Flurry Report Identifies Phablets as Just a Fad

There are a number of different mobile devices in use today. In fact, according to mobile analytics company, Flurry, there are one billion unique smartphones and tablets in use worldwide each month, with 2,000 unique device models.

Of course, these devices differ from one another in a number of key factors, not the least of which being screen size.

Flurry recently released a report which reveals the form factors and screen sizes used the most by consumers, broken down into five categories: small phones, with screens under 3.5 inches; medium phones, with screens between 3.5 and 4.9 inches; phablets, with screens measuring from 5.0 to 6.9 inches; small tablets, between 7.0 and 8.4 inches; and full-size tablets, devices with screens greater than 8.5 inches.

The report also focuses only on the top 200 device models, which account for over 80 percent of all usage.

Of the categories defined in the report, medium phones accounts for the vast majority of devices, claiming a 69-percent share. This isn't too surprising as this category includes the iPhone, Samsung Galaxy S II and S III, as well as most other Android flagships. Small phones came in second in terms of use, claiming 16 percent of the market, likely made up of older BlackBerry models.

Full-sized tablets came in third with 7 percent share, beating out small tablets by one percent. The phablets category came in last place, accounting for only 2 percent of the market. While the report goes on to label phablets nothing more than a fad based on these numbers, the only devices selling significantly in this size range are the original Samsung Galaxy Note and its successor, the Galaxy Note II.

These figures change somewhat, however, when calculating by activity. For example, small phones only account for 7 percent of active use, while full-size tablets make up 13 percent. This is likely because most larger tablets, like the iPad, are used by more than one user, while the small phones category is largely made up of older devices with fewer active users per model.