Phablet (/ˈfæblɪt/is a class of smartphones with screen sizes ranging between 5 and 6.9 inches,[3] designed to combine or straddle the functionalities of a smartphone and tablet.
The term itself, a portmanteau of the words phone and tablet[4] came into common usage in 2008.[5]
The phablet's larger screen can complement screen-intensive activity such as mobile web and multimedia viewing — and the device may include, as with Samsung's Galaxy Note, software optimized for an integral self-storing stylus to facilitate sketching, note-taking and annotation.[6]
In January 2013, IHS reported that 25.6 million phablet devices were sold in 2012 and estimated that these figures would grow to 60.4 million in 2013, and 146 million by 2016.[7] Barclays projected sales of phablets rising from 27 million in 2012 to 230 million in 2015.[8]
In a 2013 analysis, Engadget identified dropping screen prices, increasing screen power efficiency, increasing battery life and the evolving importance of multimedia viewing as critical factors in the popularity of the phablet.[1] Also in 2013, Forbes Magazine noted that while most clothing cannot hold a typical tablet computer, men's clothing in particular could and may well adapt to accommodate phablets.[9]
Reuters called 2013, the "Year of the Phablet."[10]