New Delhi: With their size being somewhere between the smallest tablets and the biggest smartphones, the phablets are rapidly increasing in popularity in the Indian market. These mobile devices typically have screens with a diagonal greater than 5 and smaller than 7 inches, providing the functionality of a tablet and a smartphone at the same time.
Initially the response to these phablets was not as desired, things changed dramatically with the launch of first Galaxy Note at IFA in Berlin. At first the device seemed enormous, meaning unpractical. But the practical S Pen gave it the capability which could not be found with a tablet or smartphone. The rest in history! The Galaxy Note succeeded astonishingly, selling over 10 million units in just several months.
And after Samsung tasted success in the segment, other players too entered the arena and revealed their devices with much fanfare. Some examples include Sony Xperia C, Optimus G Pro, Fonepad Note FHD 6, ZTE Grand S, XOLO Q1000, etc.
Recent figures released by International Data Corporation suggest the rapid rise of these supersized smartphones. IDC figures for the third quarter of 2013 suggests that these phablets accounted for 21 percent of the 261.1 million total smartphone sales during the aforementioned quarter. The number marks a 3 percent increase when compared to the figures recorded in same quarter last year.
