Is the Phablet the Future of Smartphones?

CommanderFrank

CommanderFrank

Cat Can't Scratch It
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A new report from Flurry Analytics confirms that the phablet is growing in popularity by leaps and bounds. The phablet is a combination of a medium-sized tablet and smartphone, giving the user a wider range of use over just owning one or the other devices or having to carry both.

The report noted that phablets usage has more than tripled over the past two years, growing from 5% to 20% of active devices.
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I use a Note 2 (pretty old, but does the trick), not sure if I could go back to a iPhone sized phone.
 
From what I read, phablets are #1 topsellers in SE asia right now. I know for my Taiwanese girlfriend at least, she says 7 inches feels just about right.
 
I use a Note 2 also. Funny that even the "non-phablet" phones are growing to basically "phablet" size. Like for example, my Note 2 was considered to be a very large phone back in 2012, with it's 5.5" screen. Now the Galaxy S6 has a 5.1" screen, almost as big.

It certainly makes sense for me. I see no reason to carry around or use a separate tablet. My phone has the benefit of always having internet, no matter where I am, without any extra effort. How many people get a cell plan just for their tablet? I'm guessing few if any. If I actually need to do real computing where a bigger screen would come into play - that is what a real computer is for.
 
Ducman69 said:
From what I read, phablets are #1 topsellers in SE asia right now. I know for my Taiwanese girlfriend at least, she says 7 inches feels just about right.
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That's what she said. :D

GotNoRice said:
I use a Note 2 also. Funny that even the "non-phablet" phones are growing to basically "phablet" size. Like for example, my Note 2 was considered to be a very large phone back in 2012, with it's 5.5" screen. Now the Galaxy S6 has a 5.1" screen, almost as big.

It certainly makes sense for me. I see no reason to carry around or use a separate tablet. My phone has the benefit of always having internet, no matter where I am, without any extra effort. How many people get a cell plan just for their tablet? I'm guessing few if any. If I actually need to do real computing where a bigger screen would come into play - that is what a real computer is for.
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Having gone from a Note2 to a Nexus 6...I could never go back to a tiny sized phone. Not without some serious kicking and screaming in the usage department. I remember back when the original Galaxy Note came out....and some tool on the internet uttered these humorous words:

"The Galaxy Note essentially has everything you’d want in a smartphone: a great dual-core processor, a solid camera, a beautiful display and good build quality, and it runs on AT&T’s new 4G LTE network that delivers incredibly fast downloads speeds. Plus the battery seems actually decent so far, which is a triumph for modern smartphones.

Throw all of that right out the window.

The phone is too big. You will look stupid talking on it, people will laugh at you, and you’ll be unhappy if you buy it. I really can’t get around this, unfortunately, because Samsung pushed things way too far this time."​



http://bgr.com/2012/02/13/samsungs-galaxy-note-is-the-most-useless-phone-ive-seen/
 
Are phablets becoming more common because people actually want them, or are they becoming more common because OEMs like making them? (screen size is an easy specification to compete on, because it requires no technical knowledge from the customer)

The nexus 6 is the perfect example. There is no "non-phablet" version of the newest nexus, so if you want the newest nexus, you are getting a phablet whether you wanted one or not.

The Galaxy Note is another example. If you want a really good stylus (the s-pen), there again you are getting a phablet whether you wanted one or not. This one especially bugs me, because there is no real reason they couldn't release an S-pen version of the Galaxy S5 (instead of the gimmicky S5 Edge)

It seems like the flagship market is mostly headed in the phablet direction (with the HTC One M9 and the LG G2 rounding out the "phablet-or-bust" crowd), forcing customer to choose between big/fast/expensive and small/slow/cheap, with nothing in between.
 
I've got big hands so I'm all game for them to be so. But honestly? I don't think they will be. The majority of people can't one hand them comfortably and unless somehow that design issue is addressed smaller phones will remain popular.
 
sir-gold said:
Are phablets becoming more common because people actually want them, or are they becoming more common because OEMs like making them? (screen size is an easy specification to compete on, because it requires no technical knowledge from the customer)

The nexus 6 is the perfect example. There is no "non-phablet" version of the newest nexus, so if you want the newest nexus, you are getting a phablet whether you wanted one or not.

