Samsung Announces 10.1-Inch Galaxy Note

Unlike the first-generation Galaxy Note, which was uniquely positioned as a half-smartphone, half-tablet hybrid device, the new Galaxy Note will feel more like a full-fledged tablet while still offering native support for Samsung’s S Pen, the stylus it debuted alongside the first Galaxy Note in February. The new tablet will sport a 10.1-inch screen, making it almost twice as large as its 5.3-inch predecessor.

Pricing details for the device have not been disclosed, but Samsung said it will become globally available by the end of August.

[Related: Samsung Again Reports Record Quarterly Profit ]

The new Galaxy Note represents a larger effort on Samsung's part to challenge consumers' traditional view of a tablet. While most tablet PCs are exclusively considered tools for content consumption, Samsung said the 10.1-inch Galaxy Note is intended for content creation.

"The Galaxy Note 10.1 is a product we are very excited about and will offer our customers a new way to use and experience a tablet device," said Simon Stanford, vice president of the telecommunications and networks division at Samsung U.K. and Ireland, in a statement. "As well as being able to consume content such as videos, photos, document and the Internet, the Galaxy Note 10.1 also gives them the power to produce, create and customise that same content -- something they won't get from any other product on the market."

The S Pen, along with Samsung’s S Note app for note taking and sketching, are the main drivers behind this content creation experience, allowing users to handwrite and store text directly on the device. Meanwhile, users also have access to multimedia educational content, such as e-Textbooks and video lectures, through Samsung’s Learning Hub.

The 10.1-inch Galaxy Note also includes a new Multiscreen feature that enables two different applications to run simultaneously side by side. Users can open a Web page or launch an app on half of the screen, for instance, while taking notes or drawing with the S Pen on the other half.

Like its 10.1-inch Galaxy Tab, Samsung’s new Galaxy Note will run Google’s Android OS and go head to head with Apple’s 9.5-inch iPad. It could also help offset any slump in U.S. tablet sales Samsung has seen since Apple won a preliminary injunction against its Galaxy Tab 10.1 in June as part of an on-going patent battle between the two tech giants.

PUBLISHED AUG. 6, 2012