Galaxy Note II launched in India, to cost Rs 39,990

Within a month of unveiling the gadget at IFA 2012 (a consumer electronics show held in Berlin), Samsung has officially launched the successor to the original Galaxy Note in India. Prior to the launch, Galaxy Note II was available for pre-booking (for Rs 5,000) on Samsung's India eStore. The company is offering the Phablet (a combo of smartphone and tablet) at Rs 39,990. As an introductory offer, the company is also offering a free bluetooth headset with every purchase of the device.

To get a better idea of the device, here's a quick look at its specifications.

Galaxy Note II comes with a 5.5 inch Super AMOLED capacitive touchscreen display (720×1280 pixel resolution) and runs on the latest android 4.1 Jelly Bean operating system (with Samsung's TouchWiz user interface). Similar to the original Note, the company has also provided an S-Pen (an advanced stylus) with this device. The new S-Pen is longer, thicker and ergonomically designed for better gripping. Users can also write e-mail messages with handwriting integration.

The smartphone is powered by a 1.6 GHz quad-core processor and has 2 GB of RAM (basically it's a power bomb). Users can choose from 16, 32 and 64 GB of internal memory that can be expanded to 64 GB with the help of a microSD card.

The new device also features an 8 mega pixel auto-focus rear camera (with features like Buddy Photo Share, Burst Shot and Best Photo, which were introduced on Galaxy S III earlier in the year) with LED flash that can record full high definition videos (1080p) at 30 frames per second and a 1.9 MP front-facing camera for video calling. On the connectivity front, the device comes with Bluetooth 4.0, Wi-Fi (with Wi-Fi Direct) and 3G, and it has a microUSB port and a microSD card slot.

The device measures 151.1 mm x 80.5 mm x 9.4 mm and weighs 180 gm. It has a 7,500 mAh battery that should provide a decent battery life. It also comes with a suite of Google apps, has A-GPS and Near Field Communication (NFC). The device will be available in marble white and titanium grey. Read here to know more about the specifications of the Phablet.

(Edited by Sanghamitra Mandal)