Samsung Electronics said Wednesday that sales of its new hybrid device, the Galaxy Note 4, will roll out in South Korea through the country’s three mobile carriers on Friday.

The premium 5.7-inch phablet with a quad HD super AMOLED display, which was introduced at the IFA trade show early this month in Berlin, will then hit shelves in China and 140 countries by the end of next month.

The price of the Galaxy Note 4, which will be available in Charcoal Black, Frost White, Bronze Gold and Blossom Pink, will be 957,000 won ($920) in Korea. 

Lee Don-ju, president of strategic marketing for Samsung Electronics’ mobile business unit, said during the Note 4 media event in Seoul that it was launching the product in Korea first because the global success of its products has generally followed a local sales boom.

“We feel proud and responsible since we originally created this large-screen phone segment with the highly innovative and technologically advanced Galaxy Note,” Lee told reporters.

“The Note 4 will offer a totally different mobile experience to consumers with its large display and enhanced S Pen usability.”

In addition to the S Pen, which allows users to easily copy and paste content as well as write by hand, the Note 4 is equipped with rear and front-facing cameras with an optical image stabilizer, which helps to prevent blurry photos.

Samsung also highlighted the energy efficiency of the phablet as it has a feature allowing users to save power by only using essential applications and charge 50 percent of its battery in 30 minutes.

Analysts, however, said the Korean tech giant may see its earnings fall further in the third quarter amid an onslaught of budget smartphones.

Peter Lee, an analyst at Woori Investment & Securities, said Samsung’s earnings could continue to worsen in the fourth quarter due to Apple’s new blockbuster large-screen iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus, which are expected to be available in Korea next month.

By Park Hyong-ki (hkp@heraldcorp.com)