 3rd party active pen, will it just work?

Android has native stylus support. However Nexus 10 doesn't have a digitizer, so won't be able to use a real stylus on the Nexus 10.

I take this opportunity to thank linker3000 on his/her recommendation to get a Note [1]. Even though I can only wish I were a busy IT professional, just as a technology enthusiast I'm in awe, having received my Note II this week.

I'd like to point out that, interestingly enough, the most disappointing aspect has been reading online text, such as HN, but not limited to it: my modest, Gingerbread-based HTC Explorer does a wonderful job wrapping text in its now seemingly tiny screen, and yet this Jellybean technology makes me reach for Accessibility options, for some reason makes it really hard to upvote [2], and Chrome's fancy font boosting technology manages to make some of the HN comments annoyingly small.

But still, it's hard not to drool...

[1] http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4560540

[2] Yes, I have changed my HN identity, but I've been around for long.

>I'd like to point out that, interestingly enough, the most disappointing aspect has been reading online text, such as HN, . . . and Chrome's fancy font boosting technology manages to make some of the HN comments annoyingly small.

That is probably not limited to the Galaxy Note or to Samsung: HN comments on a Nexus 7 have the same problem: text size on some comments is tiny compared to other comments (at least if you set the text size to large or huge in Chrome's Acessibility options).

Puzzlingly, Firefox does the same thing even though it uses a different rendering engine than Chrome does.

I think this is a niche market with little growth potential left. For every different combination of features, sizes, specs, etc. there will be some segment of the market that will respond. There are companies who will make a lot of money filling all these niches (Samsung, LG, etc) and companies who focus in on the fat part of the curve (Apple, Microsoft, etc).

You seem to assume that the demand (market) is static. My impression is that it is shifting with a growing demand for bigger screens and thus phablets. People have now experienced the problem of browsing the web with 4" screens.

Regarding the screen size problem, my vision is that the communication functionality (I/O) will be taken over by dedicated devices using bluetooth. Such devices could be a watch, light and invisible ear plug, microphone and camera.

The one big block of material doing everything as we have today is just a step in evolution. There is so much open space left to explore and develop...The demand is evolving, and fast.

I absolutely love the Note. The screen is ideal for videos, web browsing or using Google Maps, and it's gorgeous. The pen is great for writing down quick notes, playing Pictionary, or recording my lifts at the gym. I've also used it on holiday to compile a quick scrapbook of photos, maps and hand-written notes while abroad. I didn't need to take a laptop because the screen is large enough to comfortably use for extended periods.

I used to carry a DSLR because my phone's camera was so poor, but the Note (and newer smartphones in general) has an amazing camera which is adequate for 99% of my needs.

I've had a lot of people strike up conversations due to its size, which I consider a good thing. It does look a bit dumb when you use it for phone calls, but that's not really the target audience.

Can you elaborate as to why you'd use the pen to write notes rather than typing? I haven't used the Note II yet, but on the Note I found it cumbersome to actually write with the pen, and the translation into text was poor. I'm curious to hear your experiences since I'm considering the Note II.

I have a Note II. The handwriting recognition is so-so. It would definitely benefit from being tunable (eg, learn to recognize the way I write a lowercase "a").

On the other hand, it's really good to draw with, and I find the pen a superior input device compared to my finger, especially when you don't want to zoom in just to be able to hit a link in a menu.

agree - with the note, I found typing much better than using the stylus - however, for quick drawing such as network diagrams, topology, etc it is perfect.

although - I would like some nice apps to go along with it.

For quick stuff like writing down a shopping list or recipe, I find the pen quicker and more enjoyable than using the software keyboard. I also find it more expressive, as you can write anywhere, provide drawings or highlight parts easily. It just clicks with me, it may not click with everyone.

I'm actually surprised it works so well as the phone has extremely poor design in other areas. The back/menu buttons are touch-sensitive and incredibly easy to accidentally brush while holding the phone. The button on the pen itself is the epitome of pointless, and is very easy to press as you're holding the pen, which then takes a screenshot and wastes about a minute of your time.

These sales figures are really to customers and not delivered to stores -- like the first sales reports of the first generation of Samsung (et al) tablets?

Note 1 sold 5 million by march last year according to CNet[1]. Note (lol) that they express similar cynicism but that they published a correction that it was units sold at retail.

That doesn't mean that these new figures are the same, but it does show you that the 'phablet' form factor isn't a complete bust.

The AP article[2][3] that seems to be the source here doesn't give a source for these current figures.

1. http://news.cnet.com/8301-1035_3-57405736-94/samsung-boldly-...

2. http://www.sfgate.com/business/technology/article/Samsung-s-...

3. http://technology.inquirer.net/19882/samsungs-galaxy-note-ii...

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