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A phablet (, ) is a
mobile device A mobile device (or handheld computer) is a computer small enough to hold and operate in the hand. Mobile devices typically have a flat LCD or OLED screen, a touchscreen interface, and digital or physical buttons. They may also have a physical k ...
combining or straddling the size formats of
smartphone A smartphone is a portable computer device that combines mobile telephone and computing functions into one unit. They are distinguished from feature phones by their stronger hardware capabilities and extensive mobile operating systems, which ...
s and tablets. The word is a
portmanteau A portmanteau word, or portmanteau (, ) is a blend of wordsmobile web browsing and
multimedia Multimedia is a form of communication that uses a combination of different content forms such as text, audio, images, animations, or video into a single interactive presentation, in contrast to traditio ...
viewing. They may also include software optimized for an integral self-storing
stylus A stylus (plural styli or styluses) is a writing utensil or a small tool for some other form of marking or shaping, for example, in pottery. It can also be a computer accessory that is used to assist in navigating or providing more Accuracy an ...
to facilitate sketching, note-taking and annotation. Phablets were originally designed for the Asian market where consumers could not afford both a smartphone and tablet as in North America; phones for that market are known for having "budget-specs-big-battery" with large low resolution screens and midrange processors, although other phablets have flagship specifications. Since then, phablets in North America have also become successful for several reasons:
Android 4.0 Android Ice Cream Sandwich (or Android 4.0) is the 9th major version of the Android mobile operating system developed by Google. Unveiled on October 19, 2011, Android 4.0 builds upon the significant changes made by the tablet-only release Andro ...
and subsequent releases of Android were suited to large as well as small screen sizes, while older consumers preferred larger screen sizes on smartphones due to deteriorating eyesight. Examples of earlier devices with similar form factors date to 1993. The term "phablet" was widespread in the industry from 2012 to 2014 although its usage has declined since as average smartphone sizes eventually morphed into small tablet sizes, up to 6.9 inches. As of 2020, most budget and entry-level Android smartphones constitute the phablet form factor, as they utilize a minimum of 6.5-inch screen size and a height of 160 mm or higher. This was first popularized by Chinese brands Oppo and Infinix Mobile in 2019, which began producing larger-screen budget smartphones for
developing market A developing country is a sovereign state with a lesser developed industrial base and a lower Human Development Index (HDI) relative to other countries. However, this definition is not universally agreed upon. There is also no clear agreem ...
s such as
Bangladesh Bangladesh (}, ), officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the eighth-most populous country in the world, with a population exceeding 165 million people in an area of . Bangladesh is among the mos ...
,
India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
,
South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the Atlantic Ocean, South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the ...
and
Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania between the Indian and Pacific oceans. It consists of over 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, and parts of Borneo and New Guinea. In ...
.
Samsung The Samsung Group (or simply Samsung) ( ko, 삼성 ) is a South Korean multinational manufacturing conglomerate headquartered in Samsung Town, Seoul, South Korea. It comprises numerous affiliated businesses, most of them united under the ...
also started producing large-screen budget smartphones since 2020, with the introduction of
Samsung Galaxy A21 The Samsung Galaxy A series is a line of mid-range smartphones and tablets manufactured by Samsung Electronics as part of their Galaxy line. The first model in the series was the first-generation Galaxy Alpha, released on 31 October 2014. Fol ...
.


