It seems like every time you turn around these days someone is leaking details of a new giant phone “phablet”. The success of Samsung’s Galaxy Note line has led to a ton of copycat devices looking to capitalize in the 5-plus inch screen market, and Chinese manufacturer ZTE also wants in on the action. ZTE is planning on entering 2013 with not one but two of these monsters.
It was only yesterday when we reported on ZTE’s Nubia Z5 with it’s 5 inches of 1080p screen real estate and now comes word of a second phablet from the company named the Grand S. ZTE seems to want to stand out in the crowd by making these phones as thin as humanly possible. It also appears their claim that the Nubia Z5 (7.6 mm) was the “thinnest 5″ 1080p device out there” held true for less than 24 hours because the Grand S comes in at just 6.9 mm thick. So here’s what you’re rumored to be getting in your 6.9 mm ZTE Grand S:
- 5″ 1920—1080, 1080p screen
- 13 MP rear camera
- 1.5 GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 (APQ8064) processor
- 2 GB of RAM
- 2,500 mAh battery
The Grand S is identical to the Nubia Z5 in just about every way other than the battery which is 500 mAh smaller. Of course even slightly lesser specs means that it will be easier on the wallet and the Grand S will save you roughly $106 (as of todays exchange rates), $555 for the Nubia Z5 and $449 for the Grand S. It’s also rumored to be made of a ceramic material for more durability, as opposed plastic.
The ZTE Grand S will be officially announced next month at CES in Las Vegas, likely along with a host of other 5-plus inch phablets. The question now is how much of a shelf life do devices this size have? I find it hard to believe that so many people are really looking for a phone this big especially when some of the best 7 inch tablets out there are hitting rock bottom prices. Maybe I’m in the minority here but I like my smartphone to be at least semi-pocketable and my tablet to be, you know an actual tablet.
Please hit us up in the comments and let us know whether you’re pro or anti “phablet”.