Ladies and gentlemen, we have a new trend… phablets! What exactly is phablet you ask? Well, as the name suggests, it’s a PHone and a tABLET. Phablets usually have all the same features of a tablet including a touch screen, keyboard, mobile operating system, camera, and apps. Phablets generally come with a screen between five to seven inches. The main reason phones are getting bigger is because we are using them for different things. Not only are we using them for phone calls, but for shopping, mobile networking, gaming and streaming as well. Since phablets are smaller than tablets, they are more convenient to carry with you. Let’s take a look at some of the leading phablets on the market.
Samsung Galaxy Note 2 
The Samsung Galaxy Note 2 has a design similar to the Samsung Galaxy S3 with a rounded rectangular look. It has a 5.5 inch screen and weighs 0.4 pounds. The headphone jack is located on the top of the phone and charger port on the bottom. On the left side are the volume controls and to the right is power button. The Note 2 has an 8-megapixel camera with LED flash located on the back of the phone and a 1.9-megapixel front camera. This phablet comes with the S Pen which very accurate. It can be used for graphic designing or writing notes. There are many benefits that the Note 2 offers. One of my favorite is that you can perform multiple tasks on the same screen without any screen transitions.
Huawei Ascend Mate 
To compete with the Note 2, Huawei created the Ascend Mate. This phablet is known as “the world’s largest smartphone.” The Ascend Mate features a 6.1 inch screen and a slim design. It runs on Android’s 4.1 Jelly Bean operating system. The 4050 mAh battery provides a cell phone battery of up to two days of ordinary use from a single charge. One feature which stands out is the “magic touch” which gives you access to the touch screen while wearing gloves. Unfortunately, Huawei does not have specific plans to release the Ascend Mate in the United States.
ZTE Grand S 
The ZTE Grand S is the world’s thinnest touch screen. With a 5 inch display, the Grand S is still remarkably thin at 6.9mm. The phablet includes 4G LTE for top downloading speed and runs on the Android 4.1 Jelly Bean OS . The Grand S offers smartphone photography with facial recognition and a panoramic camera. The Grand S is set to hit stores in China at the end of the first quarter of 2013. However, it is unclear whether or not the phablet will ever hit the US market.
It is expected that phablets will grow 70% each year for the next three years. The increase usage of both phones and tablets may even lead to the extinction of personal computers. But before smartphones disappear completely, expect them to get larger and harder to ignore.
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