Phablets are being the ones that are maintaining the mobile telephony sector. In the area of devices of less than 7 inches, we find ourselves with a complex situation that could be similar to what the market for tablets is currently going through. If in the case of larger formats, we speak on other occasions of a decrease in conventional models marketed, to the benefit of other platforms, in the case of smartphones we witness a decrease in the number of units sold characterized by having less than 5,5, XNUMX inches in contrast to the increase suffered by those who exceed these dimensions.
From IDC they assure that in 2016 there will be 1.460 billion smartphones, which in broad strokes, will mean an increase compared to the levels of 2015 and 2014 close to 10%. However, this data hides its nuances and must be contextualized in a more complex environment in which all the actors in the sector have something to say and in which the interconnection between the two is fundamental. Which are the challenges that the sector of the phablets in the short term to avoid the storm that the tablet market is going through and that will last, according to some experts, until 2020?
1. Avoid saturation
On other occasions we have told you that one of the great problems of Android today is its fragmentation. Although there are many developers who create their own customization layers inspired by the green robot, the truth is that the existence of more than 1.000 signatures worldwide who create their own devices, it can lead not only to compatibility failures when running existing apps on Google Play, but also to market saturation that would be characterized by oversupply, rapid launches and frequent and inability of consumers to purchase new products at this speed.
2. Big markets deflate
Traditionally, Western Europe, Japan and North America have been the recipients of new terminals worldwide. The most powerful companies, regardless of whether they were based in these regions or not, launched their crown jewels in these markets. However, and as we remember before, the Consumer electronics is related to other areas such as economy and the evolution of a country's accounts influences its citizens' consumption of technology. To better explain this statement, we will rely on a piece of information provided by IDC: Smartphones sold in these regions in 2016 will be only 0,2% more than those sold in 2015. Emerging countries will be the ones pulling the sector.
3. Change of consumer habit
When a few months ago, we presented you with a brief chronology on the evolution of tablets since their appearance, we commented that in recent months, we have attended a improvement both the technical and physical performance of the new terminals. In the field of phablets we are witnessing a similar situation in which, at first glance, the models have a greater useful life. This has an immediate impact since it postpones the purchase decision and the time in which another smartphone can be purchased.
4. The strategy of the companies
Despite the existing fragmentation, the truth is that here we do not find the creation of devices aimed at various groups as occurs in the tablet market. Reproduction of audiovisual content and image capture and video in the best possible quality in addition to support for social media of all kinds, are the lines followed by manufacturers to offer products focused in many cases, to a young audience that is seen as a homogeneous mass. The offer for other groups such as the professional is more modest although we are already seeing some terminals that wink at this segment, such as the Galaxy Note 7.
5. The consolidation of new trends
La Virtual Reality has been going strong so far this year after many projects that in some cases have ended up in the drawer. On the other hand, biometric markers, the increase in the dimensions of the phablets, and the improvement of the image performance through elements such as resolutions 4K and dual camera systems seem to be the roadmaps that brands will follow in 2017. However, this has several pending obstacles to solve: Increase in the price of terminals that include these advances, and on the other hand, in the case of Virtual Reality, a still limited range of applications and tools.
As you have seen, nothing is perfect and despite the fact that phablets are achieving a higher share compared to their smaller brothers, the truth is that this format still has several tasks to solve. After knowing the challenges that await these devices in the short and medium term, do you think that they are small setbacks that will have a quick solution? Do you think they can be conditioning factors in the future development of more products? You have more related information available, such as, for example, the behavior of the market in the remainder of the year so that you can give your own opinion about their future and see what is happening today.