Samsung Electronics started selling its latest smartphone in Korea on Wednesday. The Galaxy Note 2 is the follow-up to the popular Galaxy Note, whose sales totaled more than 10 million units worldwide.

Samsung at a launch on Wednesday said it will sell the new phone in 128 countries through 260 mobile providers. Shin Jong-kyun, the head of Samsung's mobile communications business, claimed the phone has the biggest screen and longest battery life among smartphones currently sold around the world.

Shin Jong-kyun, the head of Samsung's mobile communications business, shows the Galaxy Note 2 smartphone at a launch in Seoul on Wednesday.

While carrying over the distinctive features of its predecessor, including the touch screen and 15-cm stylus, the Galaxy Note 2 has better hardware and software. Its 1.6 GHz quad-core processor and 2 GB internal memory are top of the line, while its battery supposedly has enough capacity for 16 hours of continuous calls.

The screen has been enlarged by 0.2 inches from the previous model to 5.5 inches.

Shin said the Galaxy Note 2 has drawn a lot of interest overseas. "Sales of the new phone in the first three months will be more than three times higher than sales of the Galaxy Note," he predicted.

Samsung expects to sell 400 million smartphones in total this year, surpassing its original goal of 370 million.

But the Galaxy Note 2's high price tag of W1.15 million (US$1=W1,122) could dampen sales.