Although it has been around since maybe the 1990s, the word “phablet” has only started to increase in popularity in the last few years, especially in the onset of the 2010s with the introduction of Samsung’s Note lineup of smartphones, devices which featured large display screens. Now, most flagship devices and premium smartphones now come with screens not smaller than 5 inches, as mobile consumers become more and more receptive of smartphones that can also double as mini-tablets. Phablets truly are fast becoming the new norm when it comes to handsets.
Lenovo most likely agrees with this notion. The Chinese phone maker after all just introduced two new phablets that are named Phab and Phab Plus, and you just can not get more obvious than that. It does make some sense -- the Phab and Phab Plus do have display screen sizes that are as ridiculous as their names.
Indeed, the Phab features a whopping 6.98 inch display screen, while the higher end Phab Plus possesses a still impressive 6.8 inch display screen. Some mobile users may remember that not too long ago, there were small tablets released in the market that sported 7 inch display screens. Lenovo’s Phab and Phab Plus devices look like they squarely belong in that small tablet category.
Considering that the Phab Plus is being positioned as the higher end model of the two, it certainly has more to offer in terms of specifications and features. Lenovo has some sense of humor in claiming that the phablet is built for one hand use -- well, naturally it had to be because it is so big you just can not use both hands effectively in operating the device. But interestingly, the handset sports a software functionality that displays a smaller one handed keyboard that actually adjusts its size to fit the user’s fingers.
With regards to specifications, the Phab Plus device comes with a 13 megapixel camera on the rear side and a 5 megapixel camera on the front side. It boasts a Qualcomm Snapdragon 615 chip, supported with 2 gigabytes of random access memory (RAM), and is equipped with a 3,500 mAh battery. The Phab Plus is a twin SIM smartphone and costs $299.
As for the Phab smartphone, it features a yet to be revealed Qualcomm chip, with 1 gigabyte of RAM, and a gargantuan 4,250 mah battery, and costs $179.
No launch date for the United States market has been announced yet for Lenovo’s Phab and Phab Plus devices, but the two handsets will be available in Eastern Europe, South America, and Asia.
