<p>The tablet and the phone are fast becoming the same device, and I for one can’t wait.Bigger phones have been a big trend over the past couple of years, and despite a somewhat mocking moniker, the “phablet” (phone plus tablet) is here to stay. <br /><br /></p>.<p>I predict that within a few years, 7- and 8-inch tablets, like the iPad Mini, will begin to disappear, replaced by phones that are nearly equal in size.<br /><br />Tablets were a revolution in consumer electronics, mainly because they made us realise how much more we could do with our portable touch screens. The first tablets, like the original iPad and the Google Nexus 10, were 10 inches, great for watching movies and TV shows. But despite rocketing sales growth at first, most people found that a laptop with a keyboard was still better for getting work done. And at 1.5 to 2 pounds, those early tablets were slightly big and heavy to hold for reading or to carry around day to day.<br /><br />Thus, the smaller tablet was born - the Google Nexus 7, the Amazon Kindle and Apple’s reluctantly birthed iPad Mini. At 7 inches (or 7.9 inches, in the case of the iPad Mini), those tablets are lightweight, easy to toss in a purse or backpack and better for use as a multimedia-enabled e-reader because they are more comfortable to hold. For a brief halcyon period, sales of smaller tablet sales began to crush sales of 10-inch devices.<br /><br />Now, even those tablet sales have slowed. Research firm IDC predicts that tablet sales growth, although still expanding, will slow to the single digits by 2017, with sales of smaller tablets falling the fastest. It seems that many of us come to the conclusion I’ve reached of late: I don’t want a smaller tablet. I want a bigger phone.<br /><br />Big phones may take some getting used to - they’re less pocketable and a little comical when used for actual talking - but they’re much more useful than small tablets for unifying your communications on one device. They’re always connected and more portable than a tablet, and the phone is already the device you’re using for texting, taking pictures and browsing the Web. Why not a bigger screen for watching videos and reading email?<br /><br />At the moment, the industry is still trying to figure out exactly what size phone makes sense, but the new norm in screen size keeps creeping up. Some phones are clearly considered or labeled “phablets,” like the LG Optimus G Pro 2. Its screen is 5.9 inches, or just about an inch smaller than the Nexus 7. China’s Huawei dropped all pretence with the 7-inch MediaPad X1, with 4G LTE connectivity built into a device that is almost all tablet, hardly any phone.<br /><br />But even phones that aren’t strictly phablets are getting bigger. Samsung announced its Galaxy S5 recently in Barcelona, and its screen measures 5.1 inches. LG has been successful with the 4.7-inch LG G2; 4.6-inch displays are almost the new minimum. <br />Apple now stands as the last holdout against the big phone trend. The iPhone 5S screen is stubbornly stuck at 4 inches, which seems tiny when stacked up against current Android phones. The iPhone 4S has an eye-squinting 3.5-inch screen. <br /><br />But while you’re waiting for Apple, there are other good options to consider.<br />I’ve spent the past couple of weeks with the Samsung Galaxy Note 3, which has a 5.7-inch screen and includes a stylus, and I think it’s the best of the bunch. I also love the LG Optimus G Pro and expect its successor, the LG Optimus G Pro 2, to be better.<br />That leaves us the Note 3. The original Galaxy Note really kicked off the phablet craze. It was introduced in 2011 and had a then-astonishing 5.3-inch screen. Despite the mockery from a lot of circles, the Note became a cult hit. It sold 10 million units and broke ground on screen-size acceptance.<br /><br />The Note 3 has been a success, as well; Samsung said it sold 10 million Note 3 devices in just 60 days after its introduction in September. I can see why; the Note 3’s screen is absolutely luxurious for reading email, scrolling through Twitter, looking at photos and, most of all, playing Candy Crush. <br /><br />Our smartphones remain the centre of our connected lives; bigger screens make them that much more useful and immersive, even if they may also require bigger pockets, purses and man purses. <br /><br /></p>
