As the holiday season is upon us, more and more manufacturers are announcing their latest smartphones. Just this month, we see the launch of Apple’s iPhone 6 (and iPhone 6 Plus) as well as the new Samsung’s next generation Galaxy Note 4. Together with other big screen offerings from the likes of LG, Sony, HTC and Nokia, and new comers from the East like OnePlus, Oppo, Huawei and Lenovo this is going to be a really sweet holiday. Christmas Phablet, anyone?
Big Screen Rules
There are many reasons for a big screen smartphone hence the demand for it. Even Apple is giving in to the big screen game with the launch of iPhone 6 Plus in September.
Here is what makes a Phablet and how this is different from other smartphones or tablets:
Screen size between 5.3″ to 6.9″ at super high resolution at least Full HD. If it’s 7″ at low resolution, it’s more like a tablet with phone built-in.
Must be pocketable (somewhat if you have a big pocket) ready for suit pockets, jacket pockets, cargo pants, etc.
Must have really small bezel, ultra narrow in fact and…
Super slim, ultra thin chassis to differentiate it from your small tablets.
Mostly premium devices, with high density screens, amazing built quality, high end specifications and features packed to the brim
You might think that with the size and all the superfluous features that a phablet would cost an arm and a leg but things are different now.
A new wave of phablets from the East hitting the online retailers are bucking that trend. Starting from as low as £261, you could be owning a super smartphone in right now that might otherwise take you months to save up for in the past.
The 10 Best Phablets in the Market Right Now
So here are the 10 best Phablets currently in the market. All prices quoted here are for SIM free handset, without a phone contract. There will be considerable savings picking one of these babies up with a contract, even better if yours is up for renewal this Christmas. Talk about timing.
OnePlus One 5.5-inch SIMS Free Android Smartphones from £261 [4.9 Stars] – CHEAPEST
Nokia Lumia 1520 6-inch SIM Free Windows Smartphone from £352 [4.4 Stars]
HTC One Max 5.9-inch SIM Free Android Smartphone from £486 [4.8 Stars]
Oppo Find 7 5.5-inch SIMS Free Android Smartphone from £369 [5 Stars]
Sony Xperia Z Ultra 6.4-inch SIM Free Android Smartphone from £278 [4.3 Stars] – BIGGEST SCREEN
Samsung Galaxy Note 4 with 5.7-inch screen Android Smartphone from £449 [3.2 Stars]
Lenovo Vibe Z2 Pro 6-inch SIM Free Android Smartphone [TBC]
LG G3 5.5-inch SIM Free Android Smartphon from £360 [4.5 Star]
iPhone 6 Plus 5.5-inch SIM Free iOS Smartphone £619 [TBC]
Huawei Ascend Mate 7 6-inch SIM Free Android Smartphone [TBC]
Screen
What can we say, when you have a screen that big, you are bound to want to squeeze as many pixels into it as you can. Four of the phablets listed here feature Quad HD resolution screen, that’s 2560 x 1080. The rest are Full HD resolution at 1920 x 1080.
