New Gadget 2011

On Monday, Samsung announced that it will bring the Samsung Galaxy Note to the United States beginning Feb. 19 for AT&T customers.

The Galaxy Note includes a 5.3-inch screen, effectively straddling the line between smartphone and tablet. First unveiled at AT&T's Developer Summit earlier this month, Samsung hopes its newest device can make a splash among consumers looking to merge their smartphone and tablet into one device.

With smartphone screens generally hovering around the 4-inch mark and tablets duking it out in 10- and 7-inch form factors, the Galaxy Note represents a new take on the power struggle - one that PCMag lead mobile analyst Sascha Segan has dubbed the "phablet." The Galaxy Note will be powered by a 1.5-Ghz, dual-core processor, with 16GB of built-in memory, putting it on par with many high-end smartphones and tablets today. The major difference here is the 5.3-inch, 1280-by-800 pixel display, which makes it gargantuan by phone standards, besting the already oversized Galaxy Nexus, which PCMag found to be too big for many with smaller hands, but also much smaller than any tablet out there. Samsung will be going with a Super AMOLED HD screen on the Galaxy Note, which differs slightly in sharpness from the PenTile Super AMOLED Plus screens used on Samsung's Galaxy S II phones.

The Galaxy Note will also be able to access AT&T's 4G LTE Network. With questions surrounding battery life on LTE devices, the Galaxy Note's large 2500 mAh battery could prove crucial for extended use. Other notable features include an SD card slot, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, GPS, an 8-megapixel rear-facing camera, and a 2-megapixel front-facing camera.

Though the Galaxy Note doesn't really fit into any established category, Samsung will be marketing it as a smartphone. During a hands-on session at this year's CES, our analyst found that using the Galaxy Note as a phone "looks just short of comical."

Samsung will be offering two color options for pre-order beginning on Feb. 5, a carbon blue and ceramic white model. Both will run you $299.99 with a two-year agreement, making it on par with most high-end smartphones. The Galaxy Note will reach retail shelves beginning Feb. 19, but those who pre-order by Feb. 15 can expect the Note to arrive at their doors on Feb. 17.