14 DAY TRIAL // Makers of Android-based devices were first to the market with 5-inch and larger handsets, and are expected to greatly expand the number of smartphones featuring such large screens, but it seems that others will follow suit as well.
According to some of the latest reports on the matter, Apple too is getting ready for the launch of a 5-inch smartphone, one that might turn out to be none other than the iPhone 6.
The Cupertino-based company is said to be planning on joining the “large screens” party in the not too distant future, although official confirmation on the matter has yet to emerge.
One thing that is certain, however, is that this would not come too much as a surprise, especially given Apple’s aim at leading the high end of the smartphone market.
However, given the success of the iPhone, a 5-inch model would certainly prove a threat for competitors, especially for Windows Phone and BlackBerry, which are still loaded only on smaller devices.
A multitude of 1080p 5-inch or larger smartphones running under Android are set to arrive on shelves this year, including the Xperia Z, LG Optimus G Pro, Huawei Ascend D2, and others, yet other platforms are left behind when it comes to the phablet space.
Previous rumors did suggest that Nokia was also considering the launch of large Windows Phone devices in the Lumia series, though chances are that it won’t make the move before the end of this year.
However, with Apple moving in the 5-inch space with an upcoming iPhone model, both Nokia and other Windows Phone makers will have to make similar steps, so as to ensure that they can still grab a share of the high-end market.
BlackBerry, known up until January 30 as Research In Motion, will need to follow the trend as well, so as to ensure that the newly launched BlackBerry 10 operating system will be successful enough to help it regain some of the lost market share.
At the same time, Apple itself needs the launch of a larger iPhone, considering that the full HD Android devices unveiled lately are attracting more and more users on Google’s side, and that Samsung, currently the largest smartphone rival for the company, is gearing up for the launch of its own 5-inch flagship, the Galaxy S IV.
Of course, vendors will battle for the market share in the mid- and entry-levels of the smartphone segment as well, yet the big money will continue to come mainly from the higher-end area, as Apple’s latest earnings reports have shown.