Skip to main content

Battle of the Godzilla phones: Who’s king of the Android monsters?

We all had a good laugh back in 2010 when Simon Pegg tweeted a photo of his head beside an iPad. But it looks like phone manufacturers are getting the last laugh now after the announcement of yet another massive, 7-inch phablet, the Acer Iconia 7. These big devices are more than just tablets; they’re full blown smartphones that the makers expect us to hold up right against our skulls to make calls. Acer’s phablet is the third massive 7-inch gadget to hit the market, leading us to wonder: which mega phablet reigns supreme? Let’s see what the specs reveal:

 

Huawei
Mediapad X1

Huawei Mediapad X1
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Asus
Fonepad 7 2014

Asus FonePad 7
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Acer
Iconia Tab 7

Acer Iconia Tab 7
Image used with permission by copyright holder
Size 183.5 x 103.9 x 7.2 (mm) 120 x 196.8 x 10.5 (mm)  TBD
Weight 239g 340g 298g
Resolution 1,920 x 1,200 pixels 1,280 x 800 pixels 1,280 x 800 pixels
OS Android 4.4 KitKat Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean Android 4.4 KitKat
Storage 16GB 8/16/32 GB 8/16 GB
SD Card Slot Yes Yes Yes
Processor HiSilicon 910 1.6Ghz Quad-core Intel Z2560 1.6 Ghz Dual-core Intel Z2560 1.6 Ghz Dual-core
RAM 2GB 1GB 1GB
Connectivity Wi-Fi, BT 4.0, LTE, HSPA+ Wi-Fi, BT 3.0, HSPA+ Wi-Fi, BT 4.0, HSPA+,
Camera Front 5MP, Rear 13MP Front 1.2MP, Rear 5MP Front 1.2MP, Rear 5MP
Battery 5,000 mAh  3,950 mAh 3,700 mAh
Price $550 $250+ $200+
Links Hands-on Video Hands-on Video Iconia Tab 7 News
Recommended Videos

What the numbers reveal

When you look at the hardware, what you get are two phablets relatively close in power and features next to another that just blows them both away in almost every category. When it comes to what’s packed inside, the Huawei Mediapad X1 has a serious edge on the Asus Fonepad 7 and Acer Iconia Tab 7 in just about every category. Its 1.6GHz quad-core processor packs a bigger graphics punch for better video viewing and its higher resolution screen will make that viewing experience all the better. The 15-hour battery life beats out the Asus Fonepad’s 10-hour cut-off and its 13-megapixel camera will take some stellar shots. It’s thinner, lighter, and wins out in almost every category.

The Fonepad 7 and Iconia Tab 7, meanwhile, are a close match in hardware and functionality for the most part. Both offer the same Intel-powered dual-core processor, 1GB of RAM and 1280×800 resolution display. The Fonepad 7 is a tad heavier because of the bigger battery, but that also means a longer lasting phablet for your all-day usage. 

Huawei’s Mediapad X1 is the king among giants

In the end, the Huawei Mediapad X1 is truly a phablet for those out there who want the very best they can get for a smartphone that will barely fit in your hands. The Mediapad X1 wins out in just about every category compared to other 7-inch phablets, but you’ll pay for that difference. At a starting price of about $550 in Europe, this gadget is more than double the price of the Acer Iconia Tab 7, a more modestly priced phablet with more modest hardware inside of it.

The Huawei Mediapad X1 is a clear winner in this comparison, though if you can’t pay the high price, one of the other two tablets should serve you just fine. More importantly make sure you have the long fingers and cargo shorts necessary to carry around any of these three bad boy phablets.

Joshua Sherman
Joshua Sherman is a contributor for Digital Trends who writes about all things mobile from Apple to Zynga. Josh pulls his…
Android 16 put a digital bodyguard on my phone and you must enable it
Advanced Protection in Android 16.

Over the past couple of years, Android’s focus on user safety and device security has been pretty evident. The company has leveraged AI to build features that listen to calls and read messages in real-time and alert users if they are at risk of getting scammed. 

Similar guardrails have also been put in place for web browsing in Chrome, and a whole bunch of lost device portion protocols have been baked into the OS' core. A few of them have remained exclusive to Google’s Pixel phones (and some Samsung devices) so far, but with the release of Android 16, these benefits are now being extended to the entire platform.

Read more
Nothing Phone 3 is the firm’s biggest swing at Apple and Samsung yet
Is this the shot-in-the-arm the smartphone market desperately needs?
A person holding the Nothing Phone 2, with the lights active.

The Nothing Phone 3 will officially be available in the US, as the company looks to take on the likes of the iPhone 16, Samsung Galaxy S25 and Google Pixel 9 with a handset Nothing founder and CEO, Carl Pei, calls its "first true flagship smartphone".

Those looking for an alternative smartphone option this year will be able to pick up the Phone 3 from Amazon and Nothing's own website, reports TechCrunch.

Read more
This one iPadOS 26 feature has me excited for the iPhone Fold
Semi-open state of a foldable iPhone concept

Samsung is set to launch the seventh generation of its Galaxy Z Fold book-style folding phone this Summer, but its biggest rival is yet to show its folding phone hand. Apple has long been expected to unveil an iPhone Fold, and the latest rumors suggest that it will launch next year.

I’ve used almost every folding phone released globally, with some exceptions for extremely obscure ones. While I've always been curious what an iPhone Fold would look like, I was fairly certain that Apple shouldn't build it, as I wasn’t sure they could deliver on one necessary feature.

Read more