Trends on Tuesday: Phablets Top Tablets in Post-Holiday Activations

Phablets, the popular term for smartphones with screen sizes from 5.5 to less than 7 inches, increased in popularity this holiday season. According to Flurry, 13% of new device activations in December were phablets, jumping from 4% in 2013.

Back in October, the International Data Corporation (IDC) predicted that “phablets” would outship tablets in 2015. Flurry backs up the IDC report finding that the holiday growth in phablet adoption came at the expense of both full-size and small tablets, whose activation percentages dropped to 11%. Flurry suggests the entrance of the iOS phablet probably helped increase these numbers as the iPhone 6 Plus was one of the top 5 devices activated.

The trend to larger screen sizes should be noted by developers as people are spending more time watching video on mobile devices.

What’s an agency to do with the influx of screen sizes? A mobile first strategy will go a long way towards connecting agencies with smartphone and phablet users. Check out our content from DigitalGov Mobile Gov month and join the MobileGov Community of Practice so your agency can be on top of all screens sizes—especially phablets!