The Galaxy Note is another example. If you want a really good stylus (the s-pen), there again you are getting a phablet whether you wanted one or not. This one especially bugs me, because there is no real reason they couldn't release an S-pen version of the Galaxy S5 (instead of the gimmicky S5 Edge)

It seems like the flagship market is mostly headed in the phablet direction (with the HTC One M9 and the LG G2 rounding out the "phablet-or-bust" crowd), forcing customer to choose between big/fast/expensive and small/slow/cheap, with nothing in between.
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I think there's a very real reason why there's isn't an S5/S6 with stylus. The S series lacks the internal volume to carry one....or to carry one would require sacrificing battery volume capacity for it. Personally I found the S-Pen a gimmick when I had a Note, that while neat in theory...was never used in reality.
 
The 2012 Note II was way ahead of its time and is still a better phablet than most non-Samsung phablets out now. The pen is not only useful for Lecture Notes and OneNote but also for Microsoft RDP in a bind. Just put Lollipop on mine so it's good for another year or two until, I'm hoping, a close to 6" Note with minimal bezel running desktop Windows 10 x64 comes out.
 
I can see this. As smart watches become mainstream and much more convenient for things like, CHECKING THE TIME, and text/call notifications, then a larger phone become more useful for when you actually need to pull it out.
 
mi7chy said:
The 2012 Note II was way ahead of its time and is still a better phablet than most non-Samsung phablets out now. The pen is not only useful for Lecture Notes and OneNote but also for Microsoft RDP in a bind. Just put Lollipop on mine so it's good for another year or two until, I'm hoping, a close to 6" Note with minimal bezel running desktop Windows 10 x64 comes out.
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There is an official (probably beta) ROM of Windows 10 for the Xiaomi Mi 4 (which normally runs Android and uses the popular Snapdragon 801), as well as the Windows Phone version of the HTC One M8

Hopefully this means that there will soon be versions (either official or unofficial) for existing phones as well.
 
i don't like big phones that stretch my pocket and make a faded imprint on the outside of the pants
 
I think when people used phones primarily as a phone then the small size was advantageous ... however, most people with smartphones use them for the data services (text, email, internet, games) and for those size matters (bigger is better) ... plus for those rare times you want to use your phone as a phone you have bluetooth headsets and bluetooth car integration
 
Now we see the reason why Apple finally gave up on Steve Jobs 'no one's going to buy a big phone' direction.

I see low tech people at work who are switching to a single device (no computer or tablet, just a large phone), so there is a market, but for many people these phablets are too big to be easily carried around unless you have a a purse.

I have large hands, so a small touch screen is too hard to type on. The S3 with it's 4.8" screen was the first one large enough for me to be able to type with my fat fingers. Problem with these phone pushing 6 inches, is that they are a little tight in the pocket, and they are a little too wide for single handed operation. My preference is closer to 5 inches, about the size of the S5.

Once people get over the "mine is bigger than yours" phase we are in, the will balance out.
 
I'm about to ditch my LG G3 for something slightly smaller as I can't find a large enough bike case to mount on my handlebars. The S6 might be just right.
 
5" phones are already the maximum I'd go, if I can't do everything one handed quickly its useless (yes I sometime I use it with 2 hands, but having to each time is a pain). I would have gotten a Nexus6 if it wasn't of the stupid size.

I don't want to have a purse to carry my phone, I don't want an tablet attach to my belt (working in construction, it's impossible to keep them in my pocket without breaking them).
 
It will be more phablet after Microsoft releases Windows 10 Phone with Continuum ...
 
I have said it many times before, phablets are great and most of the hate was completely unfounded ignorance and illogical thinking. The more people that try phablets the more will stick with them.

There are only 3 classes of devices.
It doesn't move, desktop, if you have a desktop then as long as it fits on your desk I will take whatever size gives me the most flexibility, now days that is mid atx.
It does move but it cannot fit in your pocket. This is laptops, tablets, hybrids. All of these are the same to me and I have no reason to own more than 1 of them. It silly how many people do though but a lot of them are starting to realize they just bought into some stupid hype.
Finally it fits in your pocket, this is the device that goes everywhere you go all the time. I will take the biggest one that will fit in my pocket and make it the most useful. For years now the clear winner that destroys everything in its path is the galaxy note. Now girls many of them might not fit a phablet in their pocket, but wait, like I said that was illogical thinking. The matter of fact is girls wear all kinds of outfits and tons of them have no pockets, or pockets so small not even a little iphone can fit in them. So the whole pocket argument is completely useless to a girl that's why they have always used purses and any phablet will fit in just about any purse I have seen a girl carry. In fact girls could make an argument for an even bigger class of phablets guys wouldn't be able to use.
 
