Courtesy of Samsung
When the commercial for the Samsung Galaxy Note debuted during the Super Bowl, critics were quick to latch on to its awkward 5-inch size and stylus as proof that Samsung had made a serious misstep in the smartphone realm. A new study by ABI Research, however, suggests that Samsung is really on the cusp of a new smartphone style trend.
This phone tablet hybrid, or “phablet” as it has somewhat annoyingly been coined, helped Samsung achieve a net profit of approximately $4.44 billion for Q1 2012, and the research indicates that HTC, LG and Huawei will launch their own models in 2012. This style of phone has become very popular in South Korea, and ABI predicts shipments will increase by a factor of 10 in 2012, before growing to 208 million units by 2015.
So, is this a glimpse at the shape of things to come? Critics and tech writers alike have been quick to dismiss the phablets, but with recent reports speculating that the new iPhone could boast a touchscreen the size of a typical phablet, this trend could become the norm, much to the dismay of the critics.
What do you think of the phablet trend? Do you think this was a misstep by Samsung that the company will ultimately regret, or will the 4.6-5.5 inch touchscreen displays quickly become the norm? Share your thoughts with us.
