The THL W7 has proven to be a very popular 5.7-inch Android phablet, but with just a dual-core MT6577 CPU it’s starting to look dated, so how about the near identical Lai Shi MX86 with quad-core MT6589 CPU?
From a design stand-point there is very little to differentiate the THL W7 from the MX 86. Both have a large 5.7-inch 720p display, and both feature a Samsung Galaxy Note 2-esque design.
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But look a little closer at the details and we can find some interesting upgrades. For a start the screen on the MX86 is confirmed to be Gorilla Glass 2, which will help the large panel to fend off scratches and small knocks.
On the inside we can see the main upgrade over the THL, and thats the Mediatek MT6589 quad-core CPU clocked at 1.2Ghz! The rest of the spec is typical MTK phone with 1GB RAM, 4GB memory, 8 mega-pixel rear camera and 2 mega-pixel front.
Lai Shi have remembered to add a few additional features many customers are after though including dual-sim support and a large 3000mAh battery!
The MX86 is due to go on sale after the Chinese New Year at an introduction price of 1699 Yuan ($272) which will later rise to 1799 Yuan ($288).
If 5 inch is enough for you: the THL w8 is on sale (and in stock) at pandawill and the thlstore. Bought one yesterday, it will probarbly ship after chinese new year.
Some specs:
Model ThL W8
Band 2G: GSM 850/900/1800/1900MHz
3G: WCDMA 850/2100MHz
Sim Card Dual SIM Card Dual Standby
System
OS Android 4.1
CPU MTK6589, Cortex A7 quad core, 1.2GHz;
GPU: PowerVR SGX 544
ROM 8GB
RAM 1GB
Screen
Display Size 5.0 Inch
Type IPS screen, capacitive touch screen
Resolution 1280 x 720 pixels
Screen Color 16000K Colors
I came here to say the same thing! I wonder if Andi will cover the THL W8? I am very interested in the phone as I currently have a THL W6 and haven’t had any problems with THL.
Seeing as the W6 and W7 are based on Zopo designs, I wonder if there is a MTK6589 Zopo around?
I’ll try and get one for review after the Chinese New Year
Thanks Andi. Just noticed how long some of the sellers have off at the New Year (Antelife 2 weeks!)
I guess we will see a flurry of new devices after the holiday period.
That’s a Zopo zp950 Quad-Core version!Is indentical!
For that price.. it’s interesting..
MT6589 is supposed to support dual sim dual active (DSDA) and HSPA+ (21Mb/s), but the specs for all the quad core phones I’ve seen only say dual standby and HSPA.
Has anyone seen a single phone with DSDA? I’d love to get one, but only if I can use 3G data and make a 2G call at the same time.
Have been looking for a Note2 knock-off,w/stylus,5.5″ or better V4.1,similar horsepower.Found one recently,didn’t write it down.Any ideas? Just got the HDC Galaxy Note 2 Mage ,pretty nice,touch screen a little flacky