OnePlus One: 5.5-inch Full HD 1080p (1920 x 1080) LTPS IPS with TOL, Touch on Lens technology at 401PPI on Corning Gorilla Glass 3
Nokia Lumia 1520: 6-inch IPS LCD Full HD (1920 x 1080) 16:9 ratio, 24-bit (16M) 368ppi super sensitive touch
HTC One Max: 5.9-inch IPS LCD Full HD (1920 x 1080) pixel at 373ppi
Oppo Find 7: 5.5-inch Quad HD (4K) 2560 x 1440 pixels IPS Touch-on-Lens screen on Gorilla Glass 3 protection at 538PPI. Supports gloved and wet touch input. HIGHEST DENSITY
Sony Xperia Z Ultra: 6.4-inch TFT LCD Full HD (1920 x 1080), 16 million colours, 342ppi, Sony Mobile BRAVIA® Engine 2, capacitive touchscreen with on-screen keyboard, sensor-on-lens, face unlock, gesture input, STAMINA mode, TRILUMINOS™ Display with X-Reality for mobile – BIGGEST SCREEN
Samsung Galaxy Note 4: 5.7-inch Super AMOLED capacitive touchscreen, 16M colors 2560 x 1440 pixel at 515 ppi
Lenovo Vibe Z2 Pro: 6-inch 2560 x 1440 pixel 2KHD Quad-HD display
LG G3: 5.5-inch Quad HD IPS LCD, 2560 x 1440 pixel resolution 534 ppi 16M colours
iPhone 6 Plus: 5.5-inch (diagonal) LED-backlit widescreen Multi‑Touch display with IPS technology, 1920 x 1080 pixel resolution at 401 ppi
Huawei Ascend Mate 7: 6” FHD Screen, 1080p (1920 x 1080 pixel), 368 ppi 16M colors
Processor
The fastest processor in our line up belongs to Samsung Galaxy Note 4 with it’s super fast 2.7GHz Quad-core processor from Qualcomm, the new Snapdragon 805. At the other end of the CPU performance spectrum is the 1.7GHz Quad-core processor also from Qualcomm, the Snapdragon 600. Four out of 10 of the phablets in our list below uses the 2.5GHz Quad-core processor also from Qualcomm, the Snapdragon 801. Others uses the slightly slower but still very capable 2.2GHz Quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 with the exception of Apple with its A8 chip and Huawei with its Hisilicon Kirin 8+1 multiple-core chip.
OnePlus One: 2.5GHz Quad-core Qualcomm© Snapdragon™ 801 processor with Adreno 330, 578MHz GPU
Nokia Lumia 1520: 2.2GHz Quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon™ 800 with Adreno 330
HTC One Max: 1.7 GHz Quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon™ 600 with Adreno 320 GPU
Oppo Find 7: 2.5GHz Quad Core Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 (MSM8974AC) processor with Adreno 330 GPU
Sony Xperia Z Ultra: 2.2GHz Quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 MSM8974 processor with Adreno 330
Samsung Galaxy Note 4: 2.7GHz Quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 805 processor with Adreno 420 or Quad-core 1.3 GHz Cortex-A53 & Quad-core 1.9 GHz Cortex-A57 on Exynos 5433 processor with Mali-T760 – FASTEST CPU
Lenovo Vibe Z2 Pro: 2.5GHz Quad-core Qualcomm® Snapdragon™ 801 MSM8974AC Processor with Adreno 330 550MHz
LG G3: 2.5GHz Quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 MSM8975AC Processor with Adreno 330
iPhone 6 Plus: A8 chip with 64-bit architecture, Dual-core 1.4 GHz Cyclone (ARM v8-based) with M8 motion coprocessor, PowerVR GX6650 (hexa-core graphics)
Huawei Ascend Mate 7: Hisilicon Kirin 925; 4 x 1.8GHz + 4 x 1.3GHz + 1 x 230MHz
Memory
We live to see Apple increasing the memory of their iPhones when everyone is jumping from 2GB to 3GB but not this time. They seem to cope very well with just the 1GB of RAM. With 3GB being the highest amount of memory in our line-up we see OnePlus One, Oppo Find 7, Samsung Galaxy Note 4 and Lenovo Vibe Z2 Pro taking this leap. While the rest are happy at 2GB.
OnePlus One: 3GB RAM
Nokia Lumia 1520: 2GB RAM
HTC One Max: 2GB RAM
Oppo Find 7: 3GB RAM
Sony Xperia Z Ultra: 2GB RAM
Samsung Galaxy Note 4: 3GB RAM
Lenovo Vibe Z2 Pro: 3GB RAM
LG G3: 2GB RAM
iPhone 6 Plus: 1GB RAM
Huawei Ascend Mate 7: 2GB RAM
Storage Capacity
OnePlus One: 16GB/64GB
Nokia Lumia 1520: 32GB expandable up to 64GB with microSD
HTC One Max: 16/32GB expandable up to 64GB with microSD
Oppo Find 7: 32GB expandable up to 128GB with microSD
Sony Xperia Z Ultra: 16GB expandable up to 64GB with microSD
Samsung Galaxy Note 4: 32GB expandable up to 128GB with microSD
Lenovo Vibe Z2 Pro: 32GB
LG G3: 16GB expandable up to 128GB with microSD
iPhone 6 Plus: 16GB/64GB/128GB – BIGGEST STORAGE OPTION
Huawei Ascend Mate 7: 16GB
Camera
Nokie Lumia 1520 has the highest rear facing camera. For front facing camera, both Oppo Find 7 and Lenovo Vibe Z2 Pro shares the top spot with a 5MP camera. Both Samsung Galaxy Note 4 and Lenovo Vibe Z2 Pro have 16MP rear facing camera, while OnePlus One, Oppo Find 7, LG G3 and Huawei Ascend Mate 7 have 13MP rear facing camera. Sony and Apple stuck to 8MP sensors while HTC One Max uses a 4MP HTC UltraPixel implementation.