<p>The tablet and the phone are fast becoming the same device, and I for one can’t wait.Bigger phones have been a big trend over the past couple of years, and despite a somewhat mocking moniker, the “phablet” (phone plus tablet) is here to stay. <br /><br /></p>.<p>I predict that within a few years, 7- and 8-inch tablets, like the iPad Mini, will begin to disappear, replaced by phones that are nearly equal in size.<br /><br />Tablets were a revolution in consumer electronics, mainly because they made us realise how much more we could do with our portable touch screens. The first tablets, like the original iPad and the Google Nexus 10, were 10 inches, great for watching movies and TV shows. But despite rocketing sales growth at first, most people found that a laptop with a keyboard was still better for getting work done. And at 1.5 to 2 pounds, those early tablets were slightly big and heavy to hold for reading or to carry around day to day.<br /><br />Thus, the smaller tablet was born - the Google Nexus 7, the Amazon Kindle and Apple’s reluctantly birthed iPad Mini. At 7 inches (or 7.9 inches, in the case of the iPad Mini), those tablets are lightweight, easy to toss in a purse or backpack and better for use as a multimedia-enabled e-reader because they are more comfortable to hold. For a brief halcyon period, sales of smaller tablet sales began to crush sales of 10-inch devices.<br /><br />Now, even those tablet sales have slowed. Research firm IDC predicts that tablet sales growth, although still expanding, will slow to the single digits by 2017, with sales of smaller tablets falling the fastest. It seems that many of us come to the conclusion I’ve reached of late: I don’t want a smaller tablet. I want a bigger phone.<br /><br />Big phones may take some getting used to - they’re less pocketable and a little comical when used for actual talking - but they’re much more useful than small tablets for unifying your communications on one device. They’re always connected and more portable than a tablet, and the phone is already the device you’re using for texting, taking pictures and browsing the Web. Why not a bigger screen for watching videos and reading email?<br /><br />At the moment, the industry is still trying to figure out exactly what size phone makes sense, but the new norm in screen size keeps creeping up. Some phones are clearly considered or labeled “phablets,” like the LG Optimus G Pro 2. Its screen is 5.9 inches, or just about an inch smaller than the Nexus 7. China’s Huawei dropped all pretence with the 7-inch MediaPad X1, with 4G LTE connectivity built into a device that is almost all tablet, hardly any phone.<br /><br />But even phones that aren’t strictly phablets are getting bigger. Samsung announced its Galaxy S5 recently in Barcelona, and its screen measures 5.1 inches. LG has been successful with the 4.7-inch LG G2; 4.6-inch displays are almost the new minimum. <br />Apple now stands as the last holdout against the big phone trend. The iPhone 5S screen is stubbornly stuck at 4 inches, which seems tiny when stacked up against current Android phones. The iPhone 4S has an eye-squinting 3.5-inch screen. <br /><br />But while you’re waiting for Apple, there are other good options to consider.<br />I’ve spent the past couple of weeks with the Samsung Galaxy Note 3, which has a 5.7-inch screen and includes a stylus, and I think it’s the best of the bunch. I also love the LG Optimus G Pro and expect its successor, the LG Optimus G Pro 2, to be better.<br />That leaves us the Note 3. The original Galaxy Note really kicked off the phablet craze. It was introduced in 2011 and had a then-astonishing 5.3-inch screen. Despite the mockery from a lot of circles, the Note became a cult hit. It sold 10 million units and broke ground on screen-size acceptance.<br /><br />The Note 3 has been a success, as well; Samsung said it sold 10 million Note 3 devices in just 60 days after its introduction in September. I can see why; the Note 3’s screen is absolutely luxurious for reading email, scrolling through Twitter, looking at photos and, most of all, playing Candy Crush. <br /><br />Our smartphones remain the centre of our connected lives; bigger screens make them that much more useful and immersive, even if they may also require bigger pockets, purses and man purses. <br /><br /></p>
