The OEM is reportedly planning “phablets” for emerging markets.
CNET reported on the rumours corresponding to the OEM, with sources claiming that HP is aiming to produce six and seven inch “phablets” for emerging markets.
“Phablets” are smartphones that also serve as tablet computers, with HP “talking about getting back into the smartphone game for over a year” and seemingly focused on targeting the sector currently dominated by manufacturers including Apple, Samsung and Amazon. The machines would cost around $200 to $250 (€144 to €181) without a mobile phone contract.
CNET notes that the OEM previously “attempted to gain ground” in the smartphone market after its acquisition of Palm in 2010, but the devices, based around its doomed operating system WebOS, “failed to catch on with consumers”, with the OEM deciding to “pull the plug” on its smartphones and tablets in 2011.
The news outlet added that “this certainly isn’t the first time speculation has swirled around HP’s plan to dive back into the smartphone market”, with earlier reports in 2013 suggesting that the OEM was “looking at ways to enter” the markets but that it had not “provide[d] a timetable for any potential devices”, whilst September 2012 saw CEO Meg Whitman state that HP was “working on” a smartphone”.