First it was the smartphone that ruled the market. Then it was the turn of the tablet. And now, it looks like the tablet has given way to a new craze, the phablet, aka the smartphone with screen sizes of at least 5 inches which can pretty much do the same work as a tablet and phone combined. In fact, increasing phablet sales around the world have raised quite a lot of concerns over how certain tablets are facing the heat of declining sales. Many phablet smartphones have also started eating into the market shares of small sized tablets.
For instance, Apples refusal to increase the screen sizes of its smartphones by more than 5 inches could cost the manufacturer plenty. It would lose its hold on the smartphone market to Samsung, which has already got a head start in the phablet race. The rising phablet trend would therefore force Apple to step behind as Samsung overtakes with its diversified phone and tablet offerings.
Market experts however, believe that the phase of rising phablet sales would be only temporary as end users shift back to tablets for other purposes than just making calls and doing simple tasks. For instance, many parents prefer to purchase small tablets for their children rather than the more expensive phablet, which would also be more difficult to replace.
Tablets are also the preferred option for several home and work related functions. For instance, while a phablet can work well for browsing and online shopping, a tablet would be the better option for playing games, watching movies or writing reports. This essentially means that consumers would stick to buying tablets even if they are impressed with phablets for the time being. Experts also believe that those who buy phablets will eventually opt to buy larger sized tablets again at a later point of time. In fact, the release of Apple’s iPhone 6 Plus with a comparatively larger screen of 5.5 inches would definitely propel more iPhone lovers to switch from the iPad mini models to full sized iPads.
There is no doubt that the visible line of demarcation between phones, tablets and phablets is fast becoming blurry. Both phones and tablets perform the same functions of a small sized computer sans the physical keyboard. In addition to different screen sizes, the only other difference is that a phone can make calls while tablets can’t. Maybe that is where the phablet has a slight advantage. But is that enough to conquer the market? Only time will tell.
Summary
The advent of phablets has led to a decrease in tablet sales across the world. However, many believe that this is just a temporary phase and that tablets would always be preferred by those who opt to buy phablets for the time being.