As many first-tier brand vendors such as Sony, Samsung Electronics and HTC, as well as several white-box brand vendors, have released 6-inch smartphones, sources from the tablet sector are concerned that these devices may create new competition for tablets.

　　Sony's Xperia ZU, Samsung Electronics' Mega 6.3 and HTC's T6 are all smartphones with 6-inch screens and priced above NT$20,000 (US$668). China-based Huawei also recently released its 6.1-inch Ascend Mate, priced at NT$15,500 in Taiwan.

　　For the entry-level segment, InFocus has launched its N610 smartphone, manufactured by Foxconn Electronics (Hon Hai Precision Industry). It comes with a 6.1-inch display, and is priced at NT$11,900. China-based white-box players are offering their 6-inch smartphones at around NT$5,000 for dual-core processor models and NT$7,000-8,000 for quad-core ones.

　　The sources pointed out that 6-inch smartphones will undermine tablet demand the most if they are bundled with telecom packages, since such devices are also able to satisfy consumers' needs that 7-inch tablets can offer.