Samsung Galaxy Note 2 reviews have rejoiced over the specs of the phablet, while citing strong similarities of the gadget with the Samsung Galaxy S4. The device, which was announced to be released less than a year from its predecessor’s debut received skepticism prior to its arrival in the market.

But with its impressive specs that surprised even its toughest critics and a long battery life many of its new customers adored, it sold 5 million units thus far and became a runaway besteller. The Sidhtech blog said that in the world of phablets, the Samsung Galaxy Note 2 is a game-changer.

Thanks to the huge success of the Note 2, the upcoming Samsung Galaxy Note 3 is getting a warmer reception.

CNET.com’s user reviews gives the Samsung Galaxy Note 2 four out of 5 stars out of the 103 user reviews provided. An enthusiastic user noted that the battery life on the phablet is “fantastic” and that the S Pen makes it super easy to experiment with. Tech blog Sidhtech noted that Samsung Galaxy Note 2 comes with a larger display than its predecessor but thanks to the thin bezel it doesn’t look much bigger.

Measuring at 5.5 inches, it also carries a display of 720 p HD. The Galaxy Note 2 also has 2GB of RAM and the Exynos 1.6GHz quad core processor.

According to Techradar, it hasn’t even been a year since the original Samsung Galaxy Note launched, which was a work of genius for the South Korean tech giant, thus the prospects and expectations of Note 2 was mixed.

“Who on earth would want something so big to make their calls and surf the Internet, even with a glorified stylus?” the blog asked.

It turned out that many does and the Samsung phablet became a runaway bestseller despite criticisms for its size.

Techradar said that the Note 2 following Samsung Galaxy S3’s more rounded rectangular look made it beautiful and that it feels slightly smaller when used day-to-day.

The Samsung Super AMOLED panel also impressed tech reviewers, noting that it is beautiful and replicates colors amazingly and immaculately.

The camera on the front of the Samsung Galaxy Note 2 is 8-megapixels cameras with flash, the quality taken by it is good though the camera shutter is slow.

The positive reception of this phablet has paved way for the Samsung Galaxy Note 3.0, which many are already anticipating to launch very soon.