When it was first launched, the Samsung Galaxy Note’s large screen surprised everyone. Some claimed that the Android smartphone was too big to be a phone and too small to be a tablet, and that it should be called a phablet. Most technology reviewers predicted that it would have only niche appeal.

However, to the surprise of everyone the Note has sold far better than expected: to date, over 7 million units have been sold worldwide, and has proven especially popular in Asia. The Note has been particularly popular with businessmen and women.

The main reason for this popularity is its 5.3” Super AMOLED capacitive touchscreen, with a high resolution (800x1280 pixels) that allows lots of information to be displayed: whether it’s reading long emails, word documents or catching up with stock market news on Bloomberg.

However, another reason is the S-Pen stylus which slots into the back of the phone. This stylus allows businesspeople to create handwritten memos on the Note, draw conceptual designs and even sketch ideas.

An unexpected feature, which is especially handy for business travellers, is the Note’s very large 2500mAh battery capacity, which allows it to be used quite heavily all day and still have charge in the evening.

Other hardware features include:

• 32GB storage onboard with the option of adding another 32GB via microSD card
• a dual core 1.4GHz processor
• screen protected from scratches and damage by Corning Gorilla Glass
• 8MP back camera with flash and 2MP front camera for video calls
• native support for many audio/video file formats e.g. DIVX and American GPS satellite support
• Russian GLONASS satellite access to improve GPS map accuracy

The Samsung Galaxy Note is available from mobile carriers around the world as well as being sold outright online by stores such as Expansys.