Key companies in the phablet space

The Samsung Electronics' Galaxy Tab is displayed for customers at a store in Seoul April 6, 2012.

REUTERS - Phablets, a cross between a smartphone and a tablet, are gaining popularity globally as consumers opt for bigger screens to perform multimedia functions.

Here are some companies that will likely benefit or feel the impact of the fast-growing phablet market, which analysts expect to quadruple in value to $135 billion in about three years:

WINNERS

Samsung Electronics Co Ltd

LG Electronics Inc

Lenovo Group Ltd

Asustek Computer Inc

Google Inc (GOOG.O) (Android software runs on most of these devices)

Nuance Communications Inc (NUAN.O) (develops Swype software for keypads, enabling easier text entry on larger screens)

Nvidia Corp (NVDA.O) (CPU)

Qualcomm Inc (QCOM.O) (CPU)

POTENTIAL WINNERS

HTC Corp

Huawei Technologies Co Ltd

Panasonic Corp

Sony Corp

ZTE Corp

RIDING THE WAVE

Chinese manufacturers, and their regional partners, are building a niche for themselves. The main players are:

Byond Tech Electronics Pvt Ltd (India) www.byondtech.com/

Cherry Mobile (Philippines) www.cherrymobile.com.ph/

Karbonn Mobiles (India) www.karbonnmobiles.com/

Micromax (India) www.micromaxinfo.com/

MyPhone (Philippines) www.myphone.com.ph/

NXG Labs Pvt Ltd (India) www.nxglabs.in/

Oppo (China) www.oppo.com/

Zopo Mobile (China) en.zopomobile.com/

ON THE SIDELINES

Microsoft Corp (MSFT.O) (its Windows Phone software is only a handful of large-screen devices)

Nokia Oyj (NOK1V.HE) (its largest smartphone, the Lumia 920, has a 4.5-inch screen which puts it outside most definitions of a phablet)

Research In Motion Ltd RIM.TO

Dell Inc (DELL.O)

(Reporting by Lee Chyen Yee in HONG KONG and Jeremy Wagstaff in SINGAPORE; Edited by Ryan Woo)