OnePlus One: 13MP rear facing Sony’s 2nd Generation Exmor IMX214 camera with 6 lenses and dual LED flash capable of capturing 4K resolution video with stereo and slow motion recording at 720p with 120fps. 5MP front facing camera
Nokia Lumia 1520: 20MP rear facing camera, auto focus with two-stage capture key, 6-lens optics, backside-illuminated image sensor, high resolution zoom 2x, optical image stabilization, PureView. Front facing camera 1280 x 960 pixels capable of HD. 1.2 MP wide angle video recording, still image capture and video call. – HIGHEST RESOLUTION FF CAMERA
HTC One Max: 4MP HTC UltraPixel rear facing camera, BSI sensor, Pixel size 2.0 µm, Sensor size 1/3′ with dedicated HTC ImageChip 2 on f/2.0 aperture and 28 mm lens and Smart Flash (5 levels of flash automatically set by distance of subject). Front camera 2.1 MP, 88° wide-angle lens with HDR capability and Full HD recording capability
Oppo Find 7: 13-MP Sony Exmor IMX214 BSI sensor rear facing camera with scene modes that includes; Normal, Super Zoom, HDR, Panorama, Beautify, Slow Shutter, Audio Photo, GIF mode, RAW mode, Smart Scene, Portrait, Landscape, Sports and Night. The 5MP front facing camera has an 80-degree wide angle sensor. Both cameras capable of capturing 4K video at 30fps, 1080p video at 60fps and 720p slow motion video at 120fps – HIGHEST RESOLUTION RF CAMERA
Sony Xperia Z Ultra: 8MP fast-capture camera with Exmor RS, 16x digital zoom, continuous burst mode, HDR for photos and videos, face detection, image stabiliser, object tracking, picture effect, quick launch, scene recognition, self-timer, send to web, smile shutter image sensor, superior auto, sweep panorama, touch focus, touch capture and white balance. Front camera 2.1 MP with Full HD recording capability.
Samsung Galaxy Note 4: 16 MP, 3456 x 4608 pixels, optical image stabilization, autofocus, LED flash, Dual Shot, Simultaneous HD video and image recording, geo-tagging, touch focus, face and smile detection, image stabilization, panorama, HDR, 2160p@30fps, 1080p@60fps, optical stabilization, dual-video rec rear facing camera. 3.7 MP, 1080p@30fps front facing camera.
Lenovo Vibe Z2 Pro: 16MP auto-focus rear facing camera with LED flash, image stabilisation and auto-scene detection, 5MP fixed-focus front facing camera – HIGHEST RESOLUTION RF CAMERA
LG G3: 13 MP, 4160 x 3120 pixels, phase detection/laser autofocus, optical image stabilization, dual-LED (dual tone) flash, 1/3” sensor size, simultaneous video and image recording, geo-tagging, face detection, HDR, 2160p@30fps, 1080p@30fps, optical stabilization, HDR, stereo sound recording. 2.1MP 1080p @30fps front facing camera.
iPhone 6 Plus: 8MP iSight camera with 1.5µ pixels, Autofocus, f/2.2 aperture, OIS, True Tone flash, 5-element lens, Hybrid IR filter, backside illumination sensor, sapphire crystal lens cover, auto image stablisation, auto HDR for photos, improved face detection, exposure control, Panorama up to 43 megapixels, burst mode, tap to focus, geotaging, timer mode. 1080 HD video recording at 30/60fps, Slow motion video at 120/240 fps, time-lapse video, video stabilisation including cinematic, continuous auto focus video, take stills while recording video, video face detection, 3x zoom and video geo tagging. 1.2MP FaceTime (front facing) camera, f/2.2 aperture, 720p HD video capture, backside illumination sensor, auto HDR for photos and videos, improved face detection, burst mode, exposure control
Huawei Ascend Mate 7: 13 MP Camera, 1080p video recording/1080p video playback F2.0 rear facing; 5 MP HD front facin
Connectivity
Not much difference between the phablets here, the only thing to note is that there is now a faster version of LTE which not all phablets have caught up with but we were made to understand that not all carriers support the faster band anyway.
