Phablets—smartphones with displays of 5.6 inches and above—will flourish in Asian markets, according to a report released last week by global technology analysts Juniper Research. The report says that over 120 million units of the phablet, once perceived to have limited potential, will be shipped worldwide by 2018, rising from an estimated 20 million in 2013.
The Indian market is showing a similar trend. Research by 91mobiles, a mobile phone business news portal, shows that between 2012 and 2013, the number of phablets launched in India went up 10 times, with more than half the devices launched in the category being from Indian manufacturers. However, while most international brands have focused on the upper end of the phablet market (above ₹ 25,000), the Indian brands are selling almost entirely at under ₹ 15,000.
Juniper Research suggests that the Android ecosystem will be driven mostly by the Samsung Note series in developed markets and by local vendors such as Intex in countries like India. They add that the launch of a rumoured Apple Phablet (believed to have a 5.6-inch display) would strongly disrupt this category.
We take a look at user research from 91mobiles, which analysed traffic patterns on 125 million pages, tracking the behaviour of 25 million people in India through all of 2013.
