Remember the days when all our vivid, informative content was simply delivered to our desk top or laptop? Then along came smartphones, a little computer in our pocket, and the way we communicated, searched and received information changed forever.
It can be argued that Apple are at the top of the smartphone game; but the latest findings from research company Canalys reveal that a third of the 279.4 million smartphones shipped in the first quarter of 2014 had screens larger than 5 inches. The popularity of the ‘phablet’ – a cross between a phone and a small tablet – seems to be growing.
Large screened phones were thought to be the most popular in Asia, but Canalys’ research shows that phones with a 5 inch plus screen now account for 32% of smartphone sales in the US, slightly more than European sales of 27%.
Canalys analyst Jessica Kwee said: “The trend is unmistakably towards larger-screen handsets at the high end of the market. Consumers now expect high end devices to have large displays, and Apple’s absence in this market will clearly not last long.”
It is rumoured that Apple, whose phone screens measure between 3.5 inches to 4 inches, are trying to develop a 4.7 inch screen, and an even larger 5.5 inch screen. Screens this size would give the phones pixel density greater than the iPhone 4 and 5, and it is not clear how developers could rewrite apps to work on these screens without introducing pixilation.
Samsung seem to be leading the Phablet popularity race with its Note range. Every new Note generation has a larger screen, and many feel that Samsung hope their devices will replace both PCs and tablets.
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