Getting Bigger
Smartphone screens are getting bigger. Major smartphone makers, which have generally adopted a 5-inch (12.7 cm) display so far, are expected to feature displays larger than 6 inches (15.24 cm) in their strategic products to be released after the second half of this year.
According to industry sources on June 19, Samsung Electronics’ new flagship smartphone “Galaxy Note 8” to be launched in the second half of the year will come with a 6.3-inch (16 cm) display. The Galaxy Note 7, the previous model, featured a 5.7-inch (14.48 cm) panel.
In fact, Samsung Electronics also introduced a 6.2-inch (15.75 cm) display in its flagship smartphone “Galaxy S8 Plus” released in the first half of the year and received favorable reviews on the large display from customers. Accordingly, the company is confident in increasing the size of displays in its flagship smartphones.
LG Electronics will also use a 6.2-inch screen in the V30 to be unviled in the second half of the year. Its previous model V20 came with a 5.7-inch display.
Foreign smartphone manufacturers are increasing the size of screens in earnest. Xiaomi, which sold more than 3 million units of the Mi Max, recently unveiled the Mi Max 2 with a 6.44-inch (16.36 cm) screen in seven months after the company released the model. In addition to the Mi Max 2, Xiaomi plans to release the Mi Note 3 in the third quarter, competing with the Galaxy Note 8.
Smartphone producers are increasing the size of displays due to a growing demand of smartphones with a large screen. The fact that the latest Android Nougat operating system (OS) offers features including split-screen multitasking, which allows users to use two apps at the same time, is another good sign in the pablet market.
An expert in the ICT industry said, “Games have higher resolutions now and more and more users want to watch videos and use social media services at the same time. So, pablet with a larger screen will become more popular. It will also lead to the increase in use of multi-media contents, creating a virtuous cycle in the mobile ecosystem.”