Phablets account for 12.8% of global mobile device sales, says GfK study
During the last quarter of 2014 phablets saw their best performance to date with 12.8 per cent of the total global mobile device sales, according to market research institute GfK.
Galaxy Note 4
Phablets have been outperforming the mobile device market since the launch of the Galaxy Note in 2012, according to GfK, with growth in most regions.
Sales of phablets come at the expense of standard smartphones, whose unit shares fell 13 percentage points from 100 per cent in Q4 2011 to 87.2 per cent in Q4 2014.
Arndt Polifke, global director of Telecoms at GfK, said in a statement: “Phablets are all-rounders, fulfilling the combined roles of a smartphone and tablet – but for a lower price than one of these devices,” adding that emerging markets will play a crucial role in their growth. He also said he expects to see increases in Africa and Latin America this year.
In Q4 2014, 17.5 per cent of all mobile devices sold in Asia Pacific were phablets, up from 8.5 per cent the year prior. Growth was also up in the Middle East, Europe, and Africa. Latin America has the lowest amount of growth at 1.9 per cent, up 0.4 per cent from Q4 2013.
There was no mention of growth in North America in the report, although global growth was up to 12.8 per cent in Q4 of 2014, up from 6.6 per cent the year prior.
Polifke said a number of phablet models are now available for $150 or less, making them more accessible. More sophisticated models are available for $800 or more.
“With their multiple uses and price points from low to high, the phablet is poised for greatness in 2015,” he said.
The report also said that the increase in sales volume has been accompanied by a fall in average price of phablets.