Samsung Galaxy Note ships 1 million devices in just couple of months

Samsung his shipped 1 million Galaxy Notes since the device debuted in October.

(Credit: Samsung)

 

Samsung said it has shipped one million Galaxy Notes since the mobile gadget hit the market in late October. But the electronics giant didn't say how many it has actually sold.

Part smartphone and part tablet, the Note has seen a rise in sales across Europe and Asia, particularly France, Germany, Hong Kong, and Taiwan, according to a Samsung press release displayed today on Flickr. Samsung called the Note's sales "notable" since the device is creating a new market for a cross between a phone and tablet.

The Note sailed to the shores of the U.K. in mid-November, further contributing to its sales. Though U.S. consumers are still Note-less, Samsung has confirmed that a U.S. launch is in the works for next year but hasn't yet revealed a specific date.

First shown off at the IFA Electronics Show in early September, the Note functions and is marketed as a smartphone but is sized like a very small tablet with a 5.3-inch screen. Outfitted with Android 2.3 Gingerbread, the Note is powered by a 1.4GHz dual-core processor and includes 16 gigabytes of internal storage with a microSD card slot that can hold up to 32 GB.

Beyond using Wi-Fi, the device can tap into a variety of data networks, including 4G LTE, HSPA+, and Edge. Samsung also includes a stylus to let people write notes and draw.

"One million global shipping of Galaxy Note means it has well positioned itself as a market creator," a Samsung representative said in the press release. "Samsung will continuously strengthen its leadership in the global smartphone market as well as create new markets with innovative devices."

Of course, the 1 million number marks only shipments to retailers, not sales to consumers.

Samsung has in the past fudged the two when referring to its Galaxy Tab tablet. Last December, the company announced that it had sold 1 million Galaxy Tab units, and then in January claimed it sold 2 million. A Samsung executive later admitted that those numbers didn't refer to consumer sales but to the number of tablets shipped to retailers.

With the Note, Samsung seems to be following its latest strategy of sticking with shipment numbers and not revealing actual sales data. Typically, such hybrid devices have a difficult time carving out a niche in the marketplace. But sources told AllThingsD that the Note actually sold out in Hong Kong during its first month. So the next question is: will the Note enjoy the same demand in the U.S. that it's captured in Europe and Asia?