science

Phablet

Phablet is a science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Phablet rather than just read about it. In short: Phablet (, ) is a mostly outdated term that arose in the early 2010s to describe mobile devices combining or straddling the size formats of smartphones and tablets. The word is a blend word or portmanteau of phone and tablet.

Key takeaways

Phablet belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Phablet to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Phablet from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Phablet (, ) is a mostly outdated term that arose in the early 2010s to describe mobile devices combining or straddling the size formats of smartphones and tablets. The word is a blend word or portmanteau of phone and tablet. By the late 2010s, the term had largely fallen into disuse, especially as phone sizes grew, in some cases to the size of a small tablet, up to 180 mm (7.1 in), with wider aspect ratios.

Appearance Phablets feature large displays that complement screen-intensive activity such as web browsing, mobile gaming, and multimedia viewing. They may also include software optimized for an integral self-storing stylus to facilitate sketching, note-taking, drawing and annotation. Phablets were originally designed for the Asian market where consumers could not afford both a smartphone and tablet as in North America; phones for that market are known for having "budget-specs-big-battery" with large low resolution screens and midrange processors, although other phablets have flagship specifications. Since then, phablets in North America have also become successful for several reasons, most notably: Android Ice Cream Sandwich and subsequent releases of Android were suited to large as well as small screen sizes, while older consumers preferred larger screen sizes on phones due to deteriorating eyesight. Examples of earlier devices with similar form factors date to 1993. The term "phablet" was widespread in the industry from 2012 to 2014 although its usage has declined since average phone sizes eventually morphed into small tablet sizes, up to 6.9 inches.

Definition

Since its inception, the definition of a phablet has evolved as displays have grown larger – on mainstream phones, and phones designed with thin bezels or curved screens to make them more compact than other devices with similar screen sizes. Thus, a device with a "phablet-sized" screen may not necessarily be considered one. Phablets typically have a diagonal display measurement between 4.6 in (120 mm) and 5.5 in (140 mm). In comparison, most flagship phones released in 2022 had a screen size of 6.1 in (150 mm) and over, with larger versions of mainstream flagships (such as iPhone 14 Pro Max, Pixel 7 Pro, and Galaxy S23 Ultra) using 6.7 in (170 mm) and over displays. PhoneArena argued that the Galaxy S7 Edge was not a phablet, as it has a narrow and compact build with a physical footprint more in line with the smaller-screened Nexus 5X, due primarily to its use of a display with curved edges. In the early 2010s, several manufacturers released phones with displays taller than the conventional 3:2 aspect ratio used by the majority of devices, and diagonal screen sizes often around 4 inches. However, in these cases, the sizes of the devices are more compact than the 3:2 aspect ratio devices with equivalent diagonal screen sizes.

History

Origins In tracing the 10 earliest devices in the history of the phablet concept, PC Magazine called the 1993 AT&T EO 440, "the first true phablet", followed by the following devices:

2007 HTC Advantage (5.0" screen) 2007 Nokia N810 WiMAX Edition (4.13" screen) 2009 Verizon Hub (7.0" screen) 2010 LG GW990 (4.8" screen) 2010 Dell Streak (5.0" screen) 2011 Dell Streak 7 (7.0" screen) 2011 Acer Iconia Smart (4.8" screen) 2011 Samsung Galaxy Player 5 (5.0" screen) 2011 Pantech Pocket 2011 Samsung Galaxy Note (5.3" screen) 2013 Nokia Lumia 1520 (16:9 6.0" screen)

However, the form factor did not become popular until the arrival of the Galaxy Note in the 2010s. The Android-based Dell Streak included a 5-inch (130 mm), 800 × 480 display and a widescreen-optimized interface. Reviewers encountered issues with its outdated operating system, Android 1.6, which was not yet optimized for such a large screen size, and the device was commercially unsuccessful.

Introduction of the Galaxy Note and its competitors

The Samsung Galaxy Note used a 5.3-inch (130 mm) screen. While some media outlets questioned the viability of the device, the Note received positive reception for its stylus functionality, the speed of its 1.5 GHz dual-core processor, and the advantages of its high resolution display. The Galaxy Note was a commercial success; Samsung announced in December 2011 that the Galaxy Note had sold 1 million units in two months. In February 2012, Samsung debuted a Note version with LTE support. By August 2012, the Note had sold 10 million units worldwide. In late 2012, Samsung introduced the Galaxy Note II, featuring a 1.6 GHz quad-core processor, a 5.55-inch (141 mm) screen and the ability to run two applications at once via a split-screen view. The Note II also incorporated a refreshed hardware design based on the Galaxy S III, with a narrower, smoother body. International sales of the Galaxy Note II reached 5 million in two months. The 2012 LG Optimus Vu used a 5-inch (130 mm) display with an unusual 4:3 aspect ratio – in contrast to the 3:2 aspect ratio used by most phones. Joining the Galaxy Note II on many carriers' lineups in 2013 was the nearly-identically sized LG Optimus G Pro, released in April. In late-2012 and early 2013, companies began to release phones with 5 inch screens at 1080p resolution, such as the HTC Droid DNA and Samsung Galaxy S4. Despite the screen size approaching those of phablets, HTC's design director Jonah Becker said that the Droid DNA was not a phablet. HTC would release a proper phablet, the HTC One Max – a phone with a 5.9 in (150 mm) screen and a design based on its popular HTC One model, in October 2013. Examples of Android phablets with screens larger than 6 inches began appearing in 2013 with the Chinese company Huawei unveiling its 6.1 in (150 mm) Ascend Mate at Consumer Electronics Show and Samsung introducing the Galaxy Mega, a phablet with a 6.3 in (160 mm) variant, which has midrange specs and lacks a stylus compared to the flagship Galaxy Note series. Sony Mobile also entered the phablet market with its 6.4 in (160 mm) Xperia Z Ultra. As a variation of the concept, Asus and Samsung also released otherwise small-sized tablets, the FonePad, Galaxy Note 8.0 and Galaxy Tab 3 8.0, with cellular connectivity and the ability to place voice calls. Later that year, Nokia also introduced Windows Phone 8 phablets, such as the 6-inch Lumia 1520.

… excerpt ends here. Continue reading the full article.

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Phablet

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Phablet claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Phablet before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Phablet ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Phablet

In research: Phablet appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Phablet in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Phablet is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Japanese inventions, Personal digital assistants, Personal information managers, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Phablet outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Phablet in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Phablet means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Phablet out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Phablet in simple terms?

Why does Phablet matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Phablet?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Phablet.