According to The NPD Group Connected Intelligence Device Marketplace Report, U.S. nationwide carriers devoted about a third of their shelf space to devices with a 4.7 inch or larger screen in the second quarter (Q2) of this year, up from just 4 percent in Q2 2012. Sales growth has lagged, however, behind product availability. U. S. sales of smartphones with 4.7 inch or larger screens now account for more than a quarter of sales, up from 2 percent in Q2 2012 according to NPD Mobile Phone Track.

“Larger screens mean a much richer content experience for smartphone users, ” said Brad Akyuz, director, NPD Connected Intelligence. “The increase in video consumption driven by large-display smartphones is a tremendous revenue opportunity for network operators, as consumers will need more data to enjoy content on-the-go”.

“While interest among U.S. consumers in larger screen smartphones is growing, sales growth has been relatively disappointing over the past two years due to Apple’s dominance of the market, ” said Stephen Baker, vice president, industry analysis, NPD. “All the demand, channel and usage pieces are in place for larger smartphone sales and share to increase. If Apple releases a bigger iPhone it will be the final catalyst for explosive growth in the 4.7”+ market.”

Larger smartphones have been more of a supplier push than a consumer pull, and suppliers plan to continue the increase supply. According to NPD DisplaySearch, North American shipments of 4.7-inch and larger smartphones are forecast to reach 120 millionin 2014 and grow to 179 million by 2018.

Methodology

Connected Intelligence Device Marketplace Report

The Devices Marketplace Report leverages data from the NPD Connected Intelligence's monthly deployed retail store surveys conducted at direct and indirect retail channels. The report tracks the retail pricing and availability of mobile phones (feature phones and smartphones) and various other mobile broadband device categories including tablets, mobile hotspots and USB modems. Tracked service operators include AT&T, Boost Mobile, MetroPCS, Net10, Sprint, Straight Talk, T-Mobile, Verizon Wireless and Virgin Mobile.

Connected Intelligence SmartMeter

The Connected Intelligence SmartMeter is an opt-in on metering solution that resides on consumers’ smartphones and tablets.

Source: www.npd.com