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ZTE Grand Memo hands-on: Can it win the 'phablet' market?

In a crowded market does the ZTE Grand Memo have what it takes to stand out from the competition? ZDNet went hands-on with the device at Mobile World Congress to see what it could offer.
By Ben Woods, Contributor
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1 of 5 Ben Woods/ZDNET

The ZTE Grand Memo is the latest entrant into the market between smartphones and tablets known as 'phablets'. But with notable brands such as Samsung with its Note range and LG's recently announced Optimus G Pro hitting the market, can the Grand Memo stand up?

As the device is based upon Android, there is of course a commonality with the features found on other Android handsets. However, ZTE has tweaked the interface somewhat to add additional features and make the handset a little simpler to use.

For example, tapping the icon on the lock screen brings up a list of shortcuts you can launch directly (pictured) whereas holding the icon down unlocks the device and opens to the home screen.

grandmemohomescreen.jpg
2 of 5 Ben Woods/ZDNET

Once unlocked the home screen is more traditional Android 4.1 (Jelly Bean) fare, albeit with ZTE's MiFavour tweaks, and the device showed few signs of buckling under normal operation with its quad-core Qualcomm processor powering it.

On paper the specs seem to largely hold their own against the competition and in brief hands-on testing the experience was comparable with the Optimus G Pro, albeit without some of the nifty features found on the LG device.

The screen did seem particularly prone to showing up fingerprints, though.

grandmemomipop.jpg
3 of 5 Ben Woods/ZDNET

One tweak ZTE has included on the Grand Memo's home screen is the addition of a Mi-POP switch, which provides on screen controls for the device that are persistent across apps, such as the back, home or menu buttons (pictured).

grandmemodepth.jpg
4 of 5 Ben Woods/ZDNET

Hardware-wise the Grand Memo is just 8.5mm thick and while there was no mention of weight from the company, it felt comparably light with others in the category. Around the edge of the chassis there is a microSD slot and volume rocker controls.

grandmemocamera.jpg
5 of 5 Ben Woods/ZDNet

Perhaps where much of the focus has gone on the Grand Memo is into the camera on the back, which offers a 13-megapixel sensor and is capable of capturing full 1080P HD video.

Like the front of the device, the rear casing seems particularly prone to fingerprints.

Ultimately, while the ZTE Grand Memo holds its own on paper, there is little to persuade you to pick it over one of the many rivals in the increasingly crowded category, and with no specific pricing or release details forthcoming it might be difficult to convince anyone to wait.

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