When the Samsung Galaxy Note appeared it was met with a mixed reception, the blurring of tablet with smartphone was hailed as some as a great innovation whilst others thought the big dimensions just made it too bulky.

Well if numbers be the mark of success then Samsung should be pretty happy after hitting 5 million units shipped since the launch. So this may not be the runaway success that was seen with the Galaxy S II but the numbers are impressive for the device.

The phone is set to hit Japanese markets soon and this will boost numbers, and the surprising popularity of a YouTube video showing the phone being used by an elephant hasn’t hurt either.

So the debate about whether it’s classed as a mini tablet or a smartphone seems to be a non-issue to those who have embraced it.

The Samsung Galaxy Note is available for free on Mobilesplease where you can compare mobile phone deals.