A blast from the past: The Nubia Neo 5 Max is a throwback to phablets like the Huawei Mate 20X

It's quite easy for us to gauge how loved a device is by the general public, and for some reason, the Huawei Mate 20X was incredibly well-received when it debuted back in 2018. While it was something of an afterthought compared to the line-leading Mate 20 Pro at the time, the Mate 20X gained a cult following regardless. Eight years on, a spiritual successor of sorts may finally be here.

Nubia recently presented the Neo 5 Max, its latest gaming-focused smartphone. The "Max" branding isn't used lightly here, as the Neo 5 Max features a massive 7.5-inch display, instantly making it the largest smartphone available on the global market. Brands like Oukitel and Cubot admittedly offer large phones, but they aren't available outside China for the most part, and all sport worse hardware than the Nubia Neo 5 Max.

The Neo 5 Max itself is a rather middle-of-the-road package, as we revealed in our initial report. It's intended to be a gaming device but is powered by the upcoming mid-range Dimensity 7080. Other specifications include a 7,100 mAh battery, 8 GB of RAM, 256 GB of storage, a 50 MP main camera, and a 3x optical zoom lens. Active cooling and shoulder triggers affirm the Neo 5 Max's gaming aspirations. 

While the Mate 20X was designed to be a proper premium device, the Neo 5 Max arrives as a more cost-effective option, and that's a shame. Flagships in general max out at the 6.9-inch diagonal mark, and some would opine that there's space in the market for proper large flagship phones. That may not be a pipedream either: upcoming smartphones like the Vivo X300 Max and Xiaomi 17 Max indicate that OEMs are ready to offer entry-level flagships in a larger chassis, strictly for no purpose other than to appeal to lovers of larger devices.

Compact flagships exist on the opposite end of the spectrum and seem to be be back in vogue. In China, at least. Global options like the Asus Zenfone, Sony Xperia 5, and Apple's iPhone Mini models have all been shuttered, presumably due to lackluster sales. Perhaps the phablet renaissance may fair better.

Buy the Nubia RedMagic 11 Pro on Amazon US.