OnePlus One: 4G LTE, 3G, Dual Band WiFi 802.11 b/g/n/ac, Bluetooth 4.0, GPS + GLONASS, NFC
Nokia Lumia 1520: 4G LTE, WiFi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, Bluetooth 4.0, NFC, micro-USB, built-in Qi standard compatible wireless charging, FM radio, GPS+GLONASS
HTC One Max: 4G LTE, Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, Bluetooth 4.0, NFC, DLNA, Internal GPS antenna + GLONASS
Oppo Find 7: 4G LTE, 2G, USB OTG, Bluetooth 4.0, 2.4GHz and 5GHz Dual band WiFi 802.11 b/g/n, WiFi Direct, WiFi Display, NFC, GPS+GLONASS
Sony Xperia Z Ultra: 4G LTE, WiFi a/b/g/n/ac, NFC, DLNA, Bluetooth 4.0, microUSB, audio jack, Internal GPS antenna + GLONASS
Samsung Galaxy Note 4: 4G LTE, 3G, 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, dual-band, Wi-Fi Direct, NFC, Bluetooth 4.1, microUSB, audio jack, A-GPS, GLONASS, Beidou
Lenovo Vibe Z2 Pro: LTE(4G), 3G, 802.11 b/g/n/ac, Bluetooth 4.0, A-GPS support, microUSB, audio jack
LG G3: 4G LTE, 3G, Wi-Fi WiFi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, dual-band with WiFi Direct, NFC, Bluetooth 4.0 with BLE, wireless charging and GPS
iPhone 6 Plus: 4G LTE, 3G, Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, Bluetooth 4.0, Lightning Connector, NFC, GPS and GLONASS
Huawei Ascend Mate 7: 4G LTE, 3G, Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n with WiFi Direct, Bluetooth 4.0, MicroUSB, GPS, A-GPS, GLONASS
Sensors
Again, the list of sensors are pretty standard with the exception of Galaxy Note 4 and iPhone 6 Plus both spotting a fingerprint scanner. The Galaxy Note 4 goes as far as to include a hear rate, blood oxygen saturation (pulse oximetry sensor, SpO2) and ultraviolet sensor. Apple’s iPhone 6 Plus on the other hand has a heart rate sensor.
OnePlus One: Accelerometer, Gyroscope, Proximity, Digital Compass and Ambient Light
Nokia Lumia 1520: Ambient light sensor, Accelerometer, Proximity sensor, Gyroscope, Magnetometer
HTC One Max: Accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass
Oppo Find 7: Proximity, Light, G-sensor, 4D Gyroscope, Digital Compass, Magnetic, Gravity
Sony Xperia Z Ultra: Accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass
Samsung Galaxy Note 4: Finger print scanner, Accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass, barometer, gesture, UV, heart rate, SpO2
Lenovo Vibe Z2 Pro: Gravitation, Proximity, Light, E-compass
LG G3: Accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass, fingerprint scanner
iPhone 6 Plus: TouchID fingerprint identity sensor built into Home button, Barometer, Three-axis Gyro, Accelerometer, Proximity sensor, Ambient light sensor
Huawei Ascend Mate 7: Gyroscope, Proximity, Accelerometer, Compass, Hall, Fingerprint scanner
Dimensions & Weight
The thinnest while not the lightest phablet title belongs to the Sony Xperia Z Ultra while the lightest goes to LG G3. In terms of size, the smallest footprint also belongs to LG G3. Phones with a 5.5-inch screen tends to be smaller and not very far off in terms of size when you compare them to one another. The biggest phablet is of course the Sony Xperia Z Ultra, it’s the only phone with a whooping 6.4-inch screen, the biggest screen in our line up. It is also among the heaviest phones, only slightly lighter than the heavyweight HTC One Max.
