If you’ve been itching to get your hands on an Android “phablet” with a large display, but you don’t like the look of the hefty price tags demanded by handsets like the Samsung Galaxy Note II, then ZTE may have something special up its sleeve for you. The U887 is a new smartphone that’s been leaked by China’s TENAA, and according to reports, it’s hoping to give budget-minded Android users the chance to own a larger smartphone without paying larger prices.
Chinese gadget vendor Huawei has confirmed that it will announce a new flagship smartphone called the Ascend D2 at the Consumer Electronics Show in January. The Android-powered handset, which is rumored to feature a 5-inch 1080p display, will make its debut alongside the W1, a second smartphone that will run Microsoft’s Windows Phone platform.
Now, this is just getting silly. Samsung is said to be developing displays for the next iteration of its popular Galaxy Note — the Galaxy Note III — and according to “officials from a local parts supplier” in Asia, they measure in at 6.3 inches diagonally. That’s 0.75 inches bigger than the Galaxy Note II’s display, and 1.3 inches bigger than the original Galaxy Note’s display.
At which point do we stop calling this handset a smartphone, and start calling it a tablet?
While Sony’s latest crop of Xperia smartphones haven’t exactly been terrible, none of them really stand out up against devices like the Samsung Galaxy S III and Galaxy Note II, and the HTC One X and Droid DNA. Despite this, the Japanese company has been able to cement itself in second place when it comes to Android market share — sitting right beneath Samsung.
Rumor has it that Sony’s now looking to take advantage of that position with a new flagship “Xperia 6” handset for 2013. In addition to a 6-inch 1080p display, the device is expected to offer a 13-megapixel camera, 3GB of RAM, and a sizable 3,500 mAh battery. What’s more, it won’t be the only new handset from Sony in early 2013.
Look at the size of that thing.
When it comes to super-sized smartphones, Samsung’s Galaxy Note II is the hottest “phablet” on the market right now. But other large handsets continue to pop up with a bid to steal its crown. In early 2012, the Huawei Ascend Mate will have a go, and as large smartphones go, this one’s a beast.
In addition to a whopping 6.1-inch 1080p display, the Ascend Mate will offer a 1.8GHz quad-core processor and 2GB of RAM, with a high-capacity 4,000 mAh battery to keep it all running. It’ll measure 9.9mm thick.
