New rumors are swirling that suggest Verizon and Sprint could be the next carriers in line for the Samsung Galaxy Note. The massive 5.3-inch hybrid smartphone / tablet was announced for US subscribers on AT&T's network last week at CES but that exclusivity could be short-lived.
Analyst Paul Mueller believes that both Verizon and Sprint customers will certainly have the option to buy Samsung's new handset, although it could come under a different name: the Galaxy Journal. Mueller expects the hybrid to be available on three of the four major US carriers during the first half of this year.
Samsung's Galaxy Note was originally announced during IFA 2011 in Berlin last year. The handset is powered by a dual-core 1.4GHz processor and features 16GB of internal memory, full 1080p video recording and an advanced smart pen for note-taking and drawing. The company sold over 1 million units in less than two months despite no presence in the US.
Initial feedback from the US announcement last week seems positive overall but we weren't terribly impressed by the device. As noted in our show coverage, the Galaxy Note seems to be suffering from an identity crisis. The phone felt clumsy in the hand and equally awkward against the ear, although we are pretty certain that those with larger hands will appreciate the increased real estate compared to a smallish handset like the iPhone.
The Galaxy Note is expected through AT&T in the near future, although a specific release date hasn't been made available yet. More importantly, we also don't know how much Samsung plans to charge for the device stateside.