Phablet shipments to outstrip laptops this year

By 2018, phablet shipments will be more than double those of desktops and laptops combined

Shipments of large-screen smartphones known as phablets will outstrip those of laptops for the first time this year, according to IDC.

The analyst said that by the end of this year, global shipments of the devices – which are smartphones with screen sizes between 5.5in and 7in – will reach 175 million units, passing the 170 million figure which will be achieved by portable PCs over the same period.

And phablets are set to become even more popular in the coming years, it added, claiming that by 2018, shipments will outpace those of desktops and PCs combined.

By 2018, some 291.1 million portable and desktop PCs will be shipped globally but phablet shipments will be more than double that, reaching 592.9 million.

IDC said plummeting prices will partly prompt the popularity.

"Dropping average selling prices for phablets and smartphones will help drive this trend," the analyst said.

"In 2013, a phablet cost an average of $568 (£345.12) versus a regular smartphone at $320, while IDC forecasts that in 2014, those prices will drop to $397 and $291 respectively."