Today, smartphones and tablets have become an integral part of many people’s everyday lives. But while the two devices were clearly separated at the beginning of the technical development, the two device classes merge. At least as modern smartphones are getting bigger and smaller tablets are available in the market, there are hybrid devices. Of course, there is also a special name for this. The particularly large smartphones or the very small tablets, depending on the point of view, the market calls phablets today. This is a neologism from the two words Phone and tablet, tablets are typically between 5 and 7 inches in size, with no fixed limits.

The story of the phablet …
Unlike perhaps many now think, the tablets have not been around for a few months or years. As the first official phablet Today is a model of HTC from the year 2007. The model HTC Advantage X7500 was the first model with such a large screen that this as phablet could be designated. However, there is the term phablet only since the end of 2009. For here the word was first mentioned on Twitter, a completely new class of equipment experienced here not only their birth, but in the following years, a real upswing. The first phablet for the mass appeared only in 2011 and comes from Samsung. The model Samsung GalaxyNote is already available in the fifth generation today and is a real success, since five years now.

Criticism of the new device class
At the beginning, when the first models with the right size came on the market, many experts doubted the market suitability. A rapid decline of the devices was prophesied to all manufacturers. Above all, the size of the display, which is today seen as an advantage, was criticized. Such a large device has neither practical nor optical advantages. Until the release of the Galaxy Note, the models were actually niche products. Today, this is very different, because phablets are sold today in incredibly high numbers.

Which manufacturers offer the customer a phablet?
At the latest with the upswing and the constantly growing demand for the new equipment class, the manufacturers have also made a strong offer as strong as possible. Today, the particularly large smartphones are available from almost every major manufacturer, often directly in several variations. Starting with the classic, the Samsung Galaxy Note in all generations, up to the Microsoft Lumia 950XL with Windows operating system. Even the Apple company, which in recent years has always been pushing for rather smaller devices, offers a real one today with the iPhone 6S Plus phablet with a size of 5.5 inches.

What advantages do the big smartphones offer the user?
Today, most smartphones are rarely used exclusively for telephoning or writing text messages. Online features are being used more and more often, including, of course, normal web surfing, browsing the Facebook app or even using a variety of apps. All these functions can of course be used much more pleasantly with a larger display. Fonts can thus be read better, pictures with more details are considered. The writing of texts is of course much easier with a larger display. Because on a display of a tablets clearly more space for the representation of a keyboardis present, thus can be made possible with large hands, a targeted tapping.
Of course, the aspect of playing should also be disregarded. Because the graphics are getting better and better, the stories are getting more and more interesting and the community is getting bigger and bigger. On a large display, the graphics are much better, the whole game is more fun.

What are the disadvantages of modern phablets today?
Of course, today’s devices are not free from criticism. Especially with the battery life, the user, at least on some devices, must make significant reductions. Of course, a larger display requires more energy, so that the runtimes will be significantly lower, especially in sustained operation, as in a Smartphonewith a smaller display.
Also in terms of portability, the user has to compromise when using a phablet. With a larger display not only larger dimensions are accompanied, but also a higher weight is the result. Especially when the device is to find room in the trouser pocket, problems can quickly arise.

What should I look for when buying a phablet?
Not only the selection of different models is very large in the new class, also the different price levels speak a clear language. Models from Chinese manufacturers that are imported directly to Germany are already available for just over 100 euros. It looks different in the top models of the well-known manufacturers such as Apple or Samsung, here are required up to 700 euros and more.
In general, it can be said that there are also good mid-range devices and even the low-priced models will certainly be sufficient for not too big demands. Which model really fits in the end optimally depends on your own needs. When buying, however, should generally be taken to look at the resolution. Since the particularly large display single pixel particularly quickly noticed, should be at least one model with HD resolution, better still with a Full HD display to be selected. Particularly the particularly favorable models come here with clearly lower resolutions on the market. Also with the communication should be bought with caution. As in Germany, the new mobile standard LTE, also known under 4G, is being further expanded and is included in most tariffs, this new standard should already be supported by the tablet. LTE is of course always included in the high-priced models and actually belongs to the standard equipment of a modern phablet, but the manufacturers of many cheaper models forego a suitable module for cost reasons. In this case, surfing is then possible only in the much slower UMTS network of the provider.

The special operation of the phablets ..
Of course, most of the inputs and the predominant operation are also made on the particularly large models via the built-in touch screen. However, some manufacturers have thought a little further and try to impress customers with very specific methods for effective operation. Here is primarily to take Samsung again, because each Samsung Galaxy Note tablet is a matching pin for the operation at. It also supports special features that ordinary smartphones can not offer, such as particularly reliable handwriting recognition.