Samsung may unveil Galaxy Note successor in August

It's been likened to a piece of toast, a device for elephants and a throwback to the 1980s-style brick phone.

And yet, despite all the sniggering, Samsung Electronics has sold over 5 million of the phone/tablet Galaxy Note.

More than a freak hit, consumer and design experts believe the surprise success of the "phablet" marks a deeper shift in the fast-paced world of mobile devices.

The most obvious thing about the Note is its size. Its 5.3 inch (13.5 cm) screen is almost as wide as the iPhone's screen is long. And then there's the stylus.

Where Apple's co-founder, the late Steve Jobs famously ridiculed the idea of using a pen to interact with a screen, Samsung has partnered with Japan's Wacom Co Ltd, a market leader in digital pen technology, to come up with something less clunky.

There's good news for Samsung Galaxy Note fans. Fresh reports quote sources "familiar with the matter" that the Note 2 may be unveiled in late August at this year's IFA in Berlin, with an October launch date.

The rumoured specs include a 5.5-inch display, a quad-core processor, a 12+ megapixel camera and, of course, Android 4.1 Jelly Bean.