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 physica ...

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, whi ...

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 tradit ...

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 precision ...

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 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 Infinix Mobile is a China-based smartphone company founded in 2013 by Transsion Holdings. Infinix mobile phones are manufactured in France, India, Indonesia, Korea, China, Pakistan and are available in Asia and in about 30 countries in the Midd ...

in 2019, which began producing larger-screen budget smartphones for developing markets such as

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and

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also started producing large-screen budget smartphones since 2020, with the introduction of Samsung Galaxy A21.

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, Pixel 6 Pro, 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, 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

IFA 2010 Internationale Funkausstellung Berlin 57

Origins

In tracing the 10 earliest devices in the history of the phablet concept, ''

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'' 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 (7.0" screen) * 2010 LG GW990 (4.8" screen) * 2010 Dell Streak (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 (5.3" screen) * 2013

Nokia Lumia 1520 The Nokia Lumia 1520 was a flagship Windows Phone phablet smartphone designed and produced by Finnish telecommunications manufacturer Nokia in partnership with American software manufacturer Microsoft. The device was first announced at the Nokia ...

(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 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 used a screen. While some media outlets questioned the viability of the device, the Note received positive reception for its

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, 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 The Samsung Galaxy S III (or Galaxy S3) is an Android smartphone designed, developed, and marketed by Samsung Electronics. Launched in 2012, it had sold more than 80 million units overall, making it the most sold phone in the S series. I ...

, 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, 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 ve ...

resolution, such as the

HTC Droid DNA The HTC Butterfly is an Android-based, 4G LTE-capable smartphone designed and developed by HTC. First announced for release in Japan by Japanese carrier KDDI as the HTC J Butterfly (HTL21), the J Butterfly was released in Japan on 9 December ...

and Samsung Galaxy S4. 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 Max The HTC One Max is an Android phablet smartphone designed and manufactured by HTC. The device is a larger variant of HTC's 2013 flagship high-end smartphone, the HTC One, notably incorporating a 5.9-inch display and fingerprint recognition featu ...

a 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 sma ...

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 t ...

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. ...

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 Corporation, Microsoft. It was released on October 29, 2012, and, like its predecessor, it features a flat design, flat user interface based on t ...

phablets, such as the 6-inch Lumia 1520. HTC One Max

Prior to the iPhone 6 Plus

In September 2014,

Apple An apple is an edible fruit produced by an apple tree (''Malus domestica''). Apple trees are cultivated worldwide and are the most widely grown species in the genus '' Malus''. The tree originated in Central Asia, where its wild ancest ...

released its first phablet, the -inch

iPhone 6 Plus The iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus are smartphones that were designed and marketed by Apple Inc. They are the eighth generation of the iPhone, succeeding the iPhone 5, iPhone 5C and iPhone 5S, and were announced on September 9, 2014, and relea ...

; 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; ...

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,

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 into the new facial recognition system called Face ID which is enabled by the TrueDepth front facing camera since the iPhone X doesn't have a larger variant; iPhone 8 Plus is the final phablet iPhone to feature the Touch ID dedicated on the home button introduced in 2017. In October 2022,

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 lineup and lower-priced iPhone 13 lineup doesn't have a larger 6.7-inch display size option found on both

iPhone 12 Pro Max The iPhone 12 Pro and iPhone 12 Pro Max are smartphones designed, developed, and marketed by Apple Inc. They are the flagship smartphones in the fourteenth generation of the iPhone, succeeding the iPhone 11 Pro and iPhone 11 Pro Max, respec ...

and iPhone 13 Pro Max. 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, 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 o ...

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 (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 ''Insider'', previously named ''Business Insider'' (''BI''), is an American financial and business news website founded in 2007. Since 2015, a majority stake in ''Business Insider''s parent company Insider Inc. has been owned by the German publ ...

'' 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 televi ...

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.

References

External links

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