Definition

The definition of a phablet has changed in recent years due to the proliferation of larger displays on mainstream smartphones, and smartphones designed with thin bezels and/or curved screens to make them more compact than other devices with similar screen sizes. Thus, a device with a "phablet-sized" screen may not necessarily be considered one. Current phablets typically have a
diagonal In geometry, a diagonal is a line segment joining two vertices of a polygon or polyhedron, when those vertices are not on the same edge. Informally, any sloping line is called diagonal. The word ''diagonal'' derives from the ancient Greek δ ...
display measurement between and . In comparison, most flagship smartphones released in 2021 have a screen size of over , with larger versions of mainstream flagships (such as
iPhone 13 Pro Max The iPhone 13 Pro and iPhone 13 Pro Max are smartphones designed, developed, and marketed by Apple Inc. They are the flagship smartphones in the fifteenth generation of the iPhone, succeeding the iPhone 12 Pro and iPhone 12 Pro Max respectiv ...
,
Pixel 6 Pro The Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro are a pair of Android smartphones designed, developed, and marketed by Google as part of the Google Pixel product line. They collectively serve as the successor to the Pixel 5. The phones were first previewed i ...
, and Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G) using over displays. ''PhoneArena'' argued that the S7 Edge was not a phablet, as it has a narrow and compact build with a physical footprint more in line with the smaller-screened
Nexus 5X The Nexus 5X (codenamed bullhead) is an Android (operating system), Android smartphone manufactured by LG Electronics, co-developed with and marketed by Google as part of its Google Nexus, Nexus line of flagship devices. Unveiled on September 29 ...
, due primarily to its use of a display with curved edges. In 2017, several manufacturers began to release smartphones with displays taller than the conventional 16:9 aspect ratio used by the majority of devices, and diagonal screen sizes often around 6 inches. However, in these cases, the sizes of the devices are more compact than 16:9 aspect ratio devices with equivalent diagonal screen sizes.


History


Origins

In tracing the 10 earliest devices in the history of the phablet concept, ''
PC Magazine ''PC Magazine'' (shortened as ''PCMag'') is an American computer magazine published by Ziff Davis. A print edition was published from 1982 to January 2009. Publication of online editions started in late 1994 and have continued to the present d ...
'' called the 1993 AT&T EO 440, "the first true phablet", followed by the following devices: * 2007 HTC Advantage (5.0" screen) * 2007 Nokia N810 WiMAX Edition (4.13" screen) * 2009
Verizon Hub The Verizon Hub was a media phone available from Verizon Wireless. It featured a seven-inch LCD screen with 16-bit color. The hub was able to sync the user's calendar, contact details, maps, traffic, and weather reports. The Verizon Hub did not ...
(7.0" screen) * 2010 LG GW990 (4.8" screen) * 2010
Dell Streak Dell Streak 5 (previously known as the Dell Mini 5) is a smartphone/ tablet hybrid (" phablet") from Dell that uses the Android operating system. It comes with a capacitive touchscreen and two cameras, a 5 MP one with dual-LED flash on the back ...
(5.0" screen) * 2011 Dell Streak 7 (7.0" screen) * 2011 Acer Iconia Smart (4.8" screen) * 2011 Samsung Galaxy Player 5 (5.0" screen) * 2011 Pantech Pocket * 2011
Samsung Galaxy Note The Samsung Galaxy Note series is a discontinued line of high-end Android phablets and smartphones developed and marketed by Samsung Electronics. The line is primarily oriented towards pen computing; all Galaxy Note models ship with a sty ...
(5.3" screen) * 2013 Nokia Lumia 1520 (16:9 6.0" screen) However, the form factor did not become popular until the arrival of the Galaxy Note in the 2010s. The Android-based
Dell Streak Dell Streak 5 (previously known as the Dell Mini 5) is a smartphone/ tablet hybrid (" phablet") from Dell that uses the Android operating system. It comes with a capacitive touchscreen and two cameras, a 5 MP one with dual-LED flash on the back ...
included a 5-inch (130 mm), 800×480 display and a widescreen-optimized interface. Reviewers encountered issues with its outdated operating system, Android 1.6, which was not yet optimized for such a large screen size, and the device was commercially unsuccessful.


