Is it a smartphone, a tablet or a new device category fitting somewhere in between? Well, the answer appears to be that Samsung’s Galaxy Note smartphone-tablet-hybrid device is one fast selling smartphone.

According to Sammyhub, the company has surpassed shipments of five million units with this mobile device. The Galaxy Note offers a new experience to smartphone users due to its 5.3" (1280 x 800, 285 ppi) HD Super AMOLED display, which is bigger than your average 4" smartphone, but smaller than a 7" tablet.

The Note was first launched in late October oversees and in November locally. This means that the company took just five months to reach this latest milestone.  

Samsung also recently announced a delay to the Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich) update for the Galaxy Note, which was previously scheduled for Q1 2012. Users will have to wait until Q2 2012, for the firm to offer its Premium Suite upgrade that includes Android ICS. This update will include extra multimedia features and a range of new S Pen optimised applications such as S Note, Shape Match and Formula Match.

In related news, Samsung also provided extensive details of its plans for the year ahead at the Samsung Forum 2012 that was recently held at the International Convention Centre in Cape Town.