As Samsung proved with its Galaxy Note smartphones, there is a market for extra-large smartphones, sometimes dubbed “phablets.” Other smartphones manufacturers, including Motorola, LG, and HTC have jumped into the product category, releasing devices with screens larger that 5-inches. Now it appears that BlackBerry and Nokia are also looking to release phones with extra-large screens.

Digitimes today reported that BlackBerry and Nokia could release large smartphones at the end of 2013 or during the first half of 2014, but no before. The report’s unnamed “industry sources” also name-dropped Apple as not releasing a larger smartphone until that time, though the chances of the company releasing one at all are “slim.”

Nokia in particular is expected to release an extra-large Windows Phone 8 smartphone (likely with Lumia branding) during the fourth quarter of 2013. Nokia just last week announced the new Lumia 625, its largest Windows Phone 8 smartphone to date with a 4.7-inch screen.

BlackBerry is rumored to be working on a device called the A10. The device is reportedly one of the manufacturer’s next-generation BlackBerry 10 smartphones, and is expected to have a 5-inch display.

(via DigiTimes)