Notebookcheck's Top 10 Phablets (>90cm²)

Huawei's Mate 30 Pro features a 6.53-inch large OLED display running at a native resolution of 2400 x 1176, the oddness of which is courtesy of the noticeably curved display providing additional screen real estate on both sides. The lack of a volume rocker is also due to this curved display, and it has been replaced with a gesture performed along the curved side of the device.

The Huawei P30 Pro has a 6.47-inch (16.43 cm, 102.8 cm²) OLED panel with 2340 x 1080 pixels, which is very good in our review. Both the maximum luminance as well as the color accuracy are on a very high level. The Huawei smartphone is powered by its own high-end SoC in combination with 8 GB RAM and 128 or 512 GB internal storage, which can even be expanded via Nano memory card. The remaining specs of the P30 do not leave anything to be desired, either.

The highlight of the smartphone is its Leica quad camera. The main lens captures a lot of light, you get an ultra wide-angle, a 5x optical zoom as well as a TOF camera. The hybrid zoom is expanded to a 10x enlargement and the digital zoom even supports a zoom factor of 50x. The camera performs very well in our test, but there is still room for improvements in terms of video recording. Huawei has already announced a corresponding feature update.

The Samsung Galaxy Note10+ is the high-end model of the Note-series and offers a huge 6.8-inch (17.27 cm; 115.41 cm²) Dynamic AMOLED screen with 3040 x 1440 pixels. The smartphone is powered by Samsung's own Exynos 9825, which is supported by 12 GB RAM. You can choose between 256 or 512 GB internal storage, which can also be expanded via microSD card. The optional 5G SKU is limited to 256 GB though. There is a quad-camera at the back, which consists of a wide-angle, a telephoto, an ultra wide-angle as well as a depth of field sensor. The battery capacity is good at 4300 mAh, but the runtime is still shorter than expected.

Overall, the Galaxy Note 10+ does not cause any criticism for the specs. It is still unfortunate that the stereo jack as well as the heart rate monitor from the previous model were removed. The new gestures of the S-Pen are certainly nice, but more of a gimmick than a real benefit.

Samsung’s Galaxy S10 5G is the largest currently available Galaxy S smartphone, and offers a 6.7-inch Curved Dynamic AMOLED display with a cutout for the two front-facing cameras. The frame is made of stainless steel and adds a certain unmistakable quality. Front and back are protected by Corning Gorilla Glass 6.

The Apple iPhone 11 Pro Max does not only have a long name, but it is also a giant phone to hold. It has a 6.5-inch (16.51 cm, 103.8 cm²) OLED screen with 2688 x 1242 pixels. The fast SoC always ensures a responsive user experience. The storage cannot be expanded, so you have to choose between 64, 256 and 512 GB SKUs.

The new triple camera now includes an ultra wide-angle lens, which enables really great shots both for pictures and videos. The Apple smartphone once again offers an IP68 certification and supports wireless charging. The significantly increased battery capacity also enables excellent battery runtimes.

The Asus ROG Phone 2 is the well-made second generation of Asus’s gaming smartphone, various SKUs of which are available. The most basic model is the so-called Strix Edition, which features 8 GB of RAM, 128 GB of storage, and lacks the optional detachable fan. The latter is included with the Standard edition, which also features 12 GB of RAM and a whopping 512 GB of storage. Those who want even more will opt for the Ultimate Edition with double the internal storage and a matt-black exterior.

The OnePlus 7T Pro once again offers an extendable camera and therefore an AMOLED screen without a notch and with slim bezels. The latter is 6.67 inches (109.21 cm², 16.94 cm, 19.5:9) with 3120 x 1440 pixels and a fats refresh rate of 90 Hz. A powerful SoC, 8 GB RAM as well as 256 GB internal storage complete the good package. 

The triple camera takes good pictures and is pretty versatile. The two speakers create a comparatively rich sound and the battery runtime is very good. However, you have to waive features like the stereo jack, an IP certification and wireless charging.

The highlight of the Samsung Galaxy Fold 5G is the 7.3-inch (4:3, 18.54 cm, 162.6 cm²) foldable OLED screen. You also get another Super-AMOLED panel (4.7-inch) at the outside, so you do not have to open the smartphone every single time. The spec list is excellent with a Snapdragon 855, 12 GB RAM as well as 512 GB UFS 3.0 storage. It also supports the latest 5G standard.

The triple-camera at the rear is on par with the Galaxy S10+ and takes very good pictures. There is a total of three front camera, so you can take pictures from all angles. The battery runtime is surprisingly good, despite the large display. The biggest point of criticism is certainly the durability of the main display.

The Xiaomi Mi 9 is a powerful smartphone with high-end ambitions for a very good price. It does not only offer a very big 6.39-inch AMOLED screen (16.23 cm, 100.2 cm²), but also a bright backlight and well-balanced colors. If you select the global ROM SKU, you also get the required DRM certification to stream corresponding contents in HD, which was not a matter of course for previous Xiaomi smartphones. 

The Mi 9 is shipped with powerful hardware including a Snapdragon 855, 6 GB RAM and 64 or 128 GB internal storage. However, you cannot expand the storage, so you should not save money at the wrong end. We also liked the camera during our review and the battery runtime is okay, despite the comparatively small battery.

The Asus ZenFone 6 is certainly not high-end in all areas, but still offers a very appealing price-performance ratio for about 500 Euros. The Taiwanese smartphone sports a 6.4-inch (16.26 cm, 100.55 cm²) IPS display (2340 x 1080 pixels) without a notch, which results in a high display-to-body ratio. This is realized via swiveling main camera, so you can also take great selfies. The smallest SKU gets 6 GB RAM and 128 GB storage, which can be expanded via microSD card. The 5000 mAh battery is another highlight.

The Asus smartphone leaves a good impression in our review, but there are some drawbacks due to the comparatively low price. The ZenFone is neither equipped with an IP certification, nor does it support wireless charging. Both VoLTE and WLAN calling are not supported, either. The ZenFone 6 is only available via Asus eShop.