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It took just one month for the iPhone 6 Plus to become the king of phablets

Published Dec 4th, 2014 12:45PM EST
iPhone 6 Plus vs. Android Phablets
Image: BGR

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Further proving that the iPhone 6 Plus is a massive hit for Apple, selling far better than the company had anticipated, a new report from Kantar Worldpanel reveals that the 5.5-inch iPhone accounted for 41% of all phablet sales in the U.S. during the three-month period ending on October 14th.

FROM EARLIER: You can finally get your iPhone 6 or iPhone 6 Plus from Apple within a week

That’s even more impressive when you consider that the iPhone 6 Plus was launched on September 19th, which means in one month, Apple managed to sell two phablets for every three such devices sold by competitors in the entire three-month period.

Beyond that, the iPhone 6 Plus was significantly constrained iPhone 6 following its launch, with Apple having started to catch up with demand only in mid-November.

Kantar noted that phablet sales accounted for 10% of smartphone sales during the period, a significant increase from last year, when phablets only had a 2% share of overall smartphone sales.

It’s also worth noting that Samsung’s Galaxy Note 4 wasn’t exactly widely available during the period, with the top Android phablet having had a limited late September launch.

Apple’s choice to finally increase screen size in its iPhone has paid off for the company, as iPhone 6 buyers were primarily interested in the increased display of the new iPhones.

“At the point of sale, when asked what drove their choice of smartphones, 58% of those surveyed who bought an iPhone 6 Plus said screen size was the primary reason for choosing their device,” Kantar said. “Despite the more compact design of the iPhone 6, 60% of consumers who chose it also cited screen size as the primary purchase driver. The ability to connect to a 4G/LTE network was the second most important reason cited by both buyer groups.”

“Of the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus buyers, 85% were repeat iOS buyers and 9% churned from Android,” Kantar added.

Kantar also revealed sales details for other iPhones Apple currently has in stock, saying the iPhone 6 had 33% market share of all iOS handset sales, while the iPhone 5s and iPhone 5c got 26% and 16% share, respectively, during the period.

The full report is available at the source link.

Chris Smith Senior Writer

Chris Smith has been covering consumer electronics ever since the iPhone revolutionized the industry in 2008. When he’s not writing about the most recent tech news for BGR, he brings his entertainment expertise to Marvel’s Cinematic Universe and other blockbuster franchises.

Outside of work, you’ll catch him streaming almost every new movie and TV show release as soon as it's available.