Video: Here’s what a 6.8 inch phone looks like; it’s actually coming to the US this summer

BY Stefan Constantinescu

Published 9 Jan 2014

Remember when Samsung launched the original 5.3 inch Galaxy Note and we all thought they’ve lost their minds? And then a year later, they decided to go even bigger with the 5.5 inch Note II? Well, the company has proved that phablets matter, and that they’re only going to get bigger. The Note 3 has a 5.7 inch display, the Sony Xperia Z Ultra has a 6.4 inch display, but screw it, let’s go crazy, let’s hit 6.8 inches. That’s what the Chinese handset maker Hisense has done with the X1. Normally I’d ignore such monstrosities, but Engadget says it’ll launch on two American operators.

So what else can the X1 do? Well, it’s actually a high end device. There’s a Snapdragon 800 under the hood, 2 GB of RAM, a 13 megapixel camera, and that 6.8 inch panel actually pushes 1080p, not 720p. There’s also a 3,900 mAh, which frankly terrifies me, because Huawei’s Ascend 2 has a smaller 6.1 inch panel, yet uses a larger 4,050 mAh cell. Will the X1 make it through a solid work day?

That remains to be seen.

Now let’s step back and ask a serious question: How big is too big? Everyone will have a different answer to that, but for me, I felt that Samsung could have gone bigger with the Note 3. Sony on the other hand, the 6.4 inch Z Ultra was a pain to use outside of my house. In my house, I loved it, but carrying it outside was a chore.

Why does Hisense think people want to go even bigger? I have no idea.