[pl001]

I find 4.3" perfectly acceptable for reading novels on. And I wouldn't want anything larger than a phablet for reading anymore. One-handed use is a pretty nice thing.

And I fully agree with afv011 on the camera. A phone is not going to replace a DSLR, but many are better than my go-to point and shoot from a few years ago. My next phone will have a better camera for this reason. I have a Micro Four Thirds camera that is very compact for a lens system camera. But it is still too bulky and fragile to take everywhere.

Nobody is claiming that a phablet can be everything to everybody. But just because you don't like them doesn't mean they don't make sense for others. Like what has been said, what once was considered "phablet" size is now mainstream. There are good reasons for that.

Personally, I find the current 5.5+" phablets too large. I'm contemplating an LG G2, which is my absolute limit as far as size goes. But even at 5.2", the G2 is much more pocketable than my first digital cell phone 12 years ago.