Introduction of the Galaxy Note and its competitors

The
Samsung Galaxy Note The Samsung Galaxy Note series is a discontinued line of high-end Android phablets and smartphones developed and marketed by Samsung Electronics. The line is primarily oriented towards pen computing; all Galaxy Note models ship with a sty ...
used a screen. While some media outlets questioned the viability of the device, the Note received positive reception for its
stylus A stylus (plural styli or styluses) is a writing utensil or a small tool for some other form of marking or shaping, for example, in pottery. It can also be a computer accessory that is used to assist in navigating or providing more Accuracy an ...
functionality, the speed of its 1.5 GHz dual-core processor, and the advantages of its high resolution display. The Galaxy Note was a commercial success; Samsung announced in December 2011 that the Galaxy Note had sold 1 million units in two months. In February 2012, Samsung debuted a Note version with LTE support. By August 2012, the Note had sold 10 million units worldwide. In late 2012, Samsung introduced the
Galaxy Note II The Samsung Galaxy Note II (or Galaxy Note 2) is an Android phablet smartphone. Unveiled on August 29, 2012 and released in October 2012, the Galaxy Note II is a successor to the original Galaxy Note, incorporating improved stylus functionality ...
, featuring a 1.6 GHz quad-core processor, a screen and the ability to run two applications at once via a split-screen view. The Note II also incorporated a refreshed hardware design based on the Galaxy S III, with a narrower, smoother body. International sales of the Galaxy Note II reached 5 million in two months. The 2012 LG Optimus Vu used a 5-inch (130 mm) display with an unusual 4:3 aspect ratioin contrast to the 16:9 aspect ratio used by most smartphones. Joining the Galaxy Note II on many carriers' lineups in 2013 was the nearly-identically-sized
LG Optimus G Pro The LG Optimus G Pro is a flagship smartphone/phablet designed and manufactured by LG Electronics. It was released in the U.S. on May 10, 2013. Availability North America In the United States, the Optimus G Pro was available through AT&T for $9 ...
, released in April. In late-2012 and early 2013, companies began to release smartphones with 5 inch screens at
1080p 1080p (1920×1080 progressively displayed pixels; also known as Full HD or FHD, and BT.709) is a set of HDTV high-definition video modes characterized by 1,920 pixels displayed across the screen horizontally and 1,080 pixels down the screen verti ...
resolution, such as the HTC Droid DNA and
Samsung Galaxy S4 The Samsung Galaxy S4 is an Android smartphone produced by Samsung Electronics as the fourth smartphone of the Samsung Galaxy S series and was first shown publicly on March 14, 2013, at Samsung Mobile Unpacked in New York City. It is the suc ...
. Despite the screen size approaching those of phablets, HTC's design director Jonah Becker said that the Droid DNA was not a phablet. HTC would release a proper phablet, the HTC One Maxa smartphone with a screen and a design based on its popular HTC One model, in October 2013. Examples of Android phablets with screens larger than 6 inches began appearing in 2013 with the Chinese company
Huawei Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. ( ; ) is a Chinese multinational technology corporation headquartered in Shenzhen, Guangdong, China. It designs, develops, produces and sells telecommunications equipment, consumer electronics and various smart ...
unveiling its Ascend Mate at
Consumer Electronics Show CES (; formerly an initialism for Consumer Electronics Show) is an annual trade show organized by the Consumer Technology Association (CTA). Held in January at the Las Vegas Convention Center in Winchester, Nevada, United States, the event typi ...
and Samsung introducing the Galaxy Mega, a phablet with a variant, which has midrange specs and lacks a stylus compared to the flagship Galaxy Note series.
Sony Mobile Sony Mobile Communications Inc. ( ja, ソニーモバイルコミュニケーションズ株式会社) was a multinational telecommunications company founded on October 1, 2001, as a joint venture between Sony Group Corporation and Ericsson. I ...
also entered the phablet market with its Xperia Z Ultra. As a variation of the concept, Asus and Samsung also released otherwise small-sized tablets, the FonePad, Galaxy Note 8.0 and Galaxy Tab 3 8.0, with cellular connectivity and the ability to place voice calls. Later that year,
Nokia Nokia Corporation (natively Nokia Oyj, referred to as Nokia) is a Finnish multinational telecommunications, information technology, and consumer electronics corporation, established in 1865. Nokia's main headquarters are in Espoo, Finland, i ...
also introduced
Windows Phone 8 Windows Phone 8 is the second generation of the Windows Phone mobile operating system from Microsoft. It was released on October 29, 2012, and, like its predecessor, it features a flat user interface based on the Metro design language. It was s ...
phablets, such as the 6-inch Lumia 1520.


