Samsung announces Galaxy Note 2

Samsung has announced the 5.5in Galaxy Note 2, the successor to last year's already massive Galaxy Note 5.3in stylus-equipped smartphone.

Despite the larger screen, Samsung claims the new Galaxy Note 2 will be easier to hold than its predecessor since it's taller but also a bit narrower. The new phone will weigh 180g and, like its predecessor, comes with a stylus for taking notes and drawing.

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Samsung has added several new features that rely on the pen, addressing the relative lack of pen-specific features in the first Galaxy Note. Sliding the pen out of its nook while talking on the phone will automatically open a blank note onscreen so you can jot down important details. The pen is pressure sensitive for use in drawing apps. The pen can even be used to 'draw' shortcut commands for tasks such as opening apps or calling or emailing frequent contacts.

A feature called Airview allows the pen to preview content, such as photos and emails, without having to open them – simply hover the pen over the item to preview its contents. Compared to the paucity of apps that supported the original Galaxy Note, Samsung announced that several third party apps will support the Galaxy Note 2 such as Moleskine note taking app and Autodesk Sketchbook.

Samsung promised that some of the new software features will be available as a free software update for existing Galaxy Note users, but the company has yet to confirm a release date for this upgrade or which features existing Note owners can expect.

The Galaxy Note will come with Android 4.1 Jelly Bean preinstalled and be powered by 2GB of memory and a 1.6GHz quad core processor. The big-screened phone is due for release by October, but UK pricing hasn't been announced.