OnePlus One: 152.9 x 75.9 x 8.9 mm with the tapered edge at 4.6 mm; 162 grams
Nokia Lumia 1520: 162.8 x 85.4 x 8.7 mm ; 209 grams
HTC One Max: 164.5 x 82.5 x 10.29 mm, 217 grams
Oppo Find 7: 152.6 × 75 × 9.2 mm, 173 grams
Sony Xperia Z Ultra: 179 x 92 x 6.5 mm, 212 grams THINNEST
Samsung Galaxy Note 4: 153.5 x 78.6 x 8.5 mm, 176 grams
Lenovo Vibe Z2 Pro: 156 x 81.3 x 7.7 mm, 179 grams
LG G3: 146.3 x 74.6 x 8.9 mm, 149 grams LIGHTEST
iPhone 6 Plus: 158.1 x 77.8 x 7.1 mm, 172 grams
Huawei Ascend Mate 7: 157.0 x 81.0 x 7.9 mm, 185 grams
Battery
Battery life is always a difficult one to judge, it all depends on what you do on the phone. Many manufacturers are faced with the task of squeezing every bit of life from the battery on their phone. Nokia, Sony, Samsung and HTC One seems to do this quite well offering power management app that allows you to put the phone on ultra power saving mode by turning off everything you don’t need to the extreme of leaving only calls and text.
OnePlus One: 3100 mAh Lithium-Polymer battery
Nokia Lumia 1520: 3400mAh, up to 4 days from a single charge, max talk time 25.1 hrs (3G) – BEST BATTERY LIFE
HTC One Max: 3300mAh up to 3 days from a single charge
Oppo Find 7: 3000 mAh Li-polymer battery with Rapid Charge
Sony Xperia Z Ultra: 3300mAh, up to 3 days from a single charge, 16 hrs talktime, 820 hrs standby, 7 hrs video playback, 110 hrs music playback
Samsung Galaxy Note 4: 3220 mAh Li-polymer
Lenovo Vibe Z2 Pro: 4000 mAh Li-polymer
LG G3: Li-ion 3000 mAh up to 800 mins talktime, 690 hours standby, removable battery
iPhone 6 Plus: Li-Ion 24hrs Talktime, 16 days standby, Internet usage up to 12 hrs (3G/4G/WiFi), Video playback 14 hrs, Audio playback 80 hrs.
Huawei Ascend Mate 7: 4100 mAh (Typical)/ 4000 mAh (Rated) – BIGGEST CAPACITY
OS
Apart from Nokia (Windows Phone OS) and Apple (iOS) offerings, all the other phablets are based on Google’s Android OS. You might see the odd few that are still running previous Android OS, the 4.3 Jelly Bean but most are up to date with Android 4.4 KitKat.
OnePlus One: CyanogenMod 11S based on Android 4.4 (KitKat)
Nokia Lumia 1520: Windows Phone OS
HTC One Max: Android 4.3 (Jelly Bean)
Oppo Find 7: Choice of Oppo’s ColourOS, CynogenMod, Paranoid Android and PAC ROM Android 4.3
Sony Xperia Z Ultra: Android 4.4 (KitKat)
Samsung Galaxy Note 4: Android 4.4.4 (KitKat)
Lenovo Vibe Z2 Pro: Android 4.4 (KitKat)
LG G3: Android 4.4 (KitKat)
iPhone 6 Plus: Apple iOS 8
Huawei Ascend Mate 7: Android™ 4.4 (KitKat) with HUAWEI Emotion UI 3.0
Colours
OnePlus One: Silk White or Sandstone Black
Nokia Lumia 1520: Black, Red, White
HTC One Max: Silver
Oppo Find 7: White, Astro Black
Sony Xperia Z Ultra: Black, White, Purple
Samsung Galaxy Note 4: Frosted white, Charcoal black, Bronze Gold, Blossom Pink
Lenovo Vibe Z2 Pro: Black, Titanium, Gold
LG G3: Metallic Skin with a Matte finish in Gold or Black
iPhone 6 Plus: Silver, Gold, Space Gray
Huawei Ascend Mate 7: Black, White
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