Cubot Max 2 Review

Design, build and controls

Cubot Max 2 offers no surprises. It has a quality build and symmetrical design. The manufacturer states it has used Corning Gorilla Glass 5 with 2.5D curved edges to protect the display and we have to take its words for it. The frame and back are made of hard plastic with a glossy finish. The frame has a silver-colour coating that contrasts with the body colour, which is either blue-purple gradient or black. We are reviewing a black unit. With a 6.8-inch display, Cubot Max 2 stretches the phablet idea to new heights and nears tablet-like standards. There are not so many smartphones that are widely available on the market and have a display with exactly the same diagonal size. Among those, Max 2 is the most compact model, followed closely by Archos Oxygen 68XL. The handset is huge but the plastic chassis compensates offering a manageable weight (214 g). The device is 81.55 mm wide, 173.05 mm high and 8.95 mm thick. The big display takes up 82% of the total front surface of the device. It is covered with a 2.5D curved Corning Gorilla Glass 5 and has a notch that's positioned in the top right corner. The forehead and chin, along with the side bezels are quite generous. The navigation bar is on-screen only and is quite minimalistic. You can opt for it to be customized with an option to be hidden. It is also combined with gestures. The forehead houses the light and proximity sensors plus a LED notification light and the earpiece. The back of the handset features a dual camera module vertically aligned in the top left corner. There's a fingerprint sensor in the centre of the upper half of the body and the Cubot logo is imprinted at the bottom. The top frame is where you'll see the 3.5 mm jack, while the bottom one houses a USB Type-C 2.0 port with two grilles on its sides. The left one is for the microphone and the right one covers the single speaker. The hybrid, dual-SIM tray is placed on the left frame. The Volume and Power buttons are on the right one and offer excellent tactile experience.