Prior to the iPhone 6 Plus

In September 2014, Apple released its first phablet, the -inch iPhone 6 Plus; the introduction of the new model reversed a previous policy under late Apple CEO
Steve Jobs Steven Paul Jobs (February 24, 1955 – October 5, 2011) was an American entrepreneur, industrial designer, media proprietor, and investor. He was the co-founder, chairman, and CEO of Apple; the chairman and majority shareholder of Pixar; a m ...
not to produce a mid-sized device larger than the iPhone or smaller than the
iPad The iPad is a brand of iOS and iPadOS-based tablet computers that are developed by Apple Inc., Apple Inc. The iPad was conceived before the related iPhone but the iPhone was developed and released first. Speculation about the development, ...
, which were 3.5 inches and 9.7 inches, respectively, at the time of his death. While Apple's iPad heavily dominated the tablet market, the void in their lineup left an opening for intermediate-sized devices, with other handset manufacturers already jumping on the trend of producing larger screen sizes to suit all niches. In September 2018, Apple released the iPhone XS Max; the first phablet iPhone to feature the reduced bezel form factor, utilizing the
OLED An organic light-emitting diode (OLED or organic LED), also known as organic electroluminescent (organic EL) diode, is a light-emitting diode (LED) in which the emissive electroluminescent layer is a film of organic compound that emits light i ...
screen, replacing the
Touch ID Touch ID is an electronic fingerprint recognition feature designed and released by Apple Inc. that allows users to unlock devices, make purchases in the various Apple digital media stores (iTunes Store, App Store, and Apple Books Store), and a ...
into the new facial recognition system called
Face ID Face ID is a facial recognition system designed and developed by Apple Inc. for the iPhone and iPad Pro. The system allows biometric authentication for unlocking a device, making payments, accessing sensitive data, providing detailed facial exp ...
which is enabled by the TrueDepth front facing camera since the
iPhone X The iPhone X (Roman numeral "X" pronounced "ten", also known as iPhone 10) is a smartphone designed, developed and marketed by Apple Inc. It is part of the 11th generation of the iPhone. Available for pre-order from October 27, 2017, it was re ...
doesn't have a larger variant; iPhone 8 Plus is the final phablet iPhone to feature the
Touch ID Touch ID is an electronic fingerprint recognition feature designed and released by Apple Inc. that allows users to unlock devices, make purchases in the various Apple digital media stores (iTunes Store, App Store, and Apple Books Store), and a ...
dedicated on the home button introduced in 2017. In October 2022, Apple released the iPhone 14 Plus; the first phablet iPhone to reduce the price as well as lacking the telephoto camera lens and
LiDAR Lidar (, also LIDAR, or LiDAR; sometimes LADAR) is a method for determining ranges (variable distance) by targeting an object or a surface with a laser and measuring the time for the reflected light to return to the receiver. It can also be ...
sensor since both lower-priced
iPhone 12 The iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 Mini (stylized and marketed as iPhone 12 mini) are a range of smartphones designed, developed, and marketed by Apple Inc. They are the fourteenth-generation, "affordable flagship" iPhones, succeeding the iPhone 11. ...
lineup and lower-priced
iPhone 13 The iPhone 13 and iPhone 13 Mini (stylized as iPhone 13 mini) are smartphones designed, developed, marketed, and sold by Apple Inc. They are the fifteenth generation of iPhones (succeeding the iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 Mini respectively). They ...
lineup doesn't have a larger 6.7-inch display size option found on both iPhone 12 Pro Max and
iPhone 13 Pro Max The iPhone 13 Pro and iPhone 13 Pro Max are smartphones designed, developed, and marketed by Apple Inc. They are the flagship smartphones in the fifteenth generation of the iPhone, succeeding the iPhone 12 Pro and iPhone 12 Pro Max respectiv ...
. The iPhone 14 Pro Max remained as the higher-priced phablet iPhone counterpart to the iPhone 14 Plus which these larger 6.7-inch display iPhone models are the first time available in both affordable and expensive tier price options.


