Samsung sells 3m Galaxy Note II smartphones since debut

SEOUL (AFP) - Samsung Electronics said on Friday that global sales of its large Galaxy Note II smartphone had topped three million since its debut in late September, as archrival Apple's iPad mini hit stores.

The South Korean electronics giant said sales of the gadget - sold in some 100 nations - grew far faster than its predecessor and would likely be more than three times those of the Galaxy Note in the first three months after launch.

Samsung - the world's top smartphone maker - sold about two million Galaxy Note phones in the three months after its debut last November.

Galaxy Note II - about 15.1cm long and 8cm wide - is slightly bigger than the firm's flagship smartphone Galaxy S series and comes with a stylus to write notes or draw on the screen.