Phablet shipments in Asia-Pacific have surpassed portable PC and tablet device shipments during the second quarter of 2013, according to a new report.
IDC’s latest Asia-Pacific report revealed that the overall phablet shipments reached 25.2m during the quarter.
In comparison, tablet vendors shipped 12.6m devices and 12.7m portable PCs.
Phablets made a significant jump, up by 100% quarter on quarter, and up 620% on the same quarter in 2012.
IDC Asia/Pacific Client Devices team Senior Research Manager Melissa Chau said that Samsung was the first to succeed in phablets with the Galaxy Note launched in APEJ in 2011 Q4, capturing 90% of the phablet market.
"Fast forward to 2013 Q2, and Samsung’s Note series counts for less than 50%," Chau said.
"Phablets first started as a trend driven by mature markets like South Korea, Hong Kong and Singapore – and these markets continue to rise.
"What’s changed now is the added pick-up of phablets in emerging markets like China and India, not just the plethora of big-name vendors competing head-to-head with Samsung, but instead the low-cost local players who have swooped in to offer big screens for less money – averaging a retail price of $220 versus Samsung’s $557."
According to the research firm, the quarter witnessed a drop in tablet growth, partially due to high inventory carried over from the previous quarter, the seasonal break in Apple’s iPad refresh cycle, as well as cannibalisation of tablets by phablets.
IDC anticipates that there will be a rise in interest in portable PCs as more hybrid and touch-enabled models launch, while tablets should pick up upon the launch of Apple’s latest models and growth in the 7in to 9in category.
