Google this month expects to release its largest smartphone,
intensifying competition in the fast-growing market for super-sized
mobile devices known as phablets, according to three people familiar
with the situation.
The new phone -- code-named Shamu after a killer whale -- will have a
5.9-inch screen, a high-resolution display and be sold under the Nexus
brand, two of the people said. Motorola Mobility, the phone maker that
Google GOOG, -2.03% is selling to China's Lenovo Group Ltd., is
manufacturing the phone, the people added. A Google spokeswoman
declined to comment.
The new phone will be larger than Apple's iPhone 6 Plus, which is 5.5
inches, and the Samsung Galaxy Note, the first truly successful
phablet, which is 5.7 inches. Google plans to release a new version of
its Android mobile-operating system at the same time.
Phablets, defined as smartphones with displays five inches or larger,
were once ridiculed as unwieldy bricks for short-sighted, older
consumers. But as phones have evolved from calling devices into
computers for work tasks and watching videos, larger devices have
caught on.
In 2011, phablets accounted for 1% of global smartphone shipments.
This year, these big phones will make up 24% of the market, according
to consultants Strategy Analytics. Stats like that forced Apple to
drop its aversion to larger iPhones this year and now Google is
responding.
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