It features a 6.8-inch display meaning it really is questionable whether it falls into the smartphone category at all or whether we should have tagged it as a tablet instead, but Huawei is calling it a phone, so under phone it goes (for now).
We got our hands on the P8max during the launch event so read on to find out what our first impressions were and whether the claim of it being "pocketable" carries some truth or if its just an ironic joke.
The Huawei P8max is, beyond a shadow of a doubt, a gigantic device. We were a regular Samsung Note user for a long time and even that used to get strangers commenting on how big our phone was, but the P8max takes things to entirely new heights.
We had to stretch our fingers in order to hold it in one hand, but if you have bigger hands you may find it a little easier to handle. Despite its 182.7 x 93mm size however, the P8max is a beautiful device that is well built and solid in its construction. The design is seamless, fluid and overall, it's a lovely handset.
At just 6.8mm slim, it is thinner than both the Apple iPhone 6 Plus and the Samsung Galaxy Note 4. It hits the scales at 228g and it feels nice to hold - not too heavy and not too light, offering reassurance that it is a reliably-built device.
There is a metallic finish on board that oozes premium, something which this series from Huawei is known for and we loved how it looked, even if we do think it is far too big to be a practical smartphone for the majority of users. The P8max comes in gold, champagne and grey colour offerings, all of which look good.
All the features sit flush, including the rear camera lens, which is something both the Apple iPhone 6 Plus and the Samsung Galaxy Note 4 didn't manage in their designs. The flush finish looks good and we liked it a lot.
In terms of display, the resolution remains the same as the P8 at 1920 x 1080, which delivers a pixel density of 326ppi. This is pretty low when it comes to both smartphone and phablet territories as many of the latest deliver within the 400ppi mark.
The viewing angles weren't the best we have seen and while the colours did seem to be nice and vibrant, there was a little bit of fuzz at the top of the display where the battery bar sits. We won't make a final judgement on the display until we have reviewed this device in full, but it's probably safe to say it isn't going to be as impressive as the Galaxy Note 4.
The idea behind the P8max is the "maximise creativity" and it brings with it many of the features from its smaller and more manageable brother. Under the hood there is a Kirin octa-core processor, 3GB of RAM and 64GB of storage that is expandable via microSD up to 128GB. The rear camera is 13-megapixels, while the front camera sits at 5-megapixels and it offers the same functions as the P8 including a light painting function, beauty camera and director mode for videos.
We didn't get a chance to test the camera features out during our short amount of time with it, but they are something we will look at in detail when we come to our full review. We will also look at Huawei's Emoticon UI 3.1 software and how it has been adapted to work with the larger display.
Additionally, the P8max has an ambient light sensor, accelerometer, proximity sensor, gyroscope and compass on board and there is a 4360mAh battery capacity, which Huawei claims will give you 2 days of normal use and 1.5 days of heavy use.
Our first impressions are that the Huawei P8max is a lovely looking smartphone for those who essentially want a mini tablet to carry around with them. There is no way it would fit comfortably in our pocket and overall, it's just that little bit too massive for us.
If you look at it in terms of design and build however, it's a solid, lovely-looking device and if you're in the market for a phablet, at a starting price of €549, the P8max could easily be a contender.
The Huawei P8max will be available from mid-May in a number of countries including the UK. A Huawei case will also be available for the P8max that takes a similar approach to the HTC DotView case.
thank you for your review
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