Samsung Galaxy Note II Hits UK On October 1st

Samsung has announced pricing and availability for the Galaxy Note II in the UK, the follow-up to its surprise niche success the Galaxy Note "phablet." The new Note II will hit UK shelves on October 1, both at Samsung's flagship London store and via carriers on all major networks.

No official pricing for the Note II in the UK has been confirmed, though retailers have begun taking preorders themselves. Clove, for instance, has the 16GB Note II listed at £440 pre-tax, SIM-free and unsubsidized, though we'd expect the carrier versions to be offered from free with a qualifying agreement.

Your money gets you not only a 1.6GHz quadcore processor, HSPA+ connectivity – unlike the LTE versions in the US – and a 720p Super AMOLED touchscreen, but a special digital stylus which can be used to handwrite notes, sketch out diagrams, and make annotations to photos, videos, and presentations. There's also an 8-megapixel main camera and a 1.9-megapixel front-facing camera, with Full HD video recording.

Samsung had already announced availability for the Galaxy Note II in the US, with US Cellular already throwing the 5.5-inch handset up for preorder. More on the Note II in our hands-on.