Phablets, with a screen of 5.5-inches or above, represented 21 per cent of all US smartphone sales in the first quarter of 2015, nearly quadrupling the 6 per cent share held in Q1 2014, according to Kantar Worldpanel ComTech.

Apple iPhone 6 Plus took 44 per cent of this segment. Screen size was cited as the main reason for buying a particular phone by both iOS and Android buyers, at 43 per cent and 47 per cent respectively.

The first quarter was also a good period for Android in general in the US, reaching a market share of 58.1 per cent – a 0.2 point gain year-on-year.

“LG had a good first quarter with its share growing to 10.8 per cent from 7.4 per cent a year ago, while Samsung was holding on to second place as it launched its new Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge in April,” said Carolina Milanesi, chief of research for the Kantar Worldpanel ComTech.

“Apple’s iPhone 6 and 6 Plus already represent 18 per cent of all iPhones in use in the US, and 64 per cent of the iPhone installed base uses an iPhone 5 or newer – good news for the Apple Watch that interacts only with these newer models,” she continued.