Last year, Huawei shocked and awed the world with its absolutely huge Mediapad X1 phablet, a 7-inch smartphone that might as well be a tablet instead. This year, Huawei is back at MWC with its latest version in the Mediapad series — the Mediapad X2. This version comes with much of the same hardware, powered by an even faster octa-core processor.
Phablets are all the rage for those interested in greater battery life and more screen real estate, but while most phablets range in screen size from 5.5 inches to 6 inches, Huawei feels a 7-inch screen is the best size. The Mediapad X2 fits this 7-inch screen into as small a chassis they can manage, giving the device an 80 percent screen-to-body ratio. Huawei says the Mediapad X2 can be used with just one hand, but you’d probably still need some seriously long fingers to be able to grip this huge phone.
The Mediapad X2 is very similar to its predecessor, the Mediapad X2. It still has an Ultra-HD 1,920 x 1,200 pixel display, which isn’t much in pixel density compared to other phablets with 2K displays. What is different is that the Mediapad X2 now has an octa-core processor built and designed by Huawei itself. The 64-bit 2.0GHz Kirin 930 processor can handle just about anything you throw at the phablet, and it’s powered by a 5,000mAh Li-Pol battery — the largest ever stuffed into a smartphone.
Depending on how much RAM or storage you need, the Mediapad X2 will come in two models: one will feature 2GB of RAM and 16GB of internal storage, while the other will have a boosted 3GB of RAM and 32GB of storage. While mostly a refresh of last year’s model, the Mediapad X1 will definitely perform better with its octa-core processor, assuming you can get a grip on it. No word yet on pricing or availability.
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