Vying for the #1 Spot
Phablets will outpace smartphones and have a great future because of user interface improvements
Phablets will outpace smartphones and have a great future because of user interface improvements
Handset manufactures added another athlete in the gigantic marathon race of mobile devices, ‘the Phablet’. Will it win the race or remain as a key participant amidst other athletes? There’s no simple yes or no answer. But certainly it will be a tough competitor as we no longer restrict phones just for voice usage. Customers have embraced phablets and they are to rise because of many reasons including increasing internet usage, consumption of more visual content on mobile devices, and the need for large form factor.
What’s on Offer
Smartphones and tablets have all the requisite features but smartphones lack big form factor and tablets get cloudy due to Wi-Fi access only. Hence the amalgamation of a smartphone and a tablet is becoming a better choice for customers while on-the-go. Phablets combine features of both smartphones and tablets as they have voice calling capabilities, faster processor, larger battery, more storage, and high resolution displays of a smartphone along with larger screen sizes of a tablet varying between 5-7 inches.
Phablets are becoming the preferred choice for customers as they offer life-like viewing experience to access rich content. It is becoming a multi-purpose electronic gadget and which can be used as a camera, audio and video recorder. One can also watch movies and video clips, can access the internet not only to browse social media but also to perform business related computation.
According to IHS ISuppli research, the phablet market will double in 2013. ABI analyst has also pointed out that phablets are more likely to eat into the tablet market size. Another research report by ABI research reported that over 83 mn phablets were shipped in 2012. According to IHS ISuppli report, phone manufacturers are expected to ship 60.4 mn phablets, up by 136% as compared to 25.6 mn shipped in 2012. It expects the phablet market to continue growing and reach 146 mn shipped units in 2016.
Who will Outpace?
Phablets will outpace smartphones and have great future prospects because of user interface improvements—websites and apps can be displayed better. There is more space for apps, thereby reducing the need to scroll or swipe. Programing wise, a larger screen would also allow for more interactions between apps as well as more gestures for navigating the phone. And a larger screen would also result in less eye strain. Reading a web page or any document, a large screen would allow more text on the screen and larger size fonts. Videos would also display better. Phablets are basically optimized for mobile web access and multimedia consumption activities which are enhanced by relatively larger screens.
Some of the popular phablets available in the market include Samsung Galaxy series such as S3 Note and Grand, LG Optimus Vu, Google Nexus, HTC One X, Mell Streak, Micromax’s Canvas HM, Optimus G Pro, Lava IRIS 501, Oarbonn A30, Intex Aqua 5.0, Micromax Superfone Canvas A110, Byond Phablet PIII, Zen UltraPhone, Spice Mi-500, HTC’s Butterfly, Huawei Ascend Mate, etc.
malinin@cybermedia.co.in