Samsung Galaxy Note ships 5m, are big phones the future?

Good news for those who like their mobiles massive -- Samsung's shifted 5 million of its palm-stretching Galaxy Note smart phones, suggesting plenty of people are keen to exchange money for the 5.3-inch blower.

Despite a lukewarm reception from critics -- CNET UK included -- Samsung tells us it's shipped a whopping 5 million Notes since the phone's release in November last year.

That's only the number of units shipped, not the number of Notes actually occupying peoples' pockets, but it's still a decent number. We reported that the Note passed the 1 million milestone just before the turn of the year, while the perennially popular Galaxy S2 hit 20 million sales just over a month ago.

While positive, those figures aren't much to shout about compared to Apple's numbers. The iPhone-spawning Californian company flogged over 37 million iPhones in the last three months of 2011 alone, while the new iPad was snapped up by 3 million tablet fans during its first three days on sale. 

It's still good news for the Note though. I was sceptical as to whether a device this massive would appeal to the masses, but if genuine, these figures could hint that the world is warming up to big phones.

The Samsung Galaxy Nexus is another of Samsung's enormo-phones, measuring a knuckle-rending 4.7 inches. That's the same size as the upcoming HTC One X.

In fact, all these giant handsets are making the iPhone look tiny, with a screen that measures just 3.5 inches. The designer of the Galaxy Note recently hit back at Apple's claims that Samsung copies its looks, and said the Note was "breaking a taboo" about phones needing to be small enough to fit in your hands.

Do you think big phones are the future? Or do you prize portability over a great honking display? Tell me in the comments, or over on our Facebook wall.