^absolutely right imo. I was scared of getting a phablet (note 4) after having such a small phone, but after using the note 4 for a little bit I love having the real estate that it brings and the extra features it has (eg: s pen). I stopped using my tablet since! I don't mind the size because it still fits in my pocket.
 
MDboyz said:
It will be more phablet after Microsoft releases Windows 10 Phone with Continuum ...
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That definitely looked pretty damned cool. I wish Microsoft would develop and x86 Win32 compatible Surface Phone. Most of the tech to do that exists and I think it would be a very good seller, it would have a good deal of use in the enterprise.
 
dr.kevin said:
i don't like big phones that stretch my pocket and make a faded imprint on the outside of the pants
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I'm a pretty tall guy and even 5" is a bit big for my pocket. I ended up trading in my Droid DNA for a Moto X 2013. Much, much more comfortable in the pocket.
 
Ever since I got a Lumia 1520 I gotten use to the bigger screen and it fits well in my hands since I have pretty big hands. I remember someone he gotten use to the bigger size almost instantly and that it feels better than a smaller phone. I understand the smaller phone works better but the extra size is better for typing and all sorts of stuff. Plus when combined with a stylis it combines for extra magic.
 
Used a Note 2 for a couple years and on a Note 4 now and couldn't live without them. I do everything with this thing from banking, paying bills and typing this post as we speak. All the music I've bought over the last 3 years has been on my phone and on this SD card as well as all the pictures I've taken.

Long live the phablet and God bless Samsung for starting them and for keeping the SD card with them. In my opinion you've got to have a SD card or it almost defeats the purpose.
 
rudy said:
There are only 3 classes of devices.

It doesn't move, desktop, if you have a desktop then as long as it fits on your desk I will take whatever size gives me the most flexibility, now days that is mid atx.
It does move but it cannot fit in your pocket. This is laptops, tablets, hybrids. All of these are the same to me and I have no reason to own more than 1 of them.
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Disagree. I have a desktop, laptop, tablet and a phone, and they all have different uses. There's some overlap, but they all have their strengths.

Desktop is for most my work, remote into the office, photos/video editing, etc.
Desktop are faster, and cheaper than laptops, and plenty of room for large drives.
Cheaper to upgrade, repair, etc.

Laptop. Generally only use this when I travel. It's small, and a bit old/slow, but is far better than a tablet or phone if I need to remote into the office in an emergency. Plus it has plenty of disk space to backup photos and videos from my camera, just in case something happens to it, and a real Ethernet port for when the hotel's wireless is to slow/weak.

Tablet. Mainly used for reading. It was cheaper to buy a tablet and read the paper online than it was to renew the subscription for another 6 months. Since it's a windows 8 tablet I can also use it to remote in to the office if needed, but the laptop has a bigger screen and a real keyboard.

Phone. Small, easy to fit in my pocket, used for calls, texting and quick emails. For me, portability is more important than a huge screen.
 
nutzo said:
Disagree. I have a desktop, laptop, tablet and a phone, and they all have different uses. There's some overlap, but they all have their strengths.

Desktop is for most my work, remote into the office, photos/video editing, etc.
Desktop are faster, and cheaper than laptops, and plenty of room for large drives.
Cheaper to upgrade, repair, etc.

Laptop. Generally only use this when I travel. It's small, and a bit old/slow, but is far better than a tablet or phone if I need to remote into the office in an emergency. Plus it has plenty of disk space to backup photos and videos from my camera, just in case something happens to it, and a real Ethernet port for when the hotel's wireless is to slow/weak.

Tablet. Mainly used for reading. It was cheaper to buy a tablet and read the paper online than it was to renew the subscription for another 6 months. Since it's a windows 8 tablet I can also use it to remote in to the office if needed, but the laptop has a bigger screen and a real keyboard.

