"Big phones are back: time to resize your pockets"

The Samsung Galaxy Note is one mother of a smartphone.

Prepare to resize your pockets.

The first in a new generation of big smartphones has officially landed in the country and it's compelling enough to make you forget the additional burden that comes with stuffing a huge

screen into your pants.

Samsung has finally launched its Galaxy Note Down Under, through Optus and Vodafone with Telstra to come, and its 5.3-inch screen is bound to raise eyebrows and win over some mobile internet fans.

Samsung Electronics telecommunications vice-president Tyler McGee says the unusually large HD Super AMOLED screen gives the phone "the freedom of a paper notebook" with added connectivity.

In this vein, the company delivers the Note complete with a retro accessory: a stylus.

Called an S-Pen, this stylus hides inside the phone's shell and can be used in unexpected ways.

Touch it to the screen while pressing a button on its side and it will capture a screenshot - a simple but welcome addition to an Android phone.

Samsung has also created a new category of apps designed for its use, labelling them under an "S Choice" banner.

These include freehand sketching apps Zen Brush and OmniSketch, and the unusual iAnnotate that lets users draw on PDF files - a task that could prove handy in the business world.

Samsung also delivers a multimedia app of its own in S Memo that lets users add drawings, scribbles, voice recordings, photos or just picture fragments into memos that can be kept or shared. It's an unusual use of a phone, but one that could find a market.

Despite the focus on its screen, the Note hides plenty of impressive specifications behind it.

It runs in a speedy manner using a 1.4GHz dual-core chip, uses Google Android Gingerbread software (an Ice Cream Sandwich update is promised) and it delivers cameras front and back, including an 8-megapixel shooter with LED flash on its rear panel.

Its battery has also been upsized to power its oversized screen and, at 2500mAH, keeps the display lit for a reasonable time.

The Note won't suit everyone, however. Its bright screen is easy to see, but this large inclusion also makes the phone clumsier to grip and harder to pocket.

Samsung has also missed an opportunity with this phone. Though the US Note connects to 4G networks, the Aussie version will not. Its top speed of 21Mbps on HSPA+ should impress, but adding 4G connectivity would have earned it a larger fanbase.

Regardless, the Note leads its class and is a pleasure to use. Fans of the new generation of phablets (that's phone/tablets) should welcome its arrival.

-- Samsung Galaxy Note, $899, samsung.com.au, rating: 4.5/5 stars