So the Samsung Galaxy Note 3 managed to move 10 million units in just 60 days when other devices launched around the same time like it and packing an equally large display like the LG G2 could only manage a meagre 2.3 million (according to unofficial sources), what does this mean for Samsung’s phablet lineup?
The year 2013 saw an increase in interest in the phablet category. While Samsung reserved its prestigious phablet spot for the Galaxy Note 3, it launched other phablets along the way. Devices like the Galaxy Mega 5.8 and 6.3 immediately come to mind here. We’ve never heard the ever stat-dropping JK Shin say something about sales or the much loved shipping figures of the Galaxy Mega so we can’t make the right analysis but what about the rest of the phablets? How did they fair. If you are to look closely at all the devices packing a display over 5.5 inches then you’ll understand why Samsung’s decision to test the waters with the first generation Galaxy Note has really paid off so far.
How many Sony Xperia Z Ultra units have been sold since the device was launched five months ago. Who even talks of LG’s supposed phablet line the Vu? What of Huawei’s super-sized Ascend Mate? The Galaxy Note 3 is the ultimate sign of Samsung’s triumph in the phablet device category at the moment. Though the competition will get tougher in 2014, for now the Koreans rule the roost. There’s no denying that. The Galaxy Note line recently hit the 40 million mark for all the Note phablets sold since its debut. Though the reviews of the Galaxy Note 3 have not painted it as an outright winner over the competition, all are in agreement that marketing muscles aside, the Note 3 is still a tough one to beat. Ask HTC how that back fingerprint scanner-totting One Max is fairing.
The phablet device category is here to stay and for the short term the only devices that come closer to the Note series as far as “owning” the phablet market goes are those large display Nokia Lumia smartphones. Channelled the right way, devices like the Lumia 1520 stand a better chance of giving the Note series a run for its money some day. If you’ve ever used an Xperia Z Ultra then you’ll understand that Sony is the only Android OEM at the moment that can build on their phablet and become a serious force in coming months. In fact the unveiling of a Google Play edition Xperia Z Ultra will only make things better for Sony. Still, the Note series remains the device to beat. A standout thanks to the iconic S Pen, the Note series seems to be here to stay and the sooner the competition brings forth something that will wow everyone, not even the now tired chorus of “unoptimized software” will stand in the way of phablet sales. The Note 3 has set something in motion. The first Galaxy Note device took nine months to get the 10 million sales figure while 4 months is all the Galaxy Note II took to hit the same mark.
