8.5-inch HUAWEI Android smartphone leaked, how far is too far?

An image purportedly showing an 8.5-inch HUAWEI Android smartphone has been leaked via Twitter, with the device expected to be unveiled in the near future, maybe as soon as CES 2013.

In case the tablet-with-phone-features in the image is real – because at 8.5 inches calling it a phablet doesn’t quite cut it anymore – then we can safely say that we’re reaching a point where OEMs are about to push it too far.

In recent years we’ve seen Android phones get bigger and after Samsung proved last year that a 5.3-inch Galaxy Note can be successful smartphone, when it comes to sales, other OEMs decided to create their own 5-inch and bigger devices – in fact we have a variety of such devices in stores already and more are expected to launch next year.

But Samsung pushed the phablet size to 5.5-inch and rumors say that future similar devices may exceed these dimensions. However, would an 8.5-inch tablet-with-phone-features make any sense? What would we call such a product?

Or are OEMs getting ready to add phone capabilities to their 3G/4G Android tablets in following years, in order to further diversify their product lineup? But would carriers agree to sell such products?

Considering the increasing number of tablet sales, it could make sense to have phone capabilities available on tablets, although that doesn’t mean that would always be a convenient way of talking on the phone while on the go. Not to mention that cellular-enabled tablets are more expensive than their Wi-Fi counterparts already, so adding phone features on top of everything could further increase the starting price of 3G/4G tablet models.

In case you were wondering about the source of the picture, it comes via Eldar Murtazin, a Russian tech writer that has leaked various details about plenty of mobile devices in the past:

We’ll certainly be on the lookout for future HUAWEI announcements to see whether this 8.5-inch product gets official, especially considering that CES and MWC are getting closer and closer.

Would you buy such a device?

Thanks, tipster!