Spiritual successors to the Galaxy Note phones

In January 2021, Samsung Electronics announced the Galaxy S21 Ultra; the first phablet despite the
Samsung Galaxy Note series The Samsung Galaxy Note series is a discontinued line of high-end Android phablets and smartphones developed and marketed by Samsung Electronics. The line is primarily oriented towards pen computing; all Galaxy Note models ship with a sty ...
, it supports the S Pen accessory, albeit sold separately and with limited functionality. It features a 6.8" 1440p "Dynamic AMOLED" curved display with HDR10+ support, "dynamic tone mapping" technology, and a variable 120 Hz refresh rate. However, no successor to the 2020 Galaxy Note20/Galaxy Note20 Ultra would be unveiled at the 2021 launch event, which would only focus on unveiling the new foldable phones (including Galaxy Z Flip 3 and Galaxy Z Fold 3). In February 2022, Galaxy S22 Ultra became the first Samsung Galaxy S phone to include a built-in S Pen and the major upgrade over the 2021 Galaxy S21 Ultra.


Sales

''
Engadget ''Engadget'' ( ) is a multilingual technology blog network with daily coverage of gadgets and consumer electronics. ''Engadget'' manages ten blogs four of which are written in English and six have international versions with independent editor ...
'' identified falling screen prices, increasing screen power efficiency and battery life, and the evolving importance of multimedia viewing as critical factors in the popularity of the phablet. Phablets also satisfy a consumer needfor the perfect sized device, since smartphones may be too small for viewing and tablets lose their portabilityfuelling their global market growth. Phablets have also been popular with an older demographic of smartphone userstheir large screens provide a benefit to those with deteriorating eyesight. In April 2013, Doug Conklyn, vice president of global design for Dockers told
Fox News The Fox News Channel, abbreviated FNC, commonly known as Fox News, and stylized in all caps, is an American multinational conservative cable news television channel based in New York City. It is owned by Fox News Media, which itself is own ...
that the company reworked the size of its pants pockets "to accommodate the growing size of smartphones". For women, a small
handbag A handbag, commonly known as a purse or pocketbook in North American English, is a handled medium-to-large bag used to carry personal items. Purse, handbag or pouch The term "purse" originally referred to a small bag for holding coins. In man ...
can easily accommodate a phablet, but not most tablets. In January 2013, IHS reported that 25.6 million phablet devices were sold in 2012 and estimated that these figures would grow to 60.4 million in 2013, and 146 million by 2016.
Barclays Barclays () is a British multinational universal bank, headquartered in London, England. Barclays operates as two divisions, Barclays UK and Barclays International, supported by a service company, Barclays Execution Services. Barclays traces ...
projected sales of phablets rising from 27 million in 2012 to 230 million in 2015. In September 2013
International Data Corporation International Data Group (IDG, Inc.) is a market intelligence and demand generation company focused on the technology industry. IDG, Inc.’s mission is centered around supporting the technology industry through research, data, marketing technol ...
(IDC) reported that its research indicated that phablets "overtook shipments of both laptops and tablets in Asia in the second quarter of 2013". In 2014, '' Business Insider'' predicted phablets would outsell smartphones by 2017. Speaking with
CNET ''CNET'' (short for "Computer Network") is an American media website that publishes reviews, news, articles, blogs, podcasts, and videos on technology and consumer electronics globally. ''CNET'' originally produced content for radio and telev ...
in 2014, David Burke, Vice President of Engineering at Google, said "If you gave them a phablet for a week, 50 percent of onsumerswould say they like it and not go back". In Q1 2014, phablets made up 6% of US smartphones sold. In the first quarter of 2015, phablets accounted for 21% of all smartphones sold in the US, with the iPhone 6 Plus making up 44 percent of those phablets sold. By 2016, the majority of the smartphones sold were phablets, and by 2018 they had come to dominate the market to the extent the term 'phablet' has largely fallen out of use.


See also

*
Foldable smartphone A foldable smartphone (also known as a foldable phone or simply foldable) is a smartphone with a folding form factor. Some variants of the concept use multiple touchscreen panels on a hinge, while other designs utilise a flexible display. Conc ...
*


References


External links

* * {{Android tablets Phablets Mobile phones Tablet computers Personal digital assistants Crossover devices Japanese inventions Smartphones Personal information managers