ZTE’s 5.7-inch Grand Memo introduced at MWC

by Mark Tyson on 26 February 2013, 11:45

Tags: ZTE, Google (NASDAQ:GOOG), PC

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ZTE has launched the Grand Memo phablet / smartphone at MWC in Barcelona. This new phablet shares a lot of the qualities of the Samsung Galaxy Note II, which seems to have set a blueprint for this type of device. Being a newer phone it should have some new tech advantages over its “inspiration” and it does to some degree – however the specifications of the Grand Memo aren’t very certain.

Processor confusion

A highlight of the Grand Memo is supposed to be the first use of the Qualcomm 800 processor with quad-core Krait CPUs running at 1.5GHz. That’s what ZTE says in its press release but Engadget received a statement from Qualcomm saying: no, it has a Snapdragon 600 inside!

Let’s look at the rest of the specs from ZTE’s press release, which would usually be a reliable source of information.

  • Android 4.1 - Jelly bean
  • Thickness: 8.5mm
  • 5.7inch, HD.TFT, 16M colour, multi-touch capacitive screen
  • Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 processor with quad-core Krait CPUs
  • 3200mAh super-long standby battery
  • Memory: 16GB Rom* + 2GB RAM
  • Mifavour UI user interface – with voice control
  • WiFi 802.11 a/b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.0, accelerometer, proximity sensor, ambient light sensor, gyro
  • LTE 100/50Mbps
  • 13MP Intelligent AF Camera with face recognition and panorama,1MP front-facing camera, 1080p HD video playback

*I hope the "16GB Rom" is actually built-in flash storage rather than a huge ROM.

Announcing the ZTE Grand Memo Mr. He Shiyou, ZTE EVP and Head of the Mobile Devices Division said “The ZTE Grand Memo’s large, high definition screen makes it perfect for media and entertainment, but its uses reach far beyond that.” He added “With ZTE’s custom Mifavor UI, a powerful processor, and LTE connectivity, this device offers users a wide array of benefits that go well beyond the capabilities of the typical handset”.

It’s a shame about the processor confusion; it’s hard to fathom why ZTE and Qualcomm don’t agree about the processor powering the Grand Memo. If this aspect of the specs is wrong how can we rely on the other given internal specs? It reminds me of the Chinese third party Li-ion batteries whose capacity is always lower than stated.

Big piece of plastic

Forgetting the exact specs for a moment, there have been a number of hands-on tests of the Grand Memo phablet. Alex Colon at PCMag gave the Grand Memo a prod and found it to be rather plasticy but that is also a feature of the Samsung phablet. The screen was crisp but offered less maximum brightness than the Samsung. Also a stylus was absent as with nearly all the phablet competition.

The ZTE Grand Memo is scheduled for launch in Europe in Q2 2013.



HEXUS Forums :: 9 Comments

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I saw somebody walking down the street the other day using a 7" tablet as a phone. I laughed out loud. I promise to laugh at anyone using this as well.
Steve
I saw somebody walking down the street the other day using a 7" tablet as a phone. I laughed out loud. I promise to laugh at anyone using this as well.

Really , because I laugh when people are trying to watch videos on a stupid 3.5" iphone screen.

More to the story - would you buy an expensive high tech gadget from ZTE?
im with Steve on this one, silly oversized designs… I know more normally means better but we are hit by a physical limitation! I can hold up to a 4.7“ phone and I would agree people using tiny 3.5” screens are pushing it but I would rather one handed operations than two handed just to use a phone.

I guess steve atleast that guy when whole hog and made use of the bigger screen instead of being half hearted haha!.
It doesn't look *that* much bigger than the 4.7“ phones. I have large hands, I reckon I could comfortably use this one-handed.

Agree with Steve about 7” though, very funny to see. The mini bluetooth devices that allow you to make calls while leaving your tablet/phablet in your bag will become very common I reckon.
My 5.3" Note 1 is ok for occasional one handed use (and I only have average hands). This would probably be pushing it a bit but smaller bezels might help. I don't think i'd touch anything bigger than this but this would be ok.

@Brewster0101 - Why wouldn't you buy from ZTE? After all Samsung, ASUS & LG all came from nowhere/budget markets. I'd rather buy based on spec and length of OS upgrades than a name.