As if 5.5″ was not big enough, rumor has it that Samsung will release a 5.9″ device, presumably to be the Samsung Galaxy Note 3.
The Korean Times reported on Wednesday that Samsung Electronics has plans to introduce a new Galaxy Note III later this year. An official is quoted saying:
“Samsung is working on introducing a new phablet using a 5.9-inch organic light-emitting diode (OLED) screen”
Previous rumors suggested that the next iteration of the Galaxy Note series would carry a 6.3″ display. Speaking of the display, it’s unlikely the Note 3 will use flexible display technology. Samsung is having a hard time keeping up with the demand.
The Exynos 5 octa-core chipset will be used to power the giant device. That’s eight cores folks. A device this size will demand the extra horsepower seeing that users will use it as a phone and a tablet.
“Phablet”
As much as I hate the term “phablet”, thanks to Samsung it’s a common term now for a large screen phone. Several large screen phones were on display at this years Consumer Electronics Show and Mobile World Congress. The Asus FonePad is the ultimate in phablet technology, coming in at a whopping 7 inches! I know most will use a Bluetooth headset while making calls, but some will hold the gigantic phone up to their head.
Traditional full size Android tablets leave something to be desired, but the operating system seems to be a hit on smaller tablets. A phablet is a great way to have the best of both worlds. Some currently carry a phone and 7″ tablet right now, and shedding a device allows you to travel a bit lighter.
Samsung Leads…Everyone
Samsung continues to dominate the market, and crank out new devices that change out thinking of what a phone or tablet it. Expect to see others follow suit with larger screen phones in 2013. Don’t expect a 5.5″ iPhone any time soon though.