Does the world really need another “phablet?” Maybe not, but that doesn’t mean it would be a bad idea for Nokia (NOK) to release an oversized smartphone of its own. In an interview with Bloomberg, IDC analyst Francisco Jeronimo says that big-screen devices are “a trend that can’t be missed” because “people are using smartphones in different ways now, consuming media by streaming over faster mobile networks.” CCS Insight research director Ben Wood similarly thinks that “phablets” are an important trend and tells Bloomberg that “Nokia needs to make sure they don’t miss the boat” by not building one of their own.
Bloomberg notes that unlike rival handset manufacturers Samsung (005930) and LG (066570), Nokia has yet to announce plans for a smartphone with a display of at least 5 inches. The publication says that if Nokia doesn’t release a larger smartphone soon it will mark “the third time in a decade the company has overlooked a major trend: In 2004 it was slow to embrace clamshell handsets, then a few years later it missed out on touch screens.”
