Market research firm IDC is out with a new batch of figures showing that smartphones of the larger variety are gaining ground over their performance in the market just last year. In 2012 an estimated 3% of smartphones that shipped featured displays over the 5-inch mark, 2013’s third quarter saw that amount jump to around 21% of all smartphones shipped.

There’s no information to indicate whether the increase in larger displays is because of a surge in popularity or if it’s just because that’s the size that we’re making them now but Samsung’s performance with the Galaxy Note series and those seen by other phablets are suggestive of a consumer trend. The IDC’s report doesn’t stop at the size of phones being shipped, it also details operating system performance for the smartphone market.

Android, Apple and Windows Phone all saw an increase in shipments for Q3 2013 while Android and Windows Phone also expanded their share of the global market. Apple’s increased shipments have not helped it to hang on to the smartphone percentage it used to have, Cupertino’s slid from 14.4% to 12.9%. The IDC’s Ryan Reith believes that Apple’s lack of a larger handset may have contributed to its market share loss over the quarter.

BlackBerry has performed poorly on both fronts, shedding market share as shipments dipped from 7.7 million units last year to just 4.5 million in the reported quarter.

Source: via Engadget