Hisense X1 6.8-Inch Smartphone

Hisense X1 is described as larger than a “phablet,” but the device is also smaller than a tablet device. Hisense X1 display is approximately 6.8-inches. It is said to be the first device capable of managing blur the line between a tablet and a phablet. Hisense is a white goods and electronics manufacturer based in Qingdao, China.

Google / Geek

Phablets are mobile devices designed to combine or straddle the functions of a smartphone and tablet. Wikipedia describes Phablets as characterized by the use of large screens, typically with a diagonal size between 5 to 6.9 inches (130 to 180 mm), which complement screen-intensive activity such as mobile web browsing and multimedia viewing. Phablets may also include software optimized for an integral self-storing stylus to facilitate sketching, note-taking and annotation. International Data Corporation (IDC) reported that its research indicated that phablet size smartphones "overtook shipments of both laptops and tablets in Asia in the second quarter of 2013.

The company runs 13 manufacturing facilities in China (located in the provinces of: Guangdong, Guizhou, Huzhou, Jiangsu, Liaoning, Linyi, Shandong, Sichuan, Yangzhou, Yingkou, Xinjiang, Zibo and the municipality of Beijing) and several outside of China, namely in Hungary, South Africa, Egypt, Algeria and France. The X1 features a 6.8-inch touchscreen display where 1080dp  resolution is supported.

The handset is also built with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 processor. According to Hisense, there is also 2GB of RAM and features 16GB of internal memory. Key features also include a 13-megapixel main camera with autofocus. There is a LED flash and Hisense X1 enables video recording.  The device integrates a 3900 mAh L-Ion battery.

Hisense X1 is expected to ship this summer. The device will run on Android 4.3 Jelly Bean operating system. It is not known if the device will offer KitKat for the future. Hisense Mobile, taking advantage of the strong technical capability and the effective quality control system, successfully provides dozens of quality solutions to domestic and overseas handset OEM vendors, carriers, agents and distributors. The products are sold to South-east Asia, Middle Asia, Middle East Area, South America, and African countries, building up the industry reputation and gaining substantial customer approval. At the same time, Hisense Mobile takes several national level research projects, and in turn improves its own self-developing capabilities.

Reuters called last year as the"Year of the Phablet." IHS reported that phablet devices would grow to 146 million by 2016. Barclays projected sales of phablets rising to 230 million in 2015. International Data Corporation (IDC) reported that its research indicated that phablet size smartphones "overtook shipments of both laptops and tablets in Asia in the second quarter of 2013." Whilst unveiling the aforementioned Ascend Mate, Huawei CEO Richard Yu considered the phablet to be the future of smartphones due to their "all-in-one" nature.