The phablet range of big smartphones with tablet-like functionality is growing rapidly with some very large sales number predictions.
The world “phablet" comes from combing the words “phone” and “tablet”and is generally a smartphone that is 5" or bigger such as the Samsung Galaxy Note 2, ZTE Grand S and Huawei Ascend Mate. Many of the new phablets announced at CES when analyzed by pixels per inch offer better resolutions and features than the iPhone 5 or Samsung Galaxy Note II.
Shipments of phablets in 2013 are expected to reach 60.4 million units notes iHS iSuppli. ChangeWave Research also showed a great demand for the Samsung Galaxy Note 2.
The phablet phenomena comes from manufacturers wanting to differentiate themselves from medium displays. Customers want better viewing experiences and there is an increase in great HD content on smartphones. In 2016, global phablet shipments are set to reach 146.0 million units.
The predictions were based on the really big smartphones shown at CES such as:
- The Ascend Mate, with a 6.1-inch display, 720p high-definition (HD) pixel format at 361 pixels per inch (ppi).
- Huawei Ascend D2 with a 5-inch display and 1920 x 1080 pixel format at 443 ppi.
- ZTEGrand S, Alcatel-branded One Touch Scribe HD and Lenovo’s IdeaPhone K5, have a pixel format of 1920 x 1080 on a 5-inch screen.
- Lenovo 900 with a 5.5-inch 1080p, 400-ppi Full HD display.
- Sony Xperia Z, another 5-inch smartphone with a 1920 x 1080 pixel format.
With display resolution of 443 ppi, the 5-inch phones with 1920 x 1080 pixel formats exceed the Retina Display resolution of 326 ppi on Apple’s iPhone 5 and the 267 ppi on the Samsung Galaxy Note II from Samsung Electronics. The new phablets included water-spill-proofing and shatter-resistant screens.