Samsung Galaxy Q: what you need to know

Samsung's one of the most interesting Android manufacturers, and the Samsung Galaxy Q could be one of its most interesting products yet: if the rumours are correct, this year's IFA 2011 will see a "tabphone" that's half tablet, half phone.

So will it be a successful union like cheese on toast, or something terrifying like Chas'n'Dave? Let's pan the river of rumour for some nuggets of news.

The Samsung Galaxy Q specs include a 5.3-inch screen

Details are thin on the ground, but we're hearing from Yahoo Korea that the Galaxy Q specifications will include a 5.3-inch Super AMOLED screen. That would make it around an inch larger than existing Galaxy handsets, which is worryingly close to Stupidly Large territory.

Dell has been here already with the Dell Streak 5, but few other firms seem to think five-inchers are the way forward. Samsung, however, argues that for some people the smartphone is the ideal format and tablets are just too big; the Galaxy Q, it says, will be the ideal stepping stone between PC and mobile phone.

The Samsung Galaxy Q specifications include a dual core processor

T3 reckons it'll have a dual core processor and a slimline form factor too. That's not something you're likely to lose your shirt betting on.

Last year's Samsung Galaxy Q rumours were unfounded

A supposed spec sheet for the Galaxy Q was widely circulated last year and is doing the rounds again this week, but the BlackBerry-style device it detailed - complete with 3-inch screen and physical keyboard - doesn't seem to have survived.

Samsung Galaxy Q features include 3G

It's unclear whether the 3G support will be for data only or for voice too, but the Samsung Galaxy Q hardware, we're told, includes a 3G radio. US customers will get 4G support too.

The Samsung Galaxy Q software will be Android

Of course it will be: all of Samsung's other interesting kit is Android powered. We don't know which version the Samsung Galaxy Q OS will be, however: will it go the smartphone route with Gingerbread or the tablet route with Honeycomb? Depending on the release date it could even be Android 4.0, aka Ice Cream Sandwich.

The Samsung Galaxy Q UK release date should be late 2011

If the unveiling isn't until IFA 2011, that's September - so Samsung will need to work quickly to get its handsets onto the shelves for the all-important Christmas shopping period. With the launch far off, the Samsung Galaxy Q UK price - surprise! - hasn't been announced yet, although we'd expect similar deals to the existing Galaxy range.