Samsung sells 1 million phablets in South Korea in 90 days

02 January 2013 - 10:40 By AFP Relaxnews, Times LIVE
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Samsung's 5.5-inch Galaxy Note II has proved a hit in the phonemaker's native country, signaling that oversized handsets are definitely not a fad.

The success of the original Galaxy Note (launched in 2011) and its replacement, the Galaxy Note II, which was launched in September, are evidence that the word ‘phablet' will be around for a little longer.

It took the company less than 60 days to sell 5 million of its oversized handsets globally and Samsung now claims to have hit the 1 million mark in South Korea alone after being on sale for 90 days.

The figures prove that there is clearly a market for handsets with larger screens and so far Samsung has that market all to iteslf.

Therefore, it comes as little surprise that the majority of smartphone rumors regarding Sony, HTC and LG are focused on their own entry into the 5-inch-plus screen market in 2013. As the success of Samsung's other handsets underlines, where it goes, other Android handset makers follow.

To keep ahead of this emerging competition, Samsung is itself rumored to be developing a 6.3-inch Galaxy Note III to replace the current model, set to blur the lines even more between the smartphone and tablet categories and expected to be demonstrated in February at the World Mobile Congress in Barcelona.

The name phablet is an informal term used for touch-screen devices with screens that are between five and seven inches (larger than traditional smartphones and smaller than tablets), and combine the capabilities of a smartphone and mini tablet.

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