When the Galaxy Note was first announced and then launched, there were many skeptics, especially those who own iPhones and other Apple products, who believe that 3.5" is the absolute perfect screen size for anyone. In this camp there were Gizmodo, BGR and the BusinessInsider (SAI) crew who all thought the Galaxy Note can't possibly be a good smartphone for anyone because of its size.

Well, the new report from Samsung says they were way off, and 5 million people bought it in a matter of 5 months, and they expect to sell 10 million by the end of the year. That's a very nice performance for a smartphone model, and it's actually great when you consider how many thought it would be a flop.


I'll admit to one thing, that I didn't exactly think this phone would be good for me. But I've never thought it would be a flop. I recognized that this could actually be a great success with people who don't care that much about tablets to actually get one besides their phone, but want the screen to be as big as possible, while still remaining pocketable. As long as it fits in the pocket, then I do believe the screen of the smartphone should be as large as possible – not for everyone, but for a good number of people.

The reason for this is because smartphones, today – touchscreen smartphones – are all about their screen: how good it is, and how large it is to allow you to do as many things as possible with it. The bigger the screen, the better the experience. The books are easier to read, videos are easier to watch, and web browsing is more enjoyable as well. And that's without even counting the games. Plus, a percentage of the population, really cares about the drawing and handwriting aspect of it. Now with the popularity of Draw Something, the Note is even more relevant in the market.

The truth is that despite what the critics said, and how much they thought that nobody could ever want a screen bigger than 3.5", the larger screen smartphones are sold more and more every day, proving them wrong, and Galaxy Note, despite being the biggest "smartphone" ever, manages to do that as well. Maybe it's time we reconsider what a "smartphone" even is? Or maybe we need to understand that all these devices from 3" to 13" are just tablets.