Samsung Galaxy Note II to be launched tomorrow

Samsung is likely to launch the Galaxy Note II phablet in India tomorrow at a press event in Hyderabad, according to reports. The device was showcased at the IFA 2012 in Berlin in August and was rolled out in Samsung's home country South Korea today. Samsung is already taking pre-orders for the Galaxy Note II in India.

The Galaxy Note II, with its 5.5-inch HD SuperAMOLED display, is slightly bigger than the original Galaxy Note, which had a 5.3-inch touchscreen. This device runs on Android 4.1 (Jelly Bean), the latest version of Google's mobile operating system, layered with the company's TouchWiz UI. The phablet has a quad-core 1.6GHz Cortex A-9 processor with 2GB of RAM and will come in 16, 32 and 64GB variants, with support for microSD card having capacity of up to 64GB.
For camera enthusiasts, Samsung has assimilated an 8MP snapper with LED flash on the rear, whereas the secondary camera has resolution of 1.9MP. The rear camera can capture full HD videos at 1080p@30fps and comes with features like geo-tagging, touch focus, face and smile detection, image stabilisation.

Connectivity options of the Samsung Galaxy Note II include 4G, 3G, 2G, Wi-Fi, NFC, USB 2.0 and Bluetooth 4.0. The company has also provided proprietary connectivity features in the device, such as Samsung AllShare Play & Control and Samsung AllShare Cast. The phablet it powered by a 3,100mAh battery and will come in two colours - titanium grey and marble white.

Samsung's pricing strategy for the Galaxy Note II remains to be seen, as it does not reveal cost of the product while taking pre-orders. Around the time that the iPhone 5 was launched worldwide, the company slashed the prices of the top-end products it sells in India, namely Galaxy S III, S II and Note.

Galaxy Note II will be shipped on first-come-first-serve basis for those booked it in advance, depending on the timing for completing the full payment. The South Korean manufacturer will ship a free desktop dock with the Galaxy Note II for free to those who pre-order the device early. Only those who make full payment within the first three days of the launch of the phablet will be given the free desktop dock.

Those users who pre-order the device have to make full payment for the Galaxy Note II within 15 days of launch, otherwise the booking will be cancelled and the sum of Rs 5,000 will not be refunded. Samsung will send an email to all those who made pre-orders stating the official launch of the device.

Key specifications of Samsung Galaxy Note II are listed below:
Display: 5.5-inch HD SuperAMOLED touchscreen; Operating system: Android 4.1 (Jelly Bean); Processor: Quad-core 1.6GHz Cortex A-9; Storage: 16, 32 and 64GB, expandable up to 64GB via microSD card; RAM: 2GB; Connectivity: 4G, 3G, 2G, Wi-Fi, NFC, USB 2.0 and Bluetooth 4.0, Samsung AllShare Play & Control and Samsung AllShare Cast; Camera: 8MP rear camera with LED flash, 1.9MP front camera; and Battery: 3,100mAh