Same Stuffing, Bigger Screen: Why Phablets Are Here to Stay

If you haven’t purchased a phone in a few years, you might have missed the phablet revolution. There’s a new trend in mobile phones and that trend is “bigger is better.” Here’s what it’s all about.

What Is It?

A phablet is an oversized phone, usually starting with a larger-than-5-foot screen. These devices are said to be a cross between a tablet computer and a mobile phone, hence the name. Because of their size, they represent an interesting challenge for both consumers and marketers. What started as a fad has now become the norm.

User Interaction and Engagement

Users seem to love the larger phone size, most because of the increased screen real estate. Where before, users were limited to a miniaturized environment for everything, they’re not able to view apps on more reasonably-sized screens.

According to this blog post, almost every major manufacturer makes a phablet, and this is largely driven by consumer demand. The iPhone 6 and 6 Plus are prime examples of phablets, but they’re not the first to this market. Android has been doing phablets for a few generations now, with the Galaxy Note being the first real phablet to hit the market.

Today, it’s got a 5.7 inch super high-def screen and a 2.7 GHz processor with 3G of RAM. Other manufacturers follow suit, trying to mimic the screen size and basic functionality of the Note to varying degrees.

Problems with Phablets

What’s not to love? More screen real estate, easier on the eyes. Lots of HD video. Well, for starters, the screens are so big that some people find carrying them difficult. For some, they’ve become more of a burden than a blessing, and simple, unobtrusive, communication is no longer possible.

With today’s phones, you have to carry a large, bulky, device everywhere you go or decide to be completely without a phone.

Another problem is battery life. While the devices are bigger, and can accommodate larger batteries, there’s also a problem with the amount of power they’re drawing. Larger screens mean higher-def video, faster and more capable graphics, and of course users will want to play with them longer and more often throughout the day – that creates a larger drain on the battery.

Finally, larger displays make it inherently more awkward to handle and reach all of the links and buttons on the screen.

How Phablets Are Changing Marketing and Everything Else

Marketers have an interesting challenge. They must balance the increased screen real estate with the fact that most users are still using phablets with the mindset of a mobile device. In other words, ads seem more intrusive than on a full-size screen.

At the same time, users are demanding more interaction, so marketers who can create the “next gen” experience for them will win the day. More and more marketers have already started treating phablets as small T.V. screens, for better or for worse.

What this means is that marketers are looking at this as an opportunity to interact with consumers more often throughout the day. How users respond to that remains to be seen.

David Fuson is a electronics sales associate. He loves to share his insights online. His articles appear mainly on technology and business websites.