Best Large Screen Smartphones above 5 inches of January 2016 (Phablets)

In the month of January, we have seen quite a few launches of smartphones with a screen size above 5-inches. While not all of them are interested in phablets, a few may also choose a smartphone with a smaller screen size. The advantage of the large screen size is the bigger display area where you can best multimedia experience. Even the Icons and font will be in larger size compared to the smaller displays. Below are the best smartphones launched in January with a screen size of above 5-inches.

• ASUS ZenFone Zoom – Rs. 37,999

After announcing the ASUS Zenfone Zoom at the CES held in January 2015, Asus has launched the camera-centric device in India in January 2016. The device is priced at Rs. 37,999 and is exclusively sold through Flipkart and there is a bundled deal of Zenfone Zoom included with ZenFlash and Manfrotto portable tripod that comes at a slightly higher price-tag of Rs. 39,999. Apart from the flagship specifications, the USP of the device lies in its 13MP rear camera with OIS and Laser autofocus that offers a 12X zoom.

Unlike the other smartphones with optical zoom, the Zenfone Zoom doesn’t look that bulky and measures a thickness of 11.95mm. Coming to the other specifications, the device features a 5.5-inch Full HD display with Gorilla Glass protection. It is powered by 64-bit Intel Z3590 quad-core processor clocked at 2.5GHz along with 4GB of RAM and 128GB of internal storage. There is also a MicroSD card slot for expanding up to another 128GB.

It runs on Android 5.1 Lollipop with Zen UI overlaid. The device is backed by a 3,000mAh battery that can last for a single day of moderate usage. It supports dual SIM and offers 4G LTE and other basic connectivity options. It is already available in the colors Pure Black and Ceramic White with a leather finish back cover.

• Blackberry Priv – Rs. 62,990

The Blackberry Priv is the one last thing from Blackberry to prove its strength, but somehow the company went wrong with the pricing. With a price tag of Rs. 62,990 in India; none of the Android users will choose Blackberry Priv even it is very hard for the loyal Blackberry fans. Talking about the device, it is nothing short of the flagship and even offers a better experience than any other device while texting. Apart from the virtual keyboard, the physical keyboard is one thing that has been mastered by Blackberry, and it is continued by the Priv.

The 5.4-inch display on Priv comes with a Quad HD resolution and is powered by Snapdragon 808 hexa-core processor coupled with Adreno 418 GPU and 3GB of RAM. The 18MP rear camera with OIS is best we can find on any Blackberry device till date. The 3,410mAh battery is what keeps the device powered on. The device runs on Android 5.1 Lollipop with minor tweaks like Blackberry Hub and few other features. Sliding up the display we can see the physical keyboard that can also work as a trackpad. It can be purchased via Amazon India and offline Blackberry stores.

• Lenovo Vibe X3 – Rs. 19,999

The last one in the list is the recently launched Vibe X3 from Lenovo, which was priced very aggressively at a price of Rs. 19,999. The device sports an all metal body and includes dual front-facing speakers with Dolby Atmos support. The design looks almost similar to the recently launched Lenovo Vibe K4 Note and in China, the company has launched the Vibe X3 Lite. It features a 5.5-inch 1080p display and is protected with a Gorilla Glass 3 on top. Under the hood is the Snapdragon 808 hexa-core processor coupled with Adreno 418 GPU and 3GB of RAM.

The Vibe X3 offers one of the best smartphone photography experience at this price range. It has a 21MP rear camera with PDAF and F/2.0 aperture that can record the videos in 4K resolution. On the front is an 8MP sensor that comes with several software features for capturing better selfies. It is backed by a 3,500mAh battery which can give decent battery life. According to the company, it also offers Hi-Fi sound experience with dedicated audio chip and includes three microphones that offer high-quality audio.

• Asus Zenfone Max

While the M5 Lite from well-known Marathon series came with a 4,000mAh battery, Asus has launched the earlier announced Zenfone Max with a whopping 5,000mAh battery. It comes with a metallic frame and a removable back cover. It features a 5.5-inch HD (1280 x 720) IPS display and is powered by a 1.2GHz Snapdragon 410 quad-core processor. There is 2GB of RAM and 16GB of onboard storage along with a MicroSD card slot. This is the first smartphone from Asus to offer such a long battery life.

Coming to the camera, it has a 13MP rear camera with dual LED flash and a 5MP front camera for selfies and video calls. The device supports dual SIM dual standby and offers 4G LTE. The 5,000mAh on this device is said to last 38 hours of talk time and lasts upto 914 hours on standby. Connectivity options include Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.0, GPS/A-GPS, MicroUSB port along with 4G LTE. The device is already available via all the major online stores in India and within the next few weeks, the company also promised to bring to the offline stores.

• Lenovo K4 Note

Lenovo launched three new devices last month in the Indian market; the Vibe K4 Note is one from the list that was launched exclusively for the Indian market. The Vibe K4 Note is the sameVibe X3 Lite that was launched in China. It is priced at Rs. 11,999 and comes with some impressive specifications that no other global brand has ever offered at this price. The device looks premium in hand with its slim design and also offers a dual front facing stereo speakers.

It comes with a 5.5-inch IPS display with Full HD resolution and is protected with Gorilla Glass 3. It runs on Android 5.1 Lollipop with Vibe UI overlaid and we also expect it to receive the Android 6.0 Marshmallow in future. The device also features a fingerprint sensor and sports a 13MP rear camera with PDAF and a 5MP front camera. It is backed by a 3,300mAh battery and includes dual SIM slots with 4G LTE support. It is sold exclusively through Amazon India via flash sales.

• LeEco (LeTV) Le 1s 

The LeEco Le 1s is the best smartphone that was launched in India and comes priced under Rs. 15,000. It comes with a unibody made out of Aluminum and gives a premium in-hand feel with its slim design. The bezel-less 5.5-inch display and the mirrored fingerprint sensor are the additional beauties of this device. It is powered by an Helio X10 octa-core processor clocked at 2.2GHz and coupled with 3GB of RAM and 32GB of internal storage.

It has a 13MP rear camera with PDAF and a 5MP selfie camera on the front. The device supports dual SIM dual standby and offers 4G LTE. With all these specs, the device is kept powered on by a 3,000mAh battery. Connectivity options include Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, GPS, USB Type-C port along with 4G LTE. Like the Vibe K4 Note, the Le 1s is also sold through flash sales and the interested users can register for the upcoming sale on Flipkart.

If you aren’t impressed with the above mentioned devices, have a look at our best upcoming smartphones for February that can give you a glimpse of information about the devices about to launch.