Phone. Small, easy to fit in my pocket, used for calls, texting and quick emails. For me, portability is more important than a huge screen.
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By this argument you could say something like I own a 10 inch tablet and a 8 inch tablet, you know sometimes I like the 10 inch tablet when I am reading news papers but I prefer the 8 inch tablet when reading novels. From what I have seen people like you wont be laptop users much longer your laptop is just an aging item you have already incurred the cost on and when it dies you will go with a hybrid or not replace it at all, just grab a keyboard for your tablet.
 
rudy said:
By this argument you could say something like I own a 10 inch tablet and a 8 inch tablet, you know sometimes I like the 10 inch tablet when I am reading news papers but I prefer the 8 inch tablet when reading novels. From what I have seen people like you wont be laptop users much longer your laptop is just an aging item you have already incurred the cost on and when it dies you will go with a hybrid or not replace it at all, just grab a keyboard for your tablet.
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Oh jump in the lake. Lame.
If anything it is the smart-watch that lies between. Smart phone (regular size) or Phablet and smart watch. Users choose. My point is the user has a choice, and guess what is selling? Phablet's and smart watches. The Phablet is you mobile PC, the smart-watch is your watch? Haha ;)
Or get a decent sized phone (4") and use one device. User picks!
 
I can't never replace a phone with phablet. Regardless of it's performance and features, a phone has to be small enough to fit into my pockets comfortably, and small enough to be held with a hand comfortably when I'm talking.
 
Look at Apple's iPhone 6 and 6+ - they had a huge market share gain after coming out with phablets. iPad sales are declining - why have a tablet and a phablet? No one wants to carry multiple devices.
 
steakman1971 said:
Look at Apple's iPhone 6 and 6+ - they had a huge market share gain after coming out with phablets. iPad sales are declining - why have a tablet and a phablet? No one wants to carry multiple devices.
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Although it is possible that tablets could have a resurgence if they get bigger ... I would love to have a 13-15" screen on a tablet ... much better for magazines and comics and would give more flexibility with games ... I also carry multiple devices and use them all in different circumstances ... to me a tablet is most useful in two situations:

airplanes and airports - although I can usually get into the extended legroom class it is still a tight fit and maneuvering a laptop is cumbersome (especially on short flights) ... also, since I only have a company laptop, it isn't good for gaming or media consumption and is best used for work related activities ... my tablet is small enough to be able to fit in the seat pocket when I am not using it and I can read books/comics/magazines on it as well as play games ... although my traveling is less this year than last, it is still a useful device for the frequent traveler

Couch surfing - the bigger screen is more useful than my phone when I am multitasking on the couch (watching shows, surfing the web, playing games, etc) ... a laptop is just more awkward (and hot) to rest in your lap

When I am mobile in my car or out and about my phone is my preferred access tool ... when I am working from home I use a combo of my laptop and desktop (they are side by side on my desk)
 
kbrickley said:
Although it is possible that tablets could have a resurgence if they get bigger ... I would love to have a 13-15" screen on a tablet ... much better for magazines and comics and would give more flexibility with games ... I also carry multiple devices and use them all in different circumstances ... to me a tablet is most useful in two situations:
Click to expand...
You know what would be really sweet? Take a 15" tablet, and attach a keyboard on it on a hinge, putting the heavy parts of the tablet on the keyboard part that way it can stand upright without a stand!!!

If someone would invent this, it would render large tablets obsolete! :D
 
Ducman69 said:
You know what would be really sweet? Take a 15" tablet, and attach a keyboard on it on a hinge, putting the heavy parts of the tablet on the keyboard part that way it can stand upright without a stand!!!

If someone would invent this, it would render large tablets obsolete! :D
Click to expand...

Large laptops are good when you have a desk ... they do get trickier in airplane seats and not everyone wants to sit with a big laptop on their lap on the couch ;)
 
rudy said:
I have said it many times before, phablets are great and most of the hate was completely unfounded ignorance and illogical thinking. The more people that try phablets the more will stick with them.
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People who don't like something you like = Hate that is unfounded ignorance and illogical thinking.

Cool bubble you're living in, bro.

I hate phablets because THEY DON'T FIT IN MY FUCKING POCKETS.
 
techrat said:
People who don't like something you like = Hate that is unfounded ignorance and illogical thinking.

Cool bubble you're living in, bro.

I hate phablets because THEY DON'T FIT IN MY FUCKING POCKETS.
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Techrat wears skinny jeans.
 
Skripka said:
Techrat wears skinny jeans.
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Relaxed fit 501s, so no. The biggest issue comes when I have to climb up the stage or the loading dock at the studio. A 5" phone in the front pocket is enough to keep me from being able to bend my legs at the hip to be able to step up higher.
 
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