Individual Differences and Phablet Purchase Intent

Abstract

A phablet, by definition, is the hybrid of both a cellular phone and tablet with a screen size measured diagonally between 5.3-6.9 inches. While phablets have existed since 2010, they have not been sold in millions of units until fairly recently. Given the limited amount of research on phablets, as these devices are still very new, the present study aims to better understand the perception of phablets in a college student population, as well as explore the perceived system usability. In this study 122 undergraduate students completed a measure of technology usage, measures of personality, trust, and usability, all of which have been implicated in previous studies on purchase intent. The results indicated a significant difference between high and low trust scores for purchase intent. Additionally, a thematic analysis was performed and specific trends on purchase intent emerged. We discuss the implications of this research for phablet developers and designers.