The global smartphone market is expected to see steady if unspectacular growth in the next few years, as consumers turn increasingly to large-screen handsets known as “phablets,” a market tracker said Wednesday.
A report by the research firm IDC said phablets — with displays larger than 5.5 inches (14 centimeters) — will account for some 40 percent of the 1.5 billion smartphones sold in 2017, and that the phablet share will rise